Nice and true story about what many of us wannabe pilots and would-be heroes often dream about, but only a real, cool pilot could accomplish.
Some comparisons between a B-1B Lancer bomber and a 737 commercial aircraft:
The multi-mission heavy bomber B1-B Lancer, originally developed as a nuclear bomber replacement for the B-52, is now the backbone of the U.S. long-range bomber force. The B-1B has the capability to carry guided and unguided weapons and deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against specific targets anywhere in the world at anytime..
It has supported U.S. and NATO military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and is expected to continue to serve well into the 2030s.
The B-1B holds almost 50 world records for speed, payload, range, and time of climb in its class. The National Aeronautic Association recognized the B-1B for completing one of the 10 most memorable record flights for 1994. The most recent records were made official in 2004.
The B-1B fleet is presently undergoing the most significant avionics upgrade in the fleet’s history, outfitting the 62 aircraft with the “Boeing Integrated Battle Station,” an extensive composite of new avionics, data links, displays and computer technology. An upgrade that, according to some, may preserve the service-life of the 1980s-built B-1 aircraft through 2040.
Power plant: Four General Electric F101-GE-102 turbofan engines with afterburner
Thrust: 30,000-plus pounds with afterburner, per engine
Wingspan: 137 feet (41.8 meters) extended forward, 79 feet (24.1 meters) swept aft
Length: 146 feet (44.5 meters)
Height: 34 feet (10.4 meters)
Weight: approximately 190,000 pounds (86,183 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 477,000 pounds (216,634 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 265,274 pounds (120,326 kilograms)
Payload: 75,000 pounds (34,019 kilograms)
Speed: 900-plus mph (Mach 1.2 at sea level)
Range: Intercontinental (Other sources give it a range of 7,456 miles)
Ceiling: More than 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) (Other sources specify a 60,000 ft. ceiling)
Most of us are very familiar with the Boeing 737, a short- to medium-range twin-jet, narrow-body airliner. The 737 has evolved into a series of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers and is the best-selling airliner in the history of aviation.
This past April, the 8,000th model rolled off the assembly line, “a round-number milestone for the best-selling airplane of all time.”
2006 Tidbit: “There are 1,250 Boeing 737s airborne at any given time on average, with two departing or landing somewhere every five seconds…”
General characteristics of the Boeing 737-700:
Power plant: two CFM56-7 engines, maximum thrust per engine: 26,300 lb.
Wingspan: (with winglets) 117 ft 5 in (35.8 m)
Overall Length: 110 ft 4 in (33.6 m)
Tail Height: 41 ft 2 in (12.5 m)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 171,000 lb (77,565 kg)
Maximum Fuel Capacity: 6,875 gallons (26,020 L) No aux. tanks/10,707 gallons (40,530 L) 9 aux. tanks
Typical Cruise Speed: Mach 0.78
Maximum Range: 5,775 nautical miles (10,695 km) [1-class with 9 aux fuel tanks and winglets]
Service ceiling: 12,497 m (41,000 ft.)
Lead photo: Capt. Mark Gongol, 13th Air Support Operations Squadron assistant director of operations at Fort Carson, helped land a commercial 737 Dec. 30 when the pilot had a medical emergency. Gongol is a B-1B Lancer pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Source of B1-B data: B-1B Lancer
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.