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Low Flying B-52

M

mules83

getting salty...
pilot
When I do a flyby in a glider, the nose down attitude is huge. Gliders have negative flaps to help this for ridge soaring (keep attitude more level). I have seen pictures of a fully loaded buff taking off and the rear wheels actually start coming off the ground first.
 
JIMMY

JIMMY

Registered User
ya, i remember seeing a pic of a B1, B2, and a B52 flyin form, and it was interesting to see the drastically different nose attitudes between the 3.
 
J

joe1234

Registered User
That sounds crazy. Wouldn't the T-1 be much better training for someone going to fly a heavy? There's the AF for you . . .
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No, because T-1 training lends itself to high-flying or slower passenger aircraft. Studs coming out of the T-1 didn't have the necessary skillset to fly it effectively, and thus, the AF made future BUFF pilots go through 38's.

The More You Know.....*star*
 
Pugs

Pugs

Back from the range
None
FlyinSpy said:
I'm not buying it. The B-52 seems to have some very significant nose-down trim that would put it in the drink shortly after clearing the bow. Also, the second pic seems to show the same aspect ratio/perspective as the first pic; if it was that close to the flight deck edge, it would be a lot larger. I don't doubt the story in the attached link, but I'm questioning whether this pic and that story are the same.

I'm betting Photoshop.
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Not saying it's not, but the BUFF wing has a huge angle of incidence something like 6 degrees. Watch them take off and it's a nose low climb the whole way. Looks hilarious

Pugs
 
Harrier Dude

Harrier Dude

Living the dream
Did you ever see the hilltop footage of him doing the fly-by? It's no wonder he eventaully morted. I'm all for flathat...I mean flybys, but damn!
 
N

NavyLonghorn

Registered User
joe1234 said:
No, because T-1 training lends itself to high-flying or slower passenger aircraft. Studs coming out of the T-1 didn't have the necessary skillset to fly it effectively, and thus, the AF made future BUFF pilots go through 38's.

The More You Know.....*star*
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I guess back before 1990 something something /everyone/ in the AF went through 38's.
 
M

mules83

getting salty...
pilot
Flash

Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Mefesto said:
Ya that guy is a huge sore spot for the Air Force. Kudos to the squadron commander that forbid his pilots from flying with this guy, but it's sad he was the one to pay the price. I always wondered why no one punched out.
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Look closely and you can see one of the hatches blow off right as they are impacting. I have worked with a few BUFF guys and they said the ejection sequence is not instantaneous, even longer than it takes for the pilot to leave the Prowler, especially for the two Nav's in the hole who eject downward out the bottom.......:eek:

For those Whidbey guys here, apparently the ridge he cleared in that video was on the 1350, one of the two ridges past the Gorge.
 
HeyJoe

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Lonestar155 said:
I noticed something very odd about the photograpgh though. The first photograph shows the B52 at the END of the flight deck or (Aft) with its nose slightly lowered as if it was descending. The second picture showed a photograph from vultures row or on the tower of the carrier which also shows the B-52 at the same angle of attack. It would by these sequence of events the B-52 would have struck the ocean at one point.
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It's a peculiarity of B-52 that it flies extremely nose low like that
 
A4sForever

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
LCOL Holland was apparently an accident waiting to happen. I read and hear a lot of details on some post mortems -- flew with a couple of guys who knew him @ Fairchild AFB. Some said AFTER the accident that it was just a question of whether he would retire first or die in an aircraft first -- he had been playing the law of averages for many years. But then again, all reports on him PRIOR to the fatal accident offered nothing but superlatives about his airmanship and competency. And you had better believe that Wing politics and personalities were involved here.

He was also thought to be something of a COWBOY. That's great --- spirit of attack and all --- but: YOU HAVE GOT TO KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS!!! AND THOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT YOU'RE DRIVING. The B-52 has wing spoilers instead of ailerons --- and you know what happens when you throw up a wing with spoilers vice ailerons to initiate a turn. Just don't do it with too great an AOB and/or too close to the ground.

Perhaps it was the result of too many guys covering up for someone for too many years. It happens with flying, with wardrooms, with buddies, with comrades. It happens with drinking and personal problems on the ground --- it happens anytime "things" are allowed to develop that COULD ultimately affect judgement and therefore the safety of flight. The "Good 'ol Boys Network" was rumored to have been active in this instance ..... I've seen it in the military ... I've seen it in the airlines.

I'm not trying to moralize --- God knows I live in a glass house --- but this poor guy was a "known" quantity. Too bad others had to die to prove it.

I'm still here because I knew my limitations ...
 
B

beau

Registered User
MIDNJAC said:
beat me to it.......down that low and fast, there is a LOT of lift being generated by the wings and horizontal stabilizers. (not to mention that if they were accelerating/decelerating the aircraft could be pitching about its CG) This will change the standard profile for straight-and-level.
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Ground affect anyone??? :D...sure faster = more lift...but ground affect also increases lift...force the pilot to nose over even more to maintain altitude.
 
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