Jim Cash
When you were a kid, did you ever want to fly in a B-52 bomber? I got the chance recently in remote Minot, ND, as part of a story on U.S. defense.
Both the 91st Missile Wing and the 5th Bomb Wing are located in Minot. The 9th oversees 150 nuclear-tipped missiles, while the 5th is responsible for 27 B-52 aircraft, some of which are deployed now overseas. The only other active B-52 base is in Barksdale, LA, which controls 49 of the venerable planes.
From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, 744 B-52s were produced by Boeing. For many years, 24 hours a day, the fleet handled the bulk of the air component of the U.S. nuclear triad – land, sea and air. Who doesn’t remember a yee-haw Slim Pickens in the 1964 flick “Dr. Strangelove” riding on a nuclear device unloaded from a B-52’s bomb bay?
In fact, the B-52 can carry 70,000 lbs. of conventional and nuclear ordnance, 20 cruise missiles and is normally operated with five crew members. Range is 8,800 miles and maximum speed is just under Mach 1, or 650 mph at altitude, and the aircraft can refuel in the air.
Our B-52H was built in 1961, and naturally showed some signs of wear. No matter, with eight engines, the beast is capable of losing one without serious consequence. A massive bird strike, where we lost all four engines on one side upon takeoff, would be another story. Projections have the bomber in operation until 2040, with constant refurbishment and electronic upgrades.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimclash/2017/10/02/ever-fly-in-an-old-b-52-bomber-as-a-civillian-read-this-first-person-acount/#738b5c144d0b
