Tag Archives: stratofortress

Ready to Move a B-52?

Sleeping through an event is not clever but I have an excuse.  I had guests!  The Museum of Flight has a Boeing B-52G Stratofortress that has long been stored outside up at Paine Field.  Recently, the airframe has been repainted in preparation for its move to the museum location where it will go on display.  The following shots show it in its painted state and then in the disassembly process ahead of the move.  Some of the components were already at the museum when I last visited including the engine nacelles.

The plan was to move it down overnight during the weekend.  I had intended to track the movement and get some shots of the plane out on the streets.  Unfortunately, while Mum was staying with me, I sort of forgot that was my plan and woke up on the Sunday morning that it arrived and realized I had missed the whole thing.  Doh!

Hound Dog

AU0E3819.jpgSometimes you see something that just looks the right way. Tucked under the wing of the B-52 at Castle Air Museum is a Hound Dog missile. This was a nuclear armed stand off weapon carried by the B-52s for a number of years. It is a slim airframe with a jet mounted underneath. It is all points and sweep back. If anything looks like it should go fast, this thing is it. I have no idea whether it was a good design or effective. It was never required in anger thankfully. All I know is that you are left in no doubt what it is supposed to do!