Tailhook envy maybe?
Many folks have called my attention to the above photo today, as a representation of the US Navy flying an intercept on a B-52. Personally I'm of the belief that said Pilot in Command of the BUFF really wanted to drive something big when he grew up and really wanted to see a carrier up close.
But seeing this photo reminded me of one that many in the Tailhook Community are quite familiar with where a couple of B-52's requested a Fly By of USS Ranger (CV-61)...
It happened in early 1990 in the Persian Gulf, while U.S. carriers and B-52s were holding joint exercises. Two B-52s called the carrier (USS Ranger) and asked if they could do a fly-by, and the carrier air controller said yes.
When the B-52s reported they were 9 kilometers out, the carrier controller said he didn't see them. The B-52s told the carrier folks to look down. The paint job on the B-52 made it hard to see from above, but as it got closer, the sailors could make it out, and the water the B-52 jets were causing to spray out. It's very, very rare for a USAF aircraft to do a fly-by below the flight deck of a carrier.
But B-52s had been practicing low level flights for years, to come in under Soviet radar. In this case, the B-52 pilots asked the carrier controller if they would like the bombers come around again. The carrier guys said yes, and a lot more sailors had their cameras out this time.
The resulting images are legendary:
Kalikiano, it's not the flight control surfaces that cause the nose-down attitude -- it's the fact that the wing is set at a high angle of incidence on the fuselage due to the tandem landing gear. With tandem gear, B-52s cannot "rotate" on takeoff as other aircraft with tricycle gear do, so the wing is set at an angle. Think of F-8s and how their wing could be set at a higher incidence for takeoff and landing.
My crew did a few low passes like that over the years during various exercises. :)
-Shawn (former B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer)
Posted by: Shawn D. | November 25, 2009 at 05:13
Interesting pictures of the BUFF fly-past of the carrier. What many folks (especially the Airedales) don't seem to be aware of is that the BUFF has a rather unique set of flight control surface configurations that allow it to be flown nose-down in a positive altitude gaining mode. That is, the aircraft can actually take off or gain altitude in a slightly nose down config. This can be seen in the photos and in any other aircraft such a startling 'nose down' attitude that close to the deck (H20, in this instance) would spell certain disaster. For a BUFF crew, however, business as usual. Not bad for a half century old aircraft, I think, that still has a few tricks up its sleeve!
Posted by: Kalikiano Kalei | November 24, 2009 at 14:46
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Posted by: Aircraft hangar doors | October 28, 2009 at 08:07
Can anyone tell me what the symbols on the B 52's that carried and dropped the X15 are. There is B52 sitting in Hickham AFB right now with 3 symbols of the x15 one nose down one nose up and one nose stright. We were wondering if this stands for the 3 flights and the condition at the end of the 3 flights. Maybe someone out there has a Father or a Grandfather who flew or was crew. Thanks
Posted by: Diana Solomon | September 25, 2009 at 17:33
A little more Buff Love: http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/3091/1295/1600/F-14-B-52.jpg
Ditto: http://steeljawscribe.com/2006/11/16/flightdeck-friday-the-project-valour-it-challenge
- SJS
Posted by: Steeljaw Scribe | June 13, 2008 at 13:18
I recall a Tu-16 with similar proclivities, but a different outcome, involving the USS Essex.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=l3bijF2--os
Sorry 'bout that, Ivan!
Posted by: SJBill | June 11, 2008 at 13:13