https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?ica...76&zoom=12.4&showTrace=2022-03-02&trackLabels I can't remember if I ever saw them there...
Some spotter captured one of them during a crosswind landing: Interesting maneuvre (British spelling since they're landing at Fairford! ;-)), crabbing the gear, not decrabbing the plane... ;-) Edit: the title is misleading. I originally added a time mark, but it appears the forum software removed it. You can watch the An-124 overrun after an uncontained engine failure and a landing with no hydraulics, flaps or nav equipment or just jump ahead to 2:13.
B-52 was specifically designed with the crabbing landing gear. that has been a feature since decades ago. rather than trying to fight the decrabbing with a unconventional gear setup, they just allowed the 4 centerline bogeys to crab into the direction of the crosswind path. Also, 3 Minutes always posts the original video link in the comments: Original B-52 Crabbing video.
@RealUlli the very first comment explains this perfectly: Ted Lesher - 9 Months ago Crosswind landing technique in most airplanes is to keep the fuselage aimed straight down the runway but maintaining a bank by dropping a wing into the wind, which lets the airplane slip sideways through the air to counteract drift. In the B-52 this is impossible due to the long, low wings and bicycle landing gear, which is designed to land level. Both the forward and aft gear can be rotated so they are parallel and aimed down the runway while the rest of the airplane is pointed into the wind and flying sideways with respect to the ground. .To answer some of the other comments: this feature was never classified. The two main trucks are steerable but the wingtip wheels caster (and are generally off the ground when landing anyway, when the wings aren't holding much fuel and aren't bent down like they are for takeoff). Maximum crab angle is 20 degrees, enough to handle a 50MPH direct crosswind. Crosswind landings are fairly common where you go with these things, which often isn't a matter of much choice. The bicycle gear is probably comparable to the usual tricycle gear in terms of weight and costs. Geometry is such that to keep the wingtips centered on the runway the AFT trucks should be kept on centerline, which is tricky to eyeball when those wheels are 90 feet behind you. You can see in these four landings varying degrees of success in doing this.
