B52 scramble drill

**T-Bird76** · 2009-10-18, 06:45 PM

Impressive video of a number of B52 crews practicing a scramble drill in what one might imagine a preemptive strike on the U.S by Russia would look like.

**Jetinder** · 2009-10-18, 07:01 PM

Wow looks great, wish we had B52s but we don't.

We had the Vulcan but that scrapped years ago and now we have nothing.

**cancidas** · 2009-10-18, 08:39 PM

:borat: :borat: :borat: :borat: :borat: :borat:

**PhilDernerJr** · 2009-10-18, 11:29 PM

I love the dozen smoke trails in the sky.

I know these are slow bombers, but I'm almost disappointed that it took them so long to get to the runway.

**mirrodie** · 2009-10-19, 12:08 AM

IMpressive film. Lets just hope that the future sees only drills and not a repeat of past wars.

**Matt Molnar** · 2009-10-19, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Phil D.

I know these are slow bombers, but I'm almost disappointed that it took them so long to get to the runway.

Do they fly empty for drills like this? According to the YouTube description this was part of a major exercise.

**moose135** · 2009-10-19, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Phil D.

I know these are slow bombers, but I'm almost disappointed that it took them so long to get to the runway.

They don't call it an "Elephant Walk" for nothing! When we were on alert, we had a specific amount of time from when the klaxon sounded until the aircraft were airborne - not that an alert aircraft would actually take off unless it was a "real world" message. Normally when we were on EWO alert, we would get at least one klaxon per 7-day tour. When the horn went off, you responded to the aircraft "as fast as safety permits" (always a thrill when you were out on base somewhere), start engines, and decode the message with your instructions. We did have some exercises which were "movers" where we simulated take off - we would taxi to the runway, push up the power part way, then coast down a couple thousand feet and exit back to the alert facility. Our times were recorded, and reported to higher headquarters, and they took it very seriously if you didn't make it to the runway in time. The only "real world" messages I ever got were repositioning instructions - if the tailwinds were out of limits for our primary runway, and threat conditions called for a reduced response time, we moved the jets down to the other end of the field, not something anyone enjoyed.

Originally Posted by GothamSpotter

Do they fly empty for drills like this? According to the YouTube description this was part of a major exercise.

That was an exercise, they were not primary alert aircraft. From the notes on YouTube, it was shot this past June, so there wouldn't be bombers sitting alert in any case. For an exercise, they are typically not carrying any live weapons. Back in the days of EWO alert, there were times we would generate additional aircraft up to alert status, usually as part of a major exercise - Global Goatrope (sorry, Global Shield) was an annual major exercise where we would generate just about every available aircraft to alert status. We would also generate everything during an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), always a fun time! I don't know if the bombers would put live weapons on board for an exercise, but they wouldn't be launching if they did. We learned the hard way back in the '60s that it's not a good idea to fly nukes around on a regular basis.

**AirtrafficController** · 2009-10-19, 10:22 AM

Awesome video showing America's military power. I wonder how much wake turbulence would be felt between the B-52s if they were fully loaded.

**Ychocky** · 2009-10-19, 12:54 PM

There goes the neighborhood!

Pretty impressive stuff.

**moose135** · 2009-10-19, 01:09 PM

MITO departures were "interesting" - I never got to do one behind a BUFF, but I did my share with other -135s. You would line up on opposite sides of the runway. In theory, that gave you room should the guy in front of you abort - our runway was 200 feet wide, with 50 feet of paved "buffer" on either side - so if you kept your nose wheel near the edge of the runway, your wingtip wouldn't cross the centerline, and you had clearance for the other wing as well. Of course, if the aircraft ahead was aborting and had directional control problems, you could be screwed.

Departing behind a -135, we used a 12 second interval, and it was 15 seconds behind a B-52. If it was a "wet" takeoff (using water injection) it raised the pucker factor a little more. Being number 3 or 4 on a wet MITO departure meant that you didn't see much of anything going down the runway. You tried to maintain your alignment based on runway markings, and hoped that if the guy in front of you had a problem, he had time to announce it on the radio, because by the time you saw him, it would be too late to do anything. After liftoff, you did run into a fair amount of wake turbulence from the aircraft ahead of you. One technique we used (and you can see it in the video) was to have each aircraft make a small turn once the gear was up and you were climbing. That helped you avoid the worst of the turbulence.

Built when man thought water could burn...

**cancidas** · 2009-10-19, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by moose135

every time you tell a story moose i can't help but think (time and time again) that i was born 30 years too late....

**PhilDernerJr** · 2009-10-19, 06:49 PM

Threads that generate Moose stories are always great threads.

**Matt Molnar** · 2009-10-19, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by cancidas

every time you tell a story moose i can't help but think (time and time again) that i was born 30 years too late....

Pro: You get to fly a noisy, smoky airplane.

Con: You're training nonstop for a mission that, if ever required in a real world scenario, would be a one way trip.

Nowadays, notsomuch.