B-52 H by junge1
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
This B-52H is parked at Phoenix Sky Harbor, at the 161st Air Refueling Wing.
The B-52 was built by Boeing, a total of over 700 were produced. The first B-52 became operational in 1955 and last of the B-52H rolled off the assembly line on 22 June 1962. It has been upgraded numerous times and is scheduled to stay in service for at least another two decades. It has seen action during the VietNam War and during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
The B-52H is a long-range Heavy Bomber. It is the biggest and oldest aircraft in use by the USAF and is the only aircraft that can launch the ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile). It can carry nuclear and conventional ordnance with worldwide precision-navigation capability.
B-52s were used to launch various test vehicles, including the X-15.
Dimensions:
Length: 159-ft.
Height: 40.8-ft.
Wingspan: 185-ft.
Weight: Max. take-off 505,000lbs.
Engines: Eight Pratt&Whitney TF-33-P-3/103 turbofan with 17,000lbs thrust each.
Speed: Mach 0.86 (650mph)
Ceiling: 50,000-ft.
The turbofan engines are more powerful and economical than previous J-57 water injected engines which increased the range by about 20%.
The Air Force demonstrated the increased range of the B-52H when in January 1962 one of the aircraft flew from Kadena AFB, Okinawa to Torrejon AFB, Spain nonstop, unrefueled, a distance of 20,177km (12,532miles).
A note of interest: The main gear, two twin front and rear each can be swivelled up to 22 degrees either way for take off and landing.
This picture was taken in May 1989 and later scanned.
Thank you for viewing and commenting on my uploads,
Sig...
Comments (50)
thevolunteer
Wow, this looks a lot like a huge moth I just took a picture of. Really wide wing span. Great shot and information. Been busy clearing trees from my yard. If it isn't one thing it is another. Have a great weekend. Aloha
frankie96
These were certainly built to last...glad we have them still...
babuci
This is realy huge and wide. Great capture.
Meisiekind
This is a big bird Sig!!! :)
MagikUnicorn
BIG BIG BIG
flora-crassella
sehr cool, dieses Flugzeug-Foto! Mein Gatte wird wieder begeistert seine!!!
MrsLubner
I've been in and out of Sky Harbor more times than I can count and never saw such a wonderful sight as this there. I'm amazed, not only at knowing planes like that are there, but at this awesome shot!
jccj56
Fantastic Shot!!
beachzz
Dang, this is HUGE--is must be lots bigger than the B52, how does it compare to the big cargo plane, the C-47 (?).
artaddict2
Huge Hardware Sig, fantastic shot with an excellent pov. And thanks Sig, I always read the added invaluable documentation.
ledwolorz
Fantastic photo.
junge1
@MrsLubner. PJ, to my knowlege, a B-52 has been at Sky Harbor only twice. Each time one of the pilots visited relatives and managed to arrange that they could land there. It is not normally done. The outrigger wheels, the little ones at the end of the wings are as far apart as the lights along the taxiways and they have to be very careful not to hit anything. The 161th ARW has KC-135Rs, those you would see at the southside of the airport. Sig..
junge1
@beachzz. Marilyn, a C-47 is a twin-engined aircraft, sometimes called a Gooneybird or a Dakota. It is a taildragger (no nose gear) and is not very big. The big ones you refer to are either the C-5B 'Galaxy', which is MUCH bigger and the C-17 'Globemaster II', also bigger. The B-52H is a B-52, just the lastest (1962) version. All B-52s are more or less the same size, just different engines (all have 8 of them) and more electronics and different avionics. They are all mean looking and can haul a lot of bombs. Sig..
PSDuck
Yup, what a pic of a BUFF! (Big Ugly Fat Fella - there, I kept the desctiption "G" rated!) Good pic and data. I really appreciate your photos.
saretta
Awesome shot and description,thanks for sharing!!:-)
PIERRE25
Interressant commentaire, avion impressionnant, belle photo
fredster66
Impressive, Sig!
emmecielle
Excellent photo! :)
Hendesse
Excellent and interesting shot. Looks impressive.
erlandpil
Great capture erland
tallpindo
During Viet Nam the H was offlimits to tactical commanders because of it's nuclear strategic role. It's pilots and crew members did cycle through in some instances. It wasn't even subject to NATO pressures to be kept in Europe to blunt a Soviet attack like some tactical aircraft and units.
ragouc
Good POV and shot.
joannabowyer
lovely shot of this this big oldie....
bmac62
Like it Sig...the wing droop on the ground is matched by the opposite up-sweep while airborne as I recall. Imagine all that metal flexing that far. Bill
junge1
@PSDuck. I know exactly what you mean. We never used the G rated version when we talked about the BUFF amongst ourselves, Sig...
bronwyn_lea
Wow! It is huge. Great picture!
timtripp
the wing wheels are cool too! EXCELLENT PHOTO
junge1
@tallpindo. Interesting. I did not know that, but it explains why we saw only tall tails, D models or older, when we went through Anderson AFB on Guam in June 1966. We had a D model crash at Da Nang in August 1967 (it was a bad time for the US during July/August 1967 - Forrestal fire, B-52 crash at Da Nang, and the rocket attack on Da Nang, the biggest rocket attack on any major military installation up to that time). The B-52 D was out of Utapao RTAB, Thailand and had hydraulic failure. it touched down 4,000-ft. down the 9,000-ft. runway, and despite three huge drag chutes it was doing about 90 kts. at the Southend of the runway, according to our crew chief, when it overran the runway, went across the perimeter road and skidded into the mine field. We saw it burn at night. The following morning an engine man and myself ( I only went because I wouldn't let him have the use of the pick up (a constant struggle over the control of the use of it) went to check out the remains, primarily the engines. A sorry sight, all crew members killed except the tail gunner (D models were the last model where the tail gunner sat in the tail), the impact evidence of the main gear and the four engine pods, and the black painted, tall tail with red tail numbers, Sig...
junge1
@bmac62. You are right Bill, the same than the other high mounted wing aircraft - the C-141. You could actually see the wing come up after take off. On the KC-135 one of the functions of the boom operator was, other than refueling and helping the navigator operate the sexant during celestial navigation (the other two navigation methods were INS and Doppler) was to keep track of turbulence, both duration and severity. This was factored in besides actual flying hours when determining depot type maintenance. One time while getting ready for take off on a KC-135E out of Kadena AFB to refuel C-141s over the Sea of Okhotsk we had 175,000 lbs of fuel on board when it began to rain heavy. They chased us off and defueled 15,000 lbs. After take off we hit heavy turbulence. The wings on the tanker were flapping like the wings of an albatros and the engine pods acted as if they were mounted on swivels. It stopped once we broke through the clouds. You know that for the B-52s having been in service that long, and scheduled to serve at least another two decades, they had the automotive equivalent of 'frame off' restoration, maybe several times, Sig....
Kaartijer
A very powerful bird indeed! Excellent shot!