15-ship B-52 Minimum Interval Take-Off(2009)
Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:44 am
I guess you can still see a bit of what the cold war was like! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ7niLYS ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ7niLYS ... re=related
B52
Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:53 am
The Rock Hudson movie is allot better can't member the name of it right now
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:04 pm
A Gathering Of Eagles.
Scott
Scott
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:04 pm
Wings of Eagles
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:13 pm
Second Air Force wrote:A Gathering Of Eagles.
Scott
Yep, some good flying scenes in that movie.
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:14 pm
You're right, Scott! Should have checked my DVD collection first and not trusted to memory 
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:18 pm
I can relate to some of the maintenance stuff that goes on in that movie. It's easy to sympathize with Colonel Garcia wanting to keep his hands on his airplanes, and it's hard to stand back and let the guys do their jobs. I've been there and watched others in the same situation. It can be frustrating not to have dirty hands around a broken airplane.
S
S
Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:21 pm
I saw this happen at Carswell on time in the late 1980's....We were at Meacham Field working on the B-17 one Saturday afternoon...it was kinda scary to see...
Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:56 pm
This was a frequent occurrence in Orlando in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I lived about 4 miles from the north end of the runways at what was then Pinecastle AFB, later McCoy AFB and now the Orlando International Airport.
The B-47's and later B-52's would take off at about 1 minute intervals and it would be an almost constant roar for the entire 15 minutes or so. Lots of black smoke.
Walt
The B-47's and later B-52's would take off at about 1 minute intervals and it would be an almost constant roar for the entire 15 minutes or so. Lots of black smoke.
Walt
Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:06 pm
Cool video. 
Sure brought back memory's.
The most I ever recall seeing take-off at once at Ellsworth were 6 in 1984, they were a lot closer together too. It looked liked a giant spear ====> in the sky.
A beautiful sight, wish I had a picture of it.
Sure brought back memory's.
The most I ever recall seeing take-off at once at Ellsworth were 6 in 1984, they were a lot closer together too. It looked liked a giant spear ====> in the sky.
A beautiful sight, wish I had a picture of it.
Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:20 am
Whoa...as that video starts out panning the backside of the blastshields...there used to be a barbed wire fence back there. My first posting as a snot-nosed 18 year old SAC trainded killer was that fine barbed wire fence 
Learned quickly that when the outside air temp was -35 and the wind was blowing about 40 miles per hour, those blast shields got nice and toasty warm when the maintenance fellas would fire up one of the BUFFs. A tad bit smoky and stinky, but oh so gloriously warm!
I agree with you GIJoe in that I remember the BUFFs taking off a lot closer together when they did the Elephant Walk at Minot as well.
Thanx a bunch for the video Nathan!
Learned quickly that when the outside air temp was -35 and the wind was blowing about 40 miles per hour, those blast shields got nice and toasty warm when the maintenance fellas would fire up one of the BUFFs. A tad bit smoky and stinky, but oh so gloriously warm!
I agree with you GIJoe in that I remember the BUFFs taking off a lot closer together when they did the Elephant Walk at Minot as well.
Thanx a bunch for the video Nathan!
Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:03 pm
I've seen that in person many times when I was growing up. Its something you never forget.
Mark H
Mark H
Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:21 pm
The SAC MITO (Minimum Interval Takeoff) timing varied between aircraft type. I wish I could remember them all but that is too many years and too many brain cells ago. As I flew the KC-135R, I do remember our MITO time was 15 seconds, 'R' model to 'R' model. An 'R' behind an 'A' time was greater - say perhaps 20 or 25 seconds - as the 'R' would have eaten the 'A' up.
This video looks as though the timing between the B-52's is 30 seconds - it may very well have been less at one time or less during a 'non-practice' launch.
As an example of why MITO times were often modified, I offer you my experience as perhaps one of only two KC-135R aircraft commanders to ever launch at a 15 second interval behind a B1-B.
It was planned and briefed as a night MITO, 15 second interval. (Fifteen seconds was the time determined by SAC - not by me!) Now, let me explain that the timing was based upon rotation. As the B1 accelerated much faster than the KC-135R, we had to be taxiing at a closer interval than fifteen seconds in order to achieve 15 seconds between rotations.
When the B-1 lit burners, I believe it was so bright that I could make out my copilots skull. Okay, perhaps that's a bit of an exageration but, let's just say we didn't need any extra cockpit lighting! Oh! And did I mention the heat? I didn't even want to look at the paint on the radome when we got back.
The copilot called out the 90 knot crosscheck and I looked at my airspeed indicator just long enough to see it swinging twenty knots either side of 90. I guess Tom was just taking an average. When Tom called, "V1" and then, "Rotate," I held it on the ground an extra couple of beats before pulling back on the yoke.
All the "Wing Ding's" (Field grade officers more apt at hangar flying than real) who came to watch the launch stated afterwards that it was a good show. Yeah? Had they seen it from my perspective the seat cushion would have come out of the aircraft with them!
I may be guessing here but, perhaps it was my report to the SAC safety folks that made SAC up the interval time for a KC-135 behind a B1-B to 30 seconds. Ah! Sweet memories!
This video looks as though the timing between the B-52's is 30 seconds - it may very well have been less at one time or less during a 'non-practice' launch.
As an example of why MITO times were often modified, I offer you my experience as perhaps one of only two KC-135R aircraft commanders to ever launch at a 15 second interval behind a B1-B.
It was planned and briefed as a night MITO, 15 second interval. (Fifteen seconds was the time determined by SAC - not by me!) Now, let me explain that the timing was based upon rotation. As the B1 accelerated much faster than the KC-135R, we had to be taxiing at a closer interval than fifteen seconds in order to achieve 15 seconds between rotations.
When the B-1 lit burners, I believe it was so bright that I could make out my copilots skull. Okay, perhaps that's a bit of an exageration but, let's just say we didn't need any extra cockpit lighting! Oh! And did I mention the heat? I didn't even want to look at the paint on the radome when we got back.
The copilot called out the 90 knot crosscheck and I looked at my airspeed indicator just long enough to see it swinging twenty knots either side of 90. I guess Tom was just taking an average. When Tom called, "V1" and then, "Rotate," I held it on the ground an extra couple of beats before pulling back on the yoke.
All the "Wing Ding's" (Field grade officers more apt at hangar flying than real) who came to watch the launch stated afterwards that it was a good show. Yeah? Had they seen it from my perspective the seat cushion would have come out of the aircraft with them!
I may be guessing here but, perhaps it was my report to the SAC safety folks that made SAC up the interval time for a KC-135 behind a B1-B to 30 seconds. Ah! Sweet memories!
Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:58 pm
That sure brings back the memories! Thanks for posting it. It's not quite the same with out the "water burnin'" B-52G's and KC-135A's that we had at Barksdale when I was in. After the first two took off you couldn't see the runway for all the smoke! I remember seeing the first BUF just lifting off, while the second was about mid-runway and #3 was just starting his roll. You just prayed that no one had to abort a take off.
Great to see the old girls are still doin' fine. As a former B-52G Crew Dawg, my hats are off to all of the maintainers that made that happen. It's not easy getting that many BUF's in the air at one time with no ground aborts or "Red Balls". As the t-shirt says "Peace through Strength, Victory through Devastation!"
Doin' it in the BUF!
Great to see the old girls are still doin' fine. As a former B-52G Crew Dawg, my hats are off to all of the maintainers that made that happen. It's not easy getting that many BUF's in the air at one time with no ground aborts or "Red Balls". As the t-shirt says "Peace through Strength, Victory through Devastation!"
Doin' it in the BUF!
Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:18 pm
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, that could be a mighty terrifying sight! To the "man on the street", a mass scrambling of BUFFs could mean only one thing: that World War III had begun, and we'd soon be obliterated by Soviet nukes raining down from the sky.
Jeez. . . I got chills up my spine watching that video and remembering those dark days. . .
Jeez. . . I got chills up my spine watching that video and remembering those dark days. . .