You’ve heard Air Force types say for years how their B-52 Stratofortress pilots are flying aircraft older than they are.
That’s nothing. B-52 builder Boeing said last week that the youngest BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) delivered to the Air Force has just turned 50 years old.
That’s right: the entire fleet of 76 B-52s is now eligible for AARP – aka the Air Force Association of Really Old Planes – membership.
B-52s are now expected to keep flying until at least 2040, when the plane will mark 85 years of service.
That newest B-52 remains on active duty at Minot Air Force Base, N.D. An Air Force paparazzi got this snapshot of her on Guam recently.