Strategic Air Command (SAC) policy for crews in the heavy bombers required extensive preflight checks. Just before 0400 hours, well ahead of our planned 0830 takeoff, we'd arrive at the squadron area to pick up our gear. That gear included more stuff than Aunt Bessie needed for a wedding. That was but a part of the preparation for routine training missions. We had already spent the whole day earlier on mission planning and briefings to the senior squadron staff to describe each and every aspect of the scheduled mission.

There were six of us on the crew, not including any extras that frequently came along. Extra people might include an instructor pilot, or evaluator if this was a check ride. And there might be an instructor/evaluator navigator or similar extra for the electronic warfare and gunner's positions. Seldom did we carry more than nine folks, but there could be more.

Regular and extra crew members carried a briefcase, a parachute (plus three spare parachutes - two for the forward compartment and one for the aft tail gunner), one or more flight lunch boxes each and heavy clothing. Two large thermos jugs and one small one were added too. Then there would be one or two sextant cases, each half the size of a footlocker. And, of course, there were sometimes whole footlockers full of spare parts for the old MA-6 radar system. That last item depended upon how important the mission was. We quite literally filled the whole back of the crew bus with stuff to bring along. In the earliest days, before 1958, we additionally carried duffel bags with extra clothing, shaving kits and such ... just in case we landed someplace other than our home base. Add six to nine duffel bags to the load.

Upon arrival at the airplane, parked way out in the boonies a mile or so from the squadron buildings, we'd immediately unload the equipment and line it up under the wing. Each man would place his own stuff in front of where he would soon stand for inspection by the pilot in command, the AC or aircraft commander. Six to nine men would soon be ready for final briefing by the AC and be subject to inspection to make sure everything needed was present and in good condition. The process was much more easily endured if the weather was good. Such was not always the case.

Then the crew would separate and the loading process began. Most of the stuff went into the forward crew compartment where five of the six would fly, plus others if extras were coming.

The tail gunner flew all alone in the aft compartment, some 100 feet away in his own pressurized world and facing rearward. Some of the stuff not needed in flight might be stored in the "47 Section" aft of the rear landing gear and forward of the gunner's position. No wonder the B-52 grossed out at 450,000 pounds or more.

Then it was time to start the "Exterior Inspection", that important stem to stern examination of the aircraft's external parts. The two pilots usually divided the exterior walk-around checks, on taking the starboard side and the other the port side. The Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) and the tail gunner checked their exterior portions of the plane too, things like radomes, radio antennae, guns and ammo compartment doors, chaff dispenser ports and such. Ground power carts were not yet started, so there was no electrical power or cooling air supplied to the interior equipment. Only in severe winter conditions would there be special carts running to pump warm air into the cockpit or essential equipment areas.

Soon it was time to climb aboard. Each man headed for his assigned crew station. The two pilots headed for the upper flight deck, followed by the EWO and any extra folks. The gunner went his own way, aft to the tail of the plane and his separate world. The fuselage in between forward and aft compartments was not pressurized in flight, nor heated and cooled either. Each man followed his own printed checklist, carefully a sequentially positioning switches on equipment, attaching helmets and oxygen masks to the communication and life support systems. An hour or more might pass between the time the crew first arrived at the plane and the first systems were powered up with the help of ground equipment. There was much more to do. The B-52 is a huge and complex collection of hardware and systems

The Power Off checklists completed, it was then time for electrical and pneumatic carts to be started or readied. Soon the crew would complete system checks without engines being started or depending upon aircraft generators (alternators). Confirmations over the interphone to the AC would be made to report each crewman's readiness to proceed. Next would be engine starts and system checkouts on aircraft power. All systems would be exercised and checked, all except those which involved actually moving the plane. Some systems could not be tested for safety reasons. Such systems included high-powered electronic transmitters, armaments and things like gear doors and retraction mechanisms, of course. They must await in-flight conditions.

And then everything was shut down. Engines were stopped and electrical power turned off. The Power-On and systems checks were completed. Discrepancies noted would be entered into the aircraft systems and equipment logbook. Things that had to be fixed before the scheduled training flight would get attention by maintenance personnel. Very few discrepancies would be allowed to remain as open items. Safety of flight and mission critical items had to be fixed, else the flight might be canceled. Sending B-52 crews off on eight-hour training missions is expensive, so all must be in order to preclude wasted effort.

After the plane was completely powered down, just the way it was before the crew arrived, then there would be a few moments for a coffee break, another crew briefing and a report by the pilot to the Wing Headquarters Command Post about the status of the plane. Was it or was it not ready to go? Or how long would it take to get necessary repairs made? Getting things ready for an on-time take-off became a high-interest item for the crew, the maintenance people, and the Wing Commander too.

About 45 minutes before the scheduled take-off, the crew would return to the airplane, climb aboard and start the checklists all over again. Only this time they would continue on through all pre-take-off phases and finally move the airplane to the end of the runway.

A lot of work was done by a lot of people to get that big bomber to the ready line at the end of the runway. Ground crew, flight crew, maintenance teams and others all contributed to getting things that far along. And still the airplane was on the ground, but not for long. At 0830 the huge StratoFortress roared down the runway, accelerating and getting closer to that all-important on-time take-off.