Almost all of my training missions were 8 to 12 hours with at least some token in-flight refueling on every one of 'em (mainly for training). BUFF flight/mission time is limited only by crew endurance; several 24 to 26 hour ones for me. In recent years, they've flown on 30+ hour missions from Louisiana and N. Dakota to Iraq or Afghanistan and back. BUFF doesn't usually land JUST to refuel - in-flight refueling is the name of its game.
BTW, a major part of a BUFF co-pilot's job is to monitor/manage fuel distribution and operate transfer pumps as necessary to maintain "good" CG. Wilton ----- Original Message ----- From: "E M" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mercedes Discussion List" <mercedes@okiebenz.com> Sent: Saturday, December 06, 2008 5:24 PM Subject: Re: [MBZ] OT - BUFF stuff for Ed > 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 _______________________________________ 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
