Gallery: From hatch to dials, a look around and inside a B-52 bomber
The B-52H aircraft the morning of the flight. Its serial number is 61-0010, meaning that Congress appropriated the money to build it in 1961, according to Boeing. The only B-52s the Air Force flies today are the H models, which are the least old. (Rob Verger/)The metal elements with the raked edges are the aircraft’s spoilers. When the spoilers on one wing are raised upwards during flight, they cause that wing to generate less lift, spurring the bomber to bank and turn towards that side. (Rob Verger/)The BUFF from the back. The main landing gear is arranged in a bicycle-like front-to-back configuration, but each wingtip also has an outrigger-style wheel as well that folds up during flight. (Rob Verger/)Capt. Carlos Espino—call sign, Loko—stands on a ladder as he and the rest of the crew inspect the jet before flight. (Rob Verger/)A hatch in the plane’s belly, with built-in stairs, is...