Fiddlers Green

I've already emailed Chip privately about some BUFF glitches, but I figured this one needed broadcast:

The gear shouldn't be staggered--they are part of the same bulkhead, and extend dead even with each other, out the narrow extension of the gear door. See the side-view line drawing on one of the model sheets. When I find my Boeing plans again, which show a detailed isometric view of the gear assembly (and both sides are parts of one single unit structurally), I'll either pass it along to Chip or try to find somewhere to host it and post a link.

Perhaps I'm overfocused because the -52 is "my" bird...

I don't understand exactly what you're talking about. The gear on the FG B-52 appears to be quite close to what appears on the real thing. Remember these are not 100% scale models, but rather paper sculptures, representing a particular airplane. There are model designers whose models come very close to 100% detailed scale models, but they are far more complex to build, and expensive.
Back about 1970, I was TAD to Barksdale AFB to repair a Cougar in need of an engine change. We shared a hangar with a B-52 that was going through phased maintenance. One of the tasks was to jack the behemoth up, apply external hydraulic power and do a complete operational check of the landing gear. It was an amazinig operation that took the better part of a shift. I'd done the same thing on fighters,but this was 'way bigger. Watching the gear pivot, for example, for crosswinds landings was something I'd never seen. The main gear were positioned outboard on the fuselage and pivoted inboard for retraction. They were staggered, one gear slightly ahead of the other. (the FG side view drawing on page one leaves out the opposite gear, for clarity) The AF tech's were really proud of their bird (as they should have been) and gave us the ten dollar tour, during the operation. We were invited into the cockpit during some of the checks, and observed the indications and felt the beast tremble as the massive gear came up and locked. They were were as curious about our little bird, and were amazed that you had to crawl down our intake, with the engine running, to do checks and adjustemnts. We were there for about a week, and the hospitality shown us at that, and other AF bases we visited for similar reasons, was always the best.

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-Rob-

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.Go Air Force!! Even in the desert, it's nice to hear the Navy talk good about us. Shucks, y'all ain't so bad yourselves (but we hate the 8-point Marine style hats)!

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Edward Merica
AKA "The Sarge"

-Despite the diferences....the air force and naval air have basically the same goal--to pound the foe into submission. One just does it from a slightly riskier platform (you decide there...whether Neptune's sense of humor or the insurgent's lurking in the bushes constitutes the greater danger). Either way--a MK84 still makes the same smoking greasy hole in the ground--regardless of it's point of origin.

Come on home again in one piece.

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-Rob-

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.This whole d**n country is made of gravel and concrete, and they have to import both! I better get downtown soon and meet some of the mysterious "locals" they talk about, because all I've found is tiny lizards, tiny mice, tiny evil flies and rats that flash gang signs and pack heat. As cool as I think carriers are, I prefer some serious real estate. We've got birds that you couldn't fir on a deck with a crane!

I'm ready for a shoppin' trip!

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Edward Merica
AKA "The Sarge"

---and wouldn't want to.

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-Rob-

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..

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-check your email. Sent you some 3 views.

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-Rob-

Currently working on: see avatar

=Col. Walter Boyne's Boeing B-52: A Documentary History has almost-modeler's-grade blueprints direct from Boeing of a -D-model. It's a pricy book, around $60, but it's pretty much they best available B-52 fans. And Rob, these diagrams are my source for my earlier assertion. As airframes have aged, the gear may have shifted, but when they left the factory, they were side-by-side, and the struts go in the narrow section of the opening. Soon as I find my copy of the book, I'll see about sketching some more-accurate tipgear doors and pass them along.

You're not alone Nedry. The basic FG B-52 is a good model, but has some obvious errors- the landing gear being high on the list. I have a long list of minor details omitted that would make the FG B-52 truly a D model, so I'm taking the current design and doing a repaint to "fix it". Just deleting the "rivets" has made a huge improvement.

I plan to do a BUFF that was based at Amarillo AFB (461st BW) since I'm doing alot of research about that place. I've always liked the old SAC paint scheme of silver over white with the MilkyWay ribbon and SAC Shield over the nose. Hatches in the appropriates places, insignia for the era and other "fixes" for the D will be included in my repaint.

There is also a fantastic KC-135 design that was on the web that I plan to do in the same scale. My plan is to have those 2 hanging from the ceiling doing in-flight refueling.

I've also thought about a redo of the "High And The Mighty" as there is a very detailed website that shows all of the mission tallies and marks, much better than the FG version included.

I'm not dissin the FG BUFF, but hope to offer a better version of it...

Now if there was a B47 and say a KC-97. To go beside the big ol buff an Co, then I just may have to move to a home with more over head lol. Not to forget buying stock in silver paper. Just too cool. Cain't wait to see.

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Regards gun )}i{( ILMJJC {\o/}

Remember growing old is sometimes mandatory growing up is optional.