The Buff's are coming!

[Mojocvh]

RobGT81 said:

aeropilot said:

I think the last time I saw a BONE was at Cottesmore back in 2000 when the display a/c blew over all the spotters standing at the end of the runway

I remember this

The first one that turned up at RAF Leuchars [] open day came in fast and did a full bore spiral climb. By the time he got to 4000'ish he was setting car alarms off all round the station area

[Eric Mc]

onyx39 said:

shouldbworking said:

Why the chute on landing? surely Fairfords runway is plenty long enough, even for a buff?

No idea, but certainly long enough (its was the European divert for the Space shuttle)

It was one of many possible diverts for the Shuttle but it was never a prime landing strip.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

shouldbworking said:

Why the chute on landing? surely Fairfords runway is plenty long enough, even for a buff?

1. It saves the brakes. There's a lot of energy in stopping a BUFF.

2, You'd look like a pillock if you hadn't streamed the 'chute and you had a HYD failure.

[onyx39]

B2's arriving / arrived this morning

[Quattromaster]

Arrived 7.30 am I'm told, by a pal who planned his whole weekend around being told they arriving at 12.30.

Needless to say he was inspecting the back of his eyelids at 7.30 am this morning.

[anonymous-user]

I believe one B2 has already gone back to the US this morning, the second one has gone tech, and is still at FFD.

[fatboy69]

[redacted]

[onyx39]

Popped down earlier, as said, one B2 rtb'd this morning, the other went tech. I got there about 4 and it was parked in front of the hangar with the engine running. Rumour has it they thought the issue was fixed, but after half an hour, they turned the engines off, and wheeled it back into the hangar

[aeropilot]

onyx39 said:

Popped down earlier, as said, one B2 rtb'd this morning, the other went tech. I got there about 4 and it was parked in front of the hangar with the engine running. Rumour has it they thought the issue was fixed, but after half an hour, they turned the engines off, and wheeled it back into the hangar

It's amazing that they even got 2 of them this far given their abysmal maintainability record.....which is the worst in the USAF inventory at less than 50% compared with the veteran BUFF's which are up around the 75% mark which is comparable with the likes of the other more modern front line stuff such as the F-15/F-16/A-10/C-130/C-5 etc.

The B-1B is the 2nd most unreliable a/c in the USAF inventory at around 57%.

[onyx39]

onyx39 said:

Popped down earlier, as said, one B2 rtb'd this morning, the other went tech. I got there about 4 and it was parked in front of the hangar with the engine running. Rumour has it they thought the issue was fixed, but after half an hour, they turned the engines off, and wheeled it back into the hangar

Not the best of pictures, but you get the idea. Now safely stored in the hangar behind.

[onyx39]

Eric Mc said:

onyx39 said:

shouldbworking said:

Why the chute on landing? surely Fairfords runway is plenty long enough, even for a buff?

No idea, but certainly long enough (its was the European divert for the Space shuttle)

It was one of many possible diverts for the Shuttle but it was never a prime landing strip.

That's what I said Eric, it (along with Spain) was one of the Emergency European diverts, I never said it was a prime landing strip.

[onyx39]

http://www.afgsc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=12345010...

Practicing "hot refuelling " today apparently

[onyx39]

From Facebook

[onyx39]

IMG_1983 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_1979 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr

[ApOrbital]

Nice one Onyx39 loads of photos on fb from the group but i will not post them on here as they are not mine.

[onyx39]

Well they didn't stay long!

[ApOrbital]

Still about over Melksham.

[onyx39]

fatboy69 said:

I have seen B52's & the Stealth.

However a B1B.......

That's on my bucket list.

Not my picture, but the first time I saw one none the less.

B-1: USAF Rockwell B-1A 76-0174 Farnborough Air Show 1982 by emdjt42, on Flickr

[gwm]

Pics and video landings of the B-2s on this jalopnik article:

http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/b-2-stealth-bombe...

[onyx39]

Engines running on Buff(s).