12 January 1962

January 12, 2025AviationAir Assault, Helicopter, Helicopter Assault, Operation Chopper, Piasecki CH-21C Shawnee, Piasecki Helicopter Co., Việt cộng, Vietnam War, Wright Aeronautical Division Cyclone 9 863C9WD1, Wright R-1830-103Bryan Swopes

ARVN soldiers run to board U.S. Army CH-21C Shawnee helicopters. (LIFE Magazine)

12 January 1962: The first helicopter assault of the Vietnam War, Operation Chopper, took place when 33 United States Army CH-21C Shawnee transport helicopters of the 8th and 57th Transportation Companies airlifted 1,036 soldiers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) into battle against an insurgent Việt cộng (National Liberation Front) stronghold, approximately 10 miles (16.1 kilometers) west of Saigon. The landing zone was 150 yards by 300 yards and surrounded by tall trees.

A flight of U.S. Army CH-21C Shawnee helicopters over South Vietnam, 1962. (LIFE Magazine)

The Piasecki Helicopter Company CH-21C Shawnee was a single-engine, tandem rotor transport helicopter. It had a flight crew of three with one or two gunners, and could carry up to 20 soldiers under ideal conditions.

With rotors turning, the ship’s overall length was 86 feet, 4 inches (26.314 meters) and it was 15 feet, 9 inches (4.801 meters) high. The rotors were 44 feet (13.411 meters) in diameter and the fuselage was 52 feet, 7 inches (16.027 meters) long. The empty weight was 8,950 pounds (4,059.7 kilograms) and maximum takeoff weight was 15,200 pounds (6,894.6 kilograms).

The forward rotor turned counter-clockwise, as seen from above. (The advancing blade is on the helicopter’s right side.) The rear rotor turns the opposite direction. Normal operating speed for the main rotors was approximately 250 r.p.m. The counter-rotating rotors cancelled out engine torque, eliminating any need for a tail rotor.

Cutaway illustration of Piasecki H-21, showing internal arrangement. (U.S. Air Force)

The H-21 was powered by a single air-cooled, supercharged, 1,823.129-cubic-inch-displacement (29.875 liter) Wright Aeronautical Division Cyclone 9 863C9WD1 (R-1820-103) nine-cylinder radial, mounted inside the fuselage at midship, and drove the front and rear rotors in opposite directions through drive shafts and gear boxes. The Wright R-1820-103 engine was rated at 1,275 horsepower at 2,500 r.p.m., and 1,425 horsepower at 2,700 r.p.m., for takeoff. This direct-drive engine had a compression ratio of 6.80:1 and required 100/130 aviation gasoline. The engine was 4 feet, 0.50 inches (1.232 meters) long, 4 feet, 6.95 inches (1.396 meters) in diameter, and weighed 1,350 pounds (612 kilograms). Wright built 971 R-1820-103s from November 1950 through 1957.

The CH-21C had a maximum speed of 127 miles per hour (204 kilometers per hour) and a range of 265 miles (427 kilometers). It’s service ceiling was 19,200 feet (5,852.2 meters).

A U.S. Army CH-21C Shawnee over the Landing Zone west of Saigon, 12 January 1962. (U.S. Army)

The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse was developed for the U.S. Air Force as an air base support and search and rescue helicopter in cold weather operations. A total of 707 were built for the U.S., France and Germany, as well as civil operators. 334 were built for the U.S. Army as the H-21C Shawnee, redesignated CH-21C in 1962.

Its performance in the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia was limited, restricting the troop load to 9 soldiers. It was withdrawn from service in 1964 when the Bell HU-1A Iroquois began to replace it. All CH-21Cs were retired when the CH-47 Chinook assumed its role in 1965.

ARVN troops wait while a U.S. Army CH-21C Shawnee lands. (LIFE Magazine)

12 January 1961

January 12, 2025Aviation59-2442, B-58A-10-CF, Convair B-58A Hustler, Convair Division of General Dynamics, FAI, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, General Electric J79-GE-5, Henry J. Deutschendorf, Raymond R. Wagener, William L. Polhemus, World Record for Speed Over a Closed Circuit of 2000 KilometersBryan Swopes

Convair B-58A-10-CF Hustler 59-2442, FAI speed record holder. (U.S. Air Force)

World Record-setting flight crew, left to right, Major Henry J. Deutschendorf, Sr., Pilot; Captain Raymond R. Wagener, Defensive Systems Officer; Captain William L. Polhemus, Radar Navigator/Bombardier. (U.S. Air Force)

12 January 1961: Major Henry J. Deutschendorf, United States Air Force, 43rd Bomb Wing, Strategic Air Command, flew from Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, California, with a Convair B-58A-10-CF Hustler, serial number 59-2442, named Untouchable.

There, he flew two laps of a 1,000 kilometer circuit between Edwards and Yuma, establishing six new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) speed records at an average of 1,708.82 kilometers per hour (1,061.81 miles per hour).

Major Deutschendorf and his crew, Captain Raymond R. Wagener, Defensive Systems Officer, and Captain William L. Polhemus, Radar Navigator/Bombardier, were each awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

(Major Deutschendorf was the father of Henry J. Deutschendorf, Jr., who was better known by his stage name, “John Denver.”)

Untouchable, the record-setting Mach 2+ strategic bomber, was sent to The Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona, in 1969. 59-2442 was scrapped in 1977.

FAI Record File Num #4550 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Speed over a closed circuit of 2 000 km without payload
Performance: 1 708.82 km/h
Date: 1961-01-12
Course/Location: Edwards AFB, CA (USA)
Claimant Henry J. Deutschendorf (USA)
Aeroplane: Convair B-58A Hustler (USAF 592-442)
Engines: 4 G E J79

FAI Record File Num #4551 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Speed over a closed circuit of 2 000 km with 1 000 kg payload
Performance: 1 708.82 km/h
Date: 1961-01-12
Course/Location: Edwards AFB, CA (USA)
Claimant Henry J. Deutschendorf (USA)
Aeroplane: Convair B-58A Hustler (USAF 592-442)
Engines: 4 G E J79

FAI Record File Num #4552 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Speed over a closed circuit of 2 000 km with 2 000 kg payload
Performance: 1 708.82 km/h
Date: 1961-01-12
Course/Location: Edwards AFB, CA (USA)
Claimant Henry J. Deutschendorf (USA)
Aeroplane: Convair B-58A Hustler (USAF 592-442)
Engines: 4 G E J79

The Convair B-58 Hustler was a high-altitude, Mach 2+ strategic bomber which served with the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1970. It was crewed by a pilot, navigator/bombardier and a defensive systems operator located in individual cockpits. The aircraft has a delta-winged configuration similar to Convair’s F-102A Delta Dagger and F-106 Delta Dart supersonic interceptors.

The Hustler is 96 feet, 10 inches (29.515 meters) long, with a wing span of 56 feet, 10 inches (17.323 meters) and overall height of 31 feet 5 inches (9.576 meters). The wings’ leading edge is swept back at a 60° angle and the fuselage incorporates the “area rule” which resulted in a “wasp waist” or “Coke bottle” shape for a significant reduction in aerodynamic drag. The airplane’s only control surfaces are two “elevons” and a rudder. There are no flaps.

The B-58A was powered by four General Electric J79-GE-5 axial-flow afterburning turbojet engines, suspended under the wings from pylons. This was a single-shaft engine with a 17-stage compressor and 3-stage turbine, rated at 10,300 pounds of thrust (45.82 kilonewtons), and 15,600 pounds (69.39 kilonewtons) with afterburner. The J79-GE-5 was 16 feet, 10.2 inches (5.136 meters) long and 3 feet, 2.0 inches (0.965 meters) in diameter.

The bomber had a cruise speed of 610 miles per hour (981.7 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed of 1,325 miles per hour (2,132.4 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling is 64,800 feet (19,751 meters). Unrefueled range is 4,400 miles (7,081 kilometers). Maximum weight is 168,000 pounds (76,203.5 kilograms).

Convair B-58A-10-CF Hustler 59-2456 with weapons load. (U.S. Air Force)

The B-58 weapons load was a combination of W-39, B43 or B61 nuclear bombs. The large weapons could be carried in a jettisonable centerline pod, which also carried fuel, and the smaller bombs could be carried on hardpoints. There was a defensive 20 mm M61 rotary cannon mounted in the tail with 1,200 rounds of ammunition. The gun was controlled remotely by the Defensive Systems Officer.

B-58A-10-CF 59-2456 with typical weapons load: Four 1-megaton B43 thermonuclear bombs for high-speed, low-altitude laydown delivery; one W39 3–4 megaton thermonuclear bomb carried in the centerline weapons/fuel pod, one 20 mm M61 rotary cannon with x,xxx rounds of ammunition. (U.S. Air Force) — B-58A-10-CF 59-2456 with typical weapons load: four B-43 1-megaton thermonuclear bombs for high-speed, low-altitude laydown delivery; one W39 3–4 megaton thermonuclear bomb carried in the centerline weapons/fuel pod, one 20 mm M61 rotary cannon with 1,200 rounds of ammunition. (U.S. Air Force)

Convair built 116 B-58s between 1956 and 1961. They were retired by 1970.

12 January 1959

January 12, 2025AviationEastern Air Lines, Flight 602, Lockheed L-188 ElectraBryan Swopes

Eastern Air Lines’ Lockheed L-188A Electra N5501 (Line number 1005 Fleet Number 501). San Diego Air & Space Museum, Catalog #: 00068415)

12 January 1959: The Lockheed L-188 Electra made its first commercial passenger flight when Eastern Air Lines Flight 602 departed Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, at 9:30 a.m., Eastern Standard Time. The destination was Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with an intermediate stop at New York City.

Eastern had received eight or nine of the new Electras prior to this flight. Which specific airplane was used is not known.

Which specific airplane is not known. Eastern Air Lines had received eight or nine L-188s prior to the 12 January flight.¹

The Lockheed L-188A Electra had made its first flight at the Lockheed Air Terminal,² Burbank, California, 6 December 1957.

The first prototype Lockheed L-188 Electra, N1881. (Robert Reedy Collection/San Diego Air & Space Museum, Catalog #: 46544455)

The Lockheed Model 188A Electra is a four-engine, low-wing, commercial airliner with retractable tricycle landing gear, and powered by four turboprop engines. It was operated by a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer, and could carry a maximum of 98 passengers. The L-188A was the first production variant. It is 104 feet, 6.5 inches (31.864 meters) long, with a wingspan of 99 feet, 0.00 inches (30.175 meters), and overall height of 32 feet, 11.6 inches (10.048 meters). The Electra had an empty weight of 57,400 pounds (26,036 kilograms), and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 113,000 pounds (51,256 kilograms).

The L-188A was powered by four Allison Model 501-D13 (T56-A-1) turboprop engines. The -D13 is a single-shaft axial-flow gas turbine engine. It had a 14-stage compressor, 6-tube combustor, a 4-stage turbine. It was rated at 3,750 shaft horsepower at 13,820 r.p.m. The engines drove four-blade, square-tip Aeroproducts propellers with a diameter of 13 feet, 6 inches (4.115 meters), at 1,020 r.p.m. The -D13 is 12 feet, 1.0 inches (3.683 meters) long, 2 feet, 3.0 inches (0.686 meters) wide and 3 feet, 0.0 inches (0.914 meters) high. It weighs 1,750 pounds (794 kilograms).

The L-188A Electra’s cruise speed is 324 knots (373 miles per hour/600 kilometers per hour), and its maximum speed, 389 knots (448 miles per hour/720 kilometers per hour). The Critical Mach Number (Mcr) was 0.711. It could climb at 1,970 feet per minute (10 meters per second). Its service ceiling is 28,400 feet (8,656 meters), and its maximum range, 2,410 nautical miles (2,773 statute miles/4,463 kilometers) or 1,900 nautical miles (2,186 statute miles/3,519 kilometers) at maximum payload.

The L-188 was involved in two fatal crashes believed to be caused by “whirl mode flutter:” Braniff International Airways Flight 542, 29 September 1959, and Northwest Orient Flight 710, 17 March 1960. A problem with the engine mounts caused cracks to the gear box mountings. Oscillations were transferred to the wings and resulted in wing failures.

The airplanes were also very noisy, resulting in passenger complaints. Lockheed redesigned the engine nacelles to deal with this problem.

Lockheed built only 170 Electras. They were produced from 1957 to 1961.

¹ (The first four L-188s, L/N 1001–1004, had been retained by Lockheed as test beds before being sold on.)

N5501 (l/n 1005) to EAL in January 1959 (exact date not known); leased to SAM Columbia 9/69 as HK-554; returned to EAl 3/77 as N5501E; sold to Argentine Navy 4/77 for P-3 spare parts

N5502 (l/n 1007) to EAL 23 October 1958. To Air Manila PI-C1061 1 December 1971; RP-C1061 Nov 1974. Crashed 4 Jun 1976

N5503 (l/n 1008) to EAL Oct 1958. To Air Manila PI-C1062 Mar 1972; RP-C1062 June 74; wfu an dstd MNL Jan 75

N5504 (l/n 1009) to EAL 2 Nov 1958 WFU Dec 1977; converted to freighter to Zantrop International Airlines 20 Oct 1978; DBR 21 Mar 82 hangar collapse

N5505 (l/n 1010) to EAL Nov 1958; leased to SAM Columbia HK-1274 Nov 1971; hijacked 30 May 1973; returned to EAL but not operated, N5505, N5505C. American jet Industries Mar 1978

N5506 (l/n 1011) to EAL Dec 1958. To Copa Airways HP-579 Oct 1971, WFU and STD MHV Dec 1985

N5507 (l/n 1012) EAL Nov 1958 WFU Oct 1970; converted to freighter, Zantrop International Airlines Jan 78; Turboprop Ventures Sep 2006

N5509 (l/n 1013) to EAL Nov 1958; leased to SAM Columbia HK-553 Oct 1969; Returned to EAL N5509Y, stored at VNY; to American Jet Industries Feb 1977

² In 1967, the name of the Lockheed Air Terminal was changed to Hollywood-Burbank Airport. After several more name changes, including Bob Hope Airport, it is once again known as Hollywood-Burbank. Its FAA identifier is BUR.

12 January 1937

January 12, 2025AviationAircraft Accident, Boeing 247D, Boeing Airplane Company, Esther Jo Conner, Los Pinetos Peak, Martin Elmer Johnson, NC13315, Osa Johnson, Pratt & Whitney Wasp S1H1-G, Western Air Express Flight 7, William Walker LewisBryan Swopes

12 January 1937: Western Air Express Flight 7, a Boeing 247D airliner, NC13315, had originated at Salt Lake City, Utah, and after a stop at Las Vegas, Nevada, continued on toward Union Air Terminal, Burbank, California. Aboard were a crew of three and ten passengers.

In fog and falling snow, Captain William Walker Lewis and co-pilot Clifford P. Owens crossed over Saugus, California,

“. . . at 5,200 feet [1,585 meters], aircraft was already 300 feet [91 meters] too low. . . Pilot tried to contact Burbank without any success. Due to low visibility caused by fog, pilot did not realize he was flying at an insufficient altitude. In a descent rate of 525 feet per minute [2.667 meters per second], aircraft hit Pinetos Peak.”

— Bureau of Air Commerce report.

According to statements after the accident, Captain Lewis suddenly saw a ridge immediately ahead, and unable to avoid it, cut his engines and raised the nose in an attempt to reduce the impact. The accident occurred at 11:07 a.m., Pacific Time.

Illustration from the Los Angeles Times, Vol. LVI, Wednesday, 13 January 1937, Page 6, Columns 3–6.

The crash was heard by patients at the Olive View Sanitorium and ranchers on the north side of the mountains. Two hours later, passenger Arthur S. Robinson arrived at the hospital and said, “Get help up there for the twelve others. It was a forced landing—they’re all injured but I believe they’re all alive.”

Boeing 247D NC13315, 12 January 1937. (Santa Clarita Valley History in Pictures)

One passenger, James A. Braden, president of the Braden-Sutphin Ink Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, was killed immediately. The co-pilot, Owens, and three more of the passengers died of injuries within the next several days.

One of those who died was famed adventurer and film maker Martin Johnson. His wife, Osa Johnson, was also aboard Flight 7 and was seriously injured. Another survivor, Robert T. Anderson, would later own Pea Soup Anderson, a famous restaurant in Buellton, California.

Osa and Martin Johnson. (Osa and Martin Johnson Safari Museum)

The Boeing Model 247 is considered to be the first modern airliner because of its all-metal, semi-monocoque construction, cantilevered wing and retractable landing gear. It was 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) faster than its contemporaries, and could climb on one engine with a full load.

The Model 247 was operated by a pilot, co-pilot and a flight attendant and carried up to ten passengers. The airplane was 51 feet, 5 inches (15.672 meters) long, with a wingspan of 74 feet, 1 inch (22.581 meters) and overall height of 12 feet, 5 inches (3.785 meters). The empty weight was 8,921 pounds (4,046.5 kilograms) with a maximum takeoff weight of 16,805 pounds (7,622.6 kilograms).

The Duralamin skin panels were anodized, rather than painted, for corrosion protection. This saved weight, and resulted in the 247’s characteristic gray-green color.

Western Air Express Boeing 247D NC13315. The nose baggage compartment door is open. (Ed Coates Collection)

The airliner was powered by two air-cooled, supercharged, 1,343.804-cubic-inch-displacement (22.021 liters) Pratt & Whitney Wasp S1H1-G nine-cylinder radial engines with a compression ratio of 6.03:1. The S1H1-G had a Normal Power rating of 550 horsepower at 2,200 r.p.m., to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), and 600 horsepower at 2,250 r.p.m. for Takeoff. They drove three-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propellers through a 3:2 gear reduction, when installed on the 247D. The Wasp S1H1-G was 3 feet, 11.80 inches (1.214 meters) long, 4 feet, 3.61 inches (1.311 meters) in diameter, and weighed 930 pounds (422 kilograms).

The Boeing 247 had a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour) with a cruising speed of 188 miles per hour (303 kilometers per hour. It had a range of 745 miles (1,199 kilometers) and a service ceiling of 25,400 feet (7,742 meters).

75 Model 247s were built. 60 were operated by Boeing Air Transport.

[Note: the windshield was canted forward to prevent instrument panel lighting from reflecting into the cockpit at night. Unfortunately, ground lighting was reflected instead. This was soon changed to a rearward slant and resulted in a slight increase in speed.]

Western Air Express Boeing 247D NC13315, 1933. (SCVhistory.com) — Western Air Express Boeing 247D NC13315, 1933. (Santa Clarita Valley History in Pictures)

11 January 1962

January 11, 2025Aviation16481, 16483, 30, 60-0040, 8647, B-52H-150-BW, Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, Bomber, Bomber Pilot, Clyde P. Evely, FAI, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Operation Persian Rug, The Black Widow, World Record for Distance, World Record for Speed Over a Recognized CourseBryan Swopes

Colonel Clyde P. Evely, USAF with the crew of the record-setting B-52H Stratofortress 60-0040. (U.S. Air Force)

11 January 1962: Colonel Clyde P. Evely, United States Air Force, and his crew flew their Boeing B-52H-150-BW Stratofortress, 60-0040, of the 4136th Strategic Wing, from Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa to Torrejon Air Base, Spain. Called Operation Persian Rug, this was an unrefueled 21 hour, 52 minute flight that covered 12,532.30 miles (20,168.78 kilometers) at an average 604.44 miles per hour (972.75 kilometers per hour) and set 11 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and seven National Aeronautic Association records for speed over a recognized course.

The route of Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 60-0040. (The Baltimore Sun, 12 January 1962, Page 2, Columns 6–7)

Others on the flight were Major Robert Carson and Captain Henry V. Sienkiewicz, second pilot and co-pilot; Major Edmund Bible, navigator; Major Dwight Baker, radar navigator; Captain Edward McLaughlin, electronics warfare officer; 1st Lieutenant William Telford, second navigator; and Master Sergeant Richard Posten, gunner. Chuck Tibbetts, vice president of the National Aeronautic Association, flew aboard the bomber to monitor the record-setting flight.

FAI Record File Num #8647 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Distance
Performance: 20 168.78 km
Date: 1962-01-11
Course/Location: Okinawa (Japan) – Madrid (Spain)
Claimant Clyde P. Evely (USA)
Aeroplane: Boeing B-52H
Engines: 8 Pratt & Whitney TF-33(military desig.for JT-3D)

FAI Record File Num #16481 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Speed over a recognised course
Performance: 929.30 km/h
Date: 1962-01-11
Course/Location: Okinawa (Japan) – Madrid (Spain)
Claimant Clyde P. Evely (USA)
Aeroplane: Boeing B-52H
Engines: 8 Pratt & Whitney TF-33(military desig.for JT-3D)

FAI Record File Num #16483 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Speed over a recognised course
Performance: 972.75 km/h
Date: 1962-01-11
Course/Location: Okinawa (Japan) – Madrid (Spain)
Claimant Clyde P. Evely (USA)
Aeroplane: Boeing B-52H (60040)
Engines: 8 Pratt & Whitney TF-33(military desig.for JT-3D)

The flight crew of 60-0040 received awards for their world record flight, at Torrejon Air Base, Spain, 11 January 1962. (U.S. Air Force)

President John F. Kennedy congratulates the crew of 60-0040. This photograph shows the crew and President Kennedy with a different airplane, B-52G 57-6486. (U.S. Air Force)

Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. (U.S. Air Force)

The B-52H is a sub-sonic, swept wing, long-range strategic bomber. It has a crew of five. The airplane is 159 feet, 4 inches (48.6 meters) long, with a wing span of 185 feet (56.4 meters). It is 40 feet, 8 inches (12.4 meters) high to the top of the vertical fin. Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) is 488,000 pounds (221,353 kilograms).

There are eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-3 turbofan engines mounted in two-engine pods suspended under the wings on four pylons. Each engine produces a maximum of 17,000 pounds of thrust (75.620 kilonewtons). The TF-33 is a two-spool axial-flow turbofan engine with 2 fan stages, 14-stage compressor stages (7 stage intermediate pressure, 7 stage high-pressure) and and 4-stage turbine (1 stage high-pressure, 3-stage low-pressure). The engine is 11 feet, 10 inches (3.607 meters) long, 4 feet, 5.0 inches (1.346 meters) in diameter and weighs 3,900 pounds (15,377 kilograms).

The B-52H can carry approximately 70,000 pounds (31,750 kilograms) of ordnance, including free-fall bombs, precision-guided bombs, thermonuclear bombs and cruise missiles, naval mines and anti-ship missiles.

The bomber’s cruise speed is 520 miles per hour (837 kilometers per hour) and its maximum speed is 650 miles per hour (1,046 kilometers per hour) at 23,800 feet (7,254 meters) at a combat weight of 306,350 pounds. Its service ceiling is 47,700 feet (14,539 meters) at the same combat weight. The unrefueled range is 8,000 miles (12,875 kilometers).

With inflight refueling, the Stratofortress’s range is limited only by the endurance of its five-man crew.

The B-52H is the only version still in service. 102 were built and as of 27 September 2016, 76 are still in service. Beginning in 2013, the Air Force began a fleet-wide technological upgrade for the B-52H, including a digital avionics and communications system, as well as an internal weapons bay upgrade. The bomber is expected to remain in service until 2040.

The record-setting B-52, 60-0040, named The Black Widow, had been on a 7-hour training flight with an eight-man crew, 5–6 December 1988. They were practicing “touch and go” landings and takeoffs at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, near Marquette, Michigan.

After the third landing, the bomber just became airborne, when at 0115 EST,

“. . . At about 75 ft airborne the #30 fuel boost pump overheated due to lack of fuel to cool it down, and, because, the spark arrester was missing from the shaft of the boost pump allowing sparks into the empty tank. The fumes then combusted and exploded inflight causing the tail section to separate from the fuselage. We went crashing to the ground over the runway. Upon hitting the ground the wing section separated from the cockpit. Both went skidding down the runway and came to rest just 3400 ft from impact. The cockpit was blocking the alert ramp for the tankers. All 8 crewmembers survived, each with varying degrees of injury. The Pilot, copilot and IP sustained the more serious injuries, while the rest of us had multiple broken bones and burns but nothing terribly serious.”

— Captain Anthony D. Phillips, Radar Navigator.

Colonel Clyde P. Evely retired from the Air Force after thirty years service. He died 7 April 2010 at 88 years of age.

The remains of "Balls 40", B-52H-150-BW 60-0040, The Black Widow, at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Gwinn, Michigan, 6 December 1988. (U.S. Air Force) — The remains of B-52H-150-BW 60-0040, The Black Widow, at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Gwinn, Michigan, 6 December 1988. (U.S. Air Force)

This Day in Aviation

Important Dates in Aviation History

12 January 1962

12 January 1961

12 January 1959

12 January 1937

11 January 1962