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Boeing B-52
Click on the picture to hear the wav sound.
The Boeing B-52, known as the Stratofortress, was originally designed as a high altitude bomber. Due
to increased effectiveness of anti aircraft defenses they have also
developed low altitude, high speed penetration tactics.
The Boeing B-52 had its specifications released by the United States Air Force
in 1946 and first flew on April 15, 1952. Today, it is still going strong.
Boeing B-52 bombers played a major role in the Vietnam War. They
dropped over 2.9 million tons of ordnance during the its duration.
During the first days of the Gulf War the Boeing B-52 launched cruise missiles to take out key targets. Eventually it flew 1,624 missions.
During the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Boeing B-52 aircraft, flying from bases in England, were again active.
Today they are also used in cooperation with the United States Navy for sea patrols, mine
laying, and air to ship operations.
The
Boeing B-52 is the primary nuclear bomber and the only air launched
cruise missile platform in the U. S. A. F. It can carry nuclear or
conventional weapons and deliver them on targets with precision.
The Boeing B-52 is capable of delivering virtually
any air borne ordnance that the United States possesses.
Current plans are for the aircraft to remain service with the USAF until about 2040.
They are periodically being rebuilt and upgraded to extend their service
life. Most recent upgrades include the instillation of
satellite uplink system communications equipment.
A total of 744 Boeing B-52 bombers were built, with the last one
delivered in Oct. 1962. Today about 94 remain in service.
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Specifications
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US$ Cost:
Primary Function:
Crew:
Engines:
Thrust:
Empty Weight:
Max Weight:
Ordnance:
Length:
Wingspan:
Cruise Speed:
Max. Speed:
Initial Climb:
Ceiling:
Range:
First Flight:
Year
Deployed: |
$30 million
heavy bomber
five
P&W
J57
8 x 17,000 lbs ea.
185,000 lbs.
488,000 lbs.
70,000 lbs.
159'
4"
185' 0"
525 mph
650 mph
6,270 fpm
50,000
feet
8,800 miles
4/15/52
1955
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Gordon Nichols and his Boeing B-52.
We have seen some fantastic scratch built Boeing B-52 airplanes, but don't know of many kits for them.
Pictured above is the Boeing B-52 scratch built by Gordon Nichols. It has a 23' wingspan and weight is about 320 lbs.
In the first picture below is the Boeing B-52 slope soarer scratch built
by David Cairns. It is primarily of blue foam construction with balsa
obechi sheeted wings. Wing span is 11 feet and length is 9 feet.
Weight is about 25 lbs.
The next picture below is of the Boeing B-52 built from a kit for sale by Green Air
Design. It has a wing span of 36". Materials used to construct it are Depron foam, and wood. The kit includes a brushless pusher motor.
The third picture below is of a nice looking Boeing B-52 slope soarer scratch built by Joe Yap of RC Groups. Unfortunately we do not have any details about it.
We received the following email from master builder Sergio Vergara:
"I usually built my own radio control
airplanes, but I recently had an opportunity to build and test fly a
Boeing B-52 from a well known Chinese manufacturer who is
developing a kit. This is my experience with the prototype.
The Boeing B-52 kit comes very complete and almost ready to fly. It is made
made primarily from foam that is fully painted. I
understand that it will be available with a full set of decals.
To give the model some "character" I put my own
decals on the tail. All control surfaced come hinged.
The wings have a carbon-fiber tube mounted in them.
There
are recesses already made for the servos. A wooden spar
runs through each aileron and flap for strength. The
fuselage has a wooden support structure on both sides and contains a
battery tray. Four ducted fans in the inboard engine
positions power the Boeing B-52. These are included in the
kit. The illustrated instructions are very clear and the model was ready for its first flights in just a few short hours.
At the flying field a range check was performed on the Boeing B-52. All controls responded
properly and it was ready to fly. A very gentle wind was
blowing straight down the runway. The model was placed at
the far end. The Boeing B-52 moved out the instant I
added throttle. The sound the four electric ducted fans
made was terrific! She rolled straight down the runway
and lifted off just before full throttle. Like the real
aircraft, the Boeing B-52 needed quite a lot of up elevator to
establish a decent climb rate. However, it was not
underpowered. It moved along at a very good pace and I had
to throttle back for more scale-like flight.
Once the Boeing B-52 was up "two mistakes
high" I tested stall response. The airplane was
very stable at low speeds as I kept adding up elevator. The
stall was indicated by just a straight ahead slight droop of the
nose. To recover, all that was necessary was adding
throttle/ Although lots of power is available from the
four EDF units, it does take a while for the Boeing B-52 to build
up flying speed after the stall. This is a big airplane.
There is enough power for loops and rolls,
but that isn't how a Boeing B-52 flies. It looks
terrific making "bomb runs" and flying a low pattern.
When it was time to land I was anticipating that the Boeing B-52 would pitch down when the
big flaps were dropped. While there was a slight change in
flight attitude, it was small and I did not have to compensate for
it. The Boeing B-52 slowed beautifully while floating
down over the end of the runway. After my knees stopped
shaking I realized that this is one of the easiest of all my rc
airplanes to land! The Boeing B-52 is such a stable
flyer that I don't have any problems recommending it as a first large
multi engine rc airplane project.
Boeing B-52 specifications: wingspan: 74";
length: 56.5"; power: 4
unspecified EDF units.
I will contact you if I hear any more details about the project from the manufacturer. - Regards, Sergio Vergara"
Sergio's Boeing B-52 can be found pictured fourth below.
Pictured last is Jose from Spain with his Boeing B-52. It was posted to the RC Universe forum
by dcairns. It has a 12 foot wingspan and is powered by eight Robbe 400 EDF units.
If there are any other Boeing B-52 airplanes you would like to tell us about, please email us.
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RC Boeing B-52
