One thing that always amazes me about the BUFF, from most of the pictures I've seen of them, is the amount of wrinkles in the skin!! Some pics I have, the skin has so deep waves, hard to believe it doesn't fail. Is this just due to all the cycles on the airframes?
Ed 300E 2008/12/6 Wilton Strickland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 'Planning to use the remaining H models on into the 2040's. > > BTW, that large open area in the BUFF aft fuselage wasn't really meant to > haul cargo (no proper floor), but it could hold a bunch. Access hatch in > the belly sorta small - maybe 3 feet by 3 feet or less. > > Wilton > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "E M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 3:47 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - BUFF stuff for Ed > > > > Great story Wilton! The BUFF really is the evergreen bomber, and a > pretty > > good cargo plane too from the sounds of it. > > > > I have a site bookmarked that features pictures submitted by members of > > various planes. Lots of pics of BUFFs on there too. Always sad to see > one > > being parted out, or scrapped. As far as operational costs go, the BUFF > is > > probably pretty cheap. Do you see a similar design coming one day to > > replace it, or will the current fleet continue on for several more > decades? > > > > Thanks for the stories Wilton. > > > > Ed > > 300E > > > > 2008/12/6 Wilton Strickland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > MOVING IN THE BUFF by Wilton Strickland > > > > > > Several weeks after I arrived here at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, I > learned > > > that one of our crews was going to deliver a B-52G from our unit to > Edwards > > > AFB, CA, for a test crew there to fly a couple of times with ALCM's > (Air > > > Launched Cruise Missiles) during a weekend as part of the missile > > > development program. My wife and two sons were still living in a > little > > > mountain village of Wrightwood about 45 minutes from Edwards. We had > moved > > > there while I was a Civil Engineer at George AFB and just before I went > to > > > Greenland for a year. I wangled my way onto the flight to visit my > family > > > for a couple of days. > > > > > > SWMBO, Alice, picked me up at Edwards upon my arrival there on Friday > > > afternoon and dropped me off there for the flight back to Seymour on > Sunday > > > afternoon. Because I was beginning to build a house here in North > > > Carolina, > > > I needed some of my tools and equipment from our home in California. I > > > brought several of those things back to NC with me in the BUFF: a long > > > aluminum extension ladder, a six-foot wooden step ladder, a radial arm > saw, > > > a gas-driven rotary lawn mower (fuel tank was drained and vented), > several > > > boxes of assorted tools and lots of "stuff." > > > > > > To take my stuff out to the airplane at Edwards, we loaded it and the > rest > > > of the crew's baggage aboard an Air Force Suburban driven by the > Edwards > > > crew. The long extension ladder was laid across the tops of the seats > and > > > the dashboard for the short trip onto the flightline. One end of the > > > ladder > > > was touching the windshield; the other end was protruding slightly from > the > > > rear of the vehicle. We warned all the guys on both crews, Edwards and > > > ours, "Don't close the rear doors. You may break the windshield by > shoving > > > the ladder into it." Sure enough, the last one of our crewmen to put > his > > > baggage on the vehicle tried to close the rear doors, cracking the > > > windshield, of course. 'Don't know how the Edwards crew explained the > > > cracked windshield when they turned in the vehicle. > > > > > > All of this stuff went very easily into the large open and > unpressurized > > > area in the aft fuselage behind the aft main gear. All of it was > strapped > > > down very well and presented no problem at all for the BUFF. I could > have > > > brought back a lot more, but I was a bit shy to appear to be moving my > > > entire household in the BUFF. > > > > > > We sold the California house a couple of months later, Alice and the > boys > > > drove to North Carolina to join me, and the rest of my stuff was moved > in > > > the conventional manner by van. > > > > > > Wilton > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
