BTF/ B52H 20-2 General Information

[Nighthawke]

Not at all.

[plmc135]

Just for information the predicted Atlas 747 N415MC is currently at Yokota AB.

[stigorige]

Nighthawke. I'm not in any way having a go at your spelling.
But the 'Spitting' slip up was worthy of officer Crabtree in Allo Allo.
An unintentional laugh is still a laugh.
Thankyou very much for cheering me up!

[Nighthawke]

You are mist wolcome.

[Mike]

You are mist wolcome.

[thevulcan]

B52H
60-0005/MT '5 BW' "War Birds"
60-0007/MT "Guardians of the upper realm"
60-0029/MT
60-0044/MT
60-0056/MT "Black Widow"
61-0034/MT "Checkmate"

Credit to paulk for the original list and I have added the nose arts I can find to it. The other two also wear nose art.

[graham luxton]

Best Buff arrival I've ever seen - 3 pairs run and break! Only 2 used their chutes.

60-0007 "51" A0633
60-0029 "52" A0635
60-0056 "53" A0644
61-0034"54" O/S 0646, A0702
60-0044 "55" A0654
60-0005 "56" A0657

The only one that hasn't been reported at Fairford, or the UK before, is 60-0029 so that's a result for me.

[SamP]

B52H
60-0005/MT '5 BW' "War Birds"
60-0007/MT "Guardians of the upper realm"
60-0029/MT
60-0044/MT
60-0056/MT "Black Widow"
61-0034/MT "Checkmate"

Credit to paulk for the original list and I have added the nose arts I can find to it. The other two also wear nose art.

60-0029/MT “Warriors Beyond the Horizon”
60-0044/MT “Excalibur”

[thevulcan]

Thanks SamP. I will update it now.

[pg1610]

Atlas 747 N415MC arrived Minot AFB 03.36 ex Honolulu
info via FR24

[baz1]

It's 'exercise' - just saying!!

as you would Mike no change there then !

[graham luxton]

All the Buff's in this deployment are nuclear capable - 30 in the deployed fleet are not. Out of 102 B-52H's manufactured, 60-0029 is the 81st H reported to have visited Fairford. While every B-52 visit to the base is known from 1965 to date, the same cannot be said for the period when it hosted SAC B-47's, (which ended in mid- 1964). Although there was fair to good coverage of the base by spotters on weekends during the early 60's, reports of what happened on weekdays are almost non-existent. It's possible therefore, that 60-0029 may have visited and slipped through some very big holes in the net.

[Vulcan74]

During the 70's & early 80's the B52's came to Marham to participate in an exercise against the Vulcans. In which they flew different routes across the UK simulating various attacks on different ranges.

[graham luxton]

During the 70's & early 80's the B52's came to Marham to participate in an exercise against the Vulcans. In which they flew different routes across the UK simulating various attacks on different ranges.

First one was in 1967 and the last in 1981. It was the mostly annual joint Strike Command/SAC bombing and navigation competitions dubbed `Giant Strike` by SAC. Usually 5 Buff's from different wings would take part each year. This resulted in a total of 1 B-52F, 17 G's and 23 H's taking part.

[slogen51]

When was 61-0034 last noted in the UK - I don't need it but cannot find a date or location in my logs unless I saw it in CONUS?

Thanks

[plmc135]

As you are partly trying to answer my question to you, it was at Fairford in July 2004 and performed at least one flypast at the SBAC whilst there (phew found I do not need it so no need to travel to FFD all six in the bin), and was also over in March 2019. I did a few searches in FC and elsewhere.

On ABPIC there is a picture of 34 taken in 1964 at Greenham Common when it was all silver.

[city42]

would that now be all the support in now

[graham luxton]

would that now be all the support in now

I doubt it. Normally when a Buff arrives on a deployment its maintainers would swarm all over it doing post flight maintenance. That didn't happen with yesterdays arrivals because there were no maintainers. Even fitting the engine covers had to be done by the flight crews. I've seen this before - in Oct'98 when 6, 2nd BW Buff's, arrived on a minimum notice deployment. Maintenance troops etc arrived afterwards.

[city42]

would that now be all the support in now

I doubt it. Normally when a Buff arrives on a deployment its maintainers would swarm all over it doing post flight maintenance. That didn't happen with yesterdays arrivals because there were no maintainers. Even fitting the engine covers had to be done by the flight crews. I've seen this before - in Oct'98 when 6, 2nd BW Buff's, arrived on a minimum notice deployment. Maintenance troops etc arrived afterwards.

Thank you good information as always

[JJC]

Hoping to make it down for a few days the week after next as it coincides with my leave

First time down spotting at Fairford for a deployment, is there usually something flying on most weekdays?

Where’s best for taxi shots of the B-52s and U-2s?

Cheers and TIA
JJC