B-52 Stratofortress pilots control six-decade-old hardware with a 185-foot wingspan — and the lives of the 4 or five airmen onboard. However the moment the Vietnam War-era bomber’s wheels leave the bottom, anything can occur — and a few of an important lessons cover greater than routine flight procedures.
Defense News visited Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to envision out the aging B-52 bomber fleet and check with pilots about what it would take for the aircraft to fly for several more many years. Here’s what we saw:
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.