On this day in engineering history, a succession of B-52 bombers
landed at Baltimore's Friendship International
Airport after completing
eight non-stop polar flights, the longest of which lasted 32.5 hours and
covered 17,000 non-stop miles. The mission, a training exercise known as
Operation Quick Kick, was designed to do more than educate new airmen, however. In
demonstrating the prowess of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), the operational establishment
of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) that was responsible for America's bomber-based nuclear arsenal,
Operation Quick Kick reminded the Soviet Union
about its Cold War rival's military capabilities. The success of the mission
also helped to save the B-52 Stratofortress itself.
The First B-52Bs
On March 12, 1956, the first B-52B bombers entered
operational duty with the 93rd Heavy Bombardment Wing at Castle Air Force Base (AFB)
in California.
Nicknamed the "Stratofortress", the B-52 was built by Boeing as a replacement
for the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, the largest American bomber ever produced.
Unfortunately, the B-52's early operations were plagued by problems. The
aircraft's fuel system was prone to leaking and icing, the bombing and fire
controls were unreliable, and the Pratt & Whitney J57 engines required
frequent service. To minimize maintenance problems, the USAF staffed Castle AFB
with a Sky Speed team of 50
maintenance contractors. Still, routine checks took as long as one week per aircraft.
Grounded in Failure
Built at the then-sizable cost of $8 million (USD), the
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress soon captured the attention of critics. Even before
first B-52s became operational in March of 1956, a Stratofortress had exploded
in mid-air, killing five crew members. Called before Congress, SAC commander
General Curtis LeMay testified that a "serious component failure" with an alternator
flywheel had caused the crash - and led the Air Force to reject 31 of the first
78 B-52s that Boeing built. Several months later, a second B-52 exploded
in-flight, this time because of a problem with the aircraft's electrical
system. When the USAF grounded its entire fleet of the B-52s, an Air Force
spokesman admitted that he had "no idea" how long the grounding would stay in
effect. Problems were addressed, however, and the B-52 Stratofortress became
airborne again.
Saving the Stratofortress
Although the B-52B enjoyed some positive publicity after a
Stratofortress dropped a hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956, an
investigative reporter named P.D. Eldred threatened to expose more information
about the aircraft's inadequacies. When Gen. LeMay learned that Eldred was interviewing
air crews and maintenance personnel at Castle AFB, the SAC Commander planned "Power
Flite", a multi-operation mission that was designed to counter the B-52's bad
publicity. The first widely-publicized mission, Operation Quick Kick, proved that
a fleet of B-52s supported by tankers could fly nonstop around the perimeter of
North America. A subsequent mission on January
16, 1957 demonstrated that the B-52 Stratofortress could circle the world
nonstop.
Resources:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,808628,00.html
http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj94/sum94/baker.html
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-52_Stratofortress
http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/b-36/0-B36-homepage.htm
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Evolution_of_Technology/jet_engines/Tech24.htm
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