Interested to see the news item on the B-52, which will apparently see active service into it's 80's...
BBC news story
Without knowing anything about aircraft maintainence, but with an idea that pretty comprehensive rebuilds happen during a planes 'lifetime'
is it a case of 'triggers broom' - i.e. none of the original aircraft is actually left?
As a relative youngster I probably do tend to the expectation that items made pre-1982 have all crumbled into dust by now... (Although I suppose the
Flying Scotsman, etc are still trundling around from time to time...)
quote:
Originally posted by jps
Interested to see the news item on the B-52, which will apparently see active service into it's 80's...
BBC news story
Without knowing anything about aircraft maintainence, but with an idea that pretty comprehensive rebuilds happen during a planes 'lifetime' is it a case of 'triggers broom' - i.e. none of the original aircraft is actually left?
As a relative youngster I probably do tend to the expectation that items made pre-1982 have all crumbled into dust by now... (Although I suppose the Flying Scotsman, etc are still trundling around from time to time...)
It was an interesting article, I thought.
Like you, I wondered how much of the aircraft would be original. Obviously, the engines will have had multiple replacements/rebuilds, avionics
updated, and all moving parts replaced as they wear out, but they do give the impression that the basic airframes are as tough as old boots?
With modern airliners, it is pressurisation cycles that determine airframe life - you can only inflate/deflate the cabin like a balloon so many times! On the B52, the crew sit in a much smaller pressurised 'capsule' that is pressurised to a lower pressure differential than an airliner cabin. This means these can last much longer. These aircraft have probably had new wing spars, but a lot will still be original - see one up close and you can see the wrinkles in the skin! There has also been talk of putting 4 modern turbofans on them in place of the 8 old turbojets in recent times...
[ items made pre-1982 have all crumbled into dust by now.
My car is a 7 version of triggers broom
3 engines
2 gearbox's
3 diffs
2 sets of wheels
4 sets of carbs
3 manifolds
1 set of throttle bodies
3 mega jolts
And I keep buying stuff
The aircraft have been re-engined, all the moving parts such as landing gear, flight control actuators etc will have all been overhauled. Avionics has
been upgraded a few times. The fuselage as previously said isn't pressurised as modern airliners are hence the reason if you do see one at a show
on the ground they are battered! So in answer to the question I would hazard a guess at the fuselage, wing, vertical stab would all be original. I
can't see a wing spar replacement being feasible to be honest.
Sounds like they were built to take rough airfields and lots of active service hence why they are lasting well. Still wouldn't fancy a 40hr
mission on one. Sod that!!
I was made pre 1982 and yes I am indeed slowly falling to bits.....
quote:
Originally posted by sdh2903
Sounds like they were built to take rough airfields and lots of active service hence why they are lasting well. Still wouldn't fancy a 40hr mission on one. Sod that!!
Either that or the honey bucket would!
quote:
Originally posted by jps
As a relative youngster I probably do tend to the expectation that items made pre-1982 have all crumbled into dust by now... (Although I suppose the Flying Scotsman, etc are still trundling around from time to time...)
quote:
Originally posted by Talon Motorsport
I was made pre 1982 and yes I am indeed slowly falling to bits.....
There are 4 DC3 (Dakota) aircraft which are maintained locally and are used for Arctic and Antarctic exploration. They are Basler Conversions (totally
rebuilt and turboprop engines).
There are locally made sensor booms which hang from the bottom of the fuselage which are deployed in flight.
The planes are equipped with wheel skies all year around.
I believe the last one of these was built in 1946.
One is named POLAR 5.
You can compare them to cars in a way that the B52 is like a truck, high mileage, slow and over engineered. A fighter, like Typhoon is like an F1 car, built to be as light and fast as possible; a compromise between weight and durability. Obviously this limits the life span of the fighter but mean that the bomber can afford to be built stronger and as such enjoys greater airframe reliability.
If you like a good book, Dale Brown is an ex navigator-bombardier who flew B52s in the 80s and has written many military-action-aviation adventure
novels featuring the BUFF.
Some of his stories are actually quite scary in future predictions! Also has some great ideas on how the plane should be updated with carbon skins,
stealth capabilities and frikkin laser beams