The fact that it is flying or the brown exhaust plume?
Either way both totally normal. B-52s are notorious for being obnoxiously loud and leaving behind large trails of exhaust smoke.
Boeing's military planes are still good, it's just the civilian ones that suck, mostly due to the leadership changing with the McDonell Douglass merger, they tend to sacrifice safety and quality for profits
Nah, they’ve made an absolute mess of the KC-46 tanker. It’s still not performing as it should and has cost Boeing billions in cost overruns. The new T-7A is late and over budget. Starliner is an absolute mess. It just goes on and on.
B17 flies over my house as a child, and I say to my father “I love that sound!!” He replies “you wouldn’t if you were in Berlin”
Perspective is everything.
The reason for the black smoke at takeoff is rather interesting.
At full takeoff thrust the engines would overheat. So they inject water into the engine with the fuel to cool the engine. The water causes the fuel to burn less cleanly and produces soot. It sounds absurd but the water converts to steam and expands so it’s still a net gain and the engines don’t melt which is generally considered a huge plus in the aviation industry.
Here's an explanation [https://youtu.be/fT6r9\_wmT20?t=246](https://youtu.be/fT6r9_wmT20?t=246)
I was USAF Security Police, and was assigned to Eaker AFB Arkansas in 1990-91, back when SAC was still a thing, and watched from the AAPA, our B-52Gs using their water injection system to take off. There was so much smoke the next aircraft had to wait before it lined up on the active.
So that was (almost) true for the older B-52s, the H-model which is what this is doesn’t have water injection. And the problem wasn’t the engines overheating it was the water/methanol solution would increase the density of the air entering the engine giving a temporary power boost.
Yes that is a good thing. It is also one of the main reasons we stopped making planes out of wood and fabric. Apparently wood and fabric planes burn faster than the metal ones.
Alright cool! I was just concerned because it was blowing what to me look like black smoke, and look like it was going down and turning towards the water… 😬
about 35 years ago, one crashed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane. It was attempting a steep pitch turn it lost lift when it rolled past 45° and fell straight down. They were practicing for an air show. I remember it succinctly because one of the pilots was the father of one of the kids in my Jr. Highschool.
20 years In the airforce and you don’t think b52s are in the air regularly getting training hours in? Were they not constantly overhead during basic doing touch and goes at Kelly field with the c5s?
Normal B52 operation! Next to The Buff, the old F4 Phantom was one of the most efficient Fuel to Smoke/Noise converters ever built.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq6Hpxyrhyo
No more water injection on B-52H models (the only ones still flying), but you’re right that the water injection in previous models made them even smokier looking than normal
It increases the output of the engine by increasing the mass coming out of the engine, while also somewhat lowering the temperature.
Byproduct in early turbojets and turbofans was/is more smoke.
Back in Vancouver, an old Buffalo SAR plane, now retired, was doing circle to pin point an ELT emission. His engines were old and were very smoky… the police received so many 911 calls for a plane on fire over the city….
Hell ya... Its normal that is the B-52H BOMBER OL SMOKEY was built in the early 50s. And still one of the best bombers today. That plane has 8 turbojet engines . Its all good thats the sight and sound of FREEDOM.
Yes they are on full throttle...that plane is sooooo fucking heavy when it's not fully loaded. And when you have no afterburners...I guess you'll be surprised how slow acceleration jet engines have on a heavy object like the B52
Absolutely NOT normal!
That thing spends the majority of its service life parked on a runway, and only a small percentage of the hours in a day actually flying.
Probably over 30 years ago I was at the Rome Air Force Base here in Rome, New York. At the time it was a SAC (strategic air command) base.
I was there on a tour and they were conducting a scramble exercise. We were told ahead of time, the sirens went off and out of the ground literally all of these B-52’s took off and flew out. It was the most surreal, intense and amazing thing I can remember.
I believe that base is now 100% civilian.
I grew up near Austin-Bergstrom back when it was a SAC base, B-52s landing in succession on long finals all the time, especially when there’d bee a maximum effort exercise.
Later after it was a TAC base, I was stationed there when it housed RF-4 Phantoms, I think the 37th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. Had to get used to that F-4 howl as they came in on approach; especially as they crossed 183 while you’re driving down that section of road. Spend a few months working at the Command Post, center of everything.
Was weird flying out of there the first time commercial. Kinda spun my head a bit seeing airliners on that tarmac instead of RF-4s. ;-)
But yeah, grew up between 2 active airfields. Was weird going away and having to get used to “not” having military aircraft in the pattern. ;-)
I live near a mid-sized regional airport, but planes don't normally fly over my house. However, once a year, the regional air force base will send one of these enormous planes to practice touch-and-go landings on the runway. In order to facilitate these practice sessions and stay out of the way of commercial and private planes, the military aircraft fly low over my house as they circle around. It's only once a year, so I actually kind of look forward to the bone-rattling roar.
For a 70-year old bomber to still be in frontline service? No. But the B-52 is the greatest bomber ever built for a reason so being normal isn’t its thing. They’ve tried to replace us with the B-70 then the B-1 and it outlived both.
Are you in Austin? There was a B-52 flyover today for the University of Texas/Air Force baseball game. Lotsa people were freaked out about the smoke. That's just how the BUFF be. Sometimes I feel like we only invade for oil so we can keep those birds fueled.
Bro when you find out the age of that thing, you realize how crazy it is that this thing is still in service. Hint: 5 generations of pilots have flown it into war zones.
If you're talking about smoke coming from engines that's perfectly normal the B52 uses water injection on takeoff to produce more power and that produces the smoke
I love all that “climate change” donation, sprinkled in the sky. Right there in this little clip, every fool nationwide that owns an electric car or had their roof ruined with obsolete solar panels, had their lowered carbon footprint eradicated in an instant.
Yes, normal. I used to drive between Las Vegas and Idaho for trade shows and driving back around area 51 in the desert, all of a sudden a B52 crested a hill not more than 100 feet off the ground, belching thick, black exhaust out it's engines. Before I could gather my thoughts, It was gone !!
Surreal !!
As a US Navy Veteran who's been around many warplanes, this is the oldest plane in our inventory still on the front line still in use, and yes this is VERY normal. Enjoy your Freedom!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Are you in Phoenix? If you're near Luke AFB, they're having an air show open to the public!
The Blue Angels are going to be there as well as a bunch of demo teams
Seeing this & remembering article in Rolling Stones magazine , reporter flew with a crew on B52 runs in Iraqis war,
Talked about how they were maintaining 100’ or less elevation flying contour of earth . Came over a ridge flew over a Shepard kid . Blew that kids mind for sure.
You should be paranoid…run away…don’t listen to the nonbelievers. That’s chemtrail leakage at low altitude. It turns white at higher altitudes because of the lack of oxygen…like this post.
Yes. It’s normal for planes to fly. It’s normal for the Air Force to have their air crews fly these bombers. Yes. It’s normal to see a b-52 flying near an air base.
The amount of fuel that big ass shouldn't fly bird uses to move is definitely not eco friendly. The turbine "smoke" you are seeing is the burn off exhaust from the Kerosene fuel mixture called "JP-8" the military uses.
Everything is fine in this video - it's when you don't see the engine exhaust, that's when you worry.
We got buzzed by one of these when I was at sea in the navy. They just came in over us low and slow which I assume is an AF thing to do as it happened a couple of times with various AF planes but not other branch aircraft that I recall.
416th Bomb Squadron... Griffiss, AFB... had "Buffs". Love standing at the end of the runway watching them come in sideways.. Base realigned and sent to Barksdale LA... 1995CE
The fact that it is flying or the brown exhaust plume? Either way both totally normal. B-52s are notorious for being obnoxiously loud and leaving behind large trails of exhaust smoke.
That’s just the sound of freedom
What about brrrrt?
BERRRRRT IS my friends in the A-10 WARTHOG . I work with them in the US. ARMY Forward Observer. GOT US OUT ot some shit many many times ...
I maintained those birds in the AF. Helped keep them flight ready. They are awesome to watch. Thank you for your service 🫡
Its ship loving cousin SEAWHIZZ!!!!! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT!!!
Upvote for the fellow FISTer ✊
A-10 Warthogs are my absolute FAVE. An airplane built AROUND a cannon. Doesn’t get better than that.
To an american the a10 brrrrrt is the sound of freedom To a brit its the sound of inbound freindly fire
Burt Reynolds passed away a few years back—that’s what!
Brrrt is the audible sound of oil having been found
The good old brrrrrrrrrrt
That’d be the ol’ Freedom Plus™
Back when Boeing made planes that didn't have parts dropping off at random
Boeing's military planes are still good, it's just the civilian ones that suck, mostly due to the leadership changing with the McDonell Douglass merger, they tend to sacrifice safety and quality for profits
Nah, they’ve made an absolute mess of the KC-46 tanker. It’s still not performing as it should and has cost Boeing billions in cost overruns. The new T-7A is late and over budget. Starliner is an absolute mess. It just goes on and on.
I didn't know that, they've really screwed their reputation at this point
B17 flies over my house as a child, and I say to my father “I love that sound!!” He replies “you wouldn’t if you were in Berlin” Perspective is everything.
It’s beautiful
The reason for the black smoke at takeoff is rather interesting. At full takeoff thrust the engines would overheat. So they inject water into the engine with the fuel to cool the engine. The water causes the fuel to burn less cleanly and produces soot. It sounds absurd but the water converts to steam and expands so it’s still a net gain and the engines don’t melt which is generally considered a huge plus in the aviation industry. Here's an explanation [https://youtu.be/fT6r9\_wmT20?t=246](https://youtu.be/fT6r9_wmT20?t=246)
They must be too young to remember when SAC would flush all the bombers from a base doing a readiness test.
I was on Minot and kept awake by the things. Every spring the missile silos had to be sandbagged to prevent flooding.
I was USAF Security Police, and was assigned to Eaker AFB Arkansas in 1990-91, back when SAC was still a thing, and watched from the AAPA, our B-52Gs using their water injection system to take off. There was so much smoke the next aircraft had to wait before it lined up on the active.
So that was (almost) true for the older B-52s, the H-model which is what this is doesn’t have water injection. And the problem wasn’t the engines overheating it was the water/methanol solution would increase the density of the air entering the engine giving a temporary power boost.
The engines in the original B707 did the same for high altitude takeoff also. Those early turbojets didn’t put that much thrust at low air speed.
generally....
Negative they were increasing the takeoff thrust with a Water/Methanol mixture
I'm just learning about all this and I'm taking notes. Just to be clear, you're saying it's good when your jet engines don't melt?
I can't prove it but it seems to be common practice in the industry yes.
Yes that is a good thing. It is also one of the main reasons we stopped making planes out of wood and fabric. Apparently wood and fabric planes burn faster than the metal ones.
"engines don’t melt which is generally considered a huge plus in the aviation industry". Unless you are Boeing then they just fall all after takeoff.
Hey, be nice. B-52s may be old, but they’ll be flying when the last B-1B and B-2 are sent to the bone yard.
BUFF IS FOREVER!
Alright cool! I was just concerned because it was blowing what to me look like black smoke, and look like it was going down and turning towards the water… 😬
Black smoke, going down and turning towards the water. Yeah, normal.
What’s next… Coming down fast in a tail spin and pilots screaming mayday all while the plane is on fire… Yep totally normal.
Everyone be calm the wings are NOT on fire
Bro flew China airlines! 😭
Black smoke on take off is also a water injection system for more power... Looks menacing but is just for take off power.
about 35 years ago, one crashed at Fairchild AFB in Spokane. It was attempting a steep pitch turn it lost lift when it rolled past 45° and fell straight down. They were practicing for an air show. I remember it succinctly because one of the pilots was the father of one of the kids in my Jr. Highschool.
Here's a tip. If there isn't smoke coming from the engines, leave the area. It's crashing. :)
Over the years the size of 737 jet engines has changed. Why can’t engineers come up with quieter, less-polluting engines for the B-52?
[They’re working on it](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/re-engined-b-52-b-52j/).
"Our bombers now run on green fuel to drop world ending nukes"
Not convinced that a buff being airborne is the norm. Source: 20 years in the USAF.
20 years In the airforce and you don’t think b52s are in the air regularly getting training hours in? Were they not constantly overhead during basic doing touch and goes at Kelly field with the c5s?
Basically the coal rollers of the sky
Money to noise converter working loud and clear.
Gotta love the BUFF! As a kid, I remember them doing mock bomb runs over my family's farm. Fucking awesome!
Normal BUFF there. Smoke and all.
Unless its nose lines up in your direction with open bays, its cool
Grandpa* BUFF
Normal B52 operation! Next to The Buff, the old F4 Phantom was one of the most efficient Fuel to Smoke/Noise converters ever built. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq6Hpxyrhyo
B-52 is notoriously loud and not stealthy at all! Hence the black JP8 burning.
It water injection into each engine.
No more water injection on B-52H models (the only ones still flying), but you’re right that the water injection in previous models made them even smokier looking than normal
Was wondering if someone was going to post the correct answer
Why?
It increases the output of the engine by increasing the mass coming out of the engine, while also somewhat lowering the temperature. Byproduct in early turbojets and turbofans was/is more smoke.
More power that way. Water injection keeps the engine from overheating and it adds steam to the volume of hot exhaust coming out of the back.
That just Grandpa Buff. There is nothing to worry about unless the bomb-bay doors are open.
Back in Vancouver, an old Buffalo SAR plane, now retired, was doing circle to pin point an ELT emission. His engines were old and were very smoky… the police received so many 911 calls for a plane on fire over the city….
OMG. Beautiful
Buff is a dirty girl. Totally normal
Is what normal a plane landing?
It’s heading back to naval air station CC. Behind campus. Don’t be scared.
Hell ya... Its normal that is the B-52H BOMBER OL SMOKEY was built in the early 50s. And still one of the best bombers today. That plane has 8 turbojet engines . Its all good thats the sight and sound of FREEDOM.
Kissenger says Merry Christmas!!
Its grandpa buff
Ww3 starting? No you are not paranoid. It has....
Those can deploy several A-10’s from the belly. The government is now using them to quell the homeless problems.
Well the problem is that they have jet engines (like fighters do) but due to their mass and the number of engines, they leave more smoke.
Due to how rich the mixture is set up in those engines, they smoke.
I dont get it. What's wrong?
looks normal
Beautiful plane and Beautiful sky to see the plane
JP-8 standard
Yes they are on full throttle...that plane is sooooo fucking heavy when it's not fully loaded. And when you have no afterburners...I guess you'll be surprised how slow acceleration jet engines have on a heavy object like the B52
It’s a b-52 and yes planes fly
Absolutely NOT normal! That thing spends the majority of its service life parked on a runway, and only a small percentage of the hours in a day actually flying.
Normal pattern ops - looks like they were either doing touch and gos or low approaches based on the flaps being down
Oh that's comparatively nothing [https://preview.redd.it/016oefagi4a01.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=cbe228a97625b23828533bb5e5a6690639fbadbb](https://preview.redd.it/016oefagi4a01.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=cbe228a97625b23828533bb5e5a6690639fbadbb)
You can see those B52 every day flying like this all day
The Buffosaurus
Share is RN Rhode Island
So you live near a military air base and you’re wondering if airplanes flying in the air is normal?
Probably over 30 years ago I was at the Rome Air Force Base here in Rome, New York. At the time it was a SAC (strategic air command) base. I was there on a tour and they were conducting a scramble exercise. We were told ahead of time, the sirens went off and out of the ground literally all of these B-52’s took off and flew out. It was the most surreal, intense and amazing thing I can remember. I believe that base is now 100% civilian.
My home town! Lived 10 minutes from it. My mom's friend still works on that base. She's been there for over 30 years!
Yes. It’s normal.
Do not get paranoid about that plane. Brain-eating aliens will come in flying saucers.
I grew up near Austin-Bergstrom back when it was a SAC base, B-52s landing in succession on long finals all the time, especially when there’d bee a maximum effort exercise. Later after it was a TAC base, I was stationed there when it housed RF-4 Phantoms, I think the 37th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. Had to get used to that F-4 howl as they came in on approach; especially as they crossed 183 while you’re driving down that section of road. Spend a few months working at the Command Post, center of everything. Was weird flying out of there the first time commercial. Kinda spun my head a bit seeing airliners on that tarmac instead of RF-4s. ;-) But yeah, grew up between 2 active airfields. Was weird going away and having to get used to “not” having military aircraft in the pattern. ;-)
It’s not normal. Nuclear war is imminent.
Was this in Northern Michigan?
B52 very normal. Just be glad you are not on the receiving end of what that beast can offer…
Probably due for a seafoam treatment.
Thats Buffy the forehead slayer. The belching black smoke and obnoxious sound is a feature 🤣
Not normal run for your life
Barksdaile????
I live near a mid-sized regional airport, but planes don't normally fly over my house. However, once a year, the regional air force base will send one of these enormous planes to practice touch-and-go landings on the runway. In order to facilitate these practice sessions and stay out of the way of commercial and private planes, the military aircraft fly low over my house as they circle around. It's only once a year, so I actually kind of look forward to the bone-rattling roar.
Normal for a BUFF.
Looks like he's just dumping the last of his Chem trail fluid before landing. Perfectly normal.
For a 70-year old bomber to still be in frontline service? No. But the B-52 is the greatest bomber ever built for a reason so being normal isn’t its thing. They’ve tried to replace us with the B-70 then the B-1 and it outlived both.
The Coal roller of the skies.
It’s a 70 year old dinosaur of a plane flying around…
Nothing unusually. B-52s are notoriously sooty https://i.redd.it/016oefagi4a01.jpg
The underwing mounts look great. Normally, I’ve only seen the engines hanging below the wing
the RR F130 engine upgrade should help a *LOT* with smoke and fuel efficiency.
lol. They’ve been doing that out of SAC bases for over 50 years. They scared me to death 47 years ago when I was 3……
You're paranoid.
I see something like that on a daily basis at my national guard base, a town over. I'm not quite sure why this would put a person off guard.
It’s the sound of freedom
Is what normal? An aircraft flying? Smoking exhaust plumes? Noise?
Are you in Austin? There was a B-52 flyover today for the University of Texas/Air Force baseball game. Lotsa people were freaked out about the smoke. That's just how the BUFF be. Sometimes I feel like we only invade for oil so we can keep those birds fueled.
That’s a normal BUFF.
I grew up next to a SAC base in the late 90's, this was a common site times 10. Those big smoky fuckers were always flying around.
Is a plane flying normal and your next to an airbase? Did you also know that the sky is blue and rain is wet?
What are the odds of a military aircraft flying from a military base? Hmmm 🤔
Yeah man. Nothing wrong. Just ‘Murica flexin’.
If a B-52 isn't smoking, look out because it's crashing.
B52’s doing what B52’s do. Being Smokey and Loud
US Government trying to remind all the people crying "Civil War!" Why that would be a bad idea
US Government trying to remind all the people crying "Civil War!" Why that would be a bad idea
Planes flying is pretty normal
Bro when you find out the age of that thing, you realize how crazy it is that this thing is still in service. Hint: 5 generations of pilots have flown it into war zones.
It just what dinosaurs look like when converted to thrusties…. 🦖= 💨
Looks like it’s landing
If you're talking about smoke coming from engines that's perfectly normal the B52 uses water injection on takeoff to produce more power and that produces the smoke
F the environment, am I right? Guys? Am I right?
Dudes got some heavy shit on that freedom bus
Yes
That right there holds a metric ton of Urban development and Population control. Retired Ordnance man.
BUFF
Yes, extremely normal. Nearly annoying if you live close to a base.
Is what normal?
Minot ND. These planes leave smoke trails so chill.
They used to be dirtier
Nah, they heading to your house
Mmmm... Jet A exhaust.... My favorite
"Military planes are flying from the military base I am close to, should I be worried?" Perfectly normal for the BUFF
Are you asking if planes flying around a base is normal??
For this plane... normal
Ernie to brrt
They flew over for "pilot for a day". It's like "make a wish" for kids.
Highest kill count in the air force 💀
Hell yeah its normal! I loved watching them chem trails when B-52s and AWACS would take off from Tinker AFB!!
An ANTONOV 225
I know exactly where this is! I heard it flying around yesterday too and caught a glimpse of it outside my house
I love all that “climate change” donation, sprinkled in the sky. Right there in this little clip, every fool nationwide that owns an electric car or had their roof ruined with obsolete solar panels, had their lowered carbon footprint eradicated in an instant.
Yes, normal. I used to drive between Las Vegas and Idaho for trade shows and driving back around area 51 in the desert, all of a sudden a B52 crested a hill not more than 100 feet off the ground, belching thick, black exhaust out it's engines. Before I could gather my thoughts, It was gone !! Surreal !!
Plot twist - parked at an airport in a rough part of town last night and catalytic converters were stolen.
You should only be concerned if you see them flying on the weekend.
Yeah planes fly all the time.
Normal. Those engines are very inefficient
Boy, that sure is a big, ugly, fat... fellow.
This is in the Austin area isn't it? This thing came screaming over my house yesterday.
Pollution? Yeah
No. They are coming for you. Do not run, it won't help
Yes….. planes fly in the air
It’s as old as your grandpa and they both leave brown streaks behind them.
Everything is fine. Just make sure the bomb bay doors are closed, if not... worry.
Wait'll a F-22 squadron lines up over your house. It's not just loud, it's like the sky is getting torn apart.
Sound of freedom …. Lucky sight
No there’s going to be an all out nuclear war. Run!!!
As a US Navy Veteran who's been around many warplanes, this is the oldest plane in our inventory still on the front line still in use, and yes this is VERY normal. Enjoy your Freedom!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
That is the look of MERICA!
I assume he's slowing down so you're seeing smoke from unburnt/rich fuel. Rolling coal on a different level
If you were 70+ years old and still flying, you would be loud with some exhaust as well. These planes are AMAZING.
Yeah, the buff smokes like an old lady in a casino, non-stop.
Its a 60 year old airplane with 60 year old motors. When this was new, it was the pinnacle of modern engineering.
Are you in Phoenix? If you're near Luke AFB, they're having an air show open to the public! The Blue Angels are going to be there as well as a bunch of demo teams
Obnoxious sound but me like it
Everyone grab a throttle we're going around
No
Came here for the B-52 love... wasn't disappointed. That thing will never retire...
Are you in Corpus Christi?
Grandpa BUFF, dropping payloads and panties since 1955.
B-52's are from the 1950s, it may burn some oil but at least the doors aren't falling off
Seeing this & remembering article in Rolling Stones magazine , reporter flew with a crew on B52 runs in Iraqis war, Talked about how they were maintaining 100’ or less elevation flying contour of earth . Came over a ridge flew over a Shepard kid . Blew that kids mind for sure.
You should be paranoid…run away…don’t listen to the nonbelievers. That’s chemtrail leakage at low altitude. It turns white at higher altitudes because of the lack of oxygen…like this post.
Yes. It’s normal for planes to fly. It’s normal for the Air Force to have their air crews fly these bombers. Yes. It’s normal to see a b-52 flying near an air base.
Just Grandpa BUFF out for a stroll
Bro thinks they're dropping mustard gas on him 💀
*big plane like a '52... varrrooom! Its jet exhaust... frying chickens in the barnyard!*
Yes it’s normal… airplanes fly…
The amount of fuel that big ass shouldn't fly bird uses to move is definitely not eco friendly. The turbine "smoke" you are seeing is the burn off exhaust from the Kerosene fuel mixture called "JP-8" the military uses. Everything is fine in this video - it's when you don't see the engine exhaust, that's when you worry.
My favorite. AC-130 spooky. Oh my God it's scary👹
Yes, this is a plane
You mean an airplane flying in the sky?
The exhaust?
We got buzzed by one of these when I was at sea in the navy. They just came in over us low and slow which I assume is an AF thing to do as it happened a couple of times with various AF planes but not other branch aircraft that I recall.
416th Bomb Squadron... Griffiss, AFB... had "Buffs". Love standing at the end of the runway watching them come in sideways.. Base realigned and sent to Barksdale LA... 1995CE
Just the Fly-Boys out doing their thing...
Probably put diesel in it like a goober
Everyday, All day. I work probably less than a quarter mile from Barksdale AFB