The same here, 78 now, and my Army tour, '67-'72, were some of the best years of my life, wouldn't trade them for anything. Everyone here, thank you for your service, sincerely.
I was stationed at Loring from 1972 to '76, minus a TDY to Andersen AFB, Guam in '73. I was a base firefighter. I met and married my wife of near 50 years, there, and our daughter was born at Loring Hospital. I loved working around the B-52s no matter where I was.
@@disabldfirefiter Hey, I was SP at Offutt AFB, TDY to Guam for Operation: Bulletshot, I’m thinking Jan time of 74! I’d have to dig papers up to be exact. Ended up with severe sunburn from walking the Buff’s, so ended up at the check ID shack for Tarague Beach. Lived in Tin City!
Nice to see my old base getting attention and some love. I was communications with 2192 Comm Squadron under the 42 Bomb Wing. Also served as security police augmentee on base alerts. Bought my first car while there, a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. West gate SP’s would always hound me on sticking my DOD sticker directly to the windshield instead of on a card like I had it. Never did change it. Spud Speedway nights with race your neighbor, booze fueled calls when commanders called into my switchboard to notify when off mobile and at home on New Years, in-flight emergency call patches, cruising Presque Isle on the main street when not on duty…ahh…the good old days.
@@crackerbarrel6965 I was actually an E7 T81190 when I retired in ‘97 @24y. Instructor qualified (5years @ Bullis/Lackland, I still know those damned hills) and completed/awarded 9 Level certification (rare for E7). Don’t blame ya about the sticker. I had the 82 Camero Z28, w/ T-tops, in Charcoal gray. Stolen 2 days before PCS from San Antonio.
This has to be an emotional experience for the many personnel who are still around and lived nearby. It’s something that is in your blood and memory and never leaves you. Experiences of the past….😊
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s 5 miles off the south end of the runway at Carswell and feel the same way as you do on the rare occasion I see one of Barksdale’s B-52’s do a touch and go or three these days. My Dad worked at the General Dynamics “Bomber Plant” on the west side of the base starting in 1958 on the B-58, F-111, and F-16 programs.
This base is near the Canadian border in northern Maine. It was for 50 years major base for Strategic Air Command in the deterrence role over North Atlantic. It was closed after BRAC 1 in 1993.
I was blasting along on my super sport motorcycle on the Benedict Arnold trail. upto the CND border, and a B-52 at about 300ftAGL roared across over head. It was awesome. I assumed it came out, or was heading back to Plattsburg NYS.
I was stationed at Loring back in the late 50's when we got the first B52-G's that came off the assembly line. The G's carried the Hound Dog cruise missile, one under each wing. It was a great plane to work on. We should have kept them, but that's an argument for another time.
McCoy AFB was a SAC base, and it is now Orlando International Airport. The call letters are still MCC. Westover in western Mass is an air reserve base, used to have C-5s stationed there, and still has a lot of training schools there. I do agree with your sentiment though, they don't have the same sense of power that was exhibited when they were SAC, and they are probably the exception.
My Dad worked in the Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS) and was a jet engine mechanic his whole 23 year USAF career. I lived at Plattsburgh AFB, NY and Kincheloe AFB, MI and those bases were also SAC Bases. Kincheloe closed in 1976 where my one younger sister was born and Plattsburgh was closed in about 1996 were my younger brother was born. They flew the FB-111s, B-52s and KC-135s out of there. It was also long enough for the Space Shuttle to land in an emergency. I went back and visited Plattsburgh in 2019 and they kept the old flightline as a regional airport and the old golf course is still maintained. Most of the fencing around the Base has been removed and the old Officer "brick housing" in the historical War of 1812 area are now owned by private individuals as was some of the Enlisted housing units. Our old housing units (Enlisted housing) where we lived were torn down off Montana Dr. but some of the garages were kept. There is a private contractor that has a fence up there around some of them and maybe uses it for storage. The old BX is now being use as a business, the Base Chapel is a Protestant church and the Movie theater is someone's home. The old Elementary schools are being used, one as a Catholic High School and the other as a County Resource Center. It was weird not seeing Security Forces guarding the gates (all gone). I am sure this same fate happened to all the old SAC Bases that closed. The economic impact was huge for those local areas, but the communities tried to do the best they could. Obviously a lot of the Bases were located in the Northern parts of the United States as flying straight over Canada was the quickest way to the USSR at the time to bomb in the event of War with the Communists. Now SAC was replaced by Global Strike (GS) and they can fly the B-2s or other aircraft from Barksdale AFB, LA and fly 24 hours 7 days a week and be refueled. They use a couple of crews so one can sleep while the other flys. The Winter's in the U.P. of Michigan were probably the coldest of any Base with the Lake Superior "lake effect" made the snowfall even worse. It would snow by November and we wouldn't see the grass in our backyard until the last of the Snow melted in May. It was too cold to use salt so they used cinders and sand on the roads and you actually had to change your car to snow tires and install the oil pan heaters that you plugged in at night to keep it from freezing so it would start in the morning. A different way of living than most places in Winter.
How old were you when you lived at Kinchelo? What years were they. Did you attend school on base or in Rudyard? I grew up in that area. Had a couple of friends on base that I'd go spend time with in the summer. My dad taught 5th grade at the Kinchelo elementary school one yr. Then 6th grade at the Wallace school one yr.. he was also the special education teacher at the far west wing of the Rudyard Jr high wing. Maybe you played ping pong during noon hr in his room?
Familiar with what you say!! I grew up a few miles from Kincheloe AFB. Attended school with many AF students. My father taught at the elementary school on base. Lots of memories of the Soo area, the winters & all the fun I had on Kinch!!
@@stantaylor3350 I lived in Kinchelo AFB around 1971-1976, second part of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. I remember Duke's Lake on Base and sledding on it in winter or in the back of the golf course where the sand pit was that they used for covering the runway. I believe my 4th grade teacher was Mr. Cornwallis. We each had a bucket to keep our school supplies that was attached to the ceiling with a rope. I remember getting in trouble when I said the word "fart" in class like I said a cuss word; I was so confused and big for my age. I think that i scared him as when I pushed up from my desk, I knocked it over. I am trying to remember my 5th Grade teacher and he did tricks like giving us a dime for every quarter we could stand on its edge meaning you would lose .15¢ and how he would take a bowl of water and ask if a kid could see the hair float. When they looked closer but didn't see it he would push their face in the water. I remember going at night to Rudyard Highschool pool to take Red Cross training on water safety and learning how to swim. A bus would take us there and back. They taught us how to use a button up shirt or jeans to make a flotation devices. It was fun to do that even though we got home late at night.
I flew w the Marines. While at sea on deployment we would contact Loring on high frequency radio and if they were not busy they could hook up a phone call w families. A solid 😊
I was stationed at Loring 1975-1976 when I came back from Utapao Thailand. Winter was worse than Alaska and in summer the mosquitoes and black flies ate you alive. Worked maintenance on B52’s and KC135’s. Reinlisted just to get a base of preference and get out of there.
I was at U-Tapao in 1973, until the bombing halt on August 15th. I can still hear the cells of B-52Ds taking off, coming over the Green Lantern restaurant on the beach. We shouldn't have waited to bomb the hell out of Hanoi. SSgt Mark "Hammer" Hamersly (also US Army CW4/SrAviator and INS/ICE/CBP, ret.
I was stationed in Alaska twice and Loring once. I agree with your statement. The snow was far worse in Northern Maine. Alaska has No See-ums which take a murderous bite out of you.
I was stationed at Utapao Royal Airbase in 1971, home of B-52s relocated from Guam. It was a period of time the U.S. Secretary of State declared there were no American military there; however, there were over 5,000 of us in-country.
Thanks for posting this tribute. What a beautiful area of the country. You have to love the snow and cold (sub zero temperatures for 3-4 months) to live there, and the non-winter months are a bonus! I was in the 2192ISS 1985-86. The snow removal teams up there are amazing - on the day before I left (it was a week before Thanksgiving) 22 inches fell within 24 hrs. the next day I left driving on roads that were clear, and I was pleasantly surprised that all the lanes of Trans-Canadian Highway were totally free of snow.
My wife had surgery at Loring and we spent a week there in February 1967. The snow was incredible. I was stationed at Dow AFB in Banger, Maine, Dow was also a SAC base with B-52’s and KC-135’s. It closed in 1970
Dow AFB was turned over to Bangor. The Maine ANG is and has been operating there since then with KC-135’s. I had often transited there as it is was a great gas n go going to/from europe.
In 1973 we did a Civil Air Patrol encampment at Loring. We got to stay in one of the ready bunkers for two weeks. It was awesome. I was doing the aircraft solo program so spent most of my time flying a Cessna 150 at the local civilian airport.
I was raised near loring AFB… My dad retired from the AF here in Western Massachusetts …we lived at Westover ARB Chicopee Massachusetts … I heard quite awhile ago that they were gonna revamp and use partially again…My dad was with 104th FW/131st FS Westfield Massachusetts (26 years E-8 Aerospace Chief)
My dad was stationed at Westover from around 1954 to 1960, and then was transferred to McCoy AFB, which is now Orlando international airport. Interestingly enough, my parents came back to Chicopee when he retired, and I graduated from Chicopee Comp. He was with the MMS which was the nuclear weapons squadron. SAC, and the B-52s were a real big deal back then, and if you lived on the base, I'm sure you heard plenty of the 8 engine monsters take off. Looking back, it seems like it was the best of times and sometimes the worst of times.
@@diffened my dad grew up in East Longmeadow and could hear the B-52s when they were taking off. We lived on Bennett street, then Mellinger. And then after graduation from Comp in 86’ I went in the USCG and was stationed at a small boat crew at Coast Guard Base S.W. Harbor Maine..10 minute drive from Bar Harbor. Arcadia National Park is Beautiful in the fall. We’re past peak here in South Hadley..Yesterday morning and Friday morning 5 (F-15) took off and Saturday morning 5(F-15) TDY to Lakenheath. These guys are from Mountain Home AFB ID. Barnes is gonna be getting F-35 in the next 3 years!
So great to see. I was at Westover 69-71. We would get some of their birds during bad snow weather. Bringing back Loring to any degree would be outstanding. A huge help to the local economy. And not a bad place to be. A little tough in Winter, but a beautiful area. Nice people.
I lived at Loring AFD in the late 1950s as a 5th-and 6th-grade student. My dad became a Senior Master sergeant there and was also the NCOIC of a Field training det at Loring. We were stationed at Scott AFB, Amarillo AFB, Pinecastle AFB ( McCoy AFB), Loring AFB, and Hahn Air Base. Of the five, only Scott remains an air base. Loring was a lot of fun as a kid and great for outdoor activities. Got to like snow, Ha Ha.
My father was stationed there in the early 50s as a flight engineer on a B36 bomber. He always talked about the snow fall there and how it would take him 5 - 6 hours to make a single pass down that runway in a snowblower.
I’m pretty sure my Dad and your Dad told the same stories! My Dad was there in 1953ish as a crew chief on 2220. The B36 didn’t fit completely in the hangers and snow on the tail of the B36 was so heavy it would tip the nose up in the air in the hanger!
This popped up in my YT feed... dau of a WW2 vet who was an aerospace engineer & licensed pilot. I wish my dad could see this... I'm in tears, awestruck by the majesty of that aircraft... and the PERFECT LANDING. Kudos to the pilot!
Ah, the Northern Tier. Back when we were more worried about defending the USA and not worried about how many social bullets we had on our 'performance' reports. Oh and worrying about an Airman's feelings...
1962: Got my learners permit for driving and my motorcycle endorsement, 5 hp or less! Bought 125cc Ducati. The block we lived on was very long, without cross streets they put 3 or 4 more houses, stack'em deep, sell em cheap! A few days later cruising down the block I spotted another 125 Ducati in a driveway, of course I pulled in next to it! I knew the owner from high school but we had never talked. We talked motors a few minutes, he told me he wanted to race! Then, of course, we had to race, he pulled me out of the start, gained a little but not much! He bragged about winning, I said I'm probably 30 lb heavier than you, lets swap bikes! He pulled a little wheelie on the start and pulled ahead. WOW, how do u do that, I pointed out, for starters, your chain is to tight and your back wheel is out of line and you still have the baffle in your exhaust pipe pipe! Long story short, he rode, I wrenched! He was a natural, we joined AMA, he was in the state standing standing but we were in high school, a 200 mile turn on Sunday, we were dead cowboys Monday. Jumping ahead, 1968! He's on a SAC base, I'm 50 miles away on a nuclear missile base to take out the incoming bombers while he destroys Russia.....LOL! My first tour of a B52, we're sitting the cockpit, he's explaining all the levers and gauges, I jokingly said, How do you think your crew would feel if I told them I had to fix your motorcycle in high school...LOL! He said, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here! A few months later he was the youngest Crew Chief on B52's in the Air Force! God Bless you my brother!
Loring AFB was the largest base in the Strategic Air Command and had the largest nuclear weapons storage. (80 bunkers). It also had fuel storage of over 9 million gallons of jet fuel. It was also the closest SAC base in the continental United States to the Soviet Union.
Not sure how many igloos and fuel storage but it was not the largest SAC base. At 9000 acres it was big alright but no where near the 22,000+ acres that comprises Barksdale AFB LA.
Loring AFB was further north from where I was stationed, Bangor ANGB for 2 years. Active duty unit on the ANG real estate. We waited for the OTH-B which never came to fruition. You can only picnic and party so much while waiting for civilian turnover. Ended up pulling a TDY to Norway for 30 days with a unit from Hill AFB reserves. My assignments within USAF 73-97: 1-Offutt, NE, 2-Norvenich GAFB, (German AB, not American), 3-Warren AFB, WY, 4-Carswell AFB, TX, 5-Lackland/Bullis AFB (Instructor Duty), 6-K2/Taegu AB, S Kor, 7-Offutt AFB, NE, 8-Osan AB, S Kor, 9-Peterson AFB, CO. Retired after that!
Saw B-52's and B1's taking off and landing at Griffiss Air force base back in 88 as a young Army private... had no idea what the heck those big ass planes were at that time but were glad they were on our side.
Loring Air Force Base was one of the biggest B-52 bases for strategic bombers on alert. In the West Coast there is still fairchilds Air Base and Riverside California used to have a huge B-52 Fleet back during the Cold War. I remember being at Riverside International Raceway one day practicing and they had a strategic alert holy crap that was something else
@@coolhand6669 I can imagine what a SAC alert launch with an entire Wing of B-52Ds and KC-135s would have been like to experience from the track there, ESPECIALLY to someone who had never seen something like that. I was at Beale in 1972 - 1973, when the 456 BW still had a mixed bag of B-52Ds and B-52Gs, PLUS the 9 SRW with the ONLY wing of SR-71s! The visuals and sounds there let you KNOW you were doing something VERY IMPORTANT! Hammer. USAF SSgt; US Army CW4/SrAviator; INS/ICE/CBP, ret.
Beautiful airplane, back when we could build airplanes that worked (in less than a year!) and lasted for decades and are still respected. Unlike the Battle Penguin.
I was born and raised in Maine, this base closure was a disaster to the communities there. Even today people struggle up there with the lost of jobs. Bring that base back !!!!!! Lime Stone, Caribou, Woodland , Washburn, and many other communities
They have closed them all. Pease was next, followed by Brunswick. We are not politically connected in the northeast. I would think close some overseas bases before the ones in the U.S.
According to Wikipedia, the former Loring AFB is still maintained as a civilian airport, Loring International Airport, apparently doesn't have any scheduled service, but is likely used for cargo and charter service.
@@jtwilliams8895 Nope, it’s a Commerce Centre now. Several businesses have set up call centers in the base facilities. The runway has yellow Xs running down its length, meaning it’s a permanently closed runway. While it may be listed as an international airport, that’s only on paper. No aircraft can, even if they wanted to, use the base anymore, so the title is right, it is more or less abandoned in an aviation sense.
I work at Loring, it might as well be abandoned, so many dilapidated buildings with trees growing out of them, potholes on the roads are so massive they total vehicles, we even have teens that live in the area that broke into the Arch Hangar and they were doing donuts inside. Truly a sad sight especially given how great the base was at one point. You can thank the LDA for that!
@@ContentCop0703 Sorry to hear that. It would be nice to hear that closed military bases are put to good use. In the state I live in, Indiana, Fort Harrison in Indianapolis and Grissom AFB near Peru are both being used well. Both facilities have a mixture of guard/reserve, government and civilian tenants.
While some have been redeveloped beyond recognition, some abandoned USAF bases are now civilian airports. Bergstrom AFB is now Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Walker AFB now is the Roswell International Air Center. I don’t know about now, but as recently as the 1990’s Japan Airlines had their 747 crews practice touch-and-go landings at the former Walker AFB.
@@frankmorris4790Really fast. The Air Force has contingency plans for distributing aircraft to the “abandoned “ bases if necessary during time of war. Bases in the pacific are being reactivated in case of conflict with China. A lot of contingency plans are being implemented. It’s just a precaution at this point but it’s a good thing to be prepared.
I seem to remember a visiting B-52G from Loring that had "The Moose is Loose" written by the crew entrance access hatch under the nose and a small moose drawing beside it. Made me chuckle when I saw it.
An oldy but a goodie, still feared by all and sundry, new engines coming and reach for the sky once more. This is a bad arse aircraft, you better believe it.
I grew up (50's-60's) "across the border" in Victoria Corner, New Brunswick. The B52 bomber was a common sight in the air in those days. My dad, a preacher, took me with him when he spoke at the church there when I was young. Had the privilege of touring the "flight line" near the end of Loring's active life. Got to get into the cockpit of one of those massive bombers. My brother-in-law served there following his service in Vietnam. He married my wife's sister - then moved to Klamath Falls, OR.
I had the privilege of visiting Loring to inspect an ATR42 and make it ready to export to the U.K. Very interesting place!! Better hangars for the ground equipment than a lot of European maintenance outfits used for aircraft!
I spent my growing up years close by Kincheloe AFB, in N Michigan, next to the Canadian border. It was part of SAC also. Kincheloee has been closed for years. I went to school with classmates coming from or going to Loring AFB. Thanks for the memories.
Actually, Kinch was transformed into Chippewa County International Airport (as well as an industrial incubator and a prison). No BUFFs, but some connector flights.
@@737MaxPilot if it works you don’t mess with it. Now just think of all the people that make topographical maps were kept employed because, just maybe a wing of 52’s might rearrange the surface of the earth somewhere & maps would need to be updated.
"The B52 Bomber Lands at Abandoned Air Force Base After 30 Years" Wow. After 30 years in the air, that crew must be exhausted! And ready to retire as well!
Our family farm was only twenty miles from Loring AFB. I remember hearing and seeing the planes flying above our farm as a kid. My sister married an airman from the base in 1955. Lots of memories.
Spent 6 months TDY hear when Loring Lost one of it's Double Wings of the Short Tail, Stiff Wing, B52's. 8th AF, sent 2 men from it's many Bomb Wing Squadrons. I was from the 17th BW, Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio. The year was 1966. I was from the 17th OMS. Airman 2nd class. I worked on a recovery team. I think of these times with fond memories now. But dam the winters were cold.
Lived in New Brunswick ( Canada ) across the border from Loring. As a kid , seeing those B-52s and KC-135s coming in low or heading out for northern patrols was a gas. And , occasionally , you'd be out of school in the fall , picking potatoes , and a Delta Dart or other jet would flash over the field. Cool stuff for a kid. ( If you are not from Aroostock County or Carleton/Victoria Counties ( NB ) , ask somebody about fall potato break.
@solidlift ---> 🤔 Hello. I think you need to insert a letter "N" on your first word 😉 {...I totally agree with you about the lefty - pro-commie - peacenik lunacy of BRAC. Yes to SAC !!! The Chi-coms AND Vlad the Putin's flyboys were flying on the coast of Alaska recently. Washington D.C. does nothing about it. My son spent 4 years at Eielson AFB in interior Alaska.}
Your story stopped me in my tracks! Didn't realize the 69th BS was still active. My Father was 69th BS, 42nd BG(M)... of course that was in the SW Pacific Area (13th "Jungle" USAAF).. Guadalcanal, Russell Is, etc. Flying out of Henderson Field & Bomber Field #2 to bomb Rabaul and cruise "the Slot"... He was shot down on a volunteer mission... testing the first "Pistol-packin'-Mama" in the Group, a B-25J w/ 14-forward-firin'-50s & 75mm cannon. He brought up an unconscious radio/gunner from the ditching and were retrieved by a RNZAF PBY5 "Dumbo". The pilot, observer an cannoneer are still aboard... c 1.5 mi off Cape Hanpan, Buka Is. "Bless 'em All"
For several months, I lived across the street from the engine test stands at Tinker AFB. I learned why the rent was so cheap. My wife was a civilian employee at Loring.
Story Headline "hey look we flew into an abandoned base as a nod to our heritage" Actual message "Hey enemy planners, you thought you could take our old abandoned bases off your target list? think again, now you have to waste resources because we may be there and we may not be."
I guess the base survived after all, for you movie buffs Loring AFB was one of the first three targets from the Soviet strike in the 1983 movie War Games. USN 84-04
Was stationed at Minot, where this bomber is from, in the mid 80's. Still a formidible weapon! Is a part of the 5th Bomb Wing, The Bomber Barons. Had applied to be stationed at both Minot and Loring. Minot got me.
What a beautiful sight! Next to the P-47 Thunderbolt (another big, fat ugly beauty), the B-52 has got to be my favorite airplane.What a big fat ugly beauty!
That would be so cool for those around Larson Air Base in Moses Lake to once again see a B52 on the tarmac once again and hear those screaming engines after so many years of them gone.
While stationed @Kadena AFB(1976) the B52's from Guam would air evacuate to Kadena if the typhoon was going to hit that tiny island, they would land at night the drag chute was bright yellow as they passed our flight line, we also had Habu @Kadena that was something to watch the SR71 taking off. We could hear the 4 V8 Buick engines they used to start Habu, revving up across the runway, when they were getting ready to launch Habu.
Rome, NY was also closed. That airbase had and still has the longest runway in the US. B52s we're in and out constantly. It was B36s before that. So why is that base closed?
It's not a working airport, while businesses have moved in, the airport itself isn't used for much except land speed races and car shows now. So yea the military abandoned it.
My Dad was stationed at Loring AFB in the 50’s , he was a crew chief of a B36. He would have been proud!
very cool plane, maybe the coolest. - C130 guy
*Wow... A B-36 veteran - impressive...*
I wish I was 18yrs old again~Joining the AF was the best move i made...Now approaching 60 im still in great shape, minus the aches pains, lol...
I resemble that remark 😂
@@GarryKunis 24 years in USAF, im 68 now and still miss it.
Yep, My time in the Marines was the best, I'm three months from my 63rd birthday and wake up with a new ache in a new place everyday. LOL
63 here, 20 years in the A.F. Seems we were all in during great times. A round of drinks for everyone. Cheers!
The same here, 78 now, and my Army tour, '67-'72, were some of the best years of my life, wouldn't trade them for anything.
Everyone here, thank you for your service, sincerely.
I was stationed at Loring from 1972 to '76, minus a TDY to Andersen AFB, Guam in '73. I was a base firefighter. I met and married my wife of near 50 years, there, and our daughter was born at Loring Hospital. I loved working around the B-52s no matter where I was.
@@disabldfirefiter Hey, I was SP at Offutt AFB, TDY to Guam for Operation: Bulletshot, I’m thinking Jan time of 74! I’d have to dig papers up to be exact. Ended up with severe sunburn from walking the Buff’s, so ended up at the check ID shack for Tarague Beach. Lived in Tin City!
Nice to see my old base getting attention and some love. I was communications with 2192 Comm Squadron under the 42 Bomb Wing. Also served as security police augmentee on base alerts.
Bought my first car while there, a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. West gate SP’s would always hound me on sticking my DOD sticker directly to the windshield instead of on a card like I had it. Never did change it. Spud Speedway nights with race your neighbor, booze fueled calls when commanders called into my switchboard to notify when off mobile and at home on New Years, in-flight emergency call patches, cruising Presque Isle on the main street when not on duty…ahh…the good old days.
Ditto. Same unit
@@crackerbarrel6965 I was actually an E7 T81190 when I retired in ‘97 @24y. Instructor qualified (5years @ Bullis/Lackland, I still know those damned hills) and completed/awarded 9 Level certification (rare for E7). Don’t blame ya about the sticker. I had the 82 Camero Z28, w/ T-tops, in Charcoal gray. Stolen 2 days before PCS from San Antonio.
Are you still in Maine? The B52 took off today from Loring!
This has to be an emotional experience for the many personnel who are still around and lived nearby. It’s something that is in your blood and memory and never leaves you. Experiences of the past….😊
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s 5 miles off the south end of the runway at Carswell and feel the same way as you do on the rare occasion I see one of Barksdale’s B-52’s do a touch and go or three these days. My Dad worked at the General Dynamics “Bomber Plant” on the west side of the base starting in 1958 on the B-58, F-111, and F-16 programs.
WHOOOO HOOOOO THE BUFFS ARE BACK! Air Force Vet here!
I'm happy trans gendered vets can be heard
This base is near the Canadian border in northern Maine. It was for 50 years major base for Strategic Air Command in the deterrence role over North Atlantic. It was closed after BRAC 1 in 1993.
Same for my base in Castle AFB in Atwater California
I was blasting along on my super sport motorcycle on the Benedict Arnold trail. upto the CND border, and a B-52 at about 300ftAGL roared across over head. It was awesome. I assumed it came out, or was heading back to Plattsburg NYS.
@@Вивсівідстій he close a lot of them
@@michaellackie3756Not nearly as many as Reagan and Bush though! It was BRAC. It’s been a thing since 1961.
Loring AFB, I believe!
I was stationed at Loring back in the late 50's when we got the first B52-G's that came off the assembly line. The G's carried the Hound Dog cruise missile, one under each wing. It was a great plane to work on. We should have kept them, but that's an argument for another time.
I was living in Van Buren at that time, and remember seeing the first B-52 over my house…..
My father was a B-52 maintainer during Vietnam, likely working on the Delta model.
Dad was a pilot and flew them back then
I was born there. 👍
P.S. I know why they called it the Cold War 🥶 . LoL 😂
I worked with the 42nd Bomb Wing in Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia. None better! The Moose Is Still Loose!!!
A heroes welcome for an true iconic American hero. Well done.
I spent 20 yr,s in the usaf, most of my time was in SAC. Sad they closed so many great bases, most are just rotting away with very little future.
McCoy AFB was a SAC base, and it is now Orlando International Airport. The call letters are still MCC. Westover in western Mass is an air reserve base, used to have C-5s stationed there, and still has a lot of training schools there. I do agree with your sentiment though, they don't have the same sense of power that was exhibited when they were SAC, and they are probably the exception.
When you don't need them then they have to go, sadly. Many iconic bases on this side of the Atlantic are mouldering away or being built on.
My Dad worked in the Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS) and was a jet engine mechanic his whole 23 year USAF career. I lived at Plattsburgh AFB, NY and Kincheloe AFB, MI and those bases were also SAC Bases. Kincheloe closed in 1976 where my one younger sister was born and Plattsburgh was closed in about 1996 were my younger brother was born. They flew the FB-111s, B-52s and KC-135s out of there. It was also long enough for the Space Shuttle to land in an emergency. I went back and visited Plattsburgh in 2019 and they kept the old flightline as a regional airport and the old golf course is still maintained. Most of the fencing around the Base has been removed and the old Officer "brick housing" in the historical War of 1812 area are now owned by private individuals as was some of the Enlisted housing units. Our old housing units (Enlisted housing) where we lived were torn down off Montana Dr. but some of the garages were kept. There is a private contractor that has a fence up there around some of them and maybe uses it for storage. The old BX is now being use as a business, the Base Chapel is a Protestant church and the Movie theater is someone's home. The old Elementary schools are being used, one as a Catholic High School and the other as a County Resource Center. It was weird not seeing Security Forces guarding the gates (all gone). I am sure this same fate happened to all the old SAC Bases that closed. The economic impact was huge for those local areas, but the communities tried to do the best they could. Obviously a lot of the Bases were located in the Northern parts of the United States as flying straight over Canada was the quickest way to the USSR at the time to bomb in the event of War with the Communists. Now SAC was replaced by Global Strike (GS) and they can fly the B-2s or other aircraft from Barksdale AFB, LA and fly 24 hours 7 days a week and be refueled. They use a couple of crews so one can sleep while the other flys. The Winter's in the U.P. of Michigan were probably the coldest of any Base with the Lake Superior "lake effect" made the snowfall even worse. It would snow by November and we wouldn't see the grass in our backyard until the last of the Snow melted in May. It was too cold to use salt so they used cinders and sand on the roads and you actually had to change your car to snow tires and install the oil pan heaters that you plugged in at night to keep it from freezing so it would start in the morning. A different way of living than most places in Winter.
How old were you when you lived at Kinchelo? What years were they. Did you attend school on base or in Rudyard? I grew up in that area. Had a couple of friends on base that I'd go spend time with in the summer. My dad taught 5th grade at the Kinchelo elementary school one yr. Then 6th grade at the Wallace school one yr.. he was also the special education teacher at the far west wing of the Rudyard Jr high wing. Maybe you played ping pong during noon hr in his room?
Familiar with what you say!! I grew up a few miles from Kincheloe AFB. Attended school with many AF students. My father taught at the elementary school on base. Lots of memories of the Soo area, the winters & all the fun I had on Kinch!!
@@stantaylor3350 I lived in Kinchelo AFB around 1971-1976, second part of 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. I remember Duke's Lake on Base and sledding on it in winter or in the back of the golf course where the sand pit was that they used for covering the runway. I believe my 4th grade teacher was Mr. Cornwallis. We each had a bucket to keep our school supplies that was attached to the ceiling with a rope. I remember getting in trouble when I said the word "fart" in class like I said a cuss word; I was so confused and big for my age. I think that i scared him as when I pushed up from my desk, I knocked it over. I am trying to remember my 5th Grade teacher and he did tricks like giving us a dime for every quarter we could stand on its edge meaning you would lose .15¢ and how he would take a bowl of water and ask if a kid could see the hair float. When they looked closer but didn't see it he would push their face in the water. I remember going at night to Rudyard Highschool pool to take Red Cross training on water safety and learning how to swim. A bus would take us there and back. They taught us how to use a button up shirt or jeans to make a flotation devices. It was fun to do that even though we got home late at night.
MT - Minot, the 5th Bomb Wing. My old unit. I served with them back in the 90s! Love to see the Buff!
I flew w the Marines. While at sea on deployment we would contact Loring on high frequency radio and if they were not busy they could hook up a phone call w families. A solid 😊
@@ВивсівідстійDude, you are not wired right!
I was stationed at Loring 1975-1976 when I came back from Utapao Thailand. Winter was worse than Alaska and in summer the mosquitoes and black flies ate you alive. Worked maintenance on B52’s and KC135’s. Reinlisted just to get a base of preference and get out of there.
3 1/2 years at Grand Forks AFB 72-76. Nuclear Weapons RSET leader for Minuteman. Let me tell you about being cold.😊
I was at U-Tapao in 1973, until the bombing halt on August 15th. I can still hear the cells of B-52Ds taking off, coming over the Green Lantern restaurant on the beach. We shouldn't have waited to bomb the hell out of Hanoi. SSgt Mark "Hammer" Hamersly (also US Army CW4/SrAviator and INS/ICE/CBP, ret.
I was stationed in Alaska twice and Loring once. I agree with your statement. The snow was far worse in Northern Maine. Alaska has No See-ums which take a murderous bite out of you.
I was stationed at Utapao Royal Airbase in 1971, home of B-52s relocated from Guam. It was a period of time the U.S. Secretary of State declared there were no American military there; however, there were over 5,000 of us in-country.
@@lhoke6339 I, too, was there. But it was U-Tapao ROYAL THAI NAVAL AIR BASE. We were "just" a tennant there. Hammer
Thanks for posting this tribute. What a beautiful area of the country. You have to love the snow and cold (sub zero temperatures for 3-4 months) to live there, and the non-winter months are a bonus! I was in the 2192ISS 1985-86. The snow removal teams up there are amazing - on the day before I left (it was a week before Thanksgiving) 22 inches fell within 24 hrs. the next day I left driving on roads that were clear, and I was pleasantly surprised that all the lanes of Trans-Canadian Highway were totally free of snow.
My wife had surgery at Loring and we spent a week there in February 1967. The snow was incredible. I was stationed at Dow AFB in Banger, Maine, Dow was also a SAC base with B-52’s and KC-135’s. It closed in 1970
I would bet that for each AFB closed another government employee was added, with no overall savings to the taxpayers!
Dow AFB was turned over to Bangor. The Maine ANG is and has been operating there since then with KC-135’s. I had often transited there as it is was a great gas n go going to/from europe.
In 1973 we did a Civil Air Patrol encampment at Loring. We got to stay in one of the ready bunkers for two weeks. It was awesome. I was doing the aircraft solo program so spent most of my time flying a Cessna 150 at the local civilian airport.
That sounds so awesome. I’ve always wanted to try living in a bunker
71 and missing the old Airforce
I was raised near loring AFB… My dad retired from the AF here in Western Massachusetts …we lived at Westover ARB Chicopee Massachusetts … I heard quite awhile ago that they were gonna revamp and use partially again…My dad was with 104th FW/131st FS Westfield Massachusetts (26 years E-8 Aerospace Chief)
My dad was stationed at Westover from around 1954 to 1960, and then was transferred to McCoy AFB, which is now Orlando international airport. Interestingly enough, my parents came back to Chicopee when he retired, and I graduated from Chicopee Comp. He was with the MMS which was the nuclear weapons squadron. SAC, and the B-52s were a real big deal back then, and if you lived on the base, I'm sure you heard plenty of the 8 engine monsters take off. Looking back, it seems like it was the best of times and sometimes the worst of times.
@@diffened my dad grew up in East Longmeadow and could hear the B-52s when they were taking off. We lived on Bennett street, then Mellinger. And then after graduation from Comp in 86’ I went in the USCG and was stationed at a small boat crew at Coast Guard Base S.W. Harbor Maine..10 minute drive from Bar Harbor. Arcadia National Park is Beautiful in the fall. We’re past peak here in South Hadley..Yesterday morning and Friday morning 5 (F-15) took off and Saturday morning 5(F-15) TDY to Lakenheath. These guys are from Mountain Home AFB ID. Barnes is gonna be getting F-35 in the next 3 years!
Welcome home. Welcome to Loring. Maine, the way life should be.
My youngest Son was Born at the Loring Base Hospital. I was stationed at 1CEVG Det7 Ashland in the Mid 80's.
So great to see. I was at Westover 69-71. We would get some of their birds during bad snow weather. Bringing back Loring to any degree would be outstanding. A huge help to the local economy. And not a bad place to be. A little tough in Winter, but a beautiful area. Nice people.
I was at Westover 71-73 we had no B-52s they were all over in Guam and Thailand. Got to spend plenty of time in those countries though TDY.
Pilots made it look easy! Kudos!
I lived at Loring AFD in the late 1950s as a 5th-and 6th-grade student. My dad became a Senior Master sergeant there and was also the NCOIC of a Field training det at Loring. We were stationed at Scott AFB, Amarillo AFB, Pinecastle AFB ( McCoy AFB), Loring AFB, and Hahn Air Base. Of the five, only Scott remains an air base. Loring was a lot of fun as a kid and great for outdoor activities. Got to like snow, Ha Ha.
LOTS !!!!!😊
My father was stationed there in the early 50s as a flight engineer on a B36 bomber. He always talked about the snow fall there and how it would take him 5 - 6 hours to make a single pass down that runway in a snowblower.
I’m pretty sure my Dad and your Dad told the same stories! My Dad was there in 1953ish as a crew chief on 2220. The B36 didn’t fit completely in the hangers and snow on the tail of the B36 was so heavy it would tip the nose up in the air in the hanger!
@@gregorypizzini Yep, forgot about that. They must have worked together.
This popped up in my YT feed... dau of a WW2 vet who was an aerospace engineer & licensed pilot. I wish my dad could see this... I'm in tears, awestruck by the majesty of that aircraft... and the PERFECT LANDING. Kudos to the pilot!
Loring....Pease....Plattsburg....Wurtsmith....Kinchloe....K.I. Sawyer....great names, great places in SAC history!
Ah, the Northern Tier. Back when we were more worried about defending the USA and not worried about how many social bullets we had on our 'performance' reports. Oh and worrying about an Airman's feelings...
yup.Wurtsmith here.......SAC and ADC command........bombers ,tankers and fighter Jets...all in one
1962: Got my learners permit for driving and my motorcycle endorsement, 5 hp or less!
Bought 125cc Ducati. The block we lived on was very long, without cross streets they put 3 or 4 more houses, stack'em deep, sell em cheap!
A few days later cruising down the block I spotted another 125 Ducati in a driveway, of course I pulled in next to it! I knew the owner from high school but we had never talked.
We talked motors a few minutes, he told me he wanted to race! Then, of course, we had to race, he pulled me out of the start, gained a little but not much! He bragged about winning, I said I'm probably 30 lb heavier than you, lets swap bikes! He pulled a little wheelie on the start and pulled ahead. WOW, how do u do that, I pointed out, for starters, your chain is to tight and your back wheel is out of line and you still have the baffle in your exhaust pipe pipe!
Long story short, he rode, I wrenched! He was a natural, we joined AMA, he was in the state standing standing but we were in high school, a 200 mile turn on Sunday, we were dead cowboys Monday.
Jumping ahead, 1968! He's on a SAC base, I'm 50 miles away on a nuclear missile base to take out the incoming bombers while he destroys Russia.....LOL!
My first tour of a B52, we're sitting the cockpit, he's explaining all the levers and gauges,
I jokingly said, How do you think your crew would feel if I told them I had to fix your motorcycle in high school...LOL!
He said, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here!
A few months later he was the youngest Crew Chief on B52's in the Air Force!
God Bless you my brother!
Loring AFB was the largest base in the Strategic Air Command and had the largest nuclear weapons storage. (80 bunkers). It also had fuel storage of over 9 million gallons of jet fuel. It was also the closest SAC base in the continental United States to the Soviet Union.
Not sure how many igloos and fuel storage but it was not the largest SAC base. At 9000 acres it was big alright but no where near the 22,000+ acres that comprises Barksdale AFB LA.
Wrong. Beale AFB at 23,000 acres is still much larger and was/is WAY nicer.
Loring AFB was further north from where I was stationed, Bangor ANGB for 2 years. Active duty unit on the ANG real estate. We waited for the OTH-B which never came to fruition. You can only picnic and party so much while waiting for civilian turnover. Ended up pulling a TDY to Norway for 30 days with a unit from Hill AFB reserves.
My assignments within USAF 73-97: 1-Offutt, NE, 2-Norvenich GAFB, (German AB, not American), 3-Warren AFB, WY, 4-Carswell AFB, TX, 5-Lackland/Bullis AFB (Instructor Duty), 6-K2/Taegu AB, S Kor, 7-Offutt AFB, NE, 8-Osan AB, S Kor, 9-Peterson AFB, CO. Retired after that!
Lived a little southwest of Loring in the -70’s. B-52 and F-111’s would frequently fly over at low levels. Was awesome…
Saw B-52's and B1's taking off and landing at Griffiss Air force base back in 88 as a young Army private... had no idea what the heck those big ass planes were at that time but were glad they were on our side.
I was stationed at Loring from 1986 to 1992
Loring Air Force Base was one of the biggest B-52 bases for strategic bombers on alert. In the West Coast there is still fairchilds Air Base and Riverside California used to have a huge B-52 Fleet back during the Cold War. I remember being at Riverside International Raceway one day practicing and they had a strategic alert holy crap that was something else
Riverside was March AFB
@@coolhand6669 I can imagine what a SAC alert launch with an entire Wing of B-52Ds and KC-135s would have been like to experience from the track there, ESPECIALLY to someone who had never seen something like that. I was at Beale in 1972 - 1973, when the 456 BW still had a mixed bag of B-52Ds and B-52Gs, PLUS the 9 SRW with the ONLY wing of SR-71s! The visuals and sounds there let you KNOW you were doing something VERY IMPORTANT! Hammer. USAF SSgt; US Army CW4/SrAviator; INS/ICE/CBP, ret.
Beautiful airplane, back when we could build airplanes that worked (in less than a year!) and lasted for decades and are still respected. Unlike the Battle Penguin.
it's never abandoned... just waiting to be reactivated again
I was born and raised in Maine, this base closure was a disaster to the communities
there. Even today people struggle up there with the lost of jobs. Bring that base back !!!!!!
Lime Stone, Caribou, Woodland , Washburn, and many other communities
They have closed them all. Pease was next, followed by Brunswick. We are not politically connected in the northeast. I would think close some overseas bases before the ones in the U.S.
Stationed at Loring with the 69th Bomb Squadron, 1970-1974, lots of fond memories. Met my wife there.
According to Wikipedia, the former Loring AFB is still maintained as a civilian airport, Loring International Airport, apparently doesn't have any scheduled service, but is likely used for cargo and charter service.
Ok, so calling it “abandoned “ is a little misleading. Otherwise I don’t think the runway would be in condition to take a B52 landing. Still very cool
@@jtwilliams8895
Nope, it’s a Commerce Centre now. Several businesses have set up call centers in the base facilities. The runway has yellow Xs running down its length, meaning it’s a permanently closed runway. While it may be listed as an international airport, that’s only on paper. No aircraft can, even if they wanted to, use the base anymore, so the title is right, it is more or less abandoned in an aviation sense.
I work at Loring, it might as well be abandoned, so many dilapidated buildings with trees growing out of them, potholes on the roads are so massive they total vehicles, we even have teens that live in the area that broke into the Arch Hangar and they were doing donuts inside. Truly a sad sight especially given how great the base was at one point. You can thank the LDA for that!
@@ContentCop0703 Sorry to hear that. It would be nice to hear that closed military bases are put to good use. In the state I live in, Indiana, Fort Harrison in Indianapolis and Grissom AFB near Peru are both being used well. Both facilities have a mixture of guard/reserve, government and civilian tenants.
Sounds more like it's been "mothballed". Especially if it's still in serviceable condition to land a B-52.
That is so cool, wish Loring AFB would re-open.
I was a B-52G gunner at Loring from 78-82.
Abandoned for 30 years, still seems in remarkable operating condition.
It looks like the runway has been worked on. If they had not repaired it there would weeds growing out of it after 30 years.
While some have been redeveloped beyond recognition, some abandoned USAF bases are now civilian airports. Bergstrom AFB is now Austin Bergstrom International Airport. Walker AFB now is the Roswell International Air Center. I don’t know about now, but as recently as the 1990’s Japan Airlines had their 747 crews practice touch-and-go landings at the former Walker AFB.
..and this little show was meant to point that out. How fast could this and others brought online?
@@brookeking8559 Griffiss AFB is now Oneida County airport, although it still has some Air Force units there.
@@frankmorris4790Really fast. The Air Force has contingency plans for distributing aircraft to the “abandoned “ bases if necessary during time of war. Bases in the pacific are being reactivated in case of conflict with China. A lot of contingency plans are being implemented. It’s just a precaution at this point but it’s a good thing to be prepared.
Know several folks who served and worked at Loring. All told told me it was the best posting!
Engine sounds are more appropriate than the music provided.
I totally understand your perspective! Engine sounds really do add a unique vibe that music sometimes can't match.
Back in the '80's I would hear Loring AFB on the Foxtrot Net with my shortwave radio.
"What happened to Major Kong?" - James Earl Jones, "Dr. Strangelove..." RIP...
Oh, and we flightline vehicles had to chase moose and bears off the runway in the mornings.
I seem to remember a visiting B-52G from Loring that had "The Moose is Loose" written by the crew entrance access hatch under the nose and a small moose drawing beside it. Made me chuckle when I saw it.
An oldy but a goodie, still feared by all and sundry, new engines coming and reach for the sky once more. This is a bad arse aircraft, you better believe it.
I didn't get to Loring, but I worked on old model "D" and "F" '52s at Mather AFB in Rancho Cordoba California way back in 1960 to '63.
I grew up (50's-60's) "across the border" in Victoria Corner, New Brunswick. The B52 bomber was a common sight in the air in those days. My dad, a preacher, took me with him when he spoke at the church there when I was young. Had the privilege of touring the "flight line" near the end of Loring's active life. Got to get into the cockpit of one of those massive bombers. My brother-in-law served there following his service in Vietnam. He married my wife's sister - then moved to Klamath Falls, OR.
I had the privilege of visiting Loring to inspect an ATR42 and make it ready to export to the U.K. Very interesting place!! Better hangars for the ground equipment than a lot of European maintenance outfits used for aircraft!
I spent my growing up years close by Kincheloe AFB, in N Michigan, next to the Canadian border. It was part of SAC also. Kincheloee has been closed for years. I went to school with classmates coming from or going to Loring AFB. Thanks for the memories.
Actually, Kinch was transformed into Chippewa County International Airport (as well as an industrial incubator and a prison). No BUFFs, but some connector flights.
How in the hell did it stay in the air that LONG ?!🤔
Eight engines, might have something to do with it 🤔😎🇺🇸
@@thomasohanlon1060yeah, but 30 years???
LOL
@@737MaxPilot if it works you don’t mess with it.
Now just think of all the people that make topographical maps were kept employed because, just maybe a wing of 52’s might rearrange the surface of the earth somewhere & maps would need to be updated.
Re-fueling 🤔. . . . . 🤣
I was an exchange student in Caribou in 90/91 and visited Loring as well.
My wife lived there with her ex, he flew KC135’s. My mom played basketball there when she was in the USAF during the 50’s.
Did a tdy at Loring during a SAC Global Shield. Went to Canada twice - if I recall, it was a different time zone.
"The B52 Bomber Lands at Abandoned Air Force Base After 30 Years"
Wow. After 30 years in the air, that crew must be exhausted! And ready to retire as well!
…love the yellow and grey scheme…
Respect
Our family farm was only twenty miles from Loring AFB. I remember hearing and seeing the planes flying above our farm as a kid. My sister married an airman from the base in 1955. Lots of memories.
That was a looooooong flight Captain!
Wow, that was a long flight.
Spent 6 months TDY hear when Loring Lost one of it's Double Wings of the Short Tail, Stiff Wing, B52's. 8th AF, sent 2 men from it's many Bomb Wing Squadrons. I was from the 17th BW, Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio. The year was 1966. I was from the 17th OMS. Airman 2nd class. I worked on a recovery team. I think of these times with fond memories now. But dam the winters were cold.
Was an air traffic controller there for a number of years. Mostly in radar but some tower. Other than the winter weather it was a good place to be.
Lived in New Brunswick ( Canada ) across the border from Loring. As a kid , seeing those B-52s and KC-135s coming in low or heading out for northern patrols was a gas. And , occasionally , you'd be out of school in the fall , picking potatoes , and a Delta Dart or other jet would flash over the field. Cool stuff for a kid. ( If you are not from Aroostock County or Carleton/Victoria Counties ( NB ) , ask somebody about fall potato break.
Very cool, despite the jerks who posted negatively 🇺🇸
When I returned from Vietnam in Jan 1972 I was stationed with the 2192 Comm Squadron ..................NCMO Controller
Welcome Home.
Just because these bases are sleeping now, doesn't mean They can't be reopened in a major war. Let's pray We never need them again.
Well hell, I had no idea they even closed Loring, happened around 10 years after I got out apparently.
I use to guard nuclear loaded B-52’s , but at Minot in 1970.
None of these bases should've been closed. BRAC was complete BS. SAC should be reborn.
@solidlift ---> 🤔 Hello. I think you need to insert a letter "N" on your first word 😉
{...I totally agree with you about the lefty - pro-commie - peacenik lunacy of BRAC. Yes to SAC !!! The Chi-coms AND Vlad the Putin's flyboys were flying on the coast of Alaska recently. Washington D.C. does nothing about it. My son spent 4 years at Eielson AFB in interior Alaska.}
BRAC was responsible for closing four of the bases I was assigned to. Only Macdill was opened back up after it was in the process of closing.
You can make the argument that closing of so many military bases in California helped flip it from red to blue.
Interesting to think that the guys flying that B52 into Loring in the video were probably not even born yet when the base was closed!
Your story stopped me in my tracks!
Didn't realize the 69th BS was still active. My Father was 69th BS, 42nd BG(M)... of course that was in the SW Pacific Area (13th "Jungle" USAAF).. Guadalcanal, Russell Is, etc. Flying out of Henderson Field & Bomber Field #2 to bomb Rabaul and cruise "the Slot"... He was shot down on a volunteer mission... testing the first "Pistol-packin'-Mama" in the Group, a B-25J w/ 14-forward-firin'-50s & 75mm cannon. He brought up an unconscious radio/gunner from the ditching and were retrieved by a RNZAF PBY5 "Dumbo". The pilot, observer an cannoneer are still aboard... c 1.5 mi off Cape Hanpan, Buka Is. "Bless 'em All"
My base got closed 15 December, 1992. I was there on terminal leave. Spent over half my 20 years at Blytheville AFB, renamed Eaker AFB in 1988.
I was stationed at Blythevill from early 1979 to 1980. Married my 1st wife there.
@ I was there from Oct 1973 to Oct 1980 and again from Jul 1988 to Dec 1992. I was a Defensive Fire Control Technician, retired E-7
For several months, I lived across the street from the engine test stands at Tinker AFB. I learned why the rent was so cheap. My wife was a civilian employee at Loring.
When I was in SAC I packed both the drag chutes and the personnel chutes👍👍
Story Headline "hey look we flew into an abandoned base as a nod to our heritage"
Actual message "Hey enemy planners, you thought you could take our old abandoned bases off your target list? think again, now you have to waste resources because we may be there and we may not be."
Strategic is a sense that you can deploy an aircraft in the sky immediately to counter or to start an offensive attack.
I miss working on the BUFFF's. I worked on D, G and H models over the years.
Peaceful, quiet, no traffic, no follow me truck.❤❤😂
That was my age and they never should have closed it.
Work there in Nov 1997 & July to October of 1998! Clearing UXO! A great fact for me is I met my 2nd wife there!
Hmmm. I wonder why a Minot bird landed at Loring. Is the base being reactivated like other bases around the world?
I guess the base survived after all, for you movie buffs Loring AFB was one of the first three targets from the Soviet strike in the 1983 movie War Games.
USN 84-04
Was stationed at Minot, where this bomber is from, in the mid 80's. Still a formidible weapon! Is a part of the 5th Bomb Wing, The Bomber Barons. Had applied to be stationed at both Minot and Loring. Minot got me.
We used to call it "Boring Loring"...but it was a great base if you were the outdoorsy type.
My Father was stationed at Loring AFB in the mid sixties.
What a beautiful sight! Next to the P-47 Thunderbolt (another big, fat ugly beauty), the B-52 has got to be my favorite airplane.What a big fat ugly beauty!
SAC trained killer - Carswell AFB 80 - 86, 7th OMS. D-Models.
Worked on fighters F111s but I’ve always loved the B52
That would be so cool for those around Larson Air Base in Moses Lake to once again see a B52 on the tarmac once again and hear those screaming engines after so many years of them gone.
While stationed @Kadena AFB(1976) the B52's from Guam would air evacuate to Kadena if the typhoon was going to hit that tiny island, they would land at night the drag chute was bright yellow as they passed our flight line, we also had Habu @Kadena that was something to watch the SR71 taking off. We could hear the 4 V8 Buick engines they used to start Habu, revving up across the runway, when they were getting ready to launch Habu.
Wow 30 Years is a long time to be in the air.
30 years is a long time for a plane to be looking for a place to land
Rome, NY was also closed. That airbase had and still has the longest runway in the US. B52s we're in and out constantly. It was B36s before that. So why is that base closed?
Longest, except for Moses Lake WA and Glasgow AFB MT….just off the top of my head.
Gotta pay for the "undocumented" and politicians!
Great film. Can you do the same for her flying out please..
It's not abandoned ... it's just not a military facility. Like hundreds of other airports across the country.
It's not a working airport, while businesses have moved in, the airport itself isn't used for much except land speed races and car shows now. So yea the military abandoned it.
Welcome back, Grampa BUFF.
The forest is silently waiting to take it all over, and it will. Nature is relentless.
Since it is now Loring International Airport nature will have to wait a long time.