B52 - PART 1

[davebasing]

Like ZZ I was also at Fairford last Thursday morning to see 61-0028, my 553rd B52 and seemingly on its first ever visit to the UK. My first were in early 1965 on the same day at Brize and Heyford respectively on a trip to see the final rotational B47s. Thought I might share a few of my older 52 shots with a little bit of history as well.


Only 3 A models were built, none entering squadron service. 52-0003 was converted to an NB52A and used as the mother ship for X15 launches from Edwards AFB. Now one of 3 52s preserved at the superb Pima Museum on the perimeter of Davis Monthan.

IMG_0578 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

B52B 52-0005 at the USAF Technical Training School at Lowry, Colorado in 1983 and again 25 years later after Lowry had closed and the 52 donated to the Wings over the Rockies Museum.
83-dw by dave tompkins, on Flickr
col 053 by dave tompkins, on Flickr


NB52B 52-0008 which I took while still active at Edwards as NASA 008. Now preserved there.

90-xq by dave tompkins, on Flickr

No C models survive. This is the first C model built 53-0400 which I took in 1980 before it met the smelter in MASDC with all the other stored C models.

dm83z by dave tompkins, on Flickr

The D model is probably best known for its involvement in the Vietnam War, although G models were also used in that conflict. Not all due to enemy action, 24 B52Ds were lost in that war, together with 7 G models. 73 B52 crew members were killed in those losses and 33 became POW. Each raid could involve up to a staggering 120 B52s flying from Anderson, Guam and U-Tapao, Thailand, together with a similar number of support aircraft (tankers, ECM, fighter cover, ground suppression, photo recon, rescue etc). 

B52D 56-0612 in the museum at Castle AFB, Ca fitted with an AGM24 Hound Dog nuclear cruise missile; 55-0071 at the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile; 56-0659 on the parade ground at Davis Monthan & 56-0672 shortly after arriving in AMARC. 
90-zn by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_1708 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_0756 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
dm83x by dave tompkins, on Flickr

Probably the 52 most photographed is by tourists to Florida’s resorts & beaches, 52D 56-0687 preserved at Orlando Airport

91-ep by dave tompkins, on Flickr

One of Pima Museum’s other 52s is 52D 55-0067 here sheltering Jaguar XZ396 in the museum’s maintenance/storage area. The Jaguar has now been repainted in Desert Pink.

IMG_8393a by dave tompkins, on Flickr

Colourful Air Force Flight Test Center NB52E 56-0632 on celebrity row at AMARC before it was sadly broken up there in 1993.

ac 230 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

The sole surviving B52F 57-0038 preserved in the Heritage Air Park at Palmdale, Ca having previously spent 32 years preserved in the Oklahoma City Fair Grounds.

IMG_7547 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

Part 2, if you can stand it, will cover the G & H models plus some 52 nose art and 52s in the AMARC bone yard.

[graham]

Fabulous history Dave and great shots.

[Deleted]

Thanks for sharing David- looking forward to Part 2


AM

[davebasing]

OK, here is Part 2. G & H models etc

B52G 58-0258 when still fitted with four 0.5 caliber M3 tail machine guns. These were removed from the fleet when, during the Libyan conflict, it became clear that enemy missiles were locking on to the radar guidance systems in these tail guns. The guns were also really obsolete since it was unlikely, with the development of missiles, that an enemy fighter would engage a 52 within gunfire range. Two Mig 21s were however actually shot down by B52D tail guns in Vietnam. Both 52s concerned are actually still preserved, 55-0083 in Colorado Springs (which I saw on re-work at Kelly AFB, Texas in 1991) and 55-0676 at Fairchild AFB, Wa (one of the preserved 52s I still need).
79-do by dave tompkins, on Flickr

B52G 57-6503 participating in 1978 in the then annual bombing competition at Marham. Having photographed the other landing B52s from side on (including 59-2584 below which is now preserved in Seattle), I moved under the approach lights for its landing. Just as I took this the pilot decided to go around and opened up all 8 engines. If you’ve never experienced 8 engines in TOGA mode some 50 feet above your head I can testify that the noise is all consuming. Fair bit of smoke too!
78-cz by dave tompkins, on Flickr
78-ct by dave tompkins, on Flickr
78-cs1 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

B52G 58-0245 at the Patuxent River air show in 1991.
91-ax by dave tompkins, on Flickr

58-0185 preserved in the museum at Eglin, FL with a not very authentic paint job.
IMG_2275 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

B52G 59-2599 at Fairford on a deployment in 1984.
84-en by dave tompkins, on Flickr

The 52H is the only model still in active service and slated to remain so (possibly re-engined at last) until 2045. In addition to the active aircraft based at Barksdale and Minot, AMARC holds 11 complete H models in reserve which can be called on to replace losses or to meet additional requirements. 61-0007 was one such, returned to service after a ground accident wrote off 60-0049. Those in AMARC do not receive the various systems upgrades etc and although complete in all other respects it took 19 months and 45,000 man hours before 61-0007 was service ready. 60-0030 is one of the H models held in reserve storage.
IMG_0740b by dave tompkins, on Flickr

B52H 60-0034 ‘MT’ 5th Bomb Wing commander’s bird at a very wet Andrews AFB open day in 2001 -and now as one of the reserve aircraft stored in AMARC.
01-as by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_0741(a) by dave tompkins, on Flickr


B52H 60-0062 “Cajun Fear” loaded with live weaponry before a mission from Fairford in 1999 during the Kosovo bombing campaign.
99-ce by dave tompkins, on Flickr


Many 52s carried various forms of nose art, some examples below –
94-ix by dave tompkins, on Flickr
90-ni by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_6630 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
99-ce by dave tompkins, on Flickr

AMARC has seen some 492 B52s pass through storage. Most ended their days there, but in the process provided valuable spares for the flying fleet at a far lower cost than manufacturing such parts from new. Just a few from the days where the proverbial forest of B52 tails could be seen from miles around. The arms limitation treaties required the aircraft to be held in store even after they had been de-commissioned in order to allow Russian verification, hence the neatly sectioned 52s in some of my aerial shots. It is perhaps ironic to see B52s in some of my photos being scrapped alongside the aircraft that was supposed to replace it, the B1. Sad to see.
IMG_0430 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
dm93h by dave tompkins, on Flickr
04-gr by dave tompkins, on Flickr
US08 956(2) by dave tompkins, on Flickr
US08 965 by dave tompkins, on Flickr
IMG_0673a by dave tompkins, on Flickr

And just to show the myriad of those stored alongside some of the 52s in AMARC, this more panoramic view shows 146 F15s, 79 F16s, 25 A10s, 25 T38s, 9 C5s, 7 H3s, 6 F14s and a singleton T37 in this small area alone.
IMG_0796 by dave tompkins, on Flickr

Thanks for looking and here's to more Fairford deployments.

[zz]

Great stuff !!

[Deleted]

Wow!!! Great pictures David especially liked the overheads from AMARC- Thanks again for sharing.


AM

[davebasing]

Oct 17, 2019 14:45:59 GMT @aircraftmad said:

Wow!!! Great pictures David especially liked the overheads from AMARC- Thanks again for sharing.


AM

Thanks AM. Have done a number of AMARC overflights over the years and intend to do so again early next year in combination with a couple of US air shows. Its always an amazing sight and I usually combine it with an overflight and landing at Marana. Hope you can get to do it sometime.

[Deleted]

It's on my bucket list David.


AM

[graham]

Fabulous shots Dave, especially the AMARC ones