Last week I had the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit in the cockpit of a B-2 Stealth Bomber and take it for a spin. OK, so it wasn't a real B-2 Bomber, but it was a real life B-2 Stealth Bomber Simulator.
Only three B-2 Simulators exist in the world and they are located at Whiteman Air Force Base near Sedalia, MO. Whiteman AFB is home to the 509th Bomb Wing, which is the only B-2 Squadron in the world.
So, I probably owe you a little background on how I got this opportunity. I belong to the Whiteman AFB Base Community Council. This is a group of folks from different cities all over Missouri who come together each month and support the men and women who live and serve at Whiteman. It is an opportunity for us to come out and meet them and let them know how much we appreciate their service to the country, and we also offer support, especially to the young airmen, at Whiteman. For instance, free tickets to Cardinals games to the airmen each year. Free tickets to the MO State Fair. Free tickets to various concerts, etc. Each month a different community is featured at the luncheon and Council members from that city get a chance to go on the flight line and get an up close tour of a real life B-2. Also, four people from the featured community get to go fly in the B-2 simulator.
Now I've been a member of the BCC for about three years, and my first simulator ride was scheduled about 2 1/2 years ago. A few days before my scheduled flight the B-2 Bomber, The Spirit of Kansas, crashed during take-off from Guam as it was heading home from a training mission. When the crash occurred security was tightened for all aspects of the B-2 program and my simulator ride was cancelled.
At some point the tours and simulator rides were re-opened for BCC members, so all that was left was the waiting. Last month, Columbia was the featured community at the monthly luncheon meeting, but I was not one of the four chosen to go on the simulator ride. I did, however, go on the flight line tour and that was an amazing experience. Now if you've ever been to an air show, and you've seen a B-2 Bomber parked on the ramp, you have probably noticed that you can't get very close to it. And you can also only view it from the front. I found the reason for that is because the back of the plane is the most secret part. You may ask, "What is so secret about the back of the plane?" My answer is, I really don't know, but part of the tour I got was a complete walk around of the airplane, including the back. Now I was privileged to take this tour, as only a few civilians get this opportunity. I also got some time to talk to one of the B-2 pilots and he shared some perspectives on flying the B-2 that was very interesting to me, being the huge aviation geek that I am.
So, fast forward a couple of weeks. I sent an email to the Public Affairs office at Whiteman, which is the standard way to RSVP for the monthly meeting, and I asked if there was any way I could get on the simulator tour, even though my community was not being featured. The answer, of course, was no. I was told I could go on a waiting list, but there was little hope I would be able to go because each featured community never had a problem filling the four available spots.
A week before the April 1st meeting, I got a phone call from Public Affairs. They informed me that there was indeed an open spot for the simulator tour and they wanted to know if I was still interested. My response was, "Let me think about it for a day or two, and I'll get back to you." Now if you believe that's really what I said, then you don't know me at all. I really said, "You bet I'm still interested! Count me in!"
So after the luncheon, four of us were loaded into a van and driven to the 509th Bomb Wing Headquarters Building, which is where the simulators are located. Our phones and cameras were confiscated and we were taken through several layers of security to get to where the simulator was located. If you remember the opening from the old TV show Get Smart, that's what the security layers reminded me of. We were also introduced to Lt. Col. Dave "Super Dave" Anderson, our "Mission Commander" for our flights. Super Dave just happens to be the longest-term B-2 pilot who is flying today. He was actually part of the very first class of B-2 Bomber pilots and he was trained by the original B-2 test pilots. Super Dave was also the guy who dropped the very first "Bunker Buster" bomb in Baghdad during the Iraqi war. He also very much enjoys his job as a B-2 pilot and flying with him, I think, made the whole experience even better.
I was 2nd in line for the simulator ride, and the whole experience was really a "sensory overload." I walked down the stairs and across the catwalk to the simulator and once inside I crawled into the pilot's seat, which surprisingly enough was quite roomy. I was surrounded by all sorts of screens, gauges, switches and knobs, and Super Dave gave me a 2 minute tutorial of the ones I would need to fly this thing. I also had to adjust my seat so the rudder pedals (which really aren't rudder pedals) were at a comfortable place. The "rudder pedals" were actually one of my biggest surprises. The pedals are used for ground steering, but are not needed for flying. Look at the plane and you'll see it doesn't have a rudder, so I guess it makes a little sense. There is also no tiller for nose-wheel steering like a typical airliner. It is all done with pedals.
So Super Dave gave the simulator operator the command to unfreeze the simulation and I proceeded to taxi to the runway. I realized quickly that the pedals were very responsive and it seemed pretty easy to handle on the ground. As I pulled onto the runway I got the nose gear on the center line and I then applied full brakes. Super Dave had me hold the brakes tight and I pushed the throttles to full power. This was where I got the real sensation that the full motion simulator was just like the real thing. I could not only hear the four engines spooling up, but I could also feel the aircraft shaking as it was ready to get moving. At Dave's command I released the brakes and off we went down the runway. The realism in what we saw out the window was unbelievable. I could even feel the seams and bumps in the runway as we were performing our takeoff roll. Super Dave said not to worry about anything except to keep it straight on the runway and pull back on the stick when he gave the "rotate" command. Before long we were airborne and the landing gear was on its way up. I immediately was told to put the Bomber in a hard right turn as we climbed out. I turned about 270 degrees and we flew back over the runway we had just lifted off from. In this hard right turn I was again reminded that this was a full-motion simulator. I could even look out the window to the right and see what was behind me as we were making our turn.
The B-2 Bomber is equipped with a short stick that sits on a pedestal between your legs. The stick is easy to operate and it is all you need to steer the aircraft once you're airborne. Remember what I said about the "rudder pedals?" Each pilot also has their own throttle control on the left. Again, this differs from most airplanes with a shared throttle in the center of the two pilots.
I climbed to an altitude of about 1000 feet and kept the throttles at full power. We then proceeded to do a low high speed pass over the nearest city. That meant we went down to about 300 feet. At this point I have no idea how fast we were going. My job at this point was to avoid crashing into buildings.
After the low pass we climbed to 5000 feet and we then went looking for a KC-135 tanker so we could get some fuel. The process of getting attached to the tanker was not easy. A series of light commands on the KC-135 told us how close to get and how far forward we needed to be. Again, the realism was unbelievable. As we tucked ourselves under the tanker you could hear its engines. About the only thing visible through the windshield was the KC-135. With help from Super Dave I was able to get connected to the tanker. Once connected the task of keeping the B-2 in this small area was overwhelming. I quickly realized that I was over-correcting the airplane and tragedy would soon ensue. Super Dave grabbed the stick and got me back on track. With all his years of piloting the B-2 this was just another day at the office.
What remained of the flight was done at night as the simulator operator switched things up on us a little. It was a full moon and lots of stars present as Super Dave talked me through a touch and go back at home base. He allowed me to work the throttles and the stick and I lined it up for a final approach. He talked me through what to look for and whether to add more or less speed brake controls. It seems when landing there is not much if any throttle adjustment. You control your speed with the speed brakes. I was able to touch down on the 1000 foot mark on the runway and Super Dave said that I "greased it in."
Now that we were on the ground I had to retract the speed brakes and push the throttles back to full power, all while keeping the airplane on the center line with my feet. Super Dave called out my speed and when he gave the "rotate" command we were once again airborne. We circled back around the field and came back in for another landing. This time it was a full stop landing. My landing the second time was not quite as smooth, but it was still pretty good for a guy who had never flown a plane before.
As I was climbing out of the seat, Super Dave commented that I looked like a kid in a candy store. I told him he had no idea how great a privilege it was for me to fly the B-2 simulator. And it truly was a privilege. I'm sure there are many things I have left out of this experience, but it was such an overload of the senses that there is just no way I can do it justice here in just a few words. The one thing I do know for sure is that we have the greatest military in the world. It's good to know that guys like Super Dave are sitting in the cockpits of airplanes like the B-2. These are the guys who help keep us free and safe in the U.S. and I know I don't thank them enough.
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