"How to Fly a B-52" - City News Group

Last Saturday the March Field Air Museum held a summer lecture on "How to Fly a B-52" in the Yeager Family Library. The guest speaker, Lieutenant Colonel Richard "Dick" Heitman, Retired of the United States Air Force (USAF), has over 4,000 hours flying a B-52. When he's not in the air, you can find Heitman volunteering his time once a week at the Air Museum. During the event, Heitman shared his years of knowledge on the B-52s, which goes by the official name of "Stratofortress." August 5, 1954 was the first production of the B-52A, and the first initial operational assignment was June 29, 1955. To demonstrate its power, the three air crafts flew non-stop around the world from January 16-18 in 1957. The B-52 is a long range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The bomber carries up to 70,000 pounds of weapons. The B-52 marked its 50th anniversary of continuous service in 2005 and is scheduled to continue service into the 2040s. Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service, despite the advent of later aircraft. Heitman completed USAF pilot training in 1959 and flew B-47s for three years. He transitioned into B-52s in 1963 and spent the rest of his career flying C, D, E, F and H models. His total Air Force flying time is 7,000 hours with over 4430 hours in the B-52. Following his lecture, Heitman lead a walk around the museum's B-52 Stratofortress on the flightline. Six people would board at a time including the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, officer, and gunner. The crew was an important function to flying these air crafts. The B-52 has been used during the Cold War, Vietnam, and is still being used today, with new models being developed throughout the years, the newest being the B-52H. According to the sign sitting near the B-52 in the Air Museum, the Stratofortress is "considered the longest serving front-line military aircraft in aviation history." [END] "How to Fly a B-52" Date: Saturday, June 21, 2014 Time: 1:00 p.m. Event Location: March Field Air Museum Address: 22550 Van Buren Blvd Riverside CA 92518 Description: March Field Air Museum will be hosting a summer briefing on “How to Fly a B-52” beginning in the Yeager Family Library. The talk will be followed by a walk –around the museum’s B-52 Stratofortress on the flightline. Museum admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 11 years. B-52 Stratofortress Honored at March Field Air Museum Riverside, California (June12 , 2014) – March Field Air Museum will be hosting a summer briefing on “How to Fly a B-52” on Saturday June 21. The talk begins at one PM in the museum’s Yeager Family Library followed by a walk –around the museum’s B-52 Stratofortress on the flightline. Richard “Dick” Heitman, LT Colonel USAF, Retired will be the featured speaker. Dick completed USAF pilot training in 1959 and flew B-47’s for three years. He transitioned into B-52’s in 1963 and spent the rest of his career flying C,D,E,F and H models. His total Air Force flying time is 7,000 hours with over 4430 hours in the B-52. The B-52 is a long range, subsonic, jet powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950’s. The bomber carries up to 70,000 pounds of weapons. The B-52 marked its 50th anniversary of continuous service in 2005 and is scheduled to continue service into the 2040’s. Superior performance at high subsonic speeds and relatively low operating costs have kept the B-52 in service, despite the advent of later aircraft. Museum Curator Jeff Houlihan says “it will be a great opportunity to see two Veterans at the same time-Mr. Heitman and the B-52.” Museum admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 11 years. Schedule of personal appearances at the two day sessions are: The museum is located at 22550 Van Buren Blvd in Riverside and is open Tuesday-Sunday from 9-4PM. Photo attached.