The BUFF.

a reply to: Zaphod58

As a flying Cc on a buff the last thing we did every tdy at every non buff airport was to walk the wings out to the run way so we didn't destroy all the lights.

Also balls 54 before I joined had 3 engines fall off, 1 single and a pod, right after take off with a full fuel load, they flew/dumped fuel till they could safely land.
It's back in service...

Loved that plane, physically hard to work on..

a reply to: irishhaf

They screwed things up with the H. Everything from the drag chute on down. Love that beast though.

My dad worked on B52's during most of the latter part of his Air Force career.

B52's were involved in my first exposure to the cost of war. My dad and mom knew a good many of the crews lost over Vietnam when their BUFF's went down...

When the dinner table was quiet, which happened a lot, we kids learned that usually meant that friends were gone. Or friends at school suddenly weren't there anymore... Weren't ever told anything, but we always knew/found out.

Nor, when you can see, or hear, the flight line from base housing, it's hard not to notice when one of those ginormous planes was missing.

Nor could they hide it had they wanted to. Base communities are tiny places, there are no secrets.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I would still happily fly on them...Though the first crosswind landing where I was sitting in seat was freaky.

a reply to: seagull

The base rumor mill is the fastest communication method known to man.

My father still has crews missing from over Vietnam. Some of his stories from then are absolutely hysterical, like the tail gunner that stood on his seat the entire mission because of a rat.

Others are heart breaking. Like the gunner that's still the only crew member missing, and wasn't even scheduled for that mission.

a reply to: irishhaf

Oh I'd still fly on them in a freaking heartbeat. But the H is harder to work on than any other model.

a reply to: Zaphod58

that tail gunner sounds like my Uncle... Wouldn't surprise me if it were. Wish I could ask him.

He was on Buffs from the first day of their deployment, to the day of his final retirement.

He loved flying in that big ol' slab sided beastie. Nothing subtle or below board about it.

a reply to: seagull

Oh it was funny. They got airborne, he went back to do his checks (D model, he still rode in back), and heard an odd noise. He looked down and a huge rat was hissing up at him. He jumped on his seat and stood there the entire flight, because the rat vanished.

After they landed, they asked him why he didn't just depressurise his compartment and kill it. He said he thought about it, but he was afraid it wouldn't repressurise and he'd be trapped in the compartment with it.