I was stationed at MAFB from 1/62-9/64, 22nd Trans Sq...Haven't been back to base since '04, but plan to soon. I was also in disaster control and we cleaned up a few crash landings. Also sent TDY to Palm Springs for unloading AF2. Some experience! Pres. Kennedy's rocking chair was inside a HUGE grey plywood box w/eggshell covering inside. We also accompanied the Secret Service to Harvey Firestone's home where Bobby & John were staying, and saw them both, 10' away. Some experience! Miss the AF...
I lived at 21881 Auton Ave in Arnold Heights in 71, I was in Ms Fullers class at Arnold Heights Elementary and wanted to marry the girl two houses down, Lucy Hamilton. Those were the days...
My dad flew B-52s in th 80s before converting to B-1Bs. He always smiles whenever he sees a B-52, and is never short on stories either. Looking back now, I do miss seeing those bombers fly over our house on base when I was kid. Seeing a B-52 fly by at an airshow reminds me of my dad and my childhood on SAC bases.
Love the Cart Start! I worked B-52Ds at Carswell AFB, TX 7th FMS then moved on to G models. Awesome aircraft! As loud as that B-52 is with 8 engines I have to say the older KC-135s with 4 water injected engines was much louder! In NC with the 68th BW I lived off the end of one of the runways and that KC-135 sounded like a Saturn Rocket Booster taking off, it literately shook everything in the house. As soon as the water ran out it was as quiet as an airliner. Thanks for the video and memories.
I was assigned to MAFB from 12/26/68-10/19/69. Not too long but long enough to know what's going on here. I was in the fire department there. I've stood on the hardstands that those Buff's were parked on and stood by on many Coco, Bravo and a couple of Alpha Alerts.
One of the most chilling events in my life was participating in the Alpha launch that occurred as a result of the sinking of the USS Pueblo. The hair stands up on the back of my neck to revisit it.
That Plane 56-0584 got hit by a SAM during Linebacker II and almost made it back to U-Tapao. Tried to land with 4 engines out on the same side and crashed.
That's right Bobby, we'll stay here and take the hit from the incoming Soviet SLBM's. Your father has only 5 minutes to take off clear the airbase and avenge our death.... I miss the Cold War.
I was at Grand Forks, ND 82-83. We had G and H model B-52s with white undersides, but everything else in this clip was the same as our Alert Pad scrambles . Those cart starts belched out a lot of smoke!
This brings back some memories for me. My Dad and our family were stationed at March AFB from 1973-77. I was only a youngster but I still remember all the B-52s and KC-135s flying. I still can see in my head the b-52 tails sticking out of hanger as my Dad drove us near flight line. Living on base was fun. My Father and I went back to March in 98 only to see base housing was abandoned but still saw same hanger. It was sad to see such a huge SAC base reduced to little Air Guard base.
@MrErictyrones The base housing on the other side of the freeway from the main base (Arnold Heights) was torn down in 2006 and replaced with a warehouse and business park. Other areas of the old base that were left outside the constricted perimeter, such as the former base hospital, theater, rec hall, main gate, and child care facility, are now being bulldozed for other civilian projects, including the huge March Healthcare City development (Google it).
@MrErictyrones I was stationed there from '80 - '85 and returned for visits in '88, '06, '09, '10, and just a few weeks ago (3/11). I was amazed at the changes that took place between those snapshots of the area I got, especially during that long period between my '88 and '06 visits. Some things still haven't changed much since '80, but others are unrecognizable. Time marches on (no pun intended).
The most awe inspiring experience available to mortals was to be at the end of Andersens runway during MITO's. Engines screaming, the huge cloud of black smoke. Flaps down, crabbbing into the wind 100 feet above your head! I can still smell it after 30 years!
I used to work on KC-135R aircraft. My family was stationed at Anderson AFB, Guam in the mid 70's, and these D models were still in active service. They used those J57 engines in them, 8 of them! The 135's still had J57s too. But I loved listening to these big aircraft.
Amazing planes the American's have got there - formidable weapons. Mind you, if they ever did fly over to the Soviet Union, they wouldn't have had anything to return to!
I've been reading up on the Linebacker 1 and II missions for years now, but it was only fairly recently that I discovered Bob Hymel was a victim of the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon. To think that the man survived a plane crash that killed four other crew-members and which he and the gunner were the only survivors and then to die 29 years later in a terrorist attack was shocking to me. There are a number of websites that have write-ups on Bob Hymel.
The B-52D shown at 1:17, 56-0584 crash landed at U-Tapao, Thailand, December 26, 1972 after being hit by a SAM over the Kinh No Complex, North Vietnam. Four were killed in the crash and two survived. One of the survivors, Lt. Bob Hymel, died during the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
I went to an elementary school about 3 miles away from the end of this runway in Riverside. The howling noise the 52's would make when the squadron was scrambling was intoxicating, then followed by the roar of the engines.. amazing! The whole school would rattle and the teachers had to quit talking till it was done.
@DontBuyChinese Nope, opposite end of the runway I think. I went to Hyatt Elementary which is off the watkins/central off ramp of the 60fwy. Back then all the flight traffic flew a lot farther out before they made their west turn. There many very many houses then (late 70"s) :)
Thanks very much for the video! My dad used to tell me stories about how they'd fly over his house on their way to the Pacific from March. Can you tell me from what movie this is taken?
Its absolutely amazing to see what Moreno Valley, Perris, and Riverside look like in this video compared to what they are today. March was nuclear hub base built pretty much in the middle of nowhere, now its at the center of suburban style homes nad business. People complain about the noise, but they can fuck off cus that base was there well before they were haha
@cambruda lots of airports were and are being shut down in the same way. In fact there was a petition, don't know if it is still going on to possibly shut down Van Nuys, a very historic airport, actually it's the busiest GA airport in the U.S. - They have a video called 16R, very well worth seeing. But yeah, the suburban crawls crept up to these once in-the-middle-of-nowhere airports. I live near Chino, where planes of fame is, and I see signs that want to shut it down. sad :(
@DJsStratoArt Its a sad fact =/ Im not into the old war birds but i know how significant chino airport is for that history. I can understand smaller airstrips such as that being closed due to public complaint because they're essentially all privatized. The problem I have is that people choose to buy these homes near military installations knowing its there and complain about them "making too much noise"...i mean seriously: Your freedom is pretty much in your backyard and you complain about it ha
JM: Tell them what a cart start is. It's a cartridge start. Engines 4 and 5 are armed with fast burning starter cartridges which can start the engine with hot gases. They were the size of a coffee can. The charges were electrically fired by the pilots and pressurized the starters to turn the engines. This was faster than relying on an external power cart which takes time to get started itself. More reliable on Alert, but dirty and dangerous.
There's a documentary from 1979 called "First Strike" about a Soviet nuclear attack on the US. There's a scene shot at March showing crews running to these same D models at this same alert strip but eight years later. Search for "First Strike part 1" on YouTube to see it. Sadly, in the documentary, the guys are caught on the ground by the nuclear blast, so we don't get to see the B-52's take off.
After the mid air collision of the B52 and KC135 over Tenerife, the alert B52's did not take off with "items" in the bomb bay. The chrome dome flights ended long before this video. Nice views though.
I was stationed at MAFB from 1/62-9/64, 22nd Trans Sq...Haven't been back to base since '04, but plan to soon. I was also in disaster control and we cleaned up a few crash landings. Also sent TDY to Palm Springs for unloading AF2. Some experience! Pres. Kennedy's rocking chair was inside a HUGE grey plywood box w/eggshell covering inside. We also accompanied the Secret Service to Harvey Firestone's home where Bobby & John were staying, and saw them both, 10' away. Some experience! Miss the AF...
sanspeur15 2 weeks ago
@sanspeur15 AMAZING rememberances...thanks!
mcdonnell220 2 weeks ago
That was a lot of trouble to go to, just to rescue Timmy from the well.
braymanj 3 weeks ago
I lived at 21881 Auton Ave in Arnold Heights in 71, I was in Ms Fullers class at Arnold Heights Elementary and wanted to marry the girl two houses down, Lucy Hamilton. Those were the days...
keithjrisk 3 weeks ago
Here we are 40 years later, and the last B52 pilot probably hasn't been born yet.
williamsmith707 2 months ago
My dad flew B-52s in th 80s before converting to B-1Bs. He always smiles whenever he sees a B-52, and is never short on stories either. Looking back now, I do miss seeing those bombers fly over our house on base when I was kid. Seeing a B-52 fly by at an airshow reminds me of my dad and my childhood on SAC bases.
KFTXBU86 2 months ago
Love the Cart Start! I worked B-52Ds at Carswell AFB, TX 7th FMS then moved on to G models. Awesome aircraft! As loud as that B-52 is with 8 engines I have to say the older KC-135s with 4 water injected engines was much louder! In NC with the 68th BW I lived off the end of one of the runways and that KC-135 sounded like a Saturn Rocket Booster taking off, it literately shook everything in the house. As soon as the water ran out it was as quiet as an airliner. Thanks for the video and memories.
EIBBOR2654 2 months ago
Lived in Arnold Heights back in the late 60's Dad was stationed at March. Still remember the house shaking , then grew used to it.
woh1955 2 months ago
I was assigned to MAFB from 12/26/68-10/19/69. Not too long but long enough to know what's going on here. I was in the fire department there. I've stood on the hardstands that those Buff's were parked on and stood by on many Coco, Bravo and a couple of Alpha Alerts.
One of the most chilling events in my life was participating in the Alpha launch that occurred as a result of the sinking of the USS Pueblo. The hair stands up on the back of my neck to revisit it.
That was America at it's finest!
akfiretuck 3 months ago
Was this from a movie or is this just footage of it taking off?
DuckTape3571 4 months ago
That Plane 56-0584 got hit by a SAM during Linebacker II and almost made it back to U-Tapao. Tried to land with 4 engines out on the same side and crashed.
anpmech 6 months ago
What about Lassie's ears? Did nobody care?
gonetoworkbbackin5mi 7 months ago
That's right Bobby, we'll stay here and take the hit from the incoming Soviet SLBM's. Your father has only 5 minutes to take off clear the airbase and avenge our death.... I miss the Cold War.
TalksWithDirt 8 months ago
The D model B-52 was the plane used for bombing targets in Vietnam.
isuckaman 8 months ago
I was at Grand Forks, ND 82-83. We had G and H model B-52s with white undersides, but everything else in this clip was the same as our Alert Pad scrambles . Those cart starts belched out a lot of smoke!
usafvet100 10 months ago
FAKE....
silasjuba 11 months ago
YEah, cart start
RainbowManification 11 months ago
the 2 best parts of the vid, 1. the buffs, 2. the dog
Eirik36 1 year ago
This brings back some memories for me. My Dad and our family were stationed at March AFB from 1973-77. I was only a youngster but I still remember all the B-52s and KC-135s flying. I still can see in my head the b-52 tails sticking out of hanger as my Dad drove us near flight line. Living on base was fun. My Father and I went back to March in 98 only to see base housing was abandoned but still saw same hanger. It was sad to see such a huge SAC base reduced to little Air Guard base.
MrErictyrones 1 year ago
@MrErictyrones The base housing on the other side of the freeway from the main base (Arnold Heights) was torn down in 2006 and replaced with a warehouse and business park. Other areas of the old base that were left outside the constricted perimeter, such as the former base hospital, theater, rec hall, main gate, and child care facility, are now being bulldozed for other civilian projects, including the huge March Healthcare City development (Google it).
RManBB2010 11 months ago
@MrErictyrones I was stationed there from '80 - '85 and returned for visits in '88, '06, '09, '10, and just a few weeks ago (3/11). I was amazed at the changes that took place between those snapshots of the area I got, especially during that long period between my '88 and '06 visits. Some things still haven't changed much since '80, but others are unrecognizable. Time marches on (no pun intended).
RManBB2010 11 months ago
The most awe inspiring experience available to mortals was to be at the end of Andersens runway during MITO's. Engines screaming, the huge cloud of black smoke. Flaps down, crabbbing into the wind 100 feet above your head! I can still smell it after 30 years!
historygeeek 1 year ago
I used to work on KC-135R aircraft. My family was stationed at Anderson AFB, Guam in the mid 70's, and these D models were still in active service. They used those J57 engines in them, 8 of them! The 135's still had J57s too. But I loved listening to these big aircraft.
DJsStratoArt 1 year ago
I remember when they flushed the bombers from Castle AFB back in the 80's. Every time, I hoped it was a just training exercise.
SemperFido 1 year ago
Amazing planes the American's have got there - formidable weapons. Mind you, if they ever did fly over to the Soviet Union, they wouldn't have had anything to return to!
sailingforde04 1 year ago
@sailingforde04 and these crews knew that too.
DJsStratoArt 1 year ago
I've been reading up on the Linebacker 1 and II missions for years now, but it was only fairly recently that I discovered Bob Hymel was a victim of the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon. To think that the man survived a plane crash that killed four other crew-members and which he and the gunner were the only survivors and then to die 29 years later in a terrorist attack was shocking to me. There are a number of websites that have write-ups on Bob Hymel.
64BBernard 1 year ago
Great post! I'd like to see the whole episode.
lincbond442 1 year ago
The B-52D shown at 1:17, 56-0584 crash landed at U-Tapao, Thailand, December 26, 1972 after being hit by a SAM over the Kinh No Complex, North Vietnam. Four were killed in the crash and two survived. One of the survivors, Lt. Bob Hymel, died during the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
64BBernard 1 year ago
@64BBernard Wow..That is amazing and tragic. What a hero.
fcriii 1 year ago
@64BBernard You sure know your stuff. The Lt. Hymel tidbit is intriguing. How did you learn of this coincidence?
lincbond442 1 year ago
I went to an elementary school about 3 miles away from the end of this runway in Riverside. The howling noise the 52's would make when the squadron was scrambling was intoxicating, then followed by the roar of the engines.. amazing! The whole school would rattle and the teachers had to quit talking till it was done.
r1cw 1 year ago 7
@r1cw GREAT comment! The B-52 is my favourite airplane. :-)
mcdonnell220 1 year ago 2
@r1cw
You must have went to Edgemont School. I did too. Do I know you? My name is Chris Braden, graduated there
in 1961 from 6th grade; middle school at Alessandro; then Moreno Valley High School.
DontBuyChinese 11 months ago
@DontBuyChinese Nope, opposite end of the runway I think. I went to Hyatt Elementary which is off the watkins/central off ramp of the 60fwy. Back then all the flight traffic flew a lot farther out before they made their west turn. There many very many houses then (late 70"s) :)
r1cw 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@r1cw how long ago was this?
f1fan84 4 months ago
This was from an episode of "Lassie" on TV.
Punchacow 1 year ago
Thanks very much for the video! My dad used to tell me stories about how they'd fly over his house on their way to the Pacific from March. Can you tell me from what movie this is taken?
2muchrightft 1 year ago
Its absolutely amazing to see what Moreno Valley, Perris, and Riverside look like in this video compared to what they are today. March was nuclear hub base built pretty much in the middle of nowhere, now its at the center of suburban style homes nad business. People complain about the noise, but they can fuck off cus that base was there well before they were haha
cambruda 1 year ago
@cambruda lots of airports were and are being shut down in the same way. In fact there was a petition, don't know if it is still going on to possibly shut down Van Nuys, a very historic airport, actually it's the busiest GA airport in the U.S. - They have a video called 16R, very well worth seeing. But yeah, the suburban crawls crept up to these once in-the-middle-of-nowhere airports. I live near Chino, where planes of fame is, and I see signs that want to shut it down. sad :(
DJsStratoArt 1 year ago
@DJsStratoArt Its a sad fact =/ Im not into the old war birds but i know how significant chino airport is for that history. I can understand smaller airstrips such as that being closed due to public complaint because they're essentially all privatized. The problem I have is that people choose to buy these homes near military installations knowing its there and complain about them "making too much noise"...i mean seriously: Your freedom is pretty much in your backyard and you complain about it ha
cambruda 1 year ago
well howdy miss Rev Ma'am
Atmosfear1337 1 year ago
Fuckin' A. Cart start baby! Woo!
stuntmanmike37 2 years ago
@stuntmanmike37: Cart start baby!
JM: Tell them what a cart start is. It's a cartridge start. Engines 4 and 5 are armed with fast burning starter cartridges which can start the engine with hot gases. They were the size of a coffee can. The charges were electrically fired by the pilots and pressurized the starters to turn the engines. This was faster than relying on an external power cart which takes time to get started itself. More reliable on Alert, but dirty and dangerous.
JetMechMA 1 year ago
There's a documentary from 1979 called "First Strike" about a Soviet nuclear attack on the US. There's a scene shot at March showing crews running to these same D models at this same alert strip but eight years later. Search for "First Strike part 1" on YouTube to see it. Sadly, in the documentary, the guys are caught on the ground by the nuclear blast, so we don't get to see the B-52's take off.
Mainsail76 2 years ago
After the mid air collision of the B52 and KC135 over Tenerife, the alert B52's did not take off with "items" in the bomb bay. The chrome dome flights ended long before this video. Nice views though.
IC2720 2 years ago
They used this engine start-up in several made for TV movies.....I know it was in "Disaster on the Potomac: Palm 90"...the same exact sound!!!!!!
cheetajet 2 years ago