US Air Force/Paul Shirk
The B-1B bomber Spectre retired to become an advanced maintenance trainer at Tinker Air Force Base.
The bomber was involved in a May 2018 incident in which a fire led to an ejection seat misfire, after which the crew had to make an emergency landing.
The US Air Force disclosed a few days ago that, in early April, the B-1B Lancer 86-109/DY, nicknamed Spectre, has been retired at Tinker Air Force Base to become an advanced maintenance trainer.
The aircraft was towed to an Aircraft Battle Damage Repair training pad at the 76th Maintenance Group s Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Flight on the south side of the base, where it joined a B-52 Stratofortress and a C-135 Stratolifter.
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US Air Force/Kelly White Ghost Rider and Wise Guy, the only B-52 Stratofortress bombers to be resurrected from the Air Force s boneyard, are undergoing maintenance before returning to Minot Air Force Base.
Both were retired to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Arizona and were never to fly again, but they ve been resurrected to bring the fleet back to the Congressionally mandated 76 B-52s.
Only two B-52 Stratofortress bombers have been restored out of the Boneyard to be returned to the fleet: Ghost Rider, tail number 61-0007, and Wise Guy, tail number 60-0034.
Both aircraft were retired at the 309th AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, where they were supposed to remain to be cannibalized of parts needed by other front-line BUFFs and never to fly again.
US Air Force/Master Sgt. Ted Daigle
A B-52H Stratofortress called Wise Guy has started flying from Tinker Air Force Base after Programmed Depot Maintenance, as it prepares to return to active service.
The bomber was retired in 2008 after more than 17,000 flight hours, but after a B-52 crashed in 2016, Wise Guy was selected to return and bring the fleet back to 76 aircraft. Wise Guy , the B-52H Stratofortress bomber tail number 60-034, is preparing to return to service with the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
The aircraft was filmed flying from Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where the aircraft had arrived on April 1, 2020, to undergo programmed depot maintenance at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. The PDM is the final part of a three-phase process to regenerate the aircraft and make it able to return back to active service as a conventional weapons-only long range heavy bomber.