Pat
03-07-2015, 03:11 PM
I live next to a B-52 base, Barksdale AFB, in Louisiana and have worked as a Electronics specialist on these planes from 1976 to 2002.
Recently one of the bombers caught fire on the ground and was damaged beyond repair. The Air Force decided to resurrect a replacement from the bone yard in Arizona, Ghost Rider, which has been sitting in the hot desert sand since 2008.
The human interest part of this tale is that the first crew chief of Ghost Rider, Airman Fugere also retired near by and as he drove by the storage fields he could see his old charge. Until one day it wasn't there. He inquired and was told that Ghost Rider was being prepped to again join the ranks of the active fleet.
Mr. Fugere was invited to the launching of Ghost Rider and as the plane lifted off the runway he keyed the mike on the radio and announced to all that 61-007 (Ghost Rider) was airborne. What an emotional moment that must have been.
My finger prints are probably all over that plane so it's an emotionally charged moment for me as I read the story today in the base newspaper.
Recently one of the bombers caught fire on the ground and was damaged beyond repair. The Air Force decided to resurrect a replacement from the bone yard in Arizona, Ghost Rider, which has been sitting in the hot desert sand since 2008.
The human interest part of this tale is that the first crew chief of Ghost Rider, Airman Fugere also retired near by and as he drove by the storage fields he could see his old charge. Until one day it wasn't there. He inquired and was told that Ghost Rider was being prepped to again join the ranks of the active fleet.
Mr. Fugere was invited to the launching of Ghost Rider and as the plane lifted off the runway he keyed the mike on the radio and announced to all that 61-007 (Ghost Rider) was airborne. What an emotional moment that must have been.
My finger prints are probably all over that plane so it's an emotionally charged moment for me as I read the story today in the base newspaper.