this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2026
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[–] Zidane@lemmy.ca 9 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 6 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

What a wildly disproportionate-looking aircraft

[–] halcyoncmdr@piefed.social 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

To be fair that's an upward angle on a plane taking off, with the flaps fully extended for maximum lift.

This is what a B-52 looks like when in a regular flight configuration.

[–] Murse@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

It's still kinda janky looking tbh. Like someone put a commercial airliner in MS Paint and just stretched everything away from where the wings meet the fuselage.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago

Bombers tend to look like that, they have a very small fuselage compared to a passenger aircraft. Very compact cargo.

[–] FlexibleToast@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's because of the era it was designed it. It is from the dawn of the jet age. Jet engines weren't very powerful yet and they believed they had to have very thin and very swept wings to get the speeds they wanted. It was before thrust reversers so it uses drogue chutes. Its wings are too thin to support the weight of the craft so the main landing gear are in the fuselage and the wings droop so much they have the wheels on the wing tips. They were too afraid to have the weight of the plane and payload rotate on take off to the rear wheels so the flaps are so aggressive it actually takes off with a nose down attitude. The front wheels are the last to leave the pavement and the first to touch it. It's just a really strange design because they were still learning about jet design.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago

The aircraft is also permanently at takeoff attitude on the ground, the front landing gear is significantly longer than the rear. Also, both sets of main gear rotate, so it can crab down the runway, this is for landing in crosswinds.

Yeah, weird plane.

[–] SupraMario@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There is a reason it has the nickname BUFF.

Big Ugly Fat Fuck.

[–] Gormadt@slrpnk.net 3 points 3 weeks ago

But GOD can they fly!

...well not this one, not anymore. But usually.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago

It's because the cargo they're built to carry is very dense, hence the very slim fuselage.