and, yes, this is soaring related - because a B-52 will glide 215 miles from average target altitudes with dry tanks and no stores (as in War)...... I went to the following site and read an incredibly interesting analysis of the events surrounding the Spokane airshow B-52 crash; http://www.crm-devel.org/resources/paper/darkblue/darkblue.htm I was and am still appalled that anyone as stupid as that guy was could be allowed to eat and breathe as long as he did. ........and I'm extremely sorry if I've ever given any of you the idea that flying like he did was common or condoned in SAC. I have a tendency to embellish flying stories and now realize that if taken out of context might be totally misunderstood. In my 21 year career with the USAF I was below 500' in a B-52 (other than take offs and landings) just three times. The first was an inflight survey of what would become an "oil burner" route. We flew in ground effect across the ground you saw in the movie "Giant" where the 3 story house stood alone on the prarie. (.....and OBTW flying low level was to appease ignorant, superstitious pilots who felt it necessary to fly "under" radar coverage. Did you ever hear of a Bomber being shot down by a radar set ??? ) The second was after a decent from 20,000 feet into the grand canyon. We were probably a bit above the rim BUT, from where I was looking it seemed way down in it. But then I was young (22) and bulletproof. The third time was in celebration of our 100th combat mission in SEA. We had been Wave Lead and at the decent for landing point we were cleared for a low altitude high speed fly by at U-Tapao Airfield in Thailand. We made the penetration with throttles near idle and accelerated at level off along the runway centerline below tower height then throttled back just after crossing the narrow beach between the runway end and the Gulf of Siam ......... and coasted up to 6600 feet in a huge 180 degree turn pulling exactly 1G and no more..... Finally, During an impressive airshow at SAC headquarters I saw the English Vulcan fly a figure eight at about 500' inside the runway boundaries and his bank angle was no where near what you will read about if you go to the site mentioned above. .......and, yes, the picture of that B-52 at 90 degrees of bank less than 1/2 a wingspan above terra firma will bother me for a long long time. Jimbo in NM RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
