B2 question

MStateU

Well-known member
Nov 15, 2009
779
1,427
93
So those guys were in that cockpit for 36 hours? What badasses. How does that work exactly? Take turns piloting? Rest and auto pilot? Bathroom?
 

RotorHead

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
602
371
63
Had a buddy who flew B-1s on the long range stuff over Syria. It’s a wild process that starts when you wake up prior to the mission. Eat this at a certain time, take that at a certain time….in addition to the creature comforts like a cot and chemical toilet of course. I hope they’ve got better seats than I; after 2 hours, my butt goes numb if I didn’t get the seat right on preflight
 

pseudonym

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2022
4,227
6,227
113
They have a toilet and a bed. They even have a damn microwave.

After dropping bunker busters…
Angry Season 3 GIF by The Office
 

GloryDawg

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2005
17,058
10,249
113
The real question is how long the pilots flying the Generation 4 and Generation 5 escort fighters stuck in their seats. Those were the bad asses. They probably took off somewhere a little closer. I guess like NACAR drivers. What do they do?
 
Last edited:

She Mate Me

Well-known member
Dec 7, 2008
11,102
8,289
113
The real question is how long the pilots flying the Generation 4 and Generation 5 escort fighters stuck in their seats. Those were the bad asses. They probably took off somewhere a little closer. I guess like NACAR drivers. What do they do?

I got the impression they picked up new escorts once they crossed the Atlantic.
 

onewoof

Well-known member
Mar 4, 2008
12,444
9,636
113
The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has an unrefueled range of 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 miles or 11,000 km). With one mid-air refueling, its range extends to over 10,000 nautical miles (11,500 miles or 19,000 km). This allows it to reach any point on the globe within hours.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trojanbulldog19

GloryDawg

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2005
17,058
10,249
113
I am not going to say you are wrong, but the escorts were F-15E, F-16, F-22 and the US Navy do not use those planes. Those are Air Force planes. There were some F-35 which the US Navy use but so does the Air Force. Those planes were probably repositioned to bases in the region. I don't see Naval planes fling escort for Air Force. There are rivalries between branches of service. The Air Force would not allow it to happen when they can do it themselves.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: PhredPhantom

johnson86-1

Well-known member
Aug 22, 2012
13,508
3,976
113
The 2 man crew sit side by side like a bomber or airline jet. I’ve never actually seen where the bed is but there’s some sort of fold down cot and it’s a chemical toilet and apparently a microwave.
How pissed does the other pilot get when one drops a deuce in that chemical toilet. Hell, even just pissing in it probably stinks up the joint unless the military somehow has access to some toilet technology that isn’t available on small recreational boats.
 
  • Like
Reactions: horshack.sixpack

GloryDawg

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2005
17,058
10,249
113
Maybe he pilots just wear depends on and let it rip when they have to go.,
 
Aug 26, 2014
28
35
13
The real question is how long the pilots flying the Generation 4 and Generation 5 escort fighters stuck in their seats. Those were the bad asses. They probably took off somewhere a little closer. I guess like NACAR drivers. What do they do?
The Real Bad Asses were the WWII Pilots. My father was P51 pilot in the Pacific Theater. He regularly flew 8 - 9 hour missions from Iwo Jima to Mainland Japan. These guys were strapped into that small cockpit with no bathroom, no microwave, & no radar. Many times their crew chief had to pry their hands off of the yoke and lift them out of the cockpit due to the length of the mission and then wash them down with a hose because they had to go to the bathroom during the mission.
 

Villagedawg

Well-known member
Nov 16, 2005
1,302
1,035
113
So those guys were in that cockpit for 36 hours? What badasses. How does that work exactly? Take turns piloting? Rest and auto pilot? Bathroom?
My friend flew B-52s. They are able to swap out. Side note. He described flying it as like driving a 100 foot wide RV.
 
  • Like
Reactions: onewoof

dudehead

Well-known member
Jul 9, 2006
1,453
505
113
I had a cousin who was a U-2 pilot back in the day. He wore a space suit that had the can built in; in a tight cock pit to boot.

An interesting factoid: once an AF pilot was selected to fly the U-2 back then, the pilot then came under the jurisdiction of the CIA with the highest security clearance in the US. After my cousin retired about 25 years or so ago, he parlayed that experience into contracting back with DOD and was involved in finding Saddam Hussein. Of course, he couldn't give us any details and would usually answer questions with this: "all I can say is you don't ever want to be on the receiving end of the tip of the spear of US military firepower because it will eliminate you when and how it wants to."

To make this sports related: in his college days, he was Pat Sullivan's guard on the gridiron of the Plains. The man lived a rich, but sadly, shorter life than most of us.