One of America’s biggest (both figuratively and literally) flying icons has never made it to America’s biggest air show,, until this year. The reason why? The B-52’s wing-mounted outrigger wheels are set apart almost as wide as the width of Oshkosh’s main runway, making landing there an even trickier affair

The first-of-its-kind landing and the Stratofortress’s subsequent presence at AirVenture will coincide with the, a milestone that the U.S. Air Force and Boeing are very proud of.

The B-52 has only been able to carry smart weapons on its external pylons, with its internal…

Supposedly 6,000 feet of runway lights were removed to allow the legendary bomber to safely recover on Oshkosh’s largest runway. Major Jeremy Holt, a pilot with the 93rd Bomb Squadron out of Barksdale AFB who flew the B-52 into Oshkosh told the

“We’re landing it on their largest runway, about 8,000 feet by 150 feet. It’s a tight squeeze for us...We usually land on runways 10,000 feet long and 300 feet wide so it’s half the width.”

As far as how the landing went, Major Holt described it in detail to

“We made our approach at 136 knots and flared at 126, aiming for Brick One. As soon as we touched down, I popped the chute and fully extended the spoilers. We stopped in 5,000 ft.”

Once the 185 foot wide, 159 foot long B-52 made it safely to the ground, it was quickly towed to the static display area where it will sit as a centerpiece static exhibit for the duration of the show which runs through this weekend.

For more info about the mother of all American air shows, check out the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Oshkosh 2015 website .

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