On this day in aviation history: In 1957 the might of the US takes flight. At 1:00PM on January 16, 1957 five Boeing B-52B Stratofortresses of the United States Air Force’s Strategic Air Command, departed Castle Air Force Base, California on a non-stop around-the-world flight, dubbed Operation POWERFLITE. Each of the big bombers carried a flight crew of nine men, including three pilots and two navigators. The lead aircraft, B-52B “Lucky Lady III,” was flown by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Morris. Morris had been co-pilot aboard “Lucky Lady II,” a Boeing B50A Superfortress that had flown around the world in 1949. Also aboard Morris’ bomber was Major General Archie J. Old, Jr., commander of the 15th Air Force. The other two B-52s were “La Victoria,” commanded by Major George Kalebaugh, and “Lonesome George,” commanded by Captain Charles W. Fink. To make the flight possible, four in-flight refuelings from piston-engine Boeing KC-97 Stratotankers were required. Being jet powered, the B-52 was much faster than the sluggish KC-97. This meant that the bombers had to drop their landing gear and flaps and the KC-97s had to enter a shallow dive so it could keep ahead of the bombers! Although the flight was relatively uneventful, two of the bombers had mechanical problems. One returned to the United States and one landed in England, leaving just three of the original five to complete the mission. On the 18th, 45 hours, 19 minutes later, the three remaining B-52s landed at March Air Force Base, California, completing the 24,325 miles flight. Their average speed was a respectable 534 miles per hour. All 27 crewmembers of the three bombers were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by General Curtis LeMay. The Mackay Trophy for “the most meritorious flight of the year” was awarded to the 93rd Bombardment Wing, the parent organization of the aircraft. The lead B-52, “Lucky Lady III,” was retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, but was scrapped in 1994. The other two B-52s were sent to the “Boneyard” in the mid 1960s. The record-breaking flight prompted a somewhat overly dramatic 1957 Warner Brothers movie “Bombers B-52” which starred Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 16:33:36 +0000
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