QUESTION FOR THE BUFF OPERATORS

[sisemen]

I took this pic at the RAAF Pearce open day on Saturday (see other thread) and I just happened to notice that on one of the shots - on what appears to be the spoilers - the starboard side is deployed while the port side is not.

Is this usual?????

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/allan907/20120519_1431251.jpg

[thing]

Guessing but spoilers may be used for roll, he looks like he has a hard right control input . Having spoken to a few BUFF pilots it's not unusual to put full roll control inputs in. About half an hour later if it's in a good mood it might decide to do something...:)

[Pitts2112]

IIRC, the BUFF doesn't have ailerons. The spoilers are its primary roll control surface, so this looks like a right-roll input like thing said.

[Ivan Rogov]

Didn't know the B-52 had AAR pods :suspect:

[The Helpful Stacker]

Didn't know the B-52 had AAR pods

Hmmm, not sure if a 'wah' or not....

[sisemen]

Yep, roll to the right was what happened next. Other photos in sequence....

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/allan907/20120519_1431252.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/allan907/20120519_1431253.jpg

[Tinribs]

Using spoilers for roll control is not unusual, the B737 does it with full airleron applied. Watch one doing control checks as it approaches the runway and you will see it happen.

Some air craft also use spoilers for ride control in the cruise to eleviate part of the pitch turbulence associated with rough air. When this system is out there is usually a reduced max zero fuel weight restriction

[con-pilot]

Anybody else notice that the left outrigger landing gear was not down in the first photo before the aircraft started the turn to the right?

Then in the next two it appears to be extended. A bit strange, perhaps they had a bit of a gear problem.

But what is really strange is that we are still flying the B-52, when the first time I saw one was about 60 years ago. Looked it up, it was 57 years ago.

[tmusser]

Only the H model uses spoilers for roll. It is also the only model with fans (TF-33), and is the sole model active in the inventory.

[tmusser]

...and another thing: TWO flap positions, up and down. No middle to worry about.

[TEEEJ]

Con-pilot,

Still lots of life in those H models. They could be in service beyond 2040.

Factsheets : B-52 Stratofortress (http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=83)

[cribble]

Con
Gear down in first two pics, up in the third?

[con-pilot]

The main overhaul facility for the B-52 is here in Oklahoma City at Tinker AFB. A few years ago Tinker issued a press release about one of the B-52s that had completed an extensive maintenance program. It was discovered that everything on this aircraft had been replaced, through the years, including the aircraft skin, except the co-pilot's left rudder peddle.

That was a bit amazing. There are also the grandson's of earlier B-52 pilots, now flying B-52s. All in all, quite a remarkable aircraft design to still be around today and projected to still be in service until 2040, perhaps longer.

But then again, if they completely rebuild the entire aircraft ever so often, they would be, wouldn't they. :p

[salad-dodger]

A slightly more complicated version of Trigger's Broom.

S-D

[chopd95]

...........by a common language?

Peddle - to sell, often on the doorstep by pykies

Pedal - that which pilots rest their feet on

[GreenKnight121]

Post 13 2 Nations divided
...........by a common language?

Peddle - to sell, often on the doorstep by pykies

Pedal - that which pilots rest their feet on


No, we use those spellings/words the same way over here... its just that the level of detail education has been slipping the last couple of decades.

I was manfully resisting making a similar post myself, but fortunately you relieved the stress from my mind.


Just don't get me started about you Brits using break when you mean brake, bale out of planes instead of bail out, or similar differences.

[Fantome]

An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him, The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him. One common language I'm afraid we'll never get. Oh, why can't the English learn to set a good example to people whose English is painful to your ears? The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears. There even are places where English completely disappears. In America, they haven't used it for years! Why can't the English teach their children how to speak? Norwegians learn Norwegian; the Greeks are taught their Greek. In France every Frenchman knows his language from "A" to "Z" (The French never care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce in properly). Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning. And Hebrews learn it backwards, which is absolutely frightening.


WHY CAN'T THE ENGLISH? from MY FAIR LADY

[500N]

Fantome

They used to, or at least in my day. I don't get everything correct
but I had a good education and the rules were hammered into me.

Now, I just don't think it is seen as important and like a fair few
things in this world, the standard has dropped.

.

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

It stopped being a REAL bomber when the tail turret and gunner were deleted....

[chopper2004]

I've got a couple of tech question for BUFF drivers, (preferably test crews), engineers, anyone involved in mods over the decades . Bearing in mind I'm basing these on the ficational series of books by a famous former BUFF and FB111 WSO - Dale Brown.

Starting in his first book Flight of The Old Dog whereby the new 'Megafortress' is an H model modified with a pointy nose and stealthy composite materials and armed with AIM-120 AMRAAMS. In later books the Megafortress has V shaped tails and armed with airborne laser and has a role as a large EW platform followed by an airborne laser type system.

I know there was a proposal in recent years for a large EW platform in the form of the EB-52H but that didnt go any further did it?

I communicate with the author about some of the mods he describes in the books and he said in his career spanning the late 60s to 80s he had seen a test BUFF with a pointed nose bordering on supersonic and one test platform which had a V shaped tail.

I've got the latest key Publishing / Air Forces Monthly publication on 60 years of the BUFF and looking at the 'what if's chapter, can't find anything at all whatsoever on what DB has described. I also have a 1988 photobook compiled by Rene J Francillion called B-52 Ageing Buffs, Youthful Crews. The photos taken from the 60s until the 88 from the former BUFF bases in California such as March, Castle, Mather,(which boasted the largest amount of these bases at the height of the Cold War) and the AMARC (Viet vet B-52D retired with mission markings) to Barksdale and Fairchild etc etc. Again with the exception of a photo of a red testbed a/c with a very long test probe sticking out from a pointy nose, I haven't come across anything else that resembles what DB went on about.

Is there any truth that some testbed BUFFs had these mods? Were any configured to carry AAMs for self defence at all?

Cheers

[GreenKnight121]

Pointy nose be dammned, any attempt to reach trans-sonic flight speeds with a B-52 would rip the wings off from the buffeting.

As for a "V"-tail... the Buff's horizontal stabilizers contributed a lot of lift, not just control.

A "V" tail would need to be much larger to provide the same lift.