Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (60-0045)

Beautiful shot of the BUFF! Nice snap.

Thank You! Living so close to a B-52 base, I started to keep a log of what I have photographed and the ones I am missing. I am up to 48 B-52's so far.

I live about 5 miles from Barksdale Air Force Base. We are on the landing flight path periodically. We love to see the B52's flying over our house. Peace through Strength.

Just curious. Is there a reason that B-52s aren't updated with modern engines like those used on all heavy commercial airliners? BTW, nice photo.

Beautiful shot....of my old office! Was stationed at Barksdale in the 70s as a BUFF nav & radar nav (or bombardier) for about 6 years. I love that old big, smelly, noisy beast. That's a great picture.

BTW Steve, this is just my guess, but I'd say that the engines aren't being modernized due to cost. The H model turbofans seem to be getting the job done for the current mission requirements.. Not to say it won't be done at a future date as the BUFF is projected to stay operational for something like 20 more years!

Saw one with a 757 engine on an outboard engine pylon many years ago, but it was just taxiing. Don't know if it flew. The cowling was nearly scraping the ground!

My favorite B-52 encounter, from 1980 give or take, was a lumbering flight outside Taos, NM. Was working a nearby construction site just as this surprisingly low flying beast lined up from south to north, and navigated toward the mountain canyon opening that leads up to Taos Ski Valley. Hope WWII vet Ernie Blake got to enjoy it!

Worked as aircraft mechanic on B-52D's in the 60's. Closest I ever got to riding in one was a high speed taxi for crosswind crab check. Never left the ground. Worked on them for four years but never got a chance to fly in one. Have been on every inch of the aircraft for maintence. Our unit bombed in Southeast Asia. Beautiful machine.

Spectacular!

Ok,Cool shot!

I liked watching these take off from Anderson in Guam 2013.

This photo makes the aircraft look so elegant. The aircraft silhouette is from the early 1950s though, from certain angles (like this one), looks extremely modern. The photo is a revelation for me as, over the years, the B-52 took on a "visual clumsiness" as newer, sleeker aircraft designs came along.

She has endured. Thanks.

ACFT signed in to USAF in 1960, wonder when the oldest crew member in this pic was born...

it is fantastic the many roles the old BUFF has played over the years. I have a shot taken at McDill AFB of the B-1B, B-2, and B-52 doing a flyby together....I will have to upload it.

Any guess which one will still be here in 20 years......

Sadly, I think the World will see an entirely different form of aviation for Defensive and Offensive uses, please take the time to YouTube "Slaughterbot" if you haven't seen it you really should.
To me, B52s are indeed the Knights of the Sky,
Cheers

In the early 1980s, after completing a low-level training route in a B-52H, I got to do an unrestricted climb from about 2,000 feet to 29,000 thousand feet. We had about 90 thousand pounds of fuel remaining, giving us an approximate weight of 270,000 pounds. At that weight, the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3s could easily give the BUFF an initial climb rate of 4,000 feet per minute. It almost felt like I was back in a T-38 Talon again (without afterburner of course).

Once, Amarillo had a SAC base. I drove from Denver to Amarillo and was surprised one early morning at dawn when I came up over a hill and was 500 yards from a BUFF flying at low level (probably a half mile above the deck) coming towards me. US 385 was exciting for about 10 seconds.

Thank you all that have made comments on any of my photographs over the years, especially Cliff! Whether it’s positive or if I was in a hurry and tagged a photo wrong and you brought it to my attention or just constructive criticism, thank you. I suffered a severe foot injury that has had me sidelined for what seems an eternity but I am almost finally healed and will be back in tennis shoes shortly and will soon be back doing what I love to do, photographing and documenting all these wonderful aircraft.

Big, Bad, BUFF!