Monday, June 23, 2014

That's the Spirit!

From the Usual USAF Source:
Spirit in the Sky

Air Frame: A B-2A Spirit flies over Cornwall England, during an aerial refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall, England, June 11, 2014. Two B-2s deployed from Whiteman AFB, Mo., to RAF Fairford, England, in early June 2014 for training. (Air Force photo by SrA. Christine Griffiths)
The pic is awesome in full-scale.  Click it.

Related:
Bomber Rotation at RAF Fairford Wraps Up

The three B-52H and two B-2s bombers that deployed earlier this month to RAF Fairford, England, have concluded their training activities in Europe and are returning home. The bombers completed their training sorties on June 20, states a Royal Air Force release. Air Force Global Strike Command spokeswoman Kate Blais told Air Force Magazine on that same day that the bombers and their support personnel would return to the United States "over the next few days." Training out of Fairford allows bomber crews to familiarize themselves with the local airspace, command and control, and the tankers they would rely on if they operated from the area in a real-world contingency, said Lt. Col. Brad Cochrane, commander of the 393rd Bomb Squadron, a B-2 unit.*
—Marc V. Schanz
Dang. What a tough TDY that must have been, he said, with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

8 comments:

  1. Now that photo made my Monday.

    And I thank you for that!

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  2. The AF has it so much easier with underway refueling. Getting groceries and munitions is even more fun.

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    Replies
    1. A most-interesting vid, Skip. The AF doesn't do air-to-air groceries and munitions replenishment, yanno?

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    2. Back in the day we steamed burning NSFO (Navy Special Fuel Oil - one step above crude oil), which made a he'll of a mess in case of an emergency breakaway.
      I spent my 20th birthday on such a cleanup detail.
      The stuff stank something awful, too.

      Delete
  3. I think I read somewhere that it had a dozen or so computers that makes it fly. Nothing can go wrong... bleep, nothing can go wrong... bleep...

    The air refueling hookup is pretty neat. It actually rotates to expose its vagina, and then rotates back to provide a stealth cover. Sort of like my wife in the morning...

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    Replies
    1. Sort of like my wife in the morning...

      Heh. I can relate.

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask.