My brother was a radar navigator on one of these. He was killed along with six other crew members on April 11, 1983 in a crash in Utah. My family was absolutely devastated by his death. He was a brilliant young man. I think about him every day. Fly high brother...I love you and miss you everyday.

I flew them A HALF CENTURY AGO....and they STILL look awesome.

This plane look beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

I'm sure I'll get many disagreements, but this plane is like an albatross bird. It does not take off gracefully, and doesn't land gracefully, but it does fly beautifully!

The silhouette of them rolling down the runway with the flaps out is intimidating as hell, love it.

Those B-52s gotta be, hands down, the most intimidating looking aircraft ever!!!! BAD ASS!!!!👍👍👍👍👍

You know it's a long wing span when the wings have wheels on them , beautiful aircraft !!! 😀👍✈✈✈

I used to live near Ohio's Wright Patterson AFB in the 70s and these flew over every day. They were so large they seemed to just drift by with hardly a sound. Amazing aircraft!

It's amazing how some of these guys are flying the same plane there grandaddy and in some cases their great grandaddy flew. Simply phenomenal

I was in the US MARINES at Futema air facility in Okinawa. When I drove past Kadena air force base these great planes were there and I always stopped to watch then take off or land. Totally awesome. A real sight to see and hear.

Spent 4 years in SAC. Watching these take off never gets old.

It is absolutely amazing that this aircraft is still flying after 69 years! . . .there has always been talk about retiring it. We get to see them flying over our house quite frequently; ALWAYS go out to see it IF there isn't cloud cover obstructing the view.

It’s like a 70 year old man that can still fight in the mma and still kick ass. Absolutely an amazing aircraft

Me: Think I'm going to go to sleep now. KZfaq: Here's a video of some big ass planes taking off. Me: K. I'm in.

They have been around a very long, long time. It is insane that such an old aircraft is still so very relevant to this day. Then again we still fly the U-2.

One of the things I liked most about being stationed at Ellsworth AFB was the sight and sound of these magnificent aircraft...

Even after watching a bunch of these take of, it’s always amazing to watch those wings find their lift. The camber becomes a graceful dihedral.

Saw B-52s take off at Hill AFB in Ogden UT in the early 90s while Desert Storm was going on. The sound, the SMOKE TRAIL - this video brought it all back. It’s hard to describe it - like a beast being unleashed. Terrifying to think of the firepower this aircraft can carry and deliver. I’m still in awe.

Taking off from my first base RAF Fairford !! Was there from ‘82 to’87. Loved it !!

It looks like the pilot actually has to start flying the plane before it even gets off the ground.

Never get old looking at these. Been 27 years since I left the air force.

“We pay for whole runway, we use whole runway”

Nothing like a "Buff" takeoff!! I was stationed in 1969 at U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand during the Vietnam Conflict. We had about 50 Buffs there and they were magnificent to watch!!

Hands down the most beautiful aircraft ever.

Saw these once a year when my Dad was in the RAF and still to this day, it amazes me how something so big can take flight.

I love the way B52 pilots start ‘flying’ the plane before they even leave the ground 👌

Wow, that plane is so heavy, that even with all that thrust, it accelerated slowly.

I got to go inside a B-52 at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa, FL at an air show. This is a massive, amazing aircraft. One of the best planes ever built.

This magnificent air machine has enough thrust that it is possible to still rotate with a 4 degree nose-down attitude. I was an avionics tech on these gems back 1973 to 1976, stationed at Loring AFB, Maine. Memories of riding the launch truck. AMS 5 was our radio call sign. What a time that was.

I was a mechanic on the B52 H in Grand Forks, ND in the mid 70s. What an awesome aircraft!

GRANPA never SLEEPS

Fascinating seeing those droopy wings straighten out when they start getting lift.

First time in 10 years the Thumbnail turned out to be real

Love them B-52,S SEE them ever day, and pray they come back safe. Iam from Barksdale and still here after serving 22 yrs

My dad worked on the simulators for these in the late 80s-early 90’s. It’s amazing how BIG everything is on this plane!

I Love America! I love our country and it's technology!! All of those B 52's are around 40 years old!! Still awesome. :-)

At one time, the B-52 bombers were the world's largest and most feared bomber fleet. The US built a total of 744 B-52s. It's hard to imagine, isn't it.

These B52s would scare the sh*t out of us kids, when years ago they came low over the house to land at Upper Heyford Air base Oxfordshire, I miss the base, the Americans, the F1-11s, lovely times, lovely people.

In mid 1972 I finished a 1 year assignment in Vietnam flying a C-47. I was assigned to SAC as a B-52 pilot. I went to their 6 month school at Castle, AFB in California. I finished up my training flights just before Christmas 1972 and was scheduled for my final flight test on January 1, 1973. As I waited over the Christmas layoff, I sat and watched B-52's getting shot down over Hanoi. I thought: "Oh HELL. Here's another fine mess I've gotten myself into! I just survive a 1 year stint in Vietnam. NOW, I'm gonna go back over there and get shot down....in a B-52! WTF...OVER!"

My dad worked on the B52 when I was a kid. We were stationed in Grand Forks, ND.

When I was about 10 years old my father took us to Homestead Air Force Base and we got to get up close and personal with a B-52. Each engine pod was as large as our 1950 Buick Roadmaster.

My Dad was a radar navigator, celestial navigator! I used to love watching the take offs and landings 💞 Miss him so!

Absolutely love the sound of those old school turbofan engines. Not something you get to experience much nowadays.

When I was a young boy in the "50's" my Dad would take me to Griffis AFB to watch these monsters take off and land. What an awesome site.

They fly them around where I live. I hear them every day, every night. If one flys over while you're having a conversation you just stop, wait for it to pass, & pick up where you left off.

legend has it if it loses all of its engines it can glide halfway around the world with those wings

I go to the Royal International Air Tattoo in England nearly every year, only ever seen the B-52 flying once, and it’s still the most terrifying aircraft I’ve had the fortune to see. Those engines screaming overhead, I can understand how the people of Vietnam felt when they were around

When I was in ROTC we went to Louisiana Air Force Base they gave us a tour of the the B-52 Top Speed: 650mph, Wingspan:185'0" Range: 8,800 mi, introduce: February 1955, Number built: 744, Engine types: Pratt & Whitney JT3D, Pratt & Whitney J57

Watched them land at Amarillo Air Force base when I was in high school (I'm 76 now). When I was younger than that I watched B-36s making low passes over the city on their way back to San Antonio ; I'll never forget that sound.

A person doesn't wonder what this awesome machine does, one already knows what it is used for just by its meanesing look, incredible that father and sons have flown this remarkable machine, thank you for your service, God bless..

2:33 gave me chills and goosebumps

The B-52 makes moving 500,000 lbs look so effortless.🇺🇸

I used to live near Barksdale main gate. When I was a kid, in Albany, Georgia, we were in the runway approach and would have those monsters fly about 100 feet above our house on take-off or landing. And, an ORI (Operation Readiness Inspection)? B-52's and KC-135's overhead once a minute for about a half hour! Our windows would rattle and we would have to cover our ears. But, to see those giants fly was so impressive. Seen in this video, to assist with crosswind takeoffs and landings, the main landing gear can be pivoted 20 degrees to either side from neutral. Preflight/taxi checklists require this pivoting to be tested. This yaw adjustable crosswind landing gear would be preset by the crew according to wind observations made on the ground.

I can’t believe I just got assigned to fix these beasts at Barksdale! So stoked!

WPAFB was the home of SAC. Having lived close to the base I still remember watching those huge wings lift up before pulling the fuselage with them. It is amazing how much they move.

Barksdale used runway on occasion that brought them over my house really low. It was almost deafening..... I loved it!!! The sound of freedom..... And eight smoking engines.

All from Barksdale. I live in line with runway 15 and see these all day long. Never gets old!

I was raised just north of Dayton Ohio. Very near Wright Patterson AFB. In the 60s Mom used to pack up a Picnic and Dad would drive us over to watch the B-52s take off and land. Amazing they’re still a capable aircraft. That was a fun activity for a couple Farm kids. The Air Force Museum there is amazing too. It’s a Crime they didn’t get a Space Shuttle. It’s a one day drive for 60% of Americans and has never charged admission.

Our house was in the flight path of KAFB in Michigans UP. When an alert went off 13 or 14 of these big B52s would roar over the house at 3:00 am. They rattled the house so much my Mom couldn’t keep a Knick-knack on a shelf. It’s a sound you never forget even though it was 60 years ago

I grew up near Castle Air Force Base. The 93rd Bombardment Wing trained pilots for a long time. As teenagers we used to go sit outside the fence, near the runway and watch these huge beasts come in to land. They were so huge and seemed to be flying so slowly that it was amazing that they could stay in the air. We were so close that the pilots would often give us a little salute as they went overhead. We lived in the flight path and everyone in my neighborhood knew that if you were on the phone with someone when one of these guys were flying overhead you had to tell them, "Hang on a minute; Plane." Good times.

I find it amazing how most of these were built in the 50s and are still in service.

My dad was a crew chief on these as his SAC, Castle AFB was the first to get them on June 29, 1955 while he was stationed there. Pretty awesome and very loud.

Man, how many B - 52's has the US Air Force got ? Any nation who messes with these guys, have got their hands full. You can't even run for the hills ! There's no place to hide !!

IT doesn't take off, the ground just drops way beneath it.

Man, this thing is more like a giant bird than a man-made construction. Even the way it wobbles from one side to the next is like it’s saying “I’m not meant to be on the ground, dammit! You gave me wings now let me flyyyyyyy!”

Dad flew these outta Westover and McCoy from 1958 and the 60's during Chrome Dome and in VN outta Guam and later Utapou. Music to my ears always. RIP Dad and High Flight!

Can’t believe the wings don’t break off with all the weight on them. Amazing.

Dow afb in the 60s saw them daily in my back yard particularly never forget that sight

I loved watching the wings raise from their ground position as the plane was on the runway, so that the wings leveled off in their flight position - just before the plane left the runway. So graceful - for such a huge plane.

love how those gigantic wings sag when not in flight and then flatten out as it gains speed. what a flexible flyer

That scream is why we sleep good at night. God Bless the USAF.

The hiss of the B52 is unmistakable. Very good video, thanks for posting.

How cool is it that grandkids are working on and flying a plane their grandparents worked on and flew. Seen a bumper sticker at Wright Pat that said "Peace thru Superior Firepower." All I can say to that is PRAISE GOD. and Thank You.

Very nice. I grew up next to Tinker AFB and used to go to sleep to the sound of their engines static testing. Nice to hear them again.

Chills. Saw one at an airship several years back; awe inspiring, couldn’t take my eyes off of it.

When they taxie and take off in mass formation, along with KC 135 tankers, it’s called an “Elephant Walk”

WOW!!! Those B-52s are absolutely massive behemoths.

I'm as environmentally aware as anyone but the fact that these take off in such a black cloud seems so fitting.

Heard this sound all my life. I'm from Bossier City Louisiana home of Barksdale AFB. Bossier Proud of Barksdale.

it is hard to believe, how this aircraft takes off into the air, such a monster !!!!

I was in both of these SQDRN's... the 96th and the 20th, out of Louisiana, Barksdale AFB... Love my 52's! Retired from there back in Feb of 2006.

On January 7, 1971 I was an 18 year old kid riding in an apple truck driving from Boyne City Michigan back to Petoskey Michigan. It was just getting dark and as we were driving the sky lit up in biggest fireball I had ever seen. Then we heard the explosion which scared our driver even more because he was older and knew about the Big Rock Nuclear plant (NOW CLOSED) that was also on the edge of lake Michigan and from where we were and the explosion the plant was between us. We didn't know what it was till we arrived in Petoskey and finally heard it on the Radio. It was a B-52C Stratofortress Registration number 54-266 with 9 crew on board that crashed into lake Michigan on a training mission and blew up. All crew died and were never recovered. The salvaged parts were recovered in 225 feet of water by a company from Florida. If you visit this area there is an memorial along the highway just east of Charlevoix (Pronounced CHAR LA VOY) Michigan. It is a day I will never forget.

8 engines, 6 landing gear, completely oversized wings, long gangly body. An absolutely ridiculous aircraft in every way. I love them!

You really don't get to appreciate just how fast those big planes are actually moving on video. Just as all large objects appear to be going slower than they actually are, you also have the camera moving, from a distance, keeping up with the plane. When I was a kid, my dad took me and my brother to the airport, on the observation deck. You could see them taxiing, then, they disappeared behind the building, out of view. When they came back the other way, taking off, they would come back into view, and boy were they rumbling! You could see they were well over 100 mph. It was like when a car passes you going real fast, only they were huge airliners!

Almost like like seeing a strip mall accelerate to 180 mph and fly away.

I am a GA pilot, but I am blown away by the sight and sound of the B-52 Stratofortress! It is interesting that with a 185' wingspan, it needs those small wheels at the ends of the wings! Beautiful bird! And to hear one for real, can rumble your whole body inside. Amazing aircraft. We're very proud of our aircraft and all who fly them up into the wild blue yonder. Be safe, and may the Force be with you!

As a 10 year old I remember going to the flight line every evening (2 weeks on 2 weeks off) where dad worked on b-52.

I grew up near Andrews air force base i remember seeing these but definitely remember F4 phantoms, F104s and C5s flying over our house it was awesome.

Very impressive footage !!!

Was on Mass Pike, 1972 one took off from Westfield Mass and it seemed like it was 3 feet above my car, so loud, so unexpected, so memorable, so proud to see my tax dollars preserved!

you look at it from the front and think "How can that get airborne"?

Years ago when I was deer hunting .I ask the uncle of my brother in law about. The b52 take offs from base at whitesettlement were he lived .He replied if your in the backroom.. Your end up in the front room and don't be sleeping. When 52s scramble

Looks like it would be a real handful in a crosswind. The word "iconic" is over-used these days but if one aircraft could be said to be iconic for representing air power during the decades-long Cold War, it's the B-52.. What an aeroplane! One of Boeing's finest products.

This plane is seemingly ageless. Remember folks, this bomber entered service when Sabre jets patrolled the skies, and will continue to serve for at least another 30 years alongside the F-22s and F-35s. If I wore a hat, it would be off to the men and women that built these aircraft. They were made to last!

Those old dodge cummins trucks could never even dream to roll as much coal as a B-52

B-52: flies over Vietnam in the 60s and early 70s Vietnamese ppl with our anti-aircraft weapons: look, here comes more metal to make tools and furniture

Amazing to see them working the stick as the aircraft gains speed even before taking off

What a beautiful sight. God bless all those on board.

My uncle was in the USAF when I was a kid. He showed my brothers and me of these weapons at his base. I was very impressed but still wanted to be a Sailor like Dad.

Saw a cold war version of a B52 while at Hickam AFB in Hawaii & believe me you haven't seen anything like it when it taxied & attained a speed over 100 miles an hour before take off simply awesome.