POTD: Complicated Landing
This is just a fractional view of the landing gear on a B52 bomber. If the controls of a simple moving part like the landing gear was this oddly complex–all it has to do is go up and down after all–it makes one wonder what the structure of the rest of the plane looks like and how reliable it would be with so many small parts that could malfunction. BUt it must have been just the right amount of complexity paired with a good deal of reliability as the B52 remained a mainstay of the Air Force for some 50 years–almost a geological age compared to the lifespan of a modern electronic device such as a computer or cell phone.]]>
What’s amazing is they still have them flying. In fact Katelynn’s job includes the maintenance of the TF33 engine. What I didn’t realize, according to Wikipedia, they plan on keeping the B52 operational until sometime in the 2040s. So some of these planes will have been in service 80-90 years.