bob10
29th December 2020, 10:41 AM
Ultimately, the BUFF has its quirks (https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/part-falls-from-b-52-during-new-orleans-flyover-salute/289-f0d1e62e-db86-48c4-9889-9d11d8497a78)—one of which was on full display during that March training mission out of Louisiana. The issue with the stubborn stay-down wheels stemmed from a fascinating design feature on the aircraft that allows the plane to pivot its main landing gear, so that if it’s landing in a cross wind (https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/planes-landing-crosswinds/), the nose of the beast can face into the wind (https://theaviationist.com/2016/05/05/b-52-wca-landing/) while its wheels line up with the runway. Those landing gear legs can’t fold up into the belly, though, unless the switches say they’re centered. And sometimes the switches that control the wheels just “get out of rig,”
Inside a training mission with a B-52 bomber, the aircraft that will not die | Popular Science (popsci.com) (https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/inside-air-force-b52-training-mission/)
Inside a training mission with a B-52 bomber, the aircraft that will not die | Popular Science (popsci.com) (https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/inside-air-force-b52-training-mission/)