It u
sed to be said that the B-52 bombers flown and maintained by airmen today were much older than the airmen. SSgt. Kory McLeod, a B-52 crew chief with the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., says his BUFF is older than his mother. Yikes. Air Force journalist Michael Tolzmann talked with some of the Minot airmen who see the “charisma” of the old warplanes and claim they are still capable. “Some people think she handles a bit mushy and has some troubles,” says one pilot, Capt. Patrick Hook, and adds, “She’s definitely not as sexy as some of the smaller, pointy aircraft, but she definitely can put some hurt on the bad guys.”
A legislative standoff has led to a lapse in a $4.26 billion small business innovation contracting program widely used by the Air Force and could spell the end of it entirely, industry sources warned Air & Space Forces Magazine.


