Welcome back to Daily Aviation for a feature aboard the United States' longest-serving B-52 Stratofortress. Image Credit: US Air Force, US Army, US Marine Corps, Working Thumbnail Derived from The Daily Aviation: US Air Force, Working Audio Derived from Daily Aviation,

It's pretty amazing to think about the longevity of these planes. When airframes are retired, it's possible that some pilots are using the same basic model of aircraft that their great-grandfathers did (modernized and later production fuselages but still). Similar to the A-10, the M2 Browning MG, the M1911 gun, or the last deployment of the Iowa-class battleships 50 years after launch.

When the Bossier base side of Barksdale AFB was the primary site for a ready response to a nuclear attack, they kept several B-52s loaded and warm to go. The full crew was taken from alert to Airborne and barracks with them for a very short time towards Russia. I used to watch them practice take off and landing from a business located just off the runway/AFB property. The world literally shook when they arrived at takeoff

Thanks for the content, I enjoy watching videos about airplanes. After saying that this video slightly misrepresents how things work. In the B-52 and many other military aircraft, there is more than one way to start the engines. Some use air supplied from an onboard auxiliary power unit. Most use either high-pressure air from a grounded "starter car" next to the aircraft (you can see this in this video. The hose looks like a large drying hose) or from starter cartridges, which are pyrotechnic devices loaded into the side of the engine. When activated, they produce a lot of gas (and smoke) that is used to start the engine. In some cases, they don't even need to start all the engines that way, as some airplanes have the ability to "bleed" from one running engine to start other engines. The B-52s were on alert at the airfields, loaded with bombs and ready to go, with the crew sitting close. If an attack was detected (I'm talking about nuclear) the planes had to take off quickly from the ground. Therefore, all the crew had to do was put on the straps, activate the cartridges and go. Based on my experience in the Air Force. In the absence of warning, they used ground-supplied air from the starting cars, but sometimes they used cartridges just to remain proficient in their use. I know it's confusing, but car starts and car starts are two separate things, lol. Based on my experience in the Air Force. In the absence of warning, they used ground-supplied air from the starting cars, but sometimes they used cartridges just to remain proficient in their use. I know it's confusing, but car starts and car starts are two separate things, lol. Based on my experience in the Air Force. In the absence of warning, they used ground-supplied air from the starting cars, but sometimes they used cartridges just to remain proficient in their use. I know it's confusing, but car starts and car starts are two separate things, lol.