B-1B Lancer Pilot Cockpit Tour and Take Off
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2021
- A guided tour of the B-1B Lancer by instructor pilot ‘Pistol’ and WSO ‘Splash’ during the 9th Bomb Squadron’s 2021 visit to RAF Fairford, UK.
The United States Air Force Bomber Task Force from Dyess Air Force Base consisted of 4 Bones visiting between Oct 6, 2021 - Nov 15, 2021.
Thank you to the personnel of the 9th Bomb Squadron and the Royal International Air Tattoo in arranging this recording which took place a week before the aircraft returned to the USA.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
#airtattoo #fairford #B1B #Lancer #TheBone #USAF
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" This Jet has room for only two things, Fuel and Bombs"... That was a cool line.
That and “Run away bravely”! 🤣
@@NoName-ds5uq you beat me to it!
Thats why its a bomber
Fighter pilots make movies - bomber pilots make history
Well said 😂
The young crew - are well spoken, super informative - and a credit to the US Airforce!
Agreed they seem to be well educated and well behaved. They seem up to the job.
Indeed they are a credit to the USAF. They are also ambassadors when they visit and they seem to understand that.
@AuschwitzSoccerRef. About time!
They are air force ofc they are welk spoken
Running away, bravely ... Good to see that military personnel know that retreat is not always cowardly. He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
That was one of the tactics the F111 used to great effect. Helped that it was onger of the fastest kids on the block!
Well, they also run away when they've emptied their ordnance and unleashed the maximum damage they are capable of before re-arming. So there's that.
Also good to see they still reference Monty Python!
Your not Retreating -your advancing to the rear
If you drop a nuke, you don't want to be anywhere near when it detonates.
The American Armed forces are never given the respect they deserve all over the world. God bless you from New Zealand and God bless the United States of America.
Invading 3rd world countries gets u Zero respect.
War mongers
God Bless you as well! I’ve met awesome Kiwis here in the States
🇳🇿🤝🇺🇸
Kia Ora from America
I think your being a bit tough on yourself. I think sometimes things have to get quite bad before the mainly decent population start kicking doors down and taking shit back. hang in there. Kia Kaha!@@longfade
AMERIKA & N ZEALAND: WORST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
I was a B-1 Crew Chief from 2014-2019 in the USAF. I was stationed at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota. I was lucky enough to get to TDY with the 34 AMU (Thunderbirds) in 2017. Like the officer said, having the RAF Fairford plane watchers out there and their interest in aviation is astounding. The plane watchers FB group was more accurate than our ATC guy we had on that trip too. They would pick up on the UHF and post their landing times and we’d go get ready to catch ‘em lol. I hope to one day go back to Fairford England. Awesome memories and I totally miss Nando’s chicken! It was a pleasure to serve to go there and share experiences with the local community.
Awesone video! I’ve been out for almost four years and seeing a video this in depth takes me back to all those hours I’d spend upstairs during refuels in the freezing cold in SD or in the blazing heat in Al Udeid AB, Qatar.
AWESONE WORK! 🫡
Is wrong to say that your plane is beautiful military aircraft bomber ever?
I remember the Bone keeping everyone awake at Al Udeid as the team used to do engine power runs in the middle of the night.
@@dumitrulangham1721 lol no. It’s an awesome piece of engineering. It is a big part of the nation’s defense and I find that it’s always on the back burner compared to the b-52. But I was always in awe anytime it flew
@@Hjd10 man that’s my favorite part. Disturbing the peace 😂
Because the air pressure difference and the moisture in the air, the acoustics of the engines are way louder than at Ellsworth. We’d love to get as close as possible whenever it took off cause every time it takes off in the Deid, it’s going to go drop bombs.
I'm from the UK and ex forces. I was lucky enough to spend time with the US marines in Washington DC in the 90's. They made us feel so welcome and I had the trip of a lifetime. Whenever I see forces in our country I always hope they feel the same way and get to have a great time here. Always welcome.
Love our UK bros...Semper Fi!
We feel same, Sim. 🇺🇸💛🇬🇧
Love the Brits. They are always so cheerful no matter how bad things are
Yeah of course they made you feel welcome because USA owns the UK. You guys are like a pet to Murica.
@@johndavolta3124 Are you this boring in real life or do you save this catatonic dreiness for your online presence exclusively?
Thanks to the people of England for being great hosts to our military people!
Great interview. I was lucky enough to see one fly during this deployment. To me the B-1 is the most beautiful bomber ever built
It's the sinuous curves that do it for me - especially the way the wing gloves blend into the fuselage.
agreed, you are right sure one of the most sexy looking Aircraft ever build but i have to say the "White Swan" looks a little bit more bad ass for me. :)
Put point across to the organisers sick of seeing on display if they come out with bullshit operation commitments send back to raf milenhall and boycott riat raf fairford
as gone down hill we need to setup something to call the shots to mess them up for 2023 I have point .🤷♂️
@@dieterh8757 Nah, it's got ugly lumps on the front of its wings and is less capable because it lacks the network support available to the Bone.
@@robertcook2572 You're kidding right? Russian are the experts at EW, your "network" will last about 5 seconds.
Well trained and self-confident. What we like to see in a pilot.
Absolutely! Excellent choices for showing the professionalism and communication effectiveness of the American military personnel.
The B-1 has to be the most beautiful aircraft ever fashion by human hands. 🤩
During the 1980’s, one of them took off with afterburners from Long Beach Airport flying right over my house. Deafeningly _LOUD!_
I was there that morning in Long Beach to watch it depart. I think they enjoyed lighting up the afterburners.
I will never forget seeing this at fairford airshow, 700 mph high speed fly by was just awesome.
I witnessed one of these take off at night many years ago from our house on base. That thing climbed out steep at full afterburners and shook the hell out of the base. Amazing!!
What was the base name?
@@lil_slump994 Davis/Monthan in Tucson AZ
@@F3502000 I witnessed one taking off from Edwards and the sound was like someone hitting a steel drum with sledge hammers, and my head inside the drum.
@@bill2953 I've witnessed an SR-71 take off at the end of the runway (same base) which was right next to our flighline area. Which was really cool in the middle of the day. But that B-1 was absolutely incredible, especially at night.
@@F3502000 The Blackbird takeoff had to have been impressive as in speechless. That's how the B-1 takeoff left me.
I was a maintainer in the late 90’s at Dyess AFB ! Had the pleasure of flying in back seat ! The Bone is a badass !
Which unit? 9th or 28th squadron. I was also at Dyess from '94-'98 at the 28th squad. schoolhouse. I was an intel guy and worked with the pilots/WSO's giving briefings. Such a great time period in my life. I remember one of the Mx officers at the 28th sq. was a Notre Dame grad, he was a 1st Lt. when I knew him, can't remember his name. The squadron commander for the 28th at the time was James Kowalski, he went on to become a 3 star general. Pretty impressive.
You deserved it for all the hours of your life given keeping that turkey flying.
Brings home realising how much these guys have to learn and master to earn their wings. What a privilege it must be to fly these aircraft!
In my opinion as a pilot, the hardest thing to learn is all of the rules and regulations related to flying and communicating in different parts of the world... Physically flying the airplane is super easy. But yes you're right though there is a lot of things to master.
@@TheFlyingZulu true. For the most part the plane will always fly the same way. Regulations are a whole different beast
Very interesting. Thanks!
@@TheFlyingZulusounds like you’re a civilian pilot and not a military pilot.
@@jasonlapre5361Unless you're flying an old P-51 or B-29 from WW2, modern military aircraft fly very similar to modern civilian aircraft. Fly by wire and hydraulics makes moving the control surfaces easy.
You're probably thinking about fighter jet pilots and aircraft though right? In that case, the G forces they experience is unique to fighter jet. A strong physique is needed to help handle the G forces but moving the control surfaces are just as easy. The hydraulics helps with that a lot, even when pulling high Gs in a fighter jet.
One of the most impressive things you can see at an airshow, is if you live in a area whose air space allows the B-1 to do a low, high-speed pass at .9 mach. It difficult to process how something so big, is moving so fast.
It’s even better to see how tight they can turn at low speed. They will out-turn much smaller aircraft.
I remember seeing one fly by low and then light the burners right over the field. Loudest noise I have ever heard! Set of many car alarms in the parking lot. 😂
Too bad we never got to see the xb70 in production
"Fighter pilots make movies, bomber pilots make history" 💥 She's a beauty!!!
The training for these guys must be mind blowing I can only just operate a car reasonably well. This is on another level..total respect
Buddy of mine went fishing up near Lone Pine California in the high desert and was in a big valley going about 90mph. He saw something out of the corner of his eye and it was a B1 flying very low with wings out not much faster than he was going and looking right at them. He then hit the afterburners, pulled in the wings and accelerated Like a missile! He pulled up into a very steep climb at the end of the valley and up over the mountains. Said it was the coolest thing he ever saw.
My step father was a weapons maintenance SNCO at Edwards AFB in Southern California, he was apart of the bomber weapons group there, he was on the team that did the loadout for the world record bomb drop from the BONE, definitely an amazing plane and glad I grew up at USAF Flight Test Center
As a Canadian, I had a chance to witness a B-1 at the Abbotsford Airshow in BC. Especially enjoyed hearing and feeling the raw power of this jet in full afterburners.
Which year was that? I wanna see it!
The thing that I love most about this airplane can't be shown in video footage. When I was working the revvies at Red Flag in Vegas, you literally feel your entire chest vibrating when the Lancer's were taking off. Of all the things I got to experience on the trip, that was my favorite part.
Yep. I live in Rapid City, near Ellsworth AFB. Looks like 100 yard blowtorch at night
GREAT VIDEO!!! I was a Missile Launch Officer at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota when the B-1 first became active at that base...I'll never forget a flight of 4 B-1's coming in over the runway in formation...SO COOL!!! It's an AMAZING aircraft!!!!
I'm an American USAF Vet, I served my first tour of duty at RAF Alconbury with the 527th Aggressor SQ, then in 1986 I transferred to Dyess AFB Texas an was assigned to the B-1B and KC-135 aircraft with then the 96th Bombardment Group. I promise you I've had my hand on all the BONES you looked at. Cheers, raising a Pint of Fine English Ale!
Went TDY to Fairford back in 1994. It was a combination of KC-135 and F16's from Illinois that visited for about a month. I was there for a week. Loved every minute there!
One of the most beautiful airplanes ever build.
For me, the B1B Lancer is as iconic for its era as the Avro Lancaster was for WW2. A mixture of beauty and brutality like its fellow countryman the F4 Phantom!
This has always been my favorite modern U.S. Bomber. She has such beautiful lines.
Around 2000, a couple of B1-B's from the 9th bomber squadron came to the airshow at RAF Waddington. I remember being in awe of this aircraft, just as impressive static as in flight. I met some of the crew who were awesome guys, i have no idea if they are still flying on moved on, but thank you to them. Memories I won't forget.
I took at a 9 BS Bone to the RAF Mildenhall airshow the following year in June 2001 (calm before the storm...) and so was probably in the 9 BS with all of those crews. Unless they are general officers, they would all be retired from the USAF by now (as am I ).
I was a 462 and I used to load Bones at Grand Forks. They were brand new and just coming in from the factory in Palmdale and I remember doing fit checks on all the bays and chaff and flare cavities.
Brilliant video. Welcome to the UK guys. Not been to Fairford for a number of years but loved seeing the Bone fly at airshows. Once saw a B1 B do a high speed pass, climb out and roll at Eastbourne. Absolutely awesome.
Undoubtedly one of the best looking aircraft out there!
Loved sitting in the B1 cockpit, sat in there many times at Dyess In Abilene. Had a buddy who’s grandfather had a B17 out there, we would go flying every weekend. Really cool, practicing in the B1 simulator on the base was a blast.
Great interview of the crew. 20 years ago we had B1s based in Wichita, Kansas McConnel Air Force Base. As we lived North of the base about 40 miles, we would see these beautiful aircraft flying around my small community as they lined up with the runway. My sons were in the Boy Scouts of America and our summer camp was in the South East part of Kansas. One summer camp, I as a Scout Master was heading up to the main office to get some information when I saw another Scout Master coming out of the office with his cellphone pressed to his ear looking up scanning the sky. I asked him, when he was done with his conversation, what was going on, he told me to get to an area that we could see they sky unobstructed. As the area is an Oak forest, that is some work. What happened in the next 30 minutes was a flyover at less than 500 feet by 3 B1-B jets with their wings swept back. The rumble from the engines was chest thumping. Something I will never forget. BTW: The Scout Master I talked to, was one of the command officers at MAFB.
Great stuff.
Was stationed at McConnell when the B1s were there. Remember those cold winter nights working on the flight line with only the lights on the jammer and the light cart to see with loading Mk82s. Watching night take offs never got old.
Great story. I was there in the early 90s B1 showed up in 88. What a show, the F16s were there as well. The Lancer was a sight to behold.
Worked in the UK and lived near Fairford in the early 2000's, always something interesting flying around. Thanks for the video.
great interview and good to see the USAF crew giving you the access
I was driving from Ft Hood Tx back to California last year and stopped outside of Dyess AFB to put gas. All of a sudden I hear this huge roar above me, as I look up I see this pair of B1-B bombers taking off. I was an M1 Abrams gunner and I gotta say it’s hard to get me excited but that sight of those B1’s was amazing! Beautiful aircraft
I have always loved the B 1!! It truly is a magnificent aircraft. As a kid I used to have huge posters in my room. I had 7 of the blue angels signed, a B 1 , a B 52 and others. The B1 is one of my all time favorites.
That's really good of them to take you round the aircraft in so much detail!
The B-1 has always been in my top 5 of USAF platforms. Amazing jet
Amazing, beautiful plane. I remember when iron curtain fell, and could finally get my hands on some books with details about western tech. This plane blew my mind, i couldn't get my eyes off of the page with the schematics...
Probably scared the shit out of you to learn the the West had such technological advancements over that of the East as well. I was serving on board the USS Essex when the iron curtain fell. Before long, we had a young sailor report aboard that had come over from the Russian Navy. I remember his reaction after getting to his first United States Navy ship. He said that, without a doubt whatsoever, that if our two countries had ever gone to war, it would’ve been a slaughter. As in, the American Navy would’ve decimated the SovietNavy within just a few days at the most. The biggest difference between the two Navy’s was 1, that our stuff actually worked, and 2, we were far better at dealing with shipboard damage problems, as our ship’s were built to take a hit and keep on fighting.
Utterly brilliant, many many thanks. Best B-1 cockpit tour I've seen!
What a privilege to get a tour around such a magnificent plane.
Fantastic. Lovely to see the B1 from the inside.
Thank god for the USAF
Absolutely great guys to watch fly and various ground crews always prepared to talk. Can't wait for the next batch of Fairford visits.
Terrific machine and great presentation by a highly trained and competent crew
Soooo, I spent 11 years active duty in the USAF, F-16 mechanic. I have only seen B-1s at airshows doing demos or flybys. Then I got a job at the boneyard at Davis Monthan. I finally got to see these up close.....just last year! These have quickly become my favorite aircraft ever. It use to be the F-14. The last air show we had out here, one of these were towed out to where folks could roam around them during the show. I introduced it to my mom and my 6 year old daughter, and they too fell in love with it.....it also provided really good shade. With all that being said, this video has taught me even more about this aircraft that I have ever known. Those stabs are nearly the size of an F-16!!
Thanks gentlemenfor your support and demonstration of your awesome aircraft.
Absolutely brilliant. Very informative.
This was great. What a cool jet. I got to climb in one at Luke AFB, AZ, during an airshow (static display only), when I was attending F-16 training. Very impressive.
I first saw the Lancer at Farnborough in 1982 and thought it was the sexiest aircraft I had ever seen...and still do! Great video of a great aircraft and a dedicated crew who do their country and service proud!
Awesome that these guys were able to show and share these crazy aircraft
I've been inside one of these when I was really young but unfortunately I only remember the stairs being really tall for me at my age. My dad working full time at the Air National Guard allowed me to see all kinds of cool stuff as a kid.
Outstanding video. What a sensational looking aircraft. The training required to fly such a complex aeroplane must be intense. So many systems to monitor and calculations to make. I know the onboard computers do a lot of the work but if they fall over then it's up to the crew. A 24 hour mission! There must be a lot of Travel John's on board.
B1b weapons loader 9th and 28th bomb squadron. Seeing this brings back memories. Thank you.
One of my favorite aircraft of all time. Every air show at Tinker AFB I spend plenty of time in and around the B1-B. Looks like a gigantic fighter the way the flight controls and contours of the airframe are. I guarantee it’s got to be wicked flying it. Great stuff.
Great stuff! Holy smokes! That is something you do not see very often. A few yrs back they interupted the regular tv programs to broadcast two B-52s flying low over TRD at 10` feet. That is closest to the BUFF and the bone we have ever come. Greetings from Norway!
Outstanding video and very well detail 👍😊👌 Cheers 🍻
Great video and insight into the inner workings of the B-1B, one of my favorite aircraft. Bravo!
Awesome to see this, b1 has to be one of the most underrated and forgotten about planes the USAF has, I love her, she reminds me of a preying mantis for some reason.
I’m now in my 20th year of Royal Air Force service, the B1 is most definitely one of the sexiest aircraft around.
Love it 👌
I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of each other here soon. Cheers!
Fantastic video!!! Probably the best I've seen on the B1, it's rare to see the cockpit. Have you got more videos like these?
Great, informative video, thank you. Those guys and the planes are absolutely awesome!
Very nice video. Its so nice to see the updates they've made to this bomber. Boy do I miss her.
8:00 Fascinating how the jet moves fuel around before the bombs drop!
CG management
Seriously, i never even thought about that
FCGMS - Fuel Center of Gravity Management System. Too bad they didn't show the port-a-potty and the coffee maker station. Also behind the Offensive \ Defensive System Operator there's the equipment bay. Its noisy there but can stand up.
@@SeattleWolfPack Fuel COG was the issue that caused 1 of the 4 B1-A #2 (74-0159) prototypes to crash. The crew ejected but a parachute riser failed causing the ejection capsule to land hard on the front edge of the capsule, instead of on its huge airbags. This killed Rockwell Test Pilot Doug Benefield. At 1,515 feet the ejection was commanded and 9 seconds later the a/c impacted the ground. Reynolds and Wasniek survived. The FCGMS was turned off as this was a test flight where full manual control was required. Benefields wife was awarded 1.4 million dollars after she sued the manufacturer of the ejection capsules initiation triggers.
@@hoghogwild My understanding was they were following the test cards and got to the point where FCGMS was set to manual, but the next portion of the test was skipped due to some issues thus didn't turn FCGMS back to auto and continued with the next test cards and thus not knowing they were slowly loosing CG control.
Great video on one of the most beautiful, powerful but at the same time slightly sinister aircraft ever built...i have seen B1B,s fly at Waddington Airshows , on taje off they literally shake the ground.
Superb! Saving all of us and stopping wars!
Thank you so much for uploading, it was a great spoken and visual tour.
When I was augmented to Security Forces for a couple months while in Qatar, I had the privilege of guarding the ECP at the end of the runway. These B1s would take off right over us and the afterburners looked amazing at night. Not sure how high above us they were, I would guess like 2000ft-5000ft. They could shake your soul from that far up and you better believe you had to stop in the middle of your conversation and wait for them to fly over, lol.
They sound totally amazing! They look even more totally amazing! This plane is THEE most gorgeous military bird in the sky bar none!
Let me introduce you to the B-58. :)
I was fortunate enough to tour a B-1B at McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS about thirty years ago, as our company makes parts for this and many other aircraft. One thing that surprised me was that there was a very small galley on one side (between starboard front and back seats, and a commode on the left side, between the port front and back seats. Also, I was expecting a very high tech
instrument panel, but was again surprised with the very utilitarian, sixties-looking controls and displays. Good to see they have a work-around for an onboard computer and monitor now. All and all,
one of my very favorite aircraft of all time! Thanks for this video!
Running away bravely is running away intelligently. As they should. The pilots and other officers are the most important part of the weapons systems. Thank you for your service.
Very easy to underestimate the size of this thing when you don't have much to use as a visual reference. It's a lot larger than a Boeing 737, almost on par with a 757. Yet it looks so sleek, elegant and fighter like.
I got to see the inside of a B1 in the early 80's. The one thing that stuck in my mind was the defrost air nozzles around the windshield. They were made from 3/16" brass tubing with the opening partially smashed down. It looked like it was made with pliers.
I doubt that. They didn't go into service until 1986. You mean the late 80s?
@@J.C... - yeah, that's probably right.
This video is so well done. Magnificent. Thank you so much.
“Running away bravely” 😂😂😂😂
A bit like “advancing in a rearward direction”
I have always loved air planes but have never really done a deep dive on any particular model. I have a few years' experience with the CRJ200 so what I found interesting was the stab acting as an aileron and elevator rather than roll controlled from the wing.
Look at the F-111. It used the stabs for roll control as well when the wings were swept.
The F-14 does the exact same thing also with its stabs and spoilers.
Great interview and view of B-1. Impressive crew.
I was an Avionics Guidance & Control Technician at Fairchild AFB. I once had the opportunity to see the B1-B "Lancer" Bomber when I was working the weekend during an Airshow and Base "Open House". It was prior to the general public being permitted on base that day. I was on the Flightline checking it out, when the crew of the B1-B with the nose art "Heavy Metal" asked if myself and several other technicians from my shop if we wanted to checkout the interior. The plane was heavily guarded by Base Military Police Personnel, and we climbed up aboard. The Lancer was an awesome aircraft, the cockpit was much more advanced than our Tankers, and the Bombardier's setup was like a futuristic video game! Truly a spectacular plane... During my time serving I had a few opportunities to go on Air Refueling Missions over Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Japan. One of the most memorable was refueling many different Air National Guard Aircraft including F-14 Tomcats, F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons and even F-4 Phantoms! such a sight looking out the observation window at the rear of the plane next to the Boom Operator. I once was able to "fly" the B-52 "Flight Simulator" when my father cross-trained into Avionics on the B-52. Years later after serving while I was an Electronics Instructor at ITT, one of my students worked for the company maintaining the 2 new KC-135 "Flight Simulators". They got the authorization to allow my class to go on a Field Trip to the Base and go into the Simulator. The one that was on "Hydraulic Rams" with full motion was in use for training, however the other was identical otherwise. It was like stepping into the real KC-135, and had super high-resolution displays projected onto the glass "cockpit windows". within a few seconds your mind was convinced it was "Real". You could see the Base Housing Area lights, flashing runway strobe lights, and all other physical items. Myself and each Student was permitted to sit in the Pilot's Seat, "Fly" the Tanker, and perform a "Landing". Of Coarse most of them "Crashed" with violent shaking of the Pilots Seat. My experience working on the KC-135 and hours of "Flight Sim" practice and knowledge of the "Glide -Slope" and Instruments made my attempt nearly perfect! Each of us was given a "Printout" of the "Glide Path & Landing" and mine was nearly a straight line with little deviation. It was an awesome experience!
I also had some encounters with the SR-71 Blackbird. During Vietnam my Father worked in Photo Development for the U-2 Reconnaissance Aircraft, he was later Stationed at R.A.F. Base Alconbury in England and developed film from the SR-71 where we lived for 3 years. He was pretty "tight-lipped" about his responsibilities due to the "Top Secret" Classification. But did get occasional "Tid-Bits" like them "Leaking Fuel" on the ground prior to takeoff and the Titanium Fuselage "Expanding" during higher speed flight sealing up the tanks. I also had a photo of "Earth" taken at such an altitude that you could see the curvature of the surface. Also other "Promotional Photos" of the U-2 and SR-71 Aircraft including one of a pilot fully outfitted in an "Astronaut Suit" seen through the cockpi window.
During an Air Show at Fairchild years later my Father took us out just past the fence at the end of the runway to watch the planes takeoff and maneuver. I was really excited when an SR-71 took-off. It blasted down the runway towards us, and lifted off right over our heads! You could feel the heat and thrust of the massive Jet Engines as it passed overhead, then thundered away exceeding Mach with a tremendous "Sonic Boom". I also was present during the SR-71's Official Retirement Ceremony. It was during my time at "Basic Training" at Lackland AFB. There was a huge "Ceremony", "Parade" and "Pass & Review". Most of the Basic Military Training Squadrons and Flights of Recruits were on the "Parade Grounds" in formation. They were not permitted to "Look up" during the Fly-Over, and anyone who did was instantly noticed by the movement of their "Wheel Cap" of their "Blues Uniform", with "punishment" from the TI's to follow afterwards. I was lucky enough to be assigned the task of directing visitors at the perimeter of the "Parade Grounds", and did not have to stand in the "Sea of rows of Recruits". After a lengthy Ceremony and announcements over the PA System the SR-71 was about to "Fly Over" at low altitude. It was only after the thunder of the plane hit my ears that I realized it was already overhead! I caught a quick view as it passing over and speeding away. The announcements continued as the plane blasted through Mach-1 and beyond, then periodic updates about what state it was currently crossing. I wish to this day I could have seen that amazing plane during a Refueling Operation like the others I had witnessed, or a Refueling Operation involving the B1-B Bomber...
I did also witness a Tragic Event at Fairchild AFB. It was Friday March 13th 1987 at 13:20. I was a Civilian at that time working for the Billeting Squadron. I was near the Runway and Control Tower helping move furniture from a former Security Police Dormitory, onto a flatbed truck. For days I had watched the "Thunderhawks Demonstration Team" practicing. It was comprised of a B-52 Bomber and KC-135 Tanker both taking off in rapid secession and performing low altitude maneuvers. I watched as theB-52 went airborne and the KC-135 followed, however this time the KC-135 promptly went "Wings Vertical" with little altitude or airspeed. I set down the desk and told the others helping "That planes gonna crash!" We looked on in horror as the plane made a last ditch effort to avoid the packed huge warehouse building containing the Base Exchange, Commissary, and many other functions. It was filled with Active Duty, Retired Shoppers, and Civilian Workers. The Tanker was heading right for it, but the Pilot used the Elevator to redirect the plane between that building and the Control Tower. It was too late to prevent the inevitable crash. The plane hit the ground with a huge explosion and ball of flames. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as I tried to process what I had just witnessed. Soon the distant sounds of Emergency Vehicles and Fire Trucks Sirens became louder as they approached the wreckage so close to were I was. 6 Crew members on-board died instantly, and what seems like a unavoidable fate a 7th individual was later found to be killed in the crash. He was supposed to be on the Aircraft that day, but was grounded by the flight surgeon due to medical reasons. He had driven his personal vehicle there to observe the flight, and it was discovered after that his vehicle had been involved in the crash also.
Several years later June 24th 1994, while still working at Fairchild as a Civilian as the Data Automation Manager for 92nd MWRS Squadron, and concurrently as a SSgt Avionics Guidance & Control Technician in the Air National Guard I was in my office outside the climate controlled SIMs Mainframe Computer Room when the lights flickered. This was extremely unusual as the Mainframe System had a massive Backup Power System. After checking on the Mainframe status the word started spreading that a plane had crashed. Turning on a TV and seeing almost immediate news and captured video of a B-52 clipping some powerlines and crashing at the edge of the Survival School next to the Base near a "Weapons Storage Area" It too had went "Wings Vertical" with little altitude and no way to recover... It also was practicing for an "Airshow"...
I was in elementary school at Dyess AFB when the first B-1 were deployed there. The first B-1 was called the "Star of Abilene." When it landed, it had a little sticker / decal on the side of it, but half had blown off. We made little ceramic cups in honor of it.
That plane is now parked right inside the front gate of base alongside a retired 317th c130.
Dyess has one of the most impressive air parks and includes the first operational b1 and c130.
I was stationed there when that happened, I was a Senior Airman then. The story that we heard was the original plane that was supposed to come in (B-1B) had a FOD go through an engine when it took off from Edwards. They apparently slapped a sticker on a B-1A that was there at Edwards and took off for Dyess and really hit the gas. They said that's why the sticker was half burned off. Not sure if it's true but it is a funny story. I do remember the sticker being half gone though.
Ha! Small world. My dad flew C-130s at Dyess, so I was just a kid. I just remember the B-1 coming to town was such a big deal for everyone.
My wife was a teacher at Dyess Elementary back then. Good to know at least some of her former students survived...
Balls to the wall you guys are patriots
thank you for your service
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
i was kinda captivated by the b-1a as a kid...was great when the b-1b was put into production...saw one flying at the raf Waddington air show around 1999/2000/01 ish it took off then about an hour ish later i think as i remember came back over low unannounced... lovely looking bomber and nice to see them staying in the uk for a bit
One of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen, hats off to you. Thank you for this
If they're showing us this imagine what type of technology they have now 😱
They show the B2 also.
Excellent. Learnt some new stuff: roll control using the horizontal stab, and wing sweep is controlled manually. The last one was a bit of a shocker: doesn't a computer take care of this sort of thing? Surely the flight profile can be better optimised, and reduce the load on the crew. I know the Aardvark's wing sweep was manually operated, but it was pioneering.
From what I understand, at least compared to a smaller tactical jet (as an example, the F-14, which has automatic or manual wing sweep), the B-1 wasn't expected to change from high speed to low speed flight faster than the pilots could compensate. Ina fighter, you might be dumping from supersonic speeds down to your corner speed in a handful of seconds, and during a dogfight you might go from 400 knots to damn near falling out of the sky just as fast. Coupled with pulling G in a fight, and you can't reasonably expect pilots to think fast enough to manage the wing sweep that whole time.
On a big long range bomber, if you're changing speeds it's probably a pre planned event, and even if it isn't you're going to be staying at that speed for a while. Going supersonic to run from enemy fighters or missiles in the B-1 is likely something you're going to do more setting and forgetting, rather than switching between that and low level slow flight rapidly. Not to mention of course, that unlike the F-14 the B-1 has two pilots and two WSOs, so workload on each crewmember isn't as potentially overloading.
“you can’t reasonably expect pilots to think fast enough to manage wing sweep the whole time…” Not true! I flew the F-111 and wing sweep control on it was an integral part of tactical energy management. Using & controlling wing sweep became second nature for pilots just like “stick or rudder”.
Superb aircraft and great interview!
Great interview Iain and to film in the cockpit too!
This aircraft is without doubt the most beautiful that the American aviation industry has ever produced, and second only to the A.V Roe Vulcan in world ranking. I am just about to start building a scale model of this magnificent beast, so thanks for giving me some valuable visual cues. 😀👍🇬🇧🏴🇺🇦
P.S During my 24 years in the RAF it was always the desire of most of my groundcrew counterparts to work on the fast jets alongside their fast jet jockeys, personally I only did one tour on the plank trash samsonite airways and that was one too many, my first love was the Fat Alberts and then the egg beaters, but, and there is always a but, if the RAF had procured the B1-B I would have moved heaven and earth + the manning clerk’s to get me on them, unfortunately we didn’t buy them and my first choice of being on the Vulcan didn’t happen, mainly because it was being phased out at the time, being replaced by the variable noise constant thrust Tonka Toys 🧸, what a waste of money and four years of my service, the only consolation was that it was in Germany.
Sr-71….
This thing is menacing, like an SR-71 that drops nuclear bombs
Agree. The Vulcan leads all in beauty.
Spot on about the Vulcan.
Imagine "The Bone" doing a fully geared up, low altitude, high speed "fly-by" of the 40 miles long convoy north of Kiew. There'd be instant "peace"! Call it a special peacekeeping mission. The few surviving can keep their pieces for themselves.
Great video, great guys .👏👏👏
A fabulous aircraft. What a beauty. Thanks for the interesting and informative vid.
If fairford happens we want it flying not static 15 years it's well over due if there wasn't friction between russia and America you fly it for them ,riat isn't worth the paper its printed on everytime I'm at raf fairford always static ,if so this year shut down riat and send back to raf mildenhall I'm sure theres alot people who go to fairford would agree ,alot people like myself sick and tired of being mugged off !You know I have a point fairford organisers false advertising if it dont fly at raf fairford 2021 🤷♂️
Great piece of work. Thanks for posting.
Absolutely a delightful video. Thank you
Thank you for taking time to make this video of an incredible aircraft. Easily the most beautiful and iconic aeronautical marvel that has ever graced our airspace. The avionics and tech in this type of aircraft (esp the rear) dwarfs all the others. No 3 in top 10 things to achieve in life would be a long haul flight as aux pilot and a spell in cockpit.
The B1 is the most beautiful plane of all time. I'm a fan 😀
Great video. Thank you for posting.
Such a gorgeous looking plane!
I worked on the ASTE flairs for the B1 back in the 90's. Incredible machine and an all-time favorite platform.
An excellent piece. Well done and thanks!👍
I was at Ellsworth AFB, SD in 1986. It was the third base to get the B-1B and the largest contingent of them (24). I had the awesome privilege to sit in the cockpit during a 4 engine maintenance run that included run up into augmentor (known to most people as afterburner). They have to close the crew entry door during these runs that are above idle otherwise the engine will vacuum all loose objects from the cockpit. I was amazed how quiet it was in the cockpit while it was running! The vibrations were another matter, you could feel the power. The next amazing thing to me was the quiet remained even into augmentor! The only way I could tell we were in augmentor was the HUGE increase in fuel consumption and a marked increase in vibration! The other awesome thing I witnessed was a 21 ship B-1B MITO (minimum interval Take Off) launch (about every 12 seconds). It was so loud that it could be heard 25 miles away in Sturgis, SD! Boy could it fly!