Haha - been binge watching the plane tours for the last few days.. crazy how Matthew changed from next door „how’s the wife“ dad to literally hype Jesus
I worked on the assembly line and sealed the fuel tanks on number 4...glad to see she still exists...she was sure a beautiful ship when new and painted white
Hi Jeff, The one you worked on, 76-0174 (B-1A #4) is currently parked outside at the SAC museum near Lincoln, NE. The Bone in this video is prototype #3 (74-0160) which can be identified by the long spine on the dorsal fuselage.
@@Stepclimb Does this one have the dorsal spine? When we were on the B-1B CTF using B-1As as testbeds, one of them had the desert camo scheme and had the dorsal spine. Another was painted like this in European 1 scheme, with the dark grey and green colors. AV-2 was all white with the black Radome, crashed in 1984. Doug Benefield, chief test pilot from Rockwell, died in the capsule. Other 2 crew survived.
@@Stepclimb there were 4 b-1a prototypes b-1a airframe number one is at the usaf newport test facility in New York , it's just the forward fuselage . Airframe number 2 was lost over the mojave desert near Edward's afb in 1984 Airframe number 3 is on display at the wings over the rockies in denver Colorado Airframe number 4 is on display at the nebraska aerospace museum 1 , 2 and 3 had escape modules Airframe number 4 and all b-1b Lancers have ejection seats
Absolutely agreed man - I always used to overlook this beauty, drawn to the usual stars sr71 and the Spirit for sure........but the more I learned, the more I s a w of her, there's a lot to capture your interest ! I love how smooth it's lines are 😎👍
I still remember being stood maybe 500 yards from the runway when a B1 took off with full afterburners. God damn that power was intense, the ground shook.
Malamute Aerospace, my father was a navigator on the b1 in your squadron at Dyess during that same time frame. I grew up on dyess watching these take off and land
@@smithnwesson990 yes on practicing bomb runs with the TFR terrain following radar in a MOA airspace in UTah we used to get 200 to 800 feet agl but because of weight of fuel and bomb load pkus the MOA WAS 6000 ft MSL so we always had a high density altitude on a good day we could get Mach 1.07 to 1.11 never at low altitudes get above 1.30 plus you need all 4 throttles at mct maximum continuous thrust WITH AFTERBURNERS ON. So fuel littetally was being burned at 50,000 lbs per hour so we had like 20 mins of flight time inthat configuration. Sad though the BONES going away once he B3s in line. And it will go to ANG BASES in Georgia, Houston and California. They're keeping the B52 still on alert status with long range nuclear tipped ALCMs. Peace my friend. Go to Wings over the Rickies museum in Denver Colorado they have a B1 there you can ser everything including the 1988 era nuclear alert cockpit.
My son and I took a trip here 2 years ago. This was his favorite plane. He was in awe to see a B1A Lancer. Thanks for making a great Father/Son memory. + he is high functioning autistic. He knows all the stats on the plane. He was in love with it.
About the sand idea -- It might NOT be so crazy. They HAVE put ballast in planes to maintain the center of gravity. Modellers also put ballast/weights in models to keep them tipping over on their tails when model planes are tail heavy. The heavier section of the B-1 WOULD be towards the rear -- especially when the wings are in the swept back positions!
One of the most under utilized aircraft in our inventory. The B1b is a beast even though it is subsonic. My next door neighbor was a pilot of this bird. I asked so many questions of him and he regularly declined to tell me any specifics of his missions. Loose lips sink ships. Carry on Major. 🇺🇸
I was working in College Station, Texas back in 1997. I was a new private pilot and aircraft owner (1968 C172G) studying slowly for my instrument rating. I would often eat my lunch on a little overlook near Easterwood Field and listen to comms on my air band scanner. There is a lot to be learned from doing this. One sunny spring day I heard a call from an aircraft with call sign “Jayhawker xx” requesting low approach, and it was cleared as requested. Low approach to me meant practicing a balked landing and I had done that many times in training but I trained at Midland Airpark (KMDD) in Midland, TX so I hadn’t really used this call much. And the callsign was not your typical US N-number so I assumed it was military. It was! A few minutes passed before a B-1B Lancer did a low approach, lit the burners and went around. The crew did another low approach, lit the burners and then left, saying something like “That’s the sound of freedom!” And it was loud! Those big engines were incredible. So thanks to that crew for the show of force! I’ve never forgotten it.
In 1986 I was there at Lowery AFB and did my 462X0 Aircraft Armament Systems Tech training in that very building. I have since visited Wings Over the Rockies and I can say that I am very glad and proud of the job they have done with preserving the old hangar and facilities. The upstairs classroom areas are now the admin offices and I can see where we had our initial tech training. Following that we were down on the floor and hands on an F-16A at the time to learn all about MAU-12s / MK-84s / TERs / B-61s / ACIUs and the SMS. So thankful for the chance of when I'm in Denver to go back to the place where it all began for me! Thanks! (Hahn AFB 50TFW 313th AMU - Lucky Puppies!)
Thanks for the video, I came to Lowry AFB in 1962, stationed in the old Air Force Academy area. Worked on the B52 after I left there. i did pay a visit one days years later and went through Wings Over the Rockies, great place.
I came here for good intel, ended up looking at a great bird with an annoying host. He doesn't even tell the intricacies of the bird, everyone knows about the bomb bays so that's just damn normal. It could've been a great video had the host acted a bit maturely. Sorry but I'm disappointed.
OK, youtube is being weird. The first time I saw you was on the F14 video. SO PROFESSIONAL AND GREAT, with SPUD (you know who I am talking about). Tell the truth, that was probably the best interview ever in your life. The best part, NAVY not AF. Keep up the great work on all the HISTORY. There are channel out there that claim HISTORY, you prove your knowledge better. KEEP CHARGING BROTHER.
I worked on the B-1A flight test crew at Edwards Air Force Base back in those days. It took a lot of prior work and long hours at both Lockheed and Northrop to get that great job. Stayed there until the new B--1B hanger and facility was finally built in Palmdale. Then we went over there to help the new people build the first B-1B. After that job was done the older great guys retired, and I found a cool job at Hill AFB on the complete rebuild and upgrades on the old F4 Phantom aircraft's. My favorite aircraft as a young boy growing up.
f4cphantom2 the aire planes are olddd And it used to be a run way and the make new veraions of the air planes that are modern i went there before so ya
@@jrftworth They've stripped parts from museum fighter planes, too. There was a big flack a few years ago about the Marines being hard up for parts for their F-18 fleet. It was reported they took parts off retired F-18s off the decks of RETIRED aircraft carriers like the Yorktown in South Carolina! What they take off won't compromise the integrity of of the museum plane but it's sad when they have to start playing scavenger outside of the Boneyard. They're supposed to taking parts off planes stored in Arizona, not museums and memorials! Well, the Marine Corps F-18 situation got improved this year... The US Navy retired its last active duty Legacy Hornets (the A-D models) from carrier use. (The US Navy will be flying Super Hornets for many more years... The length of carrier service for the Legacy Hornet was roughly as long as the F-14's service life, too.) NOT using those planes on carriers will lengthen their remaining service AND they can bail additional planes to the Marines for the Marines to use until they get more F-35s in service with the Marine Corps OR replace the Marine Corps F-18s with another plane! The USN is still using Legacy Hornets for training the reserve and Marine Corps units flying Legacy F-18s as well as aggressor squadron duties at Top Gun and other installations that have aggressor units.
Reminds me of what happened to British during the Falkland's war. The needed flying Vulcans and did not have any. The RAF went into scavenger hunt mode to get some back operational. I dont remember how many they got airworthy, but in the end there was only one missiom flown by a single bomber over the Falkland Islands. The Argentine government feared the British had many Vulcans and they would soon be bombing Argentina itself. This forced Argentina to make peace to give up sooner than they might otherwise.
I remember going there in 2016 and being shown around a couple airliner cockpit mockups by a gentleman who seemed to have flown a lot of the aircraft on display and the exact bomber they had out front. Guy had some stories!!
This was/is one of the finest aircraft this nation has ever produced, next to the B-52, "Buff." Google it as I don't use that language lol!! The B-1 on the deck at full power was something to behold! Screaming is about the only word I can use to describe this. Its RCS was small. REALLY small! Not stealthy but close. The navigation suite was a sight to behold. It pained me to see this stripped-down but hey, things are what they are. I would LOVE to come and see her! Those rotary Bombays were something to blow your mind in the day. (No pun intended). To think of its roll in a nuclear conflict still sends shivers up my spine. Such a beautiful bird. My 2nd all-time favorite aircraft in the world!!! Perhaps one day I will get a chance to get out there. Looking forward to this series!!! Thank you for posting this!!!!
I was fortunate to worked on ship one ship two and ship three B1A bombers back in the early 70's.My late fathers company Prime ENGINEERING located in S.El Monte, California was given the task maching the the main wing spar also other parts some titanium 6al4v. I was an young tool&cutter grinder that help repair or replaced the carbide cutters machining these interesting parts.At times I had delivered the smaller parts to the Assembly plant located in Palmdale, California. I'll never forget seeing the first B1A bombers being Assembled it looked like a giant model airplane with fixtures holding it together. The unusual parts I delivered was a large precision titanium part that was part of the wing.it help rotate the front wings if I remember the part no.032 it was several titanium plates about 3 inches thick about 3 feet by 4 feet long ,a machine profie contour around the perimeter, than several of these plate were taken and were fused together under several hundreds of tons,I can't remember exactly but after these plates were fused together a chemical bath was added to remove more titanium then returned back to the shop for more maching and a large hole machine producing a clevis along with bushing with the pin assembly. Very interesting work.im sure most of my fellow machist associate are long gone,but my older brother is still around and like me has a lot of memories Maching these parts along with making bulk heads for General Dynamic F111
My final, and probably favorite active duty assignment was Lowry, as a tech. training instructor for 3.5 yrs. Best climate ever,...and I remember THAT very B-1A, as it sat on static display OUTSIDE the maintenance training hangars on Lowry. I brought a civilian friend on base to give him a tour, and when we parked and got out to walk around of that very B-1A,....I remember Eddie saying "dayum,....that thing makes you proud to be American". Drop dead gorgeous.
The B1-B is BONKERS. Empty Weight 87 Tonnes, max take off 216 tonnes. That's 129 tonnes of fuel and payload. So theoretically if you could make it fit you could strap a B52H under it and still have over 45 tonnes (about 100,000 pounds) of fuel. Nucking Futs. I bet some loony tries it now.
I will probably never come to your museum, simply because it would be a hell of a costly trip for me... However I am very grateful that there is peoples like you that makes videos about these awesome aircrafts and keep them in (almost) complete and pristine conditions for the posperity. An enormous thanks from the bottom of my heart to all curators around the world and the teams maintaining those aircrafts.
I worked, military base access gate control at the North end of the runway. When flight crews were doing qualifications I would go home with a massive headache (wore earplugs) and even my bones hurt ( ground shaking) . It’s a loud, fast airframe. I was so happy when I could leave my post. It shakes my dishes at my home, 18 miles away.
I was there for “fundys” tech school before f111 bomb/nav at Nellis AFB FTD. Remember the 3.2 beer and Everclear & 7up cans and my first Hawaiian pizza (pineapple). Memories.
They used to display the other intact B-1A prototype (the fourth and final B-1A built) at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH. Like many of the large planes displayed at the Museum, it was actually flown and landed on the base! I saw it in the late 1980s. There used to be complaints about the cost of the plane and the fact it wasn't being flown operationally. People just didn't understand it was a VERY different plane from the B-1B and you can't just re-engine the thing and put in a new radar! Structurally, it wouldn't hold up as well and had less range and was slower than the B-1B at low altitude! In the early 2000s, the fourth B-1A was disassembled and shipped by truck to the SAC Museum where it was reassembled and put on display. The National USAF Museum replaced that B-1A prototype with a retired production B-1B. The original B-1A was retired from flying in 1981. Parts of it at least ended up at Lowry AFB where it was used as a trainer. I don't know if any piece of it still exists. A shame the the first prototypes of plane designs are often destroyed or scrapped when no longer flown. It's one thing if they get destroyed in testing but the air arms are so casual about throwing away airframes they no longer think have any use! They did the same with the YB-52, the last surviving B-52 with a bubble canopy.
Very fortunate to see a B1-B at Ellsworth in 1989. We were in awe just walking around her, then the Captain giving us the tour said "Mind your head as you climb the ladder...." unbelieve experience. Do remember a little red toggle switch in the cockpit with "NUC" above it. Can anyone tell me if that was to do with Nuc.....? David
If I'm correct when the program got started again the b-1b is the plane that went i to service. Interestingly the b-1a is supersonic while the b-1b is subsonic. That's what I've seen on a show. I could be wrong though.
B1A was a mach 2.1 machine! The B1B is also supersonic mach1.25. They changed something with the engine intakes and limited the airspeed. When Reagan saved the program and the plane was finally rolled out they seriously downplayed the speed. All had to do with kissing the Soviet's ass while slipping this monster through.
I spent 9 months at Lowry AFB in 1975 when I was going through Tech School. Great place to be stationed,right East of Denver by Aurora. I miss living in the Denver area,looking forward to next months video.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I was at Disaster Prepardness school in 89 and the B1 was parked outside the hanger next to a GIANT mound of sand. CE was putting the sand in it. So yes...it is full of sand. Where it is exactly is anyones guess. Surprised you dont find any leaking out. So the rumor is solved !
Love the Bone. I always thought the capsule escape pod to be a great idea. Everyone is together and the survival gear is there and in a pinch it's shelter.
F-111's had a capsule. Never met a pilot or WSO who thought capsules were the way to go. One pilot told me there would have to be one helluva fire on board before he'd punch out. Not many people punched out of a F111, but most of those that did sustained significant injuries because that bag underneath didn't always deploy. The big was supposed to act as a floatation device for the capsule in the event of a water landing or as a cushion in the event it landed on dry land, 523 Crusaders 23rd TFS, 27th TFW, Cannon AFB, NM (1984 -1986).
We had one pilot die on the B-1B Combined Test Force flying out of Edwards AFB in 1984, Doug Benefield. They only had some of the original B-1As as testbeds for the B-1B program, so they had the capsules on at least 2 of them. They were doing asymmetric fuel weight testing with wing sweep at low level, when they encountered unrecoverable pitch, so they ejected the capsule to save the flight test crew. Doug wasn’t strapped in with his shoulder harness, just a lap belt, so he impacted the console pretty hard and was killed. One of the parachute riser deployment mechanisms failed to function that would have placed the capsule in a flat attitude relative to the ground, so the capsule landed nose-down. One of the flight engineers was injured badly as well. B-1B had already been planned to be individual ejection seats by that time if I recall correctly.
Love to see that . . . History of Lowry AFB. Upon my arrival to Denver, after my one tour at Minot AFB, ND . . . it was recognized how Lowry AFB was enveloped by Aurora to the east . . . and Denver to the west. When Lowry was built, however, it inevitably was built east of all development . . . of the City of Denver. As the decades past by, however, the Denver metropolitan area expanded in all direction . . . North (Northglenn), South (Littleton) West (Golden) and East (Aurora). Inevitably, Lowry lost its' flying mission . . . and, finally closed through training consolidations !
Thanks for the interesting video! I was under the impression that three (not two) of the four B-1As had a crew escape capsule. One B-1A (I think it was no.2, yours is no.3, right?) was lost in a flight accident, and the escape capsule worked so-so.
Excellent video. Thanks for posting it and I've subscribed. Museums like yours are an essential part of keeping history alive. Thumbs up to you and please keep turning out the videos.
Wish the view inside the ladder well had been videoed along with the interior of the area behind the front seats like other crew areas seats or compartments. The fuselage appears as though there may be other large spaces besides the cockpit...? Like the video!
I was at Lowry as a student in 1965 and was back as an Instructor in 1971 in the Munitions Maintenance career field. When I was teaching the Missile and Rocket block the AIM9B Sidewinder and the AIM 7 Sparrow were kept in the hanger as the were classified at that time.
@@4dshow conventional refers to normal non-nuclear type bombs, and nuclear refers to nuclear bombs. In short it's either conventional OR nuclear, not both. Also I think he ment to say long range cruise missiles, not short range. But what do I know I'm just a cable guy that likes military shit
@@goodday381 Yeah all 4 prototypes... Comparing a Tu-160 and a B-1B is like comparing a tomato and an orange and concluding that because both are spherical, the orange surely copied the tomato's design
@@uzogsi well it is a copy. You would have to be blind to think not. Russian obsession with America led to the imitation. They have one main role and it is to bomb and leave as quickly or without being seen. Same fruit but one is plastic.
Cool video, but missing the some interesting things like the fact that B1A is supersonic where as B1B is not. Would be cool to see the difference between the 2.
@@mattmatt516 Yes, but if you read further you will see how much the speed was lowered from original plan. It can go supersonic, just barely but it might cause structural damage, so they dont do that. Even A380 can go supersonic in a dive :) B1B shape still permits that as a legacy of B1A, but B1B is optimized for low level high subsonic speeds. So yes it can go supersonic for very short time but risk is too high hence it is not flying supersonic.
Hey! Who is that handsome dude that all the Colorado girls are talking about? Mathew!,,! You look so professional! Just like the rest of us aero phreaks. Very believable channel now.
I regret not going for the airforce after college, got sidetracked with short term goals vs long term commitments, but being at the very least a bombadier nav or ECM guy in the back seat section of the B-1B was a very strong pull for me! My vision wasn't good enough to be pilot or co-pilot. This plane and the F-111F are about the coolest planes the USAF ever had in service! F-111F was retired shortly before I graduated from high-school so that was a no go.
Not sure if this history is correct but I’ve read the B-1a original design was for low altitude short duration supersonic and the b-1b design was for low altitude longer duration high subsonic flight. I’ve read conflicting info recently that the B-1a was only supersonic at high altitude and high subsonic max at low altitude and that the b-1b was at low altitude a higher subsonic capability then the B-1a? Not sure which it is. I believe the B-1b is capable of some amount of transonic ability at high altitude even if it’s stealthy air intakes are fixed vs the less stealthy adjustable air intakes of the B-1a better suited to supersonic high or low?
im so old i remember when pres carter canceled it along with the mx missile. . my father read the ny times i clearly remember reading about it. i certainly remember when Reagan brought it back. now its long retired.
@Kilo: Just another massive money waste by the military. Since AIPAC basically owns Congress...the US taxpayer has spent hundreds of billions on Israel.
Part of me thinks they should have made more B1B's, part of me cant wait till the B21 Raider comes out. I got to climb up in one of these at an air show one year. Helped that my old man knew the pilot, they flew fighters in years past.
A funny story from El Segundo. There was a mockup of the B-1 that was used for design and fit check. After production was well underway Rockwell decided it was time to have it dismantled and sold for scrap. One company won the bid and brought in a crew along with equipment to do the job. When the first cutting torch fired up and started on a wing panel it caught fire. These guys were under the impression that the mockup was actually fabricated with aluminum. They really didn't think they bid on the scrap value of foam board and plywood.
Great Video. I've loved this plane since the movie Real Genius and one of my family friends served as an Air Force MP who guarded these in the 80's when they were kept on alert. He said they had a circle around them on the Tarmac. If you went in that circle he got to shoot you and ask questions later.
The cost overruns in reality belonged to the Space Shuttle, North American Rockwell played games with the time cards and other expenses of the Shuttle, making it look like the B-1 had the cost overruns.
Haha - been binge watching the plane tours for the last few days.. crazy how Matthew changed from next door „how’s the wife“ dad to literally hype Jesus
Marius Schepp Weebus
Marius Schepp HYPE JESUS
No kidding!
Yeah!
i had no idea they were the same guy what the heck
I worked on the assembly line and sealed the fuel tanks on number 4...glad to see she still exists...she was sure a beautiful ship when new and painted white
Hi Jeff,
The one you worked on, 76-0174 (B-1A #4) is currently parked outside at the SAC museum near Lincoln, NE.
The Bone in this video is prototype #3 (74-0160) which can be identified by the long spine on the dorsal fuselage.
@@Stepclimb Does this one have the dorsal spine? When we were on the B-1B CTF using B-1As as testbeds, one of them had the desert camo scheme and had the dorsal spine. Another was painted like this in European 1 scheme, with the dark grey and green colors.
AV-2 was all white with the black Radome, crashed in 1984. Doug Benefield, chief test pilot from Rockwell, died in the capsule. Other 2 crew survived.
@@Stepclimb there were 4 b-1a prototypes
b-1a airframe number one is at the usaf newport test facility in New York , it's just the forward fuselage .
Airframe number 2 was lost over the mojave desert near Edward's afb in 1984
Airframe number 3 is on display at the wings over the rockies in denver Colorado
Airframe number 4 is on display at the nebraska aerospace museum
1 , 2 and 3 had escape modules
Airframe number 4 and all b-1b Lancers have ejection seats
So B2 and SR are very cool but the B1 is so overlooked when it comes to the WOW factor!!!
The Bone is one of the sexiest aircraft of all time, just look and study the lines of that thing; like a fine sculptured supermodel...
Absolutely agreed man - I always used to overlook this beauty, drawn to the usual stars sr71 and the Spirit for sure........but the more I learned, the more I s a w of her, there's a lot to capture your interest ! I love how smooth it's lines are 😎👍
I still remember being stood maybe 500 yards from the runway when a B1 took off with full afterburners.
God damn that power was intense, the ground shook.
@@5tr4nge75 what an experience ! That must have been incredible man, just the raw power on display 👍👍
@@adamfrazer5150 I was only like 11 at the time, and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
I flew a B1 at Dyess AFB 7th bomber wing. 9700 hours on nuclear alert 1989 through 2005. Great plane.
Thank you for your service.
Malamute Aerospace, my father was a navigator on the b1 in your squadron at Dyess during that same time frame. I grew up on dyess watching these take off and land
Did you ever get to go supersonic and low altitude? Is it much different feeling than going mach 1 at high altitude?? Awesome aircraft
@@smithnwesson990 yes on practicing bomb runs with the TFR terrain following radar in a MOA airspace in UTah we used to get 200 to 800 feet agl but because of weight of fuel and bomb load pkus the MOA WAS 6000 ft MSL so we always had a high density altitude on a good day we could get Mach 1.07 to 1.11 never at low altitudes get above 1.30 plus you need all 4 throttles at mct maximum continuous thrust WITH AFTERBURNERS ON. So fuel littetally was being burned at 50,000 lbs per hour so we had like 20 mins of flight time inthat configuration. Sad though the BONES going away once he B3s in line. And it will go to ANG BASES in Georgia, Houston and California. They're keeping the B52 still on alert status with long range nuclear tipped ALCMs.
Peace my friend. Go to Wings over the Rickies museum in Denver Colorado they have a B1 there you can ser everything including the 1988 era nuclear alert cockpit.
@@malamuteaerospace6333 that is awesome. Love the B1 it is amazing. The b21 raider should be awesome
Engineer 1: "What if F-111 but B-52?"
Engineer 2: "Hold my beer!"
Engineer 1: "Rad!"
@Gingerscantbepirates lol
*Flips on aviator glasses*
Love the X-Wing mocked up like a 50 yr old warbird.
As a scale model builder I just love these walkarounds, its a great way to see the finish and colors and weathering on these planes .
My son and I took a trip here 2 years ago. This was his favorite plane. He was in awe to see a B1A Lancer. Thanks for making a great Father/Son memory. + he is high functioning autistic. He knows all the stats on the plane. He was in love with it.
That's awesome! Thanks for taking the time out to tell us that. We are really glad you guys had fun. That's why we DO this job! MB
About the sand idea --
It might NOT be so crazy.
They HAVE put ballast in planes to maintain the center of gravity.
Modellers also put ballast/weights in models to keep them tipping over on their tails when model planes are tail heavy.
The heavier section of the B-1 WOULD be towards the rear -- especially when the wings are in the swept back positions!
One of the most under utilized aircraft in our inventory. The B1b is a beast even though it is subsonic. My next door neighbor was a pilot of this bird. I asked so many questions of him and he regularly declined to tell me any specifics of his missions. Loose lips sink ships. Carry on Major. 🇺🇸
It's supersonic at altitude.
B 1B is supersonic but only mach 1.2 unlike the B 1A mach 2 Lancer
I was working in College Station, Texas back in 1997. I was a new private pilot and aircraft owner (1968 C172G) studying slowly for my instrument rating. I would often eat my lunch on a little overlook near Easterwood Field and listen to comms on my air band scanner. There is a lot to be learned from doing this.
One sunny spring day I heard a call from an aircraft with call sign “Jayhawker xx” requesting low approach, and it was cleared as requested. Low approach to me meant practicing a balked landing and I had done that many times in training but I trained at Midland Airpark (KMDD) in Midland, TX so I hadn’t really used this call much. And the callsign was not your typical US N-number so I assumed it was military. It was! A few minutes passed before a B-1B Lancer did a low approach, lit the burners and went around. The crew did another low approach, lit the burners and then left, saying something like “That’s the sound of freedom!” And it was loud! Those big engines were incredible. So thanks to that crew for the show of force! I’ve never forgotten it.
In 1986 I was there at Lowery AFB and did my 462X0 Aircraft Armament Systems Tech training in that very building. I have since visited Wings Over the Rockies and I can say that I am very glad and proud of the job they have done with preserving the old hangar and facilities. The upstairs classroom areas are now the admin offices and I can see where we had our initial tech training. Following that we were down on the floor and hands on an F-16A at the time to learn all about MAU-12s / MK-84s / TERs / B-61s / ACIUs and the SMS. So thankful for the chance of when I'm in Denver to go back to the place where it all began for me! Thanks! (Hahn AFB 50TFW 313th AMU - Lucky Puppies!)
I was there 7 years after you. Swept that floor from one end to the other. I am also very proud they have kept the place up.
1979-80 316x1L school. 63rd TTS
Thanks for the video, I came to Lowry AFB in 1962, stationed in the old Air Force Academy area. Worked on the B52 after I left there. i did pay a visit one days years later and went through Wings Over the Rockies, great place.
Am I the only one thinks this video feels like blues clues for grown-ups?
the way the presenter talks I'm not so sure it is for grownups
I guess it gets you interested in the aircraft, even if it is a bit silly. Gets you started doing more research, and maybe going to the museum.
No
I came here for good intel, ended up looking at a great bird with an annoying host. He doesn't even tell the intricacies of the bird, everyone knows about the bomb bays so that's just damn normal.
It could've been a great video had the host acted a bit maturely. Sorry but I'm disappointed.
Nice job, Matt. Looks like a very good series to introduce people to Wings, history and the planes you have.
OK, youtube is being weird. The first time I saw you was on the F14 video. SO PROFESSIONAL AND GREAT, with SPUD (you know who I am talking about). Tell the truth, that was probably the best interview ever in your life. The best part, NAVY not AF. Keep up the great work on all the HISTORY. There are channel out there that claim HISTORY, you prove your knowledge better. KEEP CHARGING BROTHER.
I worked on the B-1A flight test crew at Edwards Air Force Base back in those days. It took a lot of prior work and long hours at both Lockheed and Northrop to get that great job. Stayed there until the new B--1B hanger and facility was finally built in Palmdale. Then we went over there to help the new people build the first B-1B. After that job was done the older great guys retired, and I found a cool job at Hill AFB on the complete rebuild and upgrades on the old F4 Phantom aircraft's. My favorite aircraft as a young boy growing up.
Hello! We would like to hear more about your story. Please send us an email at marketing@wingsmuseum.org
i live in ny and this is like visiting the museum with the curator giving a private tour. love it
That's not good if the AF has to ask a museum for spare parts to keep an active aircraft flying.
f4cphantom2 the aire planes are olddd And it used to be a run way and the make new veraions of the air planes that are modern i went there before so ya
Older an aircraft gets, the harder it is to locate spare parts. Not uncommon at all
f4cphantom2 Thanks to Obama et al.
@@jrftworth They've stripped parts from museum fighter planes, too.
There was a big flack a few years ago about the Marines being hard up for parts for their F-18 fleet. It was reported they took parts off retired F-18s off the decks of RETIRED aircraft carriers like the Yorktown in South Carolina!
What they take off won't compromise the integrity of of the museum plane but it's sad when they have to start playing scavenger outside of the Boneyard. They're supposed to taking parts off planes stored in Arizona, not museums and memorials!
Well, the Marine Corps F-18 situation got improved this year... The US Navy retired its last active duty Legacy Hornets (the A-D models) from carrier use. (The US Navy will be flying Super Hornets for many more years... The length of carrier service for the Legacy Hornet was roughly as long as the F-14's service life, too.) NOT using those planes on carriers will lengthen their remaining service AND they can bail additional planes to the Marines for the Marines to use until they get more F-35s in service with the Marine Corps OR replace the Marine Corps F-18s with another plane! The USN is still using Legacy Hornets for training the reserve and Marine Corps units flying Legacy F-18s as well as aggressor squadron duties at Top Gun and other installations that have aggressor units.
Reminds me of what happened to British during the Falkland's war. The needed flying Vulcans and did not have any. The RAF went into scavenger hunt mode to get some back operational. I dont remember how many they got airworthy, but in the end there was only one missiom flown by a single bomber over the Falkland Islands. The Argentine government feared the British had many Vulcans and they would soon be bombing Argentina itself. This forced Argentina to make peace to give up sooner than they might otherwise.
I remember going there in 2016 and being shown around a couple airliner cockpit mockups by a gentleman who seemed to have flown a lot of the aircraft on display and the exact bomber they had out front. Guy had some stories!!
This was/is one of the finest aircraft this nation has ever produced, next to the B-52, "Buff." Google it as I don't use that language lol!! The B-1 on the deck at full power was something to behold! Screaming is about the only word I can use to describe this. Its RCS was small. REALLY small! Not stealthy but close. The navigation suite was a sight to behold. It pained me to see this stripped-down but hey, things are what they are.
I would LOVE to come and see her! Those rotary Bombays were something to blow your mind in the day. (No pun intended). To think of its roll in a nuclear conflict still sends shivers up my spine. Such a beautiful bird. My 2nd all-time favorite aircraft in the world!!! Perhaps one day I will get a chance to get out there.
Looking forward to this series!!! Thank you for posting this!!!!
Without doubt one of the most beautiful aircraft
I was fortunate to worked on ship one ship two and ship three B1A bombers back in the early 70's.My late fathers company Prime ENGINEERING located in S.El Monte, California was given the task maching the the main wing spar also other parts some titanium 6al4v. I was an young tool&cutter grinder that help repair or replaced the carbide cutters machining these interesting parts.At times I had delivered the smaller parts to the Assembly plant located in Palmdale, California. I'll never forget seeing the first B1A bombers being Assembled it looked like a giant model airplane with fixtures holding it together. The unusual parts I delivered was a large precision titanium part that was part of the wing.it help rotate the front wings if I remember the part no.032 it was several titanium plates about 3 inches thick about 3 feet by 4 feet long ,a machine profie contour around the perimeter, than several of these plate were taken and were fused together under several hundreds of tons,I can't remember exactly but after these plates were fused together a chemical bath was added to remove more titanium then returned back to the shop for more maching and a large hole machine producing a clevis along with bushing with the pin assembly. Very interesting work.im sure most of my fellow machist associate are long gone,but my older brother is still around and like me has a lot of memories Maching these parts along with making bulk heads for General Dynamic F111
my favorite aircraft as a kid i used to pour over pictures and blueprints or black and white prints as a kid could not get enough
I saw it today. Glorious!
I love the way you guys explain things: like little kids talking about their favorite toys. Thank you!
My final, and probably favorite active duty assignment was Lowry, as a tech. training instructor for 3.5 yrs. Best climate ever,...and I remember THAT very B-1A, as it sat on static display OUTSIDE the maintenance training hangars on Lowry. I brought a civilian friend on base to give him a tour, and when we parked and got out to walk around of that very B-1A,....I remember Eddie saying "dayum,....that thing makes you proud to be American". Drop dead gorgeous.
The B1-B is BONKERS. Empty Weight 87 Tonnes, max take off 216 tonnes. That's 129 tonnes of fuel and payload. So theoretically if you could make it fit you could strap a B52H under it and still have over 45 tonnes (about 100,000 pounds) of fuel. Nucking Futs. I bet some loony tries it now.
Wait the B1 is bigger than the b52?
This is a B1-A. The first iteration.
Cliff Yablonski citation needed, max takeoff weight of b52 is 220 tons
Great video and the music was sensational.
You didn't talk about the engine intake! This was one of the big differences between the B-1A and B-1B and why the B-1B is so much slower.
Before Matthew had his beard and long hair. I had to do a triple take. Imposter!!
I will probably never come to your museum, simply because it would be a hell of a costly trip for me... However I am very grateful that there is peoples like you that makes videos about these awesome aircrafts and keep them in (almost) complete and pristine conditions for the posperity. An enormous thanks from the bottom of my heart to all curators around the world and the teams maintaining those aircrafts.
I worked, military base access gate control at the North end of the runway. When flight crews were doing qualifications I would go home with a massive headache (wore earplugs) and even my bones hurt ( ground shaking) . It’s a loud, fast airframe. I was so happy when I could leave my post. It shakes my dishes at my home, 18 miles away.
That was a great walk-through Matthew. Thank you.
Great video - thank you!
The b-1 is an awesome aircraft. Flying 200 ft above the deck at 600 knots on a bombing run had to put fear in the enemy’s minds
I was there for “fundys” tech school before f111 bomb/nav at Nellis AFB FTD. Remember the 3.2 beer and Everclear & 7up cans and my first Hawaiian pizza (pineapple). Memories.
I was at lowry for training when the B1 was brought in on trucks and reassembled. Such an exciting time!
I actually work with the other B-1A #174 at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace museum in Ashland, Nebraska.
Figured I’d see you here in the comments.
They used to display the other intact B-1A prototype (the fourth and final B-1A built) at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, OH. Like many of the large planes displayed at the Museum, it was actually flown and landed on the base! I saw it in the late 1980s. There used to be complaints about the cost of the plane and the fact it wasn't being flown operationally. People just didn't understand it was a VERY different plane from the B-1B and you can't just re-engine the thing and put in a new radar! Structurally, it wouldn't hold up as well and had less range and was slower than the B-1B at low altitude! In the early 2000s, the fourth B-1A was disassembled and shipped by truck to the SAC Museum where it was reassembled and put on display. The National USAF Museum replaced that B-1A prototype with a retired production B-1B.
The original B-1A was retired from flying in 1981. Parts of it at least ended up at Lowry AFB where it was used as a trainer. I don't know if any piece of it still exists. A shame the the first prototypes of plane designs are often destroyed or scrapped when no longer flown. It's one thing if they get destroyed in testing but the air arms are so casual about throwing away airframes they no longer think have any use! They did the same with the YB-52, the last surviving B-52 with a bubble canopy.
@1:00 --
Forgot the museum WAS Lowry AFB.
If anyone should know WHAT happened to the original B-1A fuselage, it should be you guys! 😅
Love the X-wing fighter mixed in with real planes.
Spoiler, next is Santa.
The B-1 is a damn good looking plane. It just looks like it means business.
Dude, love your show. Don't change!
Very fortunate to see a B1-B at Ellsworth in 1989. We were in awe just walking around her, then the Captain giving us the tour said "Mind your head as you climb the ladder...." unbelieve experience. Do remember a little red toggle switch in the cockpit with "NUC" above it. Can anyone tell me if that was to do with Nuc.....? David
Love this series. Giving info on my model building. Thanks.
It was so expensive because of the test bed. Thanks Jimmy
Awesome Video👍🏻
If I'm correct when the program got started again the b-1b is the plane that went i to service. Interestingly the b-1a is supersonic while the b-1b is subsonic. That's what I've seen on a show. I could be wrong though.
B1A was a mach 2.1 machine! The B1B is also supersonic mach1.25. They changed something with the engine intakes and limited the airspeed. When Reagan saved the program and the plane was finally rolled out they seriously downplayed the speed. All had to do with kissing the Soviet's ass while slipping this monster through.
This aircraft gave me tinnitus... Still love it.
Very lnfomative thanks
What a cool behind the scenes look. I look forward to future videos.
Super Cool!!! Thank you for sharing :) I've been looking at my favorite planes and noticed this tour video, perfect!!
I worked on the B-1A at Edwards AFB
I spent 9 months at Lowry AFB in 1975 when I was going through Tech School. Great place to be stationed,right East of Denver by Aurora. I miss living in the Denver area,looking forward to next months video.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I was at Disaster Prepardness school in 89 and the B1 was parked outside the hanger next to a GIANT mound of sand. CE was putting the sand in it. So yes...it is full of sand. Where it is exactly is anyones guess. Surprised you dont find any leaking out. So the rumor is solved !
Graduate 462 school in March (I think) 1993. Our F-16 gun trainers were under that B-1's wings
such a beast 💪
Love the Bone. I always thought the capsule escape pod to be a great idea. Everyone is together and the survival gear is there and in a pinch it's shelter.
...If you didn't have to bail out over water
F-111's had a capsule. Never met a pilot or WSO who thought capsules were the way to go. One pilot told me there would have to be one helluva fire on board before he'd punch out. Not many people punched out of a F111, but most of those that did sustained significant injuries because that bag underneath didn't always deploy. The big was supposed to act as a floatation device for the capsule in the event of a water landing or as a cushion in the event it landed on dry land, 523 Crusaders 23rd TFS, 27th TFW, Cannon AFB, NM (1984 -1986).
We had one pilot die on the B-1B Combined Test Force flying out of Edwards AFB in 1984, Doug Benefield. They only had some of the original B-1As as testbeds for the B-1B program, so they had the capsules on at least 2 of them. They were doing asymmetric fuel weight testing with wing sweep at low level, when they encountered unrecoverable pitch, so they ejected the capsule to save the flight test crew. Doug wasn’t strapped in with his shoulder harness, just a lap belt, so he impacted the console pretty hard and was killed. One of the parachute riser deployment mechanisms failed to function that would have placed the capsule in a flat attitude relative to the ground, so the capsule landed nose-down. One of the flight engineers was injured badly as well. B-1B had already been planned to be individual ejection seats by that time if I recall correctly.
*pulls the ejection lever* DAMN IT CARL!
Love to see that . . . History of Lowry AFB. Upon my arrival to Denver, after my one tour at Minot AFB, ND . . . it was recognized how Lowry AFB was enveloped by Aurora to the east . . . and Denver to the west. When Lowry was built, however, it inevitably was built east of all development . . . of the City of Denver. As the decades past by, however, the Denver metropolitan area expanded in all direction . . . North (Northglenn), South (Littleton) West (Golden) and East (Aurora). Inevitably, Lowry lost its' flying mission . . . and, finally closed through training consolidations !
Thanks for the interesting video! I was under the impression that three (not two) of the four B-1As had a crew escape capsule. One B-1A (I think it was no.2, yours is no.3, right?) was lost in a flight accident, and the escape capsule worked so-so.
Nice video . 😎
I remember touring Ellsworth AFB as a kid in the late 80s. The B1Bs were the star of the show.
Excellent video. Thanks for posting it and I've subscribed. Museums like yours are an essential part of keeping history alive. Thumbs up to you and please keep turning out the videos.
My Dad worked on the B1-A's from beginning at Plant 42 till the end at Edwards ,
Wish the view inside the ladder well had been videoed along with the interior of the area behind the front seats like other crew areas seats or compartments. The fuselage appears as though there may be other large spaces besides the cockpit...? Like the video!
I was at Lowry as a student in 1965 and was back as an Instructor in 1971 in the Munitions Maintenance career field. When I was teaching the Missile and Rocket block the AIM9B Sidewinder and the AIM 7 Sparrow were kept in the hanger as the were classified at that time.
When did you finally leave there? AIM 4 Falcon school?
Uh, "conventional nuclear"… We know what you meant, though...
I'm new to all of this, what did he really mean?
.
@@4dshow conventional refers to normal non-nuclear type bombs, and nuclear refers to nuclear bombs. In short it's either conventional OR nuclear, not both. Also I think he ment to say long range cruise missiles, not short range. But what do I know I'm just a cable guy that likes military shit
@@MrKKUT1984 I'm guessing he meant "tactical" nuclear devices. Not the massive Megaton-scale thermonuclear devices.
Uh and 'rockets.' Conventional nuclear cruise rockets launched from a rocket carousel ha ha ha.
Still like the curator's enthusiasm!
Love the videos Matthew keep them coming man ❤️🙏🏽
In 2008 I was in Afghanistan and I saw a B1 loitering around what an awesome airplane
Flying battleship! 👍✈️
Reference the sand, why not open it over wing filter panels? Or the overtake panels on the main fuselage?
My dad helped restore that plane in the 80s when he was at Lowry
Great video! can't wait to see more and visit the museum!
It's a nice Museum🤓✈🇺🇸
Who went here and noticed this plane right off the bat?
Didnt realise the B1 was that old, a beautiful looking aircraft from the early 70s and still is today.
Oh yeah man! That dang peanut farmer president cancelled it!! Ronnie Reagan saved it!!
The B1 is a really good looking aircraft. It reminds me of a swan
The Russians must of thought so too since they gave their copy of the B-1 (Tu-160) the nickname "White Swan"
@@StuSaville Well they copied it pretty well then, since the Tu-160 is larger and faster than the Bone
@@uzogsi Nope the B1 A was faster
@@goodday381 Yeah all 4 prototypes...
Comparing a Tu-160 and a B-1B is like comparing a tomato and an orange and concluding that because both are spherical, the orange surely copied the tomato's design
@@uzogsi well it is a copy. You would have to be blind to think not. Russian obsession with America led to the imitation. They have one main role and it is to bomb and leave as quickly or without being seen. Same fruit but one is plastic.
Thank You for the video. Interesting and informative. Would love to visit your museum in person. Definitely will someday.
Cool video, but missing the some interesting things like the fact that B1A is supersonic where as B1B is not. Would be cool to see the difference between the 2.
B1b isn't supersonic?
@@mattmatt516 Nope, B1A was suppose to be, but due cancellation and then reinstatement it was decided that its not going to be supersonic.
At least according to Wikipedia, the b-1b top speed is mach 1.25. Though it's optimized for low-level flight at Mach .9 6
@@mattmatt516 Yes, but if you read further you will see how much the speed was lowered from original plan. It can go supersonic, just barely but it might cause structural damage, so they dont do that. Even A380 can go supersonic in a dive :)
B1B shape still permits that as a legacy of B1A, but B1B is optimized for low level high subsonic speeds. So yes it can go supersonic for very short time but risk is too high hence it is not flying supersonic.
Alex Razhyk I have never heard that there are structural problems with flying the B-1B supersonic. Do you have any credible sources for that claim?
Hey! Who is that handsome dude that all the Colorado girls are talking about? Mathew!,,! You look so professional! Just like the rest of us aero phreaks. Very believable channel now.
Sooner or later I am going to visit your place!! I watch your videos and can’t wait to actually visit!! 🤘
I regret not going for the airforce after college, got sidetracked with short term goals vs long term commitments, but being at the very least a bombadier nav or ECM guy in the back seat section of the B-1B was a very strong pull for me! My vision wasn't good enough to be pilot or co-pilot. This plane and the F-111F are about the coolest planes the USAF ever had in service! F-111F was retired shortly before I graduated from high-school so that was a no go.
so much about the plane that wasn't even mentioned. this is like modern day "news stories" that have 3 lines in them.
Not sure if this history is correct but I’ve read the B-1a original design was for low altitude short duration supersonic and the b-1b design was for low altitude longer duration high subsonic flight. I’ve read conflicting info recently that the B-1a was only supersonic at high altitude and high subsonic max at low altitude and that the b-1b was at low altitude a higher subsonic capability then the B-1a? Not sure which it is. I believe the B-1b is capable of some amount of transonic ability at high altitude even if it’s stealthy air intakes are fixed vs the less stealthy adjustable air intakes of the B-1a better suited to supersonic high or low?
That X-Wing must have come from Area 51.
im so old i remember when pres carter canceled it along with the mx missile. . my father read the ny times i clearly remember reading about it. i certainly remember when Reagan brought it back. now its long retired.
B-1B is still in active service.
More wasted money.
@Kilo: Just another massive money waste by the military.
Since AIPAC basically owns Congress...the US taxpayer has spent hundreds of billions on Israel.
It would be super cool if you guys got your hands on a D21 drone for display, Great video!!
Part of me thinks they should have made more B1B's, part of me cant wait till the B21 Raider comes out.
I got to climb up in one of these at an air show one year. Helped that my old man knew the pilot, they flew fighters in years past.
A funny story from El Segundo. There was a mockup of the B-1 that was used for design and fit check. After production was well underway Rockwell decided it was time to have it dismantled and sold for scrap. One company won the bid and brought in a crew along with equipment to do the job. When the first cutting torch fired up and started on a wing panel it caught fire. These guys were under the impression that the mockup was actually fabricated with aluminum. They really didn't think they bid on the scrap value of foam board and plywood.
How can you talk about the b1 without talking about its wings?
Haha! B-52 is going to outlast the plane that was supposed to replace it. Phenomenal.
No not good the b-52 is obsolete when you aren't fighting against afghan children
Great Video. I've loved this plane since the movie Real Genius and one of my family friends served as an Air Force MP who guarded these in the 80's when they were kept on alert. He said they had a circle around them on the Tarmac. If you went in that circle he got to shoot you and ask questions later.
I asked one the guys guarding a Nighthawk if I could take a look he told me he'd have to shoot me. Seeing as how he had a gun I believed him :-D
The cost overruns in reality belonged to the Space Shuttle, North American Rockwell played games with the time cards and other expenses of the Shuttle, making it look like the B-1 had the cost overruns.
Thank you. Love these videos.
I was in the last class held at Lowry in1994.
Whats the reason for not allowing engines inside display pieces?
Great job with the walk-through! Can't wait to see the ones for the F-104 and A-7 :)
Great Video
Good show bro, JETS ROCK!!!
🛫🛬🛩🚀
Thank you! MB