Detailed tour through a B-52 Stratofortress

Walk-around tour of BUFF, a USAF Boeing B52 G strategic nuclear bomber including the cockpit, bombay, defence station, offence station and more. This SAC (Strategic Air Command) B52 is based at the Darwin Aviation Museum and on display to the public.
Darwin Aviation Museum website: www.darwinaviationmuseum.com.au
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All footage is © Copyright 2021 Paul Stewart
#buff #boeing #b52 #usaf
0:00 intro
0:41 aircraft history
1:04 Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
1:50 low level vision including infrared
2:40 pitot tubes
2:50 downward ejection seat panel
3:12 more ECM equipment
3:36 forward landing gear bay
4:30 weapons bay and cat walk
5:00 aft landing gear
5:46 tail section, weapons, countermeasures and tail art
7:40 wings and turbojet engines
10:00 external pylon mount
10:29 entry hatch
10:40 offence compartment and ejection seats (radar navigator/bombardier and navigator)
11:56 ECM equipment
12:05 defence station (electronic warfare officer and remote gunner)
12:57 toilet
13:08 periscope sextant
13:15 in-air refueling system
13:44 flightdeck
17:30 catwalk

[@raypeters4525]

JUST TO THINK, THIS AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING 2 YRS. BEFORE I GRADUATED HI SCHOOL, I AM NOW 83 YRS. OLD ! AMAZING !!!! MADE OF THE RIGHT STUFF !

[@pastorofmuppets8834]

It's made of the right stuff too!

[@trentsavage4533]

@@pastorofmuppets8834 wow congratulations ig?

[@jamieadams7838]

And the last person to train as a pilot on these probably hasn't even been born yet

[@pastorofmuppets8834]

@@trentsavage4533 I appreciate your kind words. Not sure what it's for but any congratulations always welcome! Ready for another if you're feeling generous

[@DmitriyNotYourDad]

@@pastorofmuppets8834 Congratulations sir

[@gdaeagle]

Really enjoyed the tour. I was the co-pilot on this particular tail number "596" on 1Apr73 on a night bombing mission from Guam to Vietnam. Brings back lots of memories.

[@anselrod5699]

Tell us some pls!

[@gdaeagle]

@@anselrod5699 Where to begin? 48 years ago…

[@Ossamakilla]

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

[@armymxere5]

Does it have a shitter

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

@@gdaeagle AIR FORCE! We're the smart ones. Send the officers out to fight. :-)

[@roadkill6576]

MY dad flew one of these in the VIETNAM war. I still remember us going on base and him letting me see all of the planes. I sure do miss him and his stories!!

[@DerpPilot]

My granpa was a engineer in utapao air base during the Vietnam war

[@roadkill6576]

@@DerpPilot That is awesome brother. MY DAD WAS STATIONED AT CLARK AFB IN THE PHILLIPINES WHEN I WAS BORN;

[@jamespartin5277]

My Dad filmed many of his bombing missions over Vietnam as an Aircraft commander. The magic of 8mm home movies! We lived on SAC bases for most of my fathers 24 year career and got tours of every model B 52 from the D model to the H. My father passed away last year. He’s gone now, but many of the aircraft he flew are still in use today.

[@TheHomeExpert5]

So, when the B-52 is finally retired, it will have flown for over a 100 years. That is crazy crazy crazy incredible! What a plane!

[@robertwagner9933]

In my 25 year career I have had to pleasure of seeing these amazing aircraft's in action this is one amazing machine the US can be very proud of

[@kerryh8er04]

www.minot.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/264580/three-generations-of-b-52-airmen/

[@styldsteel1]

Of course. It's a Boeing. Don't forget the queen of the skies.

[@TheHomeExpert5]

@@styldsteel1 Boeing is not the same company that used to be, It suffers from extremely poor and unreasonable management today. Companies that do business with Boeing are generally very unhappy with their business tactics and attitudes.

[@styldsteel1]

@@TheHomeExpert5 that's very sad. In all honesty, now, I can't confirm nor deny what you day is true, if companies are dissatisfied with Boeing, companies will look to Airbus, or maybe even Embraer.

[@Shadowfax-1980]

This is the most comprehensive and straightforward tour of a B-52 I’ve ever seen.

[@thebeaz1]

How many B-52 tour videos have you seen?

[@ericbrosted6870]

@@thebeaz1 iioiiiii

[@mauricioavaloz6155]

@@thebeaz1 pendejo!!

[@jrftworth]

Here's a better and more in depth tour of the B-52H kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKSrhn2kqLJ2aK8

[@kimchi2780]

"This is a Boeing B-52 lets take a look at its quirks and features and then we'll give it a Doug Score."

[@Infection3d]

"Thhhhhhhissss...."

[@marlo8850]

You forgot the "take it out on the road" part

[@saranath0317]

And soon to be found on "Caaars and Bids...!"

[@johnyoung5820]

Former B-52 EWO here. Wanted to correct a few misunderstandings. Regarding your story about ECM and ATC, no... just, no. First, during peacetime, we're squawking via an IFF transponder, so we wouldn't be invisible to air traffic control. We also don't fly around actively jamming or doing so indiscriminately because if we were jamming an airport surveillance radar, it's not only not seeing us, it's not seeing anyone else. Also, there is no radar absorbent material on a B-52, or at least not for the purpose of rendering the aircraft less visible on radar. While serrations are used to scatter incoming RF on some aircraft, those on the B-52 tail wouldn't have that effect. That said, given the proximity of the ALQ-153 TWS on the vertical stabilizer, it might be related to it (although having spent 8 years and 2000+ hours in the B-52, no one has ever mentioned that, so...). Fun fact: Going to the "loo," aka "honey bucket" is taboo for the obvious issue of aroma. Having flown a Global Power mission, we carried a chemical camp toilet. Also, the urinal is close to very hot electronic equipment, so it tends to simmer, which lends to the distinctive aroma inside the cockpit. Good times.

[@jamesrudd8705]

I never saw the honeypot ever get used. Not even once. I am not aware of anyone that did.

[@crew-dog2668]

@@jamesrudd8705 I did! My co-pilot had to use it. As the EW, I went to 100% O2 and put the a/c to max. I turned around at one point and he was shivering while doing his business. I think he had to buy beers after the flight.

[@crew-dog2668]

Agree, the B-52 has a huge cross section. ATC couldn’t miss it. We did not actively jam outside of an authorized location.

[@jamesrudd8705]

@@crew-dog2668 , yikes!! Yeah, that had to be bad.

[@badguy1481]

@@jamesrudd8705 I never used it. And I don't think I remember anyone else ever using it. I think the work load and rapid pace of even the training missions kept your mind off your need.

[@jobellecollie7139]

Thank you for the guided tour of my old office. I was a member of The Strategic Air Command and began flying F-111's. When my Aardvark was retired, I got the "keys" to my very own BUFF! My late father was an Admiral in the US Navy and was not pleased when I decided to enlist into the US Air Force vs US Navy. He worked on General Electric jet engine designs in the 1950's and 1960's. He had taught me how to fly many years before I learned how to drive a car. I prefer flying, less traffic! The only saving Grace my father allowed was I at "least" I would use engines he had designed. The US Navy had nixed the F-111 so my father was unsure of its air worthiness. I no longer fly because I am a terrible back seat driver!

[@adamdubin1276]

The Bell X-1 precedes the B-52 by about 6 years and was dropped from the bomb bay of a modified B-29 and later a B-50. You might be thinking of the North American X-15 which was released from a hardpoint mounted on the aircraft's wing between 1959 and 1968.

[@CH-pv2rz]

@adam dubin thank you, I was going to post the same thing… 👍

[@osulxa]

This is correct. A special loading pit/ramp was designed in the tarmac to load the Bell X-1 into the B-29.

[@SCFoster]

Correct. When I was at NASA Dryden in the 80s we used the B52 to drop various X manned aircraft and drones.

[@marks1638]

Been there, done that, tail number 2596 was one of the BUFF's I worked. Spend several years of my young life crawling through every inch of B-52G's. It's amazing where they used to stick Electronic Countermeasures Equipment on BUFF's. Everything from the nose to the top of the tail. We had to fix it all and fix all RF paths and electrical wiring (including the Chaff Dispensers in the Wing and Flare Dispensers in the Rear). It was a great job, though sometimes stinky, dirty, cold/hot, and everything in between.

[@52griz]

Aww . . you just miss pouring DC-200 into the HD's on the alternator deck with a donkey dick on pre-flight. Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason. And if your ECM you know exactly what I'm talking about.

[@TheKila68]

@@52griz 5 AMXS? I feel bad for you all, that flight line out there gets chilly

[@helios1912]

Roger that--this vid does a good job of showing the bomb bay and ECM pods past that ominous hatch.

[@melnie89]

Ah been there done that...that's what Obama said when he cancelled the Orion Moon project.

[@marks1638]

@@52griz It's just as much fun at 0200 and the windchill just went below -40 at Loring AFB. Or for more fun try changing all the equipment mounts on all the ALT-28 Transmitters and HDs on all 15 Bombers at Robins in 95 degrees with 95 percent Humidity in 1978. All because the Depot at Kelly bought the mounting racks from a crap supplier and the DCM wants the TCTO done yesterday (including the Alert Birds). Oh and of course the Day Shift Flightline Crew with three people gets to do it all, because Night Shift is so busy handling the returning Buffs (an average of three a day) from training missions. I did finally talk the Boss into grabbing some Shop Troops into helping us after the DCM realized that we weren't fully manned and only three people were actually doing the work (Boy, was he hot when he found out.). My back still hurts from heaving all those Heavies. We finally got Hydraulic Loaders for the ALT-28's/AlQ-155's when I got to Loring in 83 and no one even knew we had them or how to use them. They were awkward to use, but saved our backs on many occasions.

[@maryrafuse3851]

As a child my husband was inside one of these at the airshow in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. It was returning to America from Vietnam and the crew took a side trip to the airshow. He remembers the USAF crew being very friendly and kind with children. They made a big positive impression on my husband who was 12 years old at the time. God bless America, NORAD, Canada and NATO.

[@noelht1]

This one was built in 1959 and it still looks futuristic now. Incredible plane.

[@jimmysweet8907]

Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in the X-1 in 1947, he was carried aloft by a B-29. The B-52 carried the X-15.

[@dtyr123]

The B-52 never carried the X-1. They did modify one or two B-52's to carry the X-15. Those modified B-52's also carried carried a lot of other research aircraft as well. But never the X-1

[@LinenAssociate]

@@dtyr123 Pretty sure he knows that which is why he made his comment. In the video around the 10:00 mark the voice over erroneously mentioned carrying the Bell X-1 using the underwing pylon.

[@MarkLoundy]

@@LinenAssociate The X-1 was not carried by a B-52 at all. They used a B-50, which was an upgraded version of the B-29.

[@LinenAssociate]

@@MarkLoundy Reading comprehension is a bit lacking on your end isn't it?

[@dougcook7507]

The B-52 didn't carry a Bell X-1 for any of it's flights. The X-1 made it's last flight before the B-52 was put into service.

[@msantifort]

As a former taingunner we only used the water injection on take off for extra thrust. You could actually feel it when it kicked in. Great video, brings back a lot of memories.

[@pastorofmuppets8834]

Is that the plane version of pushing the nitrous button?

[@msantifort]

@@pastorofmuppets8834 Exactly. Simplest way to describe it.

[@rocketman5167]

KC-135 also had water injection. The rivets would rattle when the dumped it!

[@mcahill135]

When men burned water!

[@DerAbenteurer94]

How did you felt being alone in the tail gun compartment. You hadn't really that much space there

[@Joel-ew1zm]

A testament to the insane longevity of this platform. My Uncle entered the Air Force 50 years ago as a pilot during Vietnam and flew the F4 Phantom (B52 had already been in service for years at this point). He stayed in the Air Force long enough to fly in the Gulf War as an A10 pilot some 20 years later before retiring as a Brigadier General (B52 still in service). After retiring, he stayed involved as a civilian contractor / advisor involved in the mid 90's study of re-engining the B52 to 4 modern turbofans. He passed away a few years ago, and the Air Force is FINALLY moving forward with re-engining the B52 in earnest with the CERP program and the platform will be in service for decades to come.

[@richardmartin3073]

As a Crew member in the 70s, we did occasional static display days where the public climbed stairs to look in the cockpit. My all-time favorite question was, "Now, does this thing have one key to start, or eight?" Nice tour and great memories. Built with slide rules.

[@penguin2ab]

Thought the story was that some tried using the new computer models to come up with a model and it wasn't meeting requirements so a few people at Boeing were talking about it and literally grabbed a block of wood and carved out a fuselage

[@dougball328]

@@penguin2ab OK, that story has been distorted a bit. George Schairer, Ed Wells, Bob Withington and several others were in Dayton, OH pitching their concept for a new bomber. The Air Force rejected it saying it needed to be jet powered and faster. So back in the hotel they redesigned the airplane based upon what wind tunnel data they had with them. While the others were drafting the report Schairer went to a hobby shop and bought supplies and built a balsa model. It was more than the fuselage, it was the entire airplane. Schairer was Boeing's rep to Operation Paperclip. His letter back to Seattle concerning sweep is (was?) displayed in Boeing's HQ in Chicago. I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Schairer and Mr. Withington as a young engineer - and had Mr. Withington's son as one of my employees. Those guys were good engineers, believe me.

[@101egm]

As a crew member in the '60's, no civilian was allowed inside of a B52. It would have been nice to allow our wives to see "our office" but that wasn't the SAC way. Actually, wives were considered unnecessary complications that just complicated the war mission

[@rookiedrifter2631]

As a B52 crew chief i would like to compliment you on a truly completely accurate tour. I watched very closely to see mistakes and saw none. Very good job. I can't say that about most "expert" videos. Matt. B52H 60-0001 Memphis Bell IV 20th Bomber Squadron 8th Air Force Barksdale AFB 1996-2000

[@bobgil3464]

My dad was a B-52 Navigator stationed at Barksdale AFB (SAC) in the early 60's. I remember going to a little hole in the wall seafood shack nearby. Miss those days with my dad.

[@scottgshomewrenching1352]

I I was a B-52 crew chief at BAFB from 89-92, one of the last 4 crew chiefs on the alert pad before the START treaty, I sent a few G models to the boneyard and recovered a couple TAC ferry H models when we first started getting them as the G's were being retired. Good times.

[@jamesrudd8705]

I spent many hours on "Balls One".

[@JamesSmith-gq6hf]

@@jamesrudd8705 Balls One dropped in for a visit to Wurtsmith AFB (G unit) once. It had an interphone problem and we were asked to take a look. Oops, wrong model of interphone! So we took turns laying in the bunk just to say we did and buttoned it up and went back to the shop.

[@jamesrudd8705]

@@JamesSmith-gq6hf Great story! Love it!

[@simonjamesdean2307]

You should have crawled down the back end. The one at Duxford in UK had graffiti from the Vietnam war era scratched into the main bulkhead, including mission dates and bomb tallys. Very cool.

[@glen1555]

Seen the one at Duxford. It was outside and one could appreciate how big this plane is. This video can't really demonstrate its size tucked into a hanger

[@CraynerProductions]

Darwin is wet and stormy for six months of the year, so I'd imagine it's safer inside than out. Having been to the Aviation Museum, the B52 truly dominates the space.

[@white-dragon4424]

@@glen1555 It's now in a custom made dome, along with a load of other USAF planes.

[@garrykraemer8993]

Thanks for the video; brought back fond memories! One correction: All wing flaps moved in sync! The non-flying pilot had to watch the flap indicator needles to make sure both needles (left and right) kept in sync. If a split flap condition was shown; it was an 'emergency procedure'! I instructed in 'G' and 'H' B-52's for 13 years ('77 - '90). I have 5000+ flying hours. Your 'G' model is a non-ALCM carrier. The leading edge wing root would have been flared into the fuselage if it was an ALCM carrier. Russia used satellites to see that identifier to determine ALCM capability. Hello, John Shockey!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Thanks for the extra info.

[@wigglyjiggly4498]

Fun Fact: the flaps and Crab transmitter are the same, so you can actually swap those two gauges if you're trying to trace a malfunction.

[@jgarner1104]

When I was a small child, my kindergarten teacher was married to a B-52 pilot. For our field trip we were allowed on a USAF base and were allowed to crawl through the B-52 and the KC-135. The B-52 variant we were in still had the crew station in the rear with the quad .50's and it was tiny there. The coolest part of the trip though was the large matted surface in the KC-135 where the crewmember laid and looked out the windows to fly the boom.

[@KingAladeen]

Did y'all go to Barksdale?

[@jgarner1104]

@@KingAladeen Carswell AFB. Now named NAS JRB Fort Worth

[@briansearles4473]

I had a similar experience. Went through a B52 at Peace AFB in New Hamshire some 60 years ago. I can remember siting in the bombardiar's station.

[@podaly]

I flew several times across the US on tankers laid out in the refueler's pod watching this gorgeous country sail by. Awesome way to fly!

[@henrylicious]

I wonder if that was a D model?

[@robinsites9790]

I have over 2000 hours flying as an EWO in the B-52...most of it in the G model at Barksdale and Castle. Fond memories...can almost hear the noise and smell that distinctive BUFF aroma that never changed. Thanks for the post!

[@52griz]

I was a ECM tech at Castle '76-'81. May have debriefed you - CND, Cannot duplicate indicated malfunction - IAW 1B52G-2-23.

[@robinsites9790]

@@52griz Always something wrong with the ALQ-155s on a check ride:)

[@robinsites9790]

But you probably spent more time on the ALT-28 and ALQ-117

[@52griz]

@@robinsites9790 I believe we got 155's while I was at Castle. I remember being with company tech reps out on the flight line. The 28's were heavy enough. These were much heavier. Problem with avionics maintenance is it is difficult to duplicate some malfunctions on the ground since the aircraft is stationary. We'd wiggle wires and cables in attempt to do so. And sometimes we'd just swap out seemingly good components due to repeat write ups. Air pressure changes and vibrations in flight were often a cause. We always tried to provide the best equipment and maintenance. I always wanted to go for a ride to see the equipment I maintained in actual operation. Felt I'd get a better appreciation of our jobs.

[@robinsites9790]

@@52griz They were just getting the 155s when I was a student at Castle in 1982. It took a few years to get the bugs out. Lots of things happen at altitude that you can’t always duplicate on the ground. Also we would run our system check at high level cruise then cold soak them a few hours and turn them on and use them after a 2 hour low level run. Too many of our guys would write stuff up I thought...Years later I was the lead ECM Program Manager at the F-16 SPO at Wright-Patt. Got experience with 2 level maintenance. Maintenance troops would send a malfunctioning ALR-56M box to the ALC and they would send it back NFF (no fault found) and charge the unit for it. Discovered the thing was getting wet and failing and would dry out on the way to Warner -Robins and the could not duplicate the fault. The fix was to plug 2 hole in top of the box where water was getting in from an in insulated air conditioning line above it...

[@krazmokramer]

Fabulous video! When my family moved to Wichita Kansas in 1962, our next door neighbor was Boeing's chief test pilot for the B-52 program. Our home was due north of the runway and B-52s flew over all day long. Test B-52s had fluorescent orange paint on the fuselage and the vertical stabilizer. If we were in the yard playing and our neighbor flew overhead as he was about to land, he would wag the wings at us to wave. It was so cool! Thanks for this interesting video!!

[@toomanyuserids]

Yeah, first flew about when I was born.

[@thetwopointslow]

Cool story! (and hello from a fellow Wichitan)

[@TheRudydog1]

What a great tour of the famous B-52 Bomber. Back in the mid 60's during the Vietnam War I was in the USAF repairing the radios on these great aircraft. The main HF radio for long distance communications was the ARC-65 made by Collins Radio Company and it was quite ugly, looking more like a round garbage can. It had many vacuum tubes putting off an enormous amount of heat and was remote controlled from the cockpit. It ran about 250 watts output on both SSB (Phone) and CW (Morse Code). I spent many an hour troubleshooting this beast to make sure it could do it's important duty in combat. All of the ARC-65's have been replaced by modern solid state radios which are much more reliable. The RB-47H Bombers also used the ARC-65. I am very proud I was able to serve our country and be at least a little part of the history of the mighty B-52 Stratofortress.

[@crew-dog2668]

Interesting! As an EW, I used the HF radio many times to report emergencies on the aircraft back to our command post, or reach the nearest SAC base. It always worked!

[@samuelweir5985]

I actually crawled through the detached tail end of a B-52 bomber in a jungle on Guam when I was a kid back around 1976 or so. I was surprised to see that the electronics in the tail there utilized small vacuum tubes. Such was the state-of-the-art in electronics back in those days. How did the tail end of a B-52 end up in a jungle on Guam? That particular B-52 was actually out-of-service as a bomber and was used for firefighting practice at Andersen AFB on Guam while I was an AF brat there. Typhoon Pamela hit the base in 1976 and, along with other damage, blew the tail end of the old B-52 over the airfield fence and into the nearby jungle. I came across the tail end when I noticed it while biking on a nearby road and went to investigate it.

[@robertfinch6602]

Seriously!?! 🙄 🤔 😂

[@zlcoolboy]

Lucky!

[@williamepstein4837]

I was a crew chief on the B52G from 83 to 87 assigned to the 379th OMS Wurtsmith AFB. MI. I was on flight status and loved to sit in the IP seat between the pilot and co-pilot. Working on the BUFF was the best time of my life.

[@jeffburrell7648]

I was crew chief on a B52H in the 319th OMS at Grand Forks from 75-78. Even though cocking a KC-135 onto alert took much less time and effort than my BUFF, I never envied the tanker guys needing to heat water during the winter nights. I can still hear in my mind the MD-3 chugging away on those cold nights.

[@williamepstein4837]

@@jeffburrell7648 HI Jeff, I spent my fair share of time on uploads and alert. Cart starts and rollers were fun too. Nice to hear from a fellow crew chief.

[@jeffburrell7648]

@@williamepstein4837 Those were good days for me, too, but I really don't miss ORIs or rebuilding my bird after a month on cann status. It was a hard decision to cross train into satellite communications, but it was the right decision for me.

[@richardkraus3208]

@@jeffburrell7648 hey chiefs, I was also crew chief B-52H 5TH OMS MINOT 80-84 ACFT 61-019 60-053 (RIP now in the pacific Guam) 60-008 (lucky lady lV) Darwin guam missions were great, but some your just glad you made it back. 21 hrs was my longest flight but was super cool cause I sat in the copilot seat & flew at cruse while he got a couple hrs of sleep :)

[@gregbedford9706]

I was there at the same time! Defensive Fire Control. I loved almost every minute of it. Working at the tail in January wasn't so pleasant.

[@KC-UT4rmAZ]

Finally a walk through thats an actual walk through and films everything. Good job. Most "walk throughs" just start recording when the person is sitting in the pilots seat and you don't see shit except out the window and front dash board.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it! I’m working on more detailed tours

[@qzztv3]

Great tour. I retired in 1992 and have about 3550 hours in B-52 D, F, G and H models as a Nav/RN so it brought back many memories. Being downstairs with no windows meant (at Grand Forks ND) that one could take off before dawn, fly 12 hours and land at night so never saw the sun at all.

[@101egm]

Ahhhh yes, memories. I remember eating my flight lunch on the crew bus after one of those missions because I never got time to eat it aloft...for 10+ hours. The Nav was the donkey of the crew. Someone need something???? Hey nav, when you got a minute !!

[@ArokhX]

As a former mechanic for the egress systems on the BUFF, this was a trip down memory lane. Thank you so much for sharing. I actually kinda miss this old rust bucket.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LandNfan]

In the late 1960’s, I was stationed at McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS. The base shared its runways with the adjacent Boeing plant where they did refurbishment work on the B-52. It was quite a sight to see a BUFF flying low over the access road on final approach. We used to call it an “aluminum overcast.” And quite a contrast to the aircraft on the other side of the boundary fence at the factory where Cessna built their light singles, 152, 172, 182, etc.

[@badguy1481]

I flew test flights in a KC-135 at McConnell. On one flight the weather and visibility was so bad at McConnell we had to make 3 passes before we could get down. The next morning, when I came in, I saw a B-52 off the end of the runway, mired in the grass. Evidently, it was being delivered to Boeing and had the same problem we did getting it on the ground. (that was in 1978 or 9).

[@GaryLeeJ62]

Thanks for the tour. 1975 to 1979 I was involved with the B 52G, first as the 97th OMS Bomber Branch Officer In Charge, ending up as the OMS Maintenance Supervisors for both the KC 135 and B 52, based in Blytheville, Arkansas.

[@larrywright4539]

Hey, I was stationed there from 01/09/73 to 01/10/80, and again from 08/01/88 to 15/12/92, when they closed the gates. I worked in DFCS, trying to keep those guns firing until the last flight with a gunner October, 1991. I was assigned to OMS my second tour there.

[@MrJinxyBuster]

Great video. I lived about 20 miles downrange of the flightline at Warner Robins AFB base when I was a kid and these things were constantly rumbling over the house, either on missions or check flights just having been repaired. Warner Robins did an yearly airshow, Navy one year and Airforce the next. Other than the SR-71's, the B52's were the most badass plane in the show. They would simulate a napalm bombing run and just annihilate the grass between the runways, right before the choppers with special forces troops would come in on helicopters. Fun times, and thanks to all you guys who served.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

I was a USAF mechanic on B52s in the late 60's-early 70's. When I was stationed in Guam, it was weird watching the fully loaded bombers TRYING to take off and literally falling off the end of the runway cliff then climbing to attain altitude. We'd be driving maintenance vehicles across the runway near the cliff at times watching the bomber bearing down on us.

[@nathd1748]

They are all getting new engines now with a very slight thrust increase courtesy of Rolls Royce.

[@podaly]

Hahaha! I was jets hitching a ride to Guam on a tanker ( KC135). The crew chief pulled a prank as we were returning home by calculating out loud the amount of fuel on board. As we hurtled down the runway he yells "Oh shit I calculated wrong!" Just as we did that drop off the cliff at the end of the runway...almost crapped myself!🤣 Good times🥴!

[@deweykendrick1260]

That's weird that only 60,000lb of additional cargo would affect the flying fortress so much...

[@nickadams797]

I was a B52 crew chief 2003-2007. We're full of pranks! The echo check is when you have a new guy inspecting the turbine fins yell into the engine. No echo is a big problem... Before my time they'd tell newbies to do that in the exhaust vent. He'd climb out just black head to toe.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

@@nickadams797 oh I had many stories too. I rode the brakes in the copilot's seat once when the crew chief was running the engines. He applied so much power the bomber jumped the chalk blocks! I thought I would be occupying a cell! Yes, there's more.

[@robertdesrosiers2382]

I was a Bomb-Nav Systems mechanic for the B-52 G models. 82-86 Loring AFB, Maine. The ECM Shop was right next door to ours at the 42 AMS Squadron. The ECM guys always bragged that they could throw out enough RF energy to shut down and or fry the electronics of a small city. I don't think they were exaggerating.

[@stephenkolcinski3179]

I served on a B-52H. great aircraft!

[@JackKellyUSA]

I've really enjoyed reading all the B52 reminiscence and nostalgia. I served in the SAC 416th Bombardment Wing at Griffiss AFB (Rome NY) from 1965 to 1967. I'm 79 years old now and, in retrospect, these were two of the best years of my life. I was a guidance technician on the AGM-28A Hound Dog missile. After a productive year and a half in the guidance shop, I spent a year in the analysis section of the AMMS squadron. There I learned to debrief incoming flights and to read the missile portion of the MADREC recordings. Most importantly I got to fly as an observer on six FSAGA missions (First Sortie After Ground Alert). This privilege and honor was quite extraordinary because I was only a two-stripe, first-term enlistee. These missions tested the reliability of the alert aircraft and all its systems. To qualify for flight status, I had to complete altitude chamber testing at Westover AFB. Before each night flight I was outfitted with a flight suit, helmet, oxygen mask, and parachute. If we had to bail out, I was expected to exit through one of the bottom holes left by the navigators (lol). Before each of my flights, on the short bus ride to the flight line, I briefed the crew on the prior maintenance of the aircraft and missiles. If I was the only observer, which was usually the case, for takeoff, air refueling, and landing I sat behind the pilot and copilot. During the missile runs I sat behind the navigator and radar navigator. We took off from Griffiss in the early evening, flew over Maine for KC-135 in-flight refueling, then made a high-level missile and bombing run to an electronic range in Kentucky and a low-level run to a range at Warner Robins in Georgia. Then back to Griffiss for a few ILS touch-and-go's before landing around 6 AM. What incredible experiences these were. I was transferred to Little Rock AFB and served on a Titan II launch crew for the last year of my enlistment. Another extraordinary experience but of an entirely different nature altogether.

[@sidv4615]

Did you see Titans launch?

[@JackKellyUSA]

No, I never saw a launch. Once a year a missile was taken from each of the three bases (Little Rock, McConnell, and Davis Monathan) along with an alert launch crew, and sent to Vandenberg for a silo launch. The year I was at Little Rock, our missile failed to launch. The holding clamps didn’t release for some reason. BIG disappointment!

[@mikewithers299]

@JackKellyUSA so awesome hearing you were at Griffiss AFB. I remember seeing B52's daily at times fly over as a kid in Utica. The thunder from those birds was incredible. Rome, NY was active back then. I moved away in '82 and base was decommissioned. What a shame.

[@JackKellyUSA]

@@mikewithers299 I moved back to Rome three years ago. The base is an office park now and a little used airport. There’s a B52 on display though - The Pride of the Mohawk Valley. Rome and Utica are still good towns to live in. Come on back! 😊

[@mikewithers299]

@JackKellyUSA my family is still there. I'm in construction and that industry was dying when I left there. Still love my home town though. I need to visit the base one day to see that bird. I love that buff

[@bobgil3464]

Great video. My father Colonel William R. Gilmore graduated from the USNA in 1954. He transferred into the US Air Force and was a navigator in the B-47 then B-52. He is now buried at the US Air Force Academy near the B-52 on display.

[@sidv4615]

When was he born?

[@bobgil3464]

@@sidv4615 January 9 1933.

[@petertocher6845]

I spent a humid day at the beginning of 2020 looking through this great museum. I walked around the B52 with one of the volunteers and he told me that, although the Buff was in a museum, it technically remained the property of the USAF. He recalled one day some American brass arrived from the airport and needed to remove parts from this airframe to be used on an in service aircraft. It was sort of like a having a handy scrapyard that someone else looked after for you.

[@jjojo2004]

Some parts were removed off a B-1A on display at an air museum in Colorado once. The parts were for an in service B-1B. The curator of the museum mentioned it in one of the museum’s videos.

[@chadseibel3898]

One night we had to do a midnight raid on a static display B-52 to steal some parts in order to fix a grounded BUFF. My job was the lookout. The funny thing was the display was a B model and we needed the part for a H Model.

[@oldfatandtired6406]

As far as I know, all displayed USAF Aircraft remain the property of the USAF. This is administered through the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. An example of an aircraft that was on loan, determined not to be maintained and returned to the Museum, was the B-17, "Memphis Belle". It was on display at a couple of different locations and had suffered from years of neglect and vandalism. Museum staff determined the airplane was not being maintained and gave the City of Memphis, Tennessee the ultimatum of repairing the plane and safeguarding it, or returning it yo the Museum. The Cjty was unable to provide the needed funds and location for the Memphis Belle's care and it was surrendered to the Museum. The Belle was moved from Memphis Tennessee to WPAFB, Dayton via semi trucks. I live near Dayton and got to see with assembled large crowds the Nemphis Belle being transported along the highway. It was placed in the "Restoration Hangar" near the main Museum buildings and painstakingly restored. There are a number of videos on KZbin about this. One is a documentary produced by ThinkTV of the Public Broadcast System.

[@petertocher6845]

@@oldfatandtired6406 That's interesting Mike. Further to my comment above, the volunteer I was talking to in Darwin observed that the upper fuselage and wings on the B52 were looking grubby and he remarked to me that part of their agreement with the USAF was that they had to keep any a/c clean and maintained. It costs a bit to get up and clean a big aircraft with all the health and safety concerns. We often forget that when we pay admission.

[@roguedalek900]

@@petertocher6845 It was fresh out of the paint barn and flown straight to Darwin. Theres a video of it out there somewhere about the prep and arrival .

[@Name-ps9fx]

You have to wear a Stetson hat when climbing around the bombs... 🤠

[@garynew9637]

No fighting in the war room!

[@robertwolf9380]

where is Major Kong?

[@havocproltd]

We must preserve, at all cost, the purity of our bodily fluids.

[@havocproltd]

What are ya? Some kind of prevert?

[@Name-ps9fx]

@@havocproltd *OPE*

[@havocproltd]

I was a respiratory therapist with the World Famous Army Flight Team. On a very sketchy instrument landing in a C-120 into Minot AFB one frosty February Sunday morning. The instrument warning " MINIMUM. MINIMUM" the whole way to the runway. The fog suddenly cleared and all we could see for the whole length of the runway was B-52's! Parked next to one another, nose and tail, left and right all the way down the runway. It was the first day the 24/7 B-52 patrols had been "stood - down" by President Bush. It was awesome and eerie at the same time.

[@hodwooker5584]

I worked on this model of B52. That was in 1979 and it is amazing how much this aircraft has changed. Thank you for a great video.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dealershiptechtruth]

My step father flew this through desert storm. I lived on barksdale AFB for a bit of my childhood. Loved watching these fly over near daily

[@scottgshomewrenching1352]

I was stationed at BAFB from 89-92, crew chief on the B-52. Your dad probably flew a bird I crewed.

[@dealershiptechtruth]

@@scottgshomewrenching1352 i know he had blue tails and red tails there... i believe he was the blue tail squadron.

[@ruthere4pretender]

This is the sort of no-nonsense, knowledgable aircraft tour that we need - good on you!

[@geoffhalstead1811]

Ditto👍👏

[@williamhudson4938]

Not a bad tour, but he doesn't know RAM from vortex generators. Then he describes the air exhaust under the Stab as cooling air exhaust for the hydraulics from the slot in the vertical stabilizer. That slot is for the "Q" spring, which provides artificial feel for the flight controls. Brakes are poor? you obviously haven't been on board during landing! How about coming to a complete stop in 2600 feet? Been there. 8:16 your fuel vent leads to a surge tank of 50 gallons. When fuel expands due to high temps, it bleeds over to these tanks. Airflow in flight pushed it back to the main tanks. The primary vent for refuel was behind the aft gear forward of the access hatch to the 47 section. It was known as the "Fuse". I was a Crew Chief on D and H model BUFFs. The external tanks were not jettison able on G and H jets while they could be on D models. But that was purely because of the weight involved. A D model tank was about 20,000 lbs when full. They were never jettisoned just because they were empty, in fact they were usually the last fuel burned to maintain wing stability. OMG Water injection does NOT change RPM! It increases density of the air being burned, thus increasing thrust. I'm out. Please do more research before you mislead the masses into thinking you're an expert.

[@kdlev4903]

I got to tour inside a B-52 any time I wanted in 75-76. I was stationed at B-52 SAC base Merced CA. then, last piglet training base in the world. One wet winter night student pilot landed, hit his brakes too hard, blew 8 tires, skidded 100' into the mud at the end of the runway, took rest of the night to jack the plane up, change the tires & tow it back on the runway.

[@chuckinsac]

I had a client in Rancho Cordova, California, whose office was on the final approach of what was once Mather AFB. The B-52's would come in so low, they would rattle his building and you could practically see the pilots in the cockpit! It was such a trill! All the surrounding businesses were auto salvage yards so no one complained about the noise in those days.

[@CraigBranson]

Mather AFB was my first assignment working on the ECM systems on these monsters! I always felt sorry for the trailer park at the end of one end of the runway because of the noise!

[@stepstone100]

I guarded the B52 for 8 years. Always amazing .

[@robertfulcher4641]

I guarded the g model at wurtsmith AFB for 3 yrs

[@rickkidd6521]

I also walked figure 8's around two alert Buffs on the Christmas Tree at Robin's AFB. I loved my time in SAC. Nothing like an alert scramble to get your heart pumping!

[@jasonpayne1240]

🇺🇸 🇦🇺 I served in Iraq with a lot of Aussies. That beautiful museum seems to be a fantastic space to honor that old buff. Nice video!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Cheers Jason. It's a great museum and getting this close to a B-52 was a huge honour

[@jasonpayne1240]

@@PaulStewartAviation as an Av Geek if I ever make it to Darwin I’ll include it on my itinerary. Thanks again for your videos.

[@TheMonthlyJack]

@@jasonpayne1240 The markets on Mindil beach and in Parap are also top notch.

[@timothyprice1407]

It's crazy knowing that a plane built 16 years before I was born will probably outlive me!

[@timothyprice1407]

Check that . . . SIX years before I was born, not 16. But still though!

[@a.j.rainey3024]

USAF Veteran: Mather AFB, 320th, B-52G’s 1968-71. AMS “Black Hats” worked on the Terrain Avoidance and Bomb Navigation Systems. Lucky to be on “Flying Status” for approximately one year. All good, lot’s of good friends, good memories and a great job at a young age.

[@doylefrost4314]

I had a quite a few hours working on some of these, back in the mid sixties. Sure have changed since then. 380th BW, SAC, Plattsburgh, NY.

[@maxcorder2211]

You spoke of the ECM. The G model (this one) was equipped primarily to attack the Soviet Union. In 1972, B-52’s, including D and G models, were used to attack targets in North Vietnam. The G’s suffered disproportionate losses due to their ECM gear was for attacking Soviet radar defenses. The N Vietnamese used a different system, radars, frequencies, etc. After a few nights of losses, G models were restricted from the Hanoi area. Another issue was that the G’s didn’t have the ability to carry external bombs, so they couldn’t carry as much ordnance as the D. The D model had ECM gear developed specific to combat N Vietnamese radar and the Sam environment. Also, the D model had the “Big Belly” bomb bay modification, which allow it to carry 108 500/750 bombs. I flew the D model out of both Guam and U-Tapao, Thailand on 100+ missions in 1972, including the Hanoi missions in December, 1972. She carried me and my crew safely home through many close SAM engagements.

[@jamesrudd8705]

Those of us working these planes in the 80s all held the D model in high esteem. It was considered the most iconic model.

[@QLEK99]

Wow. Thank you for your insight. There is a video on a youtube channel called The Operations Room about the Linebacker Operation in Vietnam that birefly explains the vulnerabilities of the G models.

[@sthrnfrog60]

Interesting seeing the G and comparing. I was Master Crew Chief on 61-011 Chameleon, an H model. I was one who had the pleasure of powering up those 8 throttles from time to time. Also was one who crawled on that crawlway in flight. Not fun! I gave many static display tours in my time, you did a good job. I've slept with that plane, loaded for alert, and flown all over the world in that plane. Low level flying is awesome. I was even blessed a few times to take the stick and fly it, shhhhh! Those were very fond days.

[@edmccall390]

Those are magnificent aircraft. I worked around them for years while I was in the USAF. They are big, loud, and stunning when you are up close to them like you are in this video. Watching them take off and seeing the wings curl up at the ends was astonishing when I first saw it.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Yes they are!

[@tippersteffi1]

I was a pilot on the F, G and H model from 1974 - 1987….very comprehensive video

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@white-dragon4424]

You really only realise how ancient the plane is once you get inside. Even that G model looks archaic. A literal museum piece! It shows why the plane's still in service, because it's so basic and slow that it must be extremely cheap to use as a bomb truck.

[@wschappell]

I flew as a gunner on a B-52 (hence my avatar) and was one of the last ones made redundant in the 90s. It was a sad day. When I flew on them, the gunner was responsible for monitoring aerial refueling, and in the case of malfunction, we had a rather lengthy procedure to follow in order to attempt to fix it. During a standardization/evaluation flight (this is where crew members are tested on knowledge and procedure) our mid-air refueling system went kaput and I asked the pilot if he wanted me to run the checklist. He said sure and the evaluator gunner asked if I was sure because he'd have to evaluate me on it. I said sure, and did the checklist flawlessly, and restored the system. That check ride (as we called it) ended with the highest rating of "Outstanding Performance". This was good because one before that was Q3 (fail) as I left my seat to go use the urinal (which required a fair of flexibility to use) and neglected to put the radar on standby. The rule for the upstairs chemical toilet was "He who christens the bucket, empties the bucket", so we all waited as long as possible before using it because once one person used it, we ALL would. In my thousands of hours of flying, I don't recall it being used once. Low-level flying was festive, the plane was not smooth, it bumped and jarred around something fierce. And in the late eighties and early nineties when I flew on it, the accumulated odors of decades of flight was....unpleasant to say the least. It was not a comfortable plane to fly in, but then again, that wasn't its mission. I am proud to have been a crew member of this beautiful beast.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Interesting! Thanks for the extra insight :)

[@jamesrudd8705]

I don't recall ever not getting sick and throwing up during low-level bomb runs. Every single damned time. I never got used to it.

[@dougwickstrom9870]

The bucket got cold, too, at altitude.

[@internationalnews5669]

My Dad Flew This Exact Aircraft how cool it is to see it again

[@scottmoore8002]

Thanks for this tour. I have around 3000 hours in B-52G's and H's as a copilot, aircraft commander, instructor pilot and evaluator pilot, and the information you've given in this video is, for the most part, exactly what someone who is unfamiliar with the B-52 would want to know. I have just 2 quibbles (in addition to the errors already pointed out regarding the X-1 and RAM): at the 11:20 mark you mention the special weapons release handles and then say that nukes were "never dropped from one of these." If you were referring to nukes never having been dropped from this specific B-52G, or from a G model in general, then of course you are correct. However, if you meant that a nuke had never been dropped from any B-52, this is incorrect. B-52s were the delivery vehicle for a total of 30 nuclear bombs tested by the US in the Pacific during the Cold War. Also, at least 2 B-52s accidentally released nuclear weapons as a result of an aircraft accident. Secondly, at the 13:10 mark, you refer to the sextant, but what you show is the sextant port, not the sextant itself. The sextant was a delicate instrument which was normally kept stowed in a case nearby and only removed from its case and inserted into the sextant port when being used by the EW to take celestial shots for the Nav during his celestial navigation leg. The sextant port was simply an opening through which the sextant was inserted and connected to the aircraft, allowing the EW to view the particular star he was taking the shot off of. Otherwise, good show!!

[@RickRottman]

Thank you for making this video! I was stationed at Griffiss AFB, Guam from 1988 to 1990. I was a flightline electronic warfare technician assigned to the 416 OMS squadron. I worked on all of the ECM gear you pointed to in the tour. This video brought back a lot of great memories. The bumps in the nose and around the aft section near the tail gun were part of the ALQ-172 radar countermeasure system. It was an automated system. The EWO (pronounced "E Whoa") would turn it on and the system would do all the work. It was the newest ECM system onboard. The surfboard-looking antennas on the belly belonged to the ALQ-155 receiver/transmitter system. The EWO manually operated them. The wing-like antennas mounted more on the side of the aircraft belonged to the ALT-32 radio jammers. The radome on both sides of the verticle stabilizer belonged to the ALQ-153. It constantly scanned aft of the aircraft looking for missiles. The EWO could connect it to the flare and/or chaff system to automatically dispense chaff and/or flares. It was the most hated ECM system for flightline techs. Going up to the radome required a cherry picker (bucket lift). I read one of our BUFFs was donated to the museum in Darwin. We regularly deployed 3-4 aircraft there so aircrews could do low-level flying. Darwin had an area for B-52s called the BRA. It stood for "bomber recovery area." The idea was if there was a nuclear strike, any BUFFs that survived after delivering their payload, would try to land at Darwin. Thank God it was never required. I enjoyed my one visit to Darwin. I got to see saltwater crocs and I was introduced to one of the finest beers I've ever tasted, Victoria Bitter.

[@ridingwithairbubble1694]

I started my USAF career in ECM in 1978 at Keesler AFB. Tech school was mostly ECM systems on the BUFF but I ended up on F4s at Hill AFB. I trained on some of the systems you mentioned but ended up on mostly pods and RHAW systems. Finished college and became an Aircraft MX Officer for 20+ yrs. Really miss my AF career, but age and retirement were stronger callings, hehe.

[@RickRottman]

@@ridingwithairbubble1694 I went to Keesler in 1984. From there I went to work on F-4s at Clark AB, the Philippines for three years. While there, I got heavily into scuba diving. The Philippines had some of the greatest scuba diving in the world, but Clark AB was far away from them. It meant I could only go diving on three-day weekends. I realized if I was stationed at Andersen AFB on Guam, I could literally dive every day. So I volunteered for another overseas assignment if it was at Andersen AFB. I got my wish and it was great. I hated working on F-4s. I loved working on the B-52. I felt like I committing fraud. The Air Force was paying me to hang out with my friends and work on B-52s. I loved it so much, I would have paid for the privilege. It was the best two years of my working life. And yes, I got to go scuba diving all the time. 😁

[@ibubezi7685]

Wasn't this the plane that, if they switched on their ECM (erroneously, I would think) above urban areas, that they disrupted power/TV for the whole area? (could have been AWACS as well...) Must have been some serious generators to supply all power. And, tracing wires all the way from the cockpit to the tail... Plus, if damaged (SAMs over Vietnam) even more complex to repair and test everything. Thanks for the info!

[@NorCalProf1]

I agree about VB, sometimes called "Very Beautiful" by my friends in Melbourne. I was aircraft radio maintenance in the 456th Armament and Electronics Sq., 1968, just before "Avionics" simplified the name, at Beale AFB, CA. B-52Gs and KC-135s. (The SR-71s were over there across the red security line; other people went there, not me). We had a couple UHF and VHF antenna masts on the belly toward the nose end. All those mast antennas were a head-knocking hazard for us maintenance troops walking around, constantly ducking to go under. The HF radio antenna coupler in the vertical stabilizer had to be changed on a cherry picker. No one trained me on it but somehow I did it at night without slamming into the tail, or worse. This was a good video tour of the aircraft but it ended just as I was hoping to see him get into the 47 section, the long open bay behind the bomb bay that had various radios and other gear. I spent some time in there as well as the flight deck. One other memory was being on board during a ground engine run up that was pretty fun. Everything rocking and rolling but the brakes held of course. All this was evening or at night on swing shift.

[@JoseRodriguez-vr6ju]

Worked with Rick.

[@rocketman5167]

IN USAF '72-'76. Aircraft Instrument Technician. Worked on B-52s (all D's) & KC-135's in Carswell, Guam, and Kincheloe. Got lucky and worked F-4's (C's D's & E's) in Udorn Thailand. Many good memories I will carry to my grave. I will never forget when after my training my first duty station was Carswell - I'm barely 5'2" and when I walked in a burley Hawaiian grinned at me and said "Oh look, a new hell hole guy" I asked what a hell hole was and he proceeded to take me on to the flight line and showed me the barely 2' oval hole under the wing behind the engines where the EPR sensor was! You had to actually climb into the wing to service the thing. BTW D's didn't have water injection.

[@kenpatton8761]

My intro to BUFFs was swapping out the parachute and survival kit in the tail of a D model in 1976. I was the skinniest and could fit through the bomb-bay catwalk door into the tail section.

[@jfwfreo]

One interesting fact about the B-52 is that when Dr Strangelove was released, the USAF saw how accurate the interior of the B-52 looked and (wrongly) assumed that the film crew had somehow gained access to a real B-52 (the USAF didn't exactly share pictures of the interior back then).

[@duartesimoes508]

Stanley Kubrick was very well known for his acute obsession for historical accuracy, yes...

[@johnned4848]

Kubrick was famous for his insistence on realistic sets. As I understand it, the USAF, refused to cooperate. But Kubrick and his team combed through all available public sources on the B-52. According to IMDB, they got the details from a single photograph. Also production designer Ken Adams was an RAF fighter pilot which certainly helped with keeping the cockpit design realistic. The production team nailed it, causing Kubrick to worry that they had somehow obtained secret, and thus illegal sources of information

[@PORRRIDGE_GUN]

@@johnned4848 'WHERES MAJOR KONG?' 'YEEEEEEHAAAWWWWWWW'

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

@@johnned4848 That’s the most Kubrick thing since 137 takes.

[@thepurplemaskknows9383]

@@PORRRIDGE_GUN Slim Pickins' finest career moment!

[@mwhyte1979]

I was a Electrical/Environmental maintainer on G model BUFF's at Wurtsmith AFB in Michigan. Thanks for the ride down memory lane. I did a lot of crawling and banging my head in these birds and loved every minute.

[@bkdexter79]

I was with the 633rd MXS on Guam in 1995 and actually flew to Darwin to work on the B-52 tow bars in storage. I got to see this B-52 on display at the museum. I really enjoyed Darwin and the friendly people. Great job on the video!

[@majorpayne608]

Great video! This brings back some memories. I've logged a few hours in this aircraft. 59-2596 was last assigned to the 60 Bomb Squadron, 43rd Bomb Wing Andersen AFB Guam. It was gifted to the Darwin museum in 1990-91 when the 60th BS closed its doors after the first round of the BRAC (base realignment and closure). We used to have a regular deployment to the Northern Territories at RAAF Darwin back in the late 1980s. One thing incorrect in the narration, the B-52 H models did have a tail gun, but was removed in the 90s after Desert Storm. The B-52H had the M61 20 mm rotary gun. The gunner operated the gun remotely from his station on the upper flight deck Side note @ about 8:20 in the video on the left tip tank, you see an Indian head. That is the squadron symbol for the 93rd Bomb Squadron Barksdale AFB La. This was the first Air Force Reserve B-52 squadron. In 1995 we were part of a deployment to RAAF Darwin for an exercise with the Australian Air Force. One of our reserve aircraft needed a part to return to Barksdale. Some of our more industrious maintainers were able to "borrow" a part from 2596, the display aircraft. Of course the unit symbol had to be zapped on the tip tank of the museum display. I swear I had no knowledge of that operation when it happened. Short video for the 93rd kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZXFiX2Pdp2FhLM. Also, airhistory.net has a great picture of this aircraft circa 1983 in the UK when 59-2596 was assigned to the 2 Bomb Wing. www.airhistory.net/photo/108303/59-2596

[@panzerkiller13]

That's too awesome!

[@ashleymarie7452]

Thank you! Very well done! I was a USAF "sky cop" who walked around buffs at Loring Maine in 1970. I never got the opportunity to see the inside of one of these aircraft until now! Thanks!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Ofageover50]

A walk down memory lane!!! I worked on the B-52 D/F/G/H when I was stationed at Castle AFB (now closed) in Merced, CA from May '73 to Oct '75. This is an amazing aircraft and the fact that it continues to be on active service is a testament to the engineering behind it.... It was quite an experience for a 19 year old from a small borough outside Pittsburgh, PA.

[@Sternodox]

I was a Bomb/Nav avionics tech in the Air Force in the early 70s and I worked on B-52s for four years. I remember R&R-ing the EVS and FLIR modules outside at night when it was 20 below zero. Thanks for the video. Really brought back memories!

[@gregorypace2641]

I was a crew chief from 71-73 19th OMS at McCoy first, then we moved to Warner Robbins because Disney wanted the whole airport. Did a bunch of Arc Light tours in Guam and Thailand. Each engine burned about a quart an hour, it was a PITA to fill the oil on top of the engine after a long flight on the dark camo painted wings when it was 100 degrees, loading the drag chute was the worst job, 2 guys had to walk it up a b-5 stand and muscle it into the hole then crank the door shut, I saw a lot of guys hurt doing this operation. If I remember correctly the chute weighed around 200 pounds. The tires were huge and heavy, there were about 50 bolts that held the aluminum wheel halves together, they were torqued to about 400 pounds, changing a tire was a workout, we had to rebuild the wheel bearings every time we changed a tire. The Ejection seats had a bunch of shotgun styled gunpowder charges in each seat. Changing these charges periodically really sucked, you were supposed to disassemble the door panels, but I figured out hot do do it with my very long arms reaching in by feel. I got caught doing this because my senior Msgt saw me at the BX and asked why I wasn't working on the ejection seats, I told him I was done and he said BS and accused me of forging the maintenance card. I had to show him how I did it and he had the TO manual changed. He said he wondered why I always volunteered to do this as everyone hated the job. We lived in tents in Guam, and we worked a 3 to 3 shift 7 days a week so everybody had some cool dark time to sleep, it felt like 150 degrees when the sun came out and cooked the tents. I used to get up and go sleep behind the concrete blast fences for some cool shade. When I got out I went to college on the GI bill, after working 12 hours a day 7 days a week for 2 years, college was so easy I would finish all my work during the week and had a job on the weekend, I remember everyone complaining about how hard school was, I would just laugh!

[@stup4501]

That's a great explanation Gregory, and amusing too - thank you!

[@timdodd3897]

Thanks for the tour. Did anyone notice the lack of ailerons? The Wings spoilers did that job. The Wings tip was the pivot point, or the high point as the extended spoiler side dropped I do believe. Glad to see a G model not scrapped. I worked them two years, and yes the brakes were re-pucked often. No fun to change in Northern Michigan in the winter.

[@roguedalek900]

KIS or Wurtsmith or Kincheloe?

[@wschappell]

@@roguedalek900 I was a KI late 80s, early 90s.

[@terryboyer1342]

@@wschappell Oh yes, KI Siberia.

[@Dave-ty2qp]

Thanks for the tour. I haven't crawled around the G Model since 1970 at Seymore Johnson AFB North Carolina. We were complaining then that they were over ten years old and too old to go to war. LOL Brings back good memories of great people, a great aircraft, and a great service.

[@quantomic1106]

I worked on the buff for 14 years and I'm impressed by your knowledge about the plane. They are basic info but accurate. Thumbs up!

[@user-ik2yd3op5v]

Какой у Вас прекрасный музей! Все экспонаты в хорошем состоянии. Чистота. Стенды. Как будто бы только с полётов техника!👍👍👍

[@alexalexov6019]

Некоторые приборы отсутствуют. Хотя у нас они вообще отсутствуют

[@axelusul]

Always wanted such a tour as you have magnificently produced.

[@amoore2539]

B-52 D, J-57 engines with the oil cooler in the center core. Came with an actual tail gunner. Arc Light from U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand. Peace The Old Fashioned Way.

[@airzulu2733]

We have a number of BUFFS visit the uk several times a year to Fairford . This aircraft looks as good as it did 50 years back . And in its day could seriously ruin your day .Amazing aircraft .

[@Docstantinople]

I had no idea there were more than two people flying in these planes until I watched this. Thanks.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@benr10]

Great job! I don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive look at a B-52 before!

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Cheers Ben! Yep there's a few videos on YT but they're much briefer and have less details

[@cyrilculton1181]

Excellent job. Great tour of a B-52, best I've ever seen. It's incredible that the first flight of the B-52 was in 1952 & expect the buff to continue unti 2050. That kind of longevity just doesn't happen usually.

[@Jimmerca]

I used to work on the B-52 bomber and the KC 135 tanker from 1971 to 1975. Thanks for sharing I really enjoyed this clip it definitely took me back in time👍🏻👍🏻

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it Jim!

[@Dydreth]

Absolutely amazing engineering long before they had computers worth the name. This was the same generation that put a man on the moon with slide rulers and created the SR-71 with similar equipment. Also, amazing camera work an narration. Thank you, Paul!

[@jeep146]

That is how I remember the G model when I worked on them. We would remove all the control boxes so the electrical people could install upgrades. The pilot/ECM was "A" area, the bomb/nav area "B" area, thru the hatch/door was "C" area. Stories many. A painter once wondered what the handle on the over head hatch was for. Just heard a pop then a bang as it hit the concrete. Ran tests a couple of times when we did engine runs, very noisy. We would rope off and put warning signs when we did radar or ECM checks. It would never fail to walk out and find someone walked past the signs and would be working near a antenna. Very powerful transmitters. It was one of the dirtiest planes to work on but it was fun to work on.

[@jeep146]

My two favorite memories from those days was the time a bored ECMer wanted to see what the difference was between switching from a training mode to a war mode. As they flew over over Texas the plane engaged different civilian systems. He was transferred the next day. The other, we had just finished putting a B-52 back together and finished its test flight. The first Gulf War had started. The crew came and flew it home. They quickly flew it on a bombing mission in Iraq. The feedback was the ECM consoles lit up like a Christmas tree. They could see the SAMs and when they were being jammed. They thanked us for our work.

[@Nukem962001]

I worked the ECM systems on the B52Hs in Minot. T 2:35 Behind the Dome is a phased array antenna for one of the receivers/jammers. The RWR antennas are in a different part of the nose. Very great and detailed video. Thank you for this. Brings back memories.

[@JamesSmith-gq6hf]

Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason! (Fellow Northern Tier inhabitant, Wurtsmith AFB.)

[@lawrencemarocco8197]

A college friend of mine went into the AF after graduation and was in training to pilot the B-52. He said there was one flight where the instructor said that are some things you should never do with this aircraft. Then proceeded to perform a barrel roll, an Immelmann turn and a hammerhead stall. There wasn't a dry pair of pants among the crew.

[@justforever96]

I have my doubts. Remember you can't believe everything someone says just because they were once in the service. Often that is a good reason to be suspicious, actually. I just don't think a B-52 airframe is up to that sort of thing

[@dlb4299]

Did radio maintenance on B-52 at Kinchloe AFB Michigan 1969. Primary radio was on the upper deck right behind the right hand seat. Radio weighed about 30 pounds and we had to carry it through the hatch and up that ladder to install a replacement. What was worse was that the secondary radio was in the tail. We had to climb in through the rear landing gear bay up to the catwalk and then crawl along the catwalk pushing the 30 pound radio ahead of us to get to the rear of the plane. When I saw the right navigator's seat on the lower deck it brought back memories. One night all the planes were headed out on a full alert drill. There was a broken headphone cable on the right side of the navigator's seat. The call me and another guy to go out to the flight line to fix it. While the plane taxied down to the other end of the runway I had to fix the wiring with the plane shaking and bumping. When I was done we were like two miles from where we got on and there was a maintenance truck to take as back the plane took off. Never got in the air in a B-52 but at least I can say I had a ride in one.

[@anandmorris]

My uncle hitched a ride on one of these from Diego garcia to Mauritius int. Airport in around '88. I was 5, and watched this beast land. Couldn't believe he actually got to fly in one of these.

[@pastorofmuppets8834]

Must have been when Mauritius was still English. Couldn't imagine the independent nation agreeing to that otherwise

[@bigjulie3714]

human voice plus no music = no distraction, well done. Perfect.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it. Many other similar videos on my channel

[@electrolytics]

Nice job capturing the details and some of the intricacies of this plane. It's always been my favorite. You did it justice. Thanks.

[@murraystewartj]

Thanks for a great tour. What a beast! Boggles the mind to think that an air frame designed in the early 1950s will likely see service for a century. Those designers with their vision and slide rules really had the right stuff.

[@DigBipper188]

Boeing's engineers really knew what the heck they were doing that's for sure!! It still blows my mind that the B-52 was capable of constant flight with in-air refuelling for most of the cold war...

[@greyjay9202]

B-52's used to fly out of Dow AFB (Now Bangor International Airport), and of course out of Loring AFB (no longer operational), in Limestone, Maine.

[@Freeborn88]

i've flown into Bangor.... now i know why that runway is so massive.

[@rickkidd6521]

Used to drink many beers at The Outpost in Limestone. Was at Loring during The Cuban Crisis.

[@wolfmanhusky1055]

Great video. It is hard to believe something like this was built only about 50 years after the first airplane flew.

[@darthnihilus511]

This is sooo freaking cool!!! I absolutely love the b36 episode. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@mikefm4]

The straight forward tour and explanation of everything is simply perfect. You clearly have an intimate knowledge of aviation! What a beautiful bird. Hard to believe the 52 will have almost 100 years of service when said and done

[@codymcnaryakasketchyinc565]

Why Can't American Civilian Manufacturer's make quality like this Anymore?! 737 Max and Boing Dream Lineer-10-15 Years at Best!

[@sully4627]

See those cables on the right towards the top where the navigator (the bottom right seat) sits ? If you move those cables back and forth the upstairs throttles will move. It was always fun to get the newbies up top and move the throttles and have them wondering why they were moving by themselves. Ghosts, lol.

[@rbeard7580]

We used to tease new crewmembers by pretending we had "voice controlled throttles". In fact, it was the downstairs crew tugging on the cables as they listened the the "commands" on the intercom. (We'd explain they didn't learn about them at B-52 school as they were only installed on "line" aircraft.)

[@oxcart4172]

8:40: only 21 years between the first flight of the '52 and the Tiger Moth! Great video, mate. I learned a lot!

[@0321Sjoerd]

Wow, I visited this museum in 1996 when we visited family in Australia… Good to see that the museum takes good care of this beauty!

[@willj1598]

So cool, I've had a chance to see two of these. Very awe inspiring to stand under. The size and span of the wings is incredible. Thank you so much to everyone in the comments who served.

[@hrdley911]

There's one at the airport I used to work at, Orlando International (MCO). It was a SAC base in the 60's, until Disney World showed up...LOL. The ammunition bunkers were still present when I retired a while back. We were told to that there were no nukes ever stored there, but I've heard old-timers say that's bunk. They asked me what good a SAC base would be with ready-use B-52s but no nukes? The sheer size of this bird is amazing. The skin was all wrinkled on the fuselage, which I'm guessing if from many aircraft cycles. Can't believe we're using these things for longer than I'll live!

[@Mar-yk6jp]

I flew the G model and this was good accurate information. Excellent video.

[@PaulStewartAviation]

Glad you enjoyed it! I had a few xB52 crew help me out.

[@Yogenh]

The B-52 was one of the airplanes I worked on for 10 years when I was in the Air Force

[@swisswildpicsswp3095]

plz tell us some anecdotes and stories!

[@Yogenh]

@@swisswildpicsswp3095 not much to tell I was just a jet engine mechanic and out in Castle Air force base it was hot! It was a trailing base for the pilots for the B-52 and KC-135.

[@davidgilbertson4354]

@@Yogenh B 52G mechanic from BEALE 456 FMS Eng cond

[@Yogenh]

@@davidgilbertson4354 mine was 93 FMS

[@canoe365]

Former B-52H mechanic here. The periscopic sextant was used only a little (1977-1981 time frame) so some enterprising mechanics in the flying mechanic program would connect a flexible hose to it to use as a vacuum cleaner. The ejection hatches under the downstairs ejection seats would accumulate stuff like cigarette butts, sunflower seed hulls, paper clips etc., this vacuum was the best way to clean up.

[@ZekeMM25]

Worked on this model of the B-52 from 1988 to 1990. Been a long time!