B-52 Coming Apart

This B-52 has been parked at the Flying Heritage Museum at Paine Field in Everett WA for a few months. Awhile ago someone began disassembling it---I watched them take the tail off--and today I stopped by to see further progress. I'm not sure what they are planning for it--restoration, perhaps? Whenever they work on it they have a fire truck nearby.

Fun to watch. Anybody know what's going on with it?

[pavulon]

Is this the same machine?

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress | The Museum of Flight

"In June, 2017 the Museum launched Project "Welcome Home," a fundraising effort to restore this aircraft for inclusion in a memorial park adjacent to the main campus of the Museum."

[KNS]

I remember that paint scheme from the ‘70s. Doesn’t look like there is a lot of wear and tear on that thing.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by KNS

I remember that paint scheme from the ‘70s. Doesn’t look like there is a lot of wear and tear on that thing.

Paint scheme for bomb sorties over VN.
Those wings would flex some 15+ feet from ground to flight.
Anyone have proof that some pilot barrel rolled one? Rumor.

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Paint scheme for bomb sorties over VN.
Those wings would flex some 15+ feet from ground to flight.
Anyone have proof that some pilot barrel rolled one? Rumor.

May have! Tex Johnston rolled the first 707 on a test flight.

Originally Posted by pavulon

Is this the same machine?

Boeing B-52G Stratofortress | The Museum of Flight

I don't think so, unless it was repainted at some point. The one at Paine Field also had a taller tail fin/runner.

[Don Ro]

Remember being at Guam AFB (Andersen) in late '65 during the first months of Rolling Thunder (B-52s) and working 18 hrs. on and 6 hrs. off for a month straight...then getting 2 full days off. Repeat.
Everyone was constantly pissed off from fatigue.
We had a squadron patch that said, "Guam Is Good - by order of the Base Commander"
.
Andersen AFB w/152 B-52s:
.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

I don't think so, unless it was repainted at some point. The one at Paine Field also had a taller tail fin/runner.

The website indicates that their bird was/is being restored and relocated to someplace nearby. If it has to go down a road it would likely need to be as short and narrow as possible. What are the odds that they have two B-52's?

[KNS]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

Paint scheme for bomb sorties over VN.
Those wings would flex some 15+ feet from ground to flight.
Anyone have proof that some pilot barrel rolled one? Rumor.

Didn’t the VN B-52s have black under surfaces?

[Jeff Higgins]

The B 52 that is parked at Paine Field in Everett has actually been there for years. It's kind of a bit of a SNAFU on the part of the Museum of Flight. I'm kind of fuzzy on the details, but essentially it was donated to the museum with the intention of restoring it for display. Unfortunately, however, it's a G model, and exists as somewhat of a Cold War era hangover...

G models are cruise missile capable, where the H models are not. As such, per SALT II, they have to be identifiable from satellites as having this capability. To satisfy this requirement, they were fitted with rather large wing root fairings - large enough to be recognizable from the rather low resolution cameras fitted to Russian spy satellites of the era.

On top of that, they have to be parked outside at all times so their whereabouts can be monitored. Even if they are decommissioned and can no longer fly. The museum has been bogged down awaiting some form of resolution to negotiations that will allow them to begin work on their unit. If they are now finally working on it, something must have changed about its status. It's about time - they've hard the darn thing for a decade at least, if not more, parked outside where the Russians can keep an eye on it.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by KNS

Didn’t the VN B-52s have black under surfaces?

Good point...you're correct.
Pacific Air Commander, Gen. Clay, as I recall, was the one who prompted daylight bomb runs. His idea was so the hunter-killer teams could do a better job of suppressing surface-to-air missile attacks. Always risky, however, due to constant foul weather.
Also, SAC Commander, Gen. Myer sent B-52's on daylight runs in the less defended parts of No. VN.
Thus, the white B-52 bellies...I would guess.

[sand_man]

[Jolly Amaranto]

At Anderson during Armed Forces day in 1966.

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The B 52 that is parked at Paine Field in Everett has actually been there for years. It's kind of a bit of a SNAFU on the part of the Museum of Flight. I'm kind of fuzzy on the details, but essentially it was donated to the museum with the intention of restoring it for display. Unfortunately, however, it's a G model, and exists as somewhat of a Cold War era hangover...

G models are cruise missile capable, where the H models are not. As such, per SALT II, they have to be identifiable from satellites as having this capability. To satisfy this requirement, they were fitted with rather large wing root fairings - large enough to be recognizable from the rather low resolution cameras fitted to Russian spy satellites of the era.

On top of that, they have to be parked outside at all times so their whereabouts can be monitored. Even if they are decommissioned and can no longer fly. The museum has been bogged down awaiting some form of resolution to negotiations that will allow them to begin work on their unit. If they are now finally working on it, something must have changed about its status. It's about time - they've hard the darn thing for a decade at least, if not more, parked outside where the Russians can keep an eye on it.

This is why I love Pelican--there's always someone who knows exactly what is going on about everything. Very interesting story.

Thanks Jeff--I should have figured you'd know!

[KNS]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

The B 52 that is parked at Paine Field in Everett has actually been there for years. It's kind of a bit of a SNAFU on the part of the Museum of Flight. I'm kind of fuzzy on the details, but essentially it was donated to the museum with the intention of restoring it for display. Unfortunately, however, it's a G model, and exists as somewhat of a Cold War era hangover...

G models are cruise missile capable, where the H models are not. As such, per SALT II, they have to be identifiable from satellites as having this capability. To satisfy this requirement, they were fitted with rather large wing root fairings - large enough to be recognizable from the rather low resolution cameras fitted to Russian spy satellites of the era.

On top of that, they have to be parked outside at all times so their whereabouts can be monitored. Even if they are decommissioned and can no longer fly. The museum has been bogged down awaiting some form of resolution to negotiations that will allow them to begin work on their unit. If they are now finally working on it, something must have changed about its status. It's about time - they've hard the darn thing for a decade at least, if not more, parked outside where the Russians can keep an eye on it.

I wonder if the Russians go to the same lengths to make known all of their Cold War weapons and SALT obligations.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

This is why I love Pelican--there's always someone who knows exactly what is going on about everything. Very interesting story.

Thanks Jeff--I should have figured you'd know!

My pleasure, Terry. As kind of an aside, the B-52 is my all-time favorite airplane. Its development, history, and many rolls (many of which it was never designed for) it has fulfilled are fascinating to me. Plus, being an old Boeing guy and the fact that my dad worked on them during his tenure at Boeing, it has some real sentimental value for me. Uber airplane geek alert: my dad used to pile the kids in the car on a Saturday morning and make the drive to Fairchild AFB, all the way over in Spokane, just so we could watch them take off and land.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by KNS

I wonder if the Russians go to the same lengths to make known all of their Cold War weapons and SALT obligations.

The SALT treaty requires planes to be visible, but the famous bomber gap, that spurred such high production in the US was a joke, the Russians never had that much bombers to begin with..
on parade fly by's their so called Bison long range bombers were in short supply, so the they flew 10 over, and then made 8 double back and fly over a second time..

The other part of SALT is a limitation ICBM rockets.. instead the push has been to make better use of the rockets, first to MIRV em, and second to make em better at defeating anti ballistic missile systems.

In effect, SALT I & II are somewhat obsolete, it's been legally worked around by both sides.

There is off course the START treaty , and a lot of B52's were chopped up under START with a big "Guillotine" all visibly to the satelites..Then there was START II and now there is NEW START

I'm sure these treaties would not keep getting agreed on if there was one side not doing what was agreed upon...And i'm sure both sides are keeping a close eye on the other side in doing so.