[Video] B-52 strategic bomber landing on a very short runway

October 1, 2013 Military Aviation

David Cenciotti

The following video was recorded in 1983.

It shows the B-52 Stratofortress of the then Strategic Air Command, currently on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, arriving at the airport serving the largest UK aviation museum.

The runway at Duxford is 1,500 mt in length, and the bomber barely managed to remain within the runway (in spite of being stripped of all unnecessary equipment to make it lighter).

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

phuzz says:

October 2, 2013 at 9:44 AM

Duxford is well worth a visit if you like aircraft (and if you’re reading this, I guess you do).

The B52 had a hanger built around it, just big enough to house it, and then most of the other US aircraft in their collection were positioned around and under it. I knew that B52’s were big, but until you stand next to one and realise that the fuselage on it’s own is as big as an entire *row* of houses you can’t appreciate it.
They also have all sorts of other interesting aircraft.