A Date with the Stratofortress

[Z-06]

B-52 Park
Orlando, Florida

Orlando International Airport (MCO) is often jokingly called as the Mickey's Corporate Office, but little do people know that it used to be once McCoy Air Force Base from which it gets the airport code. McCoy AF Base was one of the bases on the Atlantic which handled the heavy hitters B-52 hence boasts a pair of one of the longest runways to let those beasts take off. As a fitting tribute to the B-52's, which flew from the McCoy Air Base, City of Orlando has built a nice little park and placed one of the m in the center. Known as the B-52 Memorial Park, the Park has a retired B-52D Stratofortress #56-0687 which belonged to the 7th Bombardment Wing while in service. The plane is said to have flown from Carswell AF Base Texas to MCO for its final flight in 1984.

After living for nearly five years in this flat, sandy, palmy and hot town, I finally got a time to visit this little park which I always wanted to as I have a soft spot for the B-52s. It was a beautiful, sunny, Sunday afternoon in January. Before seeing of my girl to snow struck Michigan, we went and spent a little time with the monster machine.

If you ever visit Orlando, please do not miss this place. Not many people lurk around the area, and it is a nice quiet place to just relax and watch the prowess of the machine - and let me know if you are there as I can literally jog from my home to the B-52 .

The Wing Body and the W-Body


YES I CAN HOLD IT UP!

[Intrepidation]

That's no Flying Fortress, this is!

This thread is a lie!

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

I love B-17s

B-52s are cool too. Strategic Air Command ASSEMBLE!

[Chris_Doane]

That's no Flying Fortress, this is!

This thread is a lie!

I was just getting ready to make this same post.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I was just getting ready to make this same post.

LOL me too.

I've been in that specific B17 (Sentimental Journey) here at Calgary Airport- a Museum in Mesa, AZ owns the plane and flies it around North America from time to time on tour.

[cletus8269]

not too long ago here in anderson a b17 and a b24 came to town. courtesy of the collings foundation. for a $425 donation and enough signups they would take you up in the b-17 or the b-24. for $7 you got to walk through both planes. i filled up a memory card somewhere with pictures.

they were also on jay leno's garage

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j_video.htm

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-17g_video.htm

here is the schedule.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

On topic, i would love the chance to walk through a B52. What an amazing piece of machinery. Boy did the taxpayers ever get their money outta her. people in the air force jokingly call her their grandfather's plane. as long as parts are still available they are projected to be in service til 2040 i think. probably only the 1911 and kabar have been close enough in service length.

Edited March 18, 2009 by cletus8269

[Justin Bimmer]

The B-52 is the Stratofortress

[Intrepidation]

not too long ago here in anderson a b17 and a b24 came to town. courtesy of the collings foundation. for a $425 donation and enough signups they would take you up in the b-17 or the b-24. for $7 you got to walk through both planes. i filled up a memory card somewhere with pictures.

they were also on jay leno's garage

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j_video.htm

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-17g_video.htm

here is the schedule.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

On topic, i would love the chance to walk through a B52. What an amazing piece of machinery. Boy did the taxpayers ever get their money outta her. people in the air force jokingly call her their grandfather's plane. as long as parts are still available they are projected to be in service til 2040 i think. probably only the 1911 and kabar have been close enough in service length.

Both of those came to town several years ago. I remember it clearly. It was the first war spec B-34 I had ever seen in the air. However the real story for me was the 909. That plane was immaculate (and I prefer B-17s). It looks brand new, started up brand new...all of the control surfaces were straight and shiny. Not a drop of oil anywhere. The restoration work was most impressive. Of course it had also been rerestored recently at the time after a landing accident which heavily damaged it.

It was a stark contrast to the Memphis Belle (movie version) that came by a few years later, which had worn control surfaces, lots of oil slick around and behind the engines, worn plating, and it was grounded at the airport for months due to engine problems.

As for the B-52, it's a cool bomber....it looks a lot better than the early models did. However it lacks teh beauty of the B-17