A Maine forest ranger has found an ejection seat from the 1963 crash of a B-52C bomber in western Maine and intends to bring the seat to the permanent memorial site being created to honor the aircrew who died in the mishap, reported the Bangor Daily News May 22. “I had a pretty good idea of what it was, and it was kind of eerie finding something like this in the middle of the wilderness, knowing what happened almost 50 years ago,” said Ranger Bruce Reed, who discovered the seat on a logging road on Elephant Mountain last fall, according to the newspaper. Reed returned to it on May 19 to log its coordinates for its planned recovery on May 24. On Jan. 24, 1963, the B-52 reportedly left then-Westover AFB, Mass., on a low-level training mission when a malfunction caused the unarmed bomber to crash, killing seven airmen. Two airmen survived, according to the account.
The Air Force is renaming its traditional aviation bonus program in 2024 and continuing a new, experimental second program, ordered by Congress, aimed at getting aviators to extend their commitment sooner and for longer. While the programs can’t be doubled-up, aviators may be able to move from one to the…