I've read that it's really the cycles that age an airframe, or a pressurized airframe anyway? DC3's last forever. Do they keep BUFFs in the air for extended periods of time with midair refueling, or are they usually landed between refuelings?
Ed 300E 2008/12/6 Wilton Strickland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Certainly stressed in different ways, anyway. > > You also reminded me why Air Force can plan to use the H model BUFF another > 30 to 40 years. Like a truck, aircraft are built to haul things - > especially large airliners and bombers - they're built to FLY. Some 747's > for example, have well over 75,000 hours on them and still going strong. > The remaining H model B-52's, though, have spent MOST of their calendar > lives on alert with nuclear weapons ready to strike targets in USSR and are > still very "young," with only 15,000 or so flying hours. > > Wilton > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "E M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 4:48 PM > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - BUFF stuff for Ed > > > > Ah, thanks Wilton. Yes, most pictures I have are of the plane on the > > ground. I guess it really was designed to spend most of its life in the > > air. > > > > So in ways, is a BUFF under greater stress when parked than when flying? > > > > Ed > > 300E > > > > 2008/12/6 Wilton Strickland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > It's due to the semimonocock structure (the skin carries a lot of the > > > load), > > > and likely, most of the pictures you're seeing are of the aircraft > sitting > > > on the ground with fuselage loading different from the more > > > important/critical phase - in flight. Most of those wrinkles you see > on > > > the > > > ground photos are not there in flight. > > > > > > Wilton > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "E M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> > > > Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 4:09 PM > > > Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - BUFF stuff for Ed > > > > > > > > > > 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 > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________ > > > 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
