Monday, July 30, 2018, Ellsworth Air Museum, SD

From time to time I would hear military aircraft overhead but I was never outside to see them. Today we visited the South Dakota Air and Space Museum outside Ellsworth Airbase where I finally found all that noise was from B-1B Lancers.

The 28th Bombardment Wing has included over the years, among others, the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-29 Superfortress,  the B-36 Peacemaker, the B-52 Stratofortress and currently the B-1B Lancer.

With the exception of the B-17 the museum had examples of virtually every aircraft that was flown under the command. 

B-1B Lancer bomber plane had crew of 4 and a top speed of 950 mph, an intercontinental range and could carry a payload of 75,000 lbs of munitions.

B-52D Stratofortress bomber plane had a crew of 5 (including 2 navigators) and a top speed of 650 mph, an intercontinental range and could carry a payload of 65,000 lbs of munitions.

As we were walking around the grounds a docent/volunteer, named Dick, informed us that a B-1B had flown out earlier for a training mission and he expected it back in about 30 minutes. We remembered hearing it earlier this morning as we commented that it was odd how freaked Sam gets over thunder but he has no reaction at all to the much louder roar of the jets overhead. He showed us where we would see it land and we continued around the displays.

B-29 Superfortress bomber plane had a crew of 10 and a top speed of 360 mph, a continental range and could carry a payload of 10 .50-cal machine guns, 20mm cannon in its tail and 20,000 lbs of bombs.

F-101B Voodoo fighter plane had a crew of 2 and a top speed of 1,100 mph, a continental range and could carry a payload of 4 air-to-air missiles, or 2 missiles and 2 Genie nuclear rockets.

A-26A / B-26K Counter Invader bomber plane had a crew of 4 and a top speed of 322 mph, a regional range and could carry a payload of 12,000 lbs of bombs and rockets and had 8 .50 caliber machine guns.

Right on time we heard the unmistakable sound of the B-1B approaching. He lined up on the runway and touched down but immediately pushed the throttles forward and lifted off again. He managed four 'touch-n-go's" on his remaining fuel. I was able to get a lot of nice shots of him in the air and on the tarmac - what an unexpected treat!

Inside we saw a training mock-up of the B-1B cockpit. Imagine sitting there for an entire mission of as much as 20 hours at a stretch with no chance to get up and walk around. Even worse, the other crew stations don't have windows!

This VB-25J Mitchell was General Eisenhower's personal transport in 1944 and 1945, when he led the Allied Expeditionary Force in retaking northwest Europe from the Nazis.

Does this B-1 make me look small or do I make it look huge? I hated to leave so soon, but it was time to head back and spend some quality time with Sammie.