~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LETTER ABOUT B-52,,,#184 THAT WAS STATIONED AT RAMEY,,,, I FOUND IT INTERESTING AND THOUGHT YOU MAY WANT TO put it on the site. KEN
Dear Mr. Fair,
Thank you for your e-mail to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG - formerly AMARC) regarding the status of your B-52G 58-0184. As you note, our records show the aircraft arrived at the 309 AMARG facility from the 2nd Bomb Wing on 26 Sept. 1991. It was "eliminated" (meaning cut up) in compliance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) on 31 July 2001. The more recent B-52s - like 184, were cut using a "surgical" method rather than the "guillotine" as seen in various videos about 309 AMARG (including "Boneyards" running since spring 2006 on the History/Military channels). 309 AMARG shifted to the surgical cut method of elimination because preserved more parts from aircraft. Additionally, using the guillotine made aircraft unsafe for entry (for parts reclamation) - so the surgical method accomplished three "wins" over the guillotine - 1) treaty compliance, 2) safe for reclamation teams to enter, 3) preserved more parts (i.e. parts that the guillotine would have otherwise destroyed).
The aircraft is still here at the 309 AMARG facility. I've attached a few photos of it. The vertical stabilizer/fin is missing, probably one of many reclaimed and returned to the operational fleet. In a sense, 184 remains in the air - in terms of it's many parts that keep the current B-52H fleet flying. If you want higher res. images, I have them about 6" wide at 300 dpi - they just don't e-mail as well as these smaller ones. Cheers & enjoy the photos - Rob Raine
