Saturday, December 12, 2015

America's iconic war machine

America's iconic war machine - BBC News:
"..."Every B-52 I flew in smelled like stale sweat, piss and engine oil," he writes.
The "facilities" for the crew consist of a can with a lid on it, which sometimes leaks.
B-52s release smoke during drill"And if you have to go the other way, it's the 'honey bucket'," laughs Ward.
"But he who uses that is banished forever.
On that round-the-world flight we had a bet going - whoever breaks first buys the beers.
"We made it all the way to the Aleutian Islands before our co-pilot broke out in a sweat and bolted up.
"A voice came over the intercom: 'We have a winner!" Then everybody went full oxygen..."
So it's uncomfortable to fly in.
Maybe it's a joy to manoeuvre?
You can forget that idea, says Ward.
"It is a pig to fly. It's a dump truck. I equate it to herding buffalo.
"You turn the yoke… nothing happens. Turn it again… nothing happens. You turn it the third time, and the first instruction is kicking in.
"It's not nimble. But you come to respect it...""

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