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Take flight with the B-52 bomber

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  • Lt. Col. Michael “Fredo” DeVita, left, instructor pilot and commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron, and student pilot 1st Lt. Clayton Hultgren prepare to take off in a B-52H Stratofortress for a training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Jan. 4, 2024. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The radar screen at a B-52 weapon systems officer’s station. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • Student pilot 1st Lt. Clayton Hultgren of the 11th Bomb Squadron, right, guides a B-52H Stratofortress in for aerial refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker above Arkansas on Jan. 4, 2024. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • A panel in the B-52H weapon systems officer station contains numerous instruments that control where a bomb will drop. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • On this Jan. 4, 2024, training flight on a B-52H Stratofortress, the bomber’s new digital display wasn’t working. The pilots had to rely on an older navigation system, seen here. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • A B-52H bomber flies alongside another during a training flight out of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Jan. 4, 2024. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The weapon systems officer station on a B-52 Stratofortress contains an array of instruments that control where it will drop its bombs. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • Capt. Jonathan “Loaner” Newark of the 11th Bomb Squadron, an instructor weapon systems officer on a B-52, carries out simulated bombing during a Jan. 4, 2024, drill over Fort Johnson, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • First Lt. Clay Hultgren of the 11th Bomb Squadron makes preflight adjustments to a B-52H bomber before a training flight on Jan. 4, 2024. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • Lt. Col. Michael “Fredo” DeVita, instructor pilot and commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron, runs through preflight checks before a Jan. 4, 2024, training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • A B-52H bomber, dubbed the Red Gremlin II, sits on the flight line before a Jan. 4, 2024, training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • A B-52H bomber, dubbed the Red Gremlin II, sits on the flight line before a Jan. 4, 2024, training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • A B-52H bomber, dubbed the Red Gremlin II, sits on the flight line before a Jan. 4, 2024, training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • Lt. Col. Michael “Fredo” DeVita, commander of the 11th Bomb Squadron, prepares for a training flight Jan. 4, 2024, during a preflight briefing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The throttle of a B-52 Stratofortress allows its pilots to individually adjust power to specific engines in case of trouble. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The co-pilot’s yoke on a B-52 Stratofortress. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The bomb bay of a B-52 Stratofortress prior to a Jan. 4, 2024, training flight at Barksdale Air Force Base. (Stephen Losey/Staff)
  • The Red Gremlin II, a B-52H Stratofortress, was built in 1960 and is still in service today. (Stephen Losey/Staff)