{"id":59965,"date":"2019-04-29T11:24:41","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T11:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/04\/29\/heres-how-b-2-bomber-pilots-pull-off-grueling-33-hour-flights\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:23:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:23:49","slug":"heres-how-b-2-bomber-pilots-pull-off-grueling-33-hour-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/04\/29\/heres-how-b-2-bomber-pilots-pull-off-grueling-33-hour-flights\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how B-2 bomber pilots pull off grueling 33-hour flights"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=aca551c3-bd92-49c4-9eac-65d2297e40d8\" poster=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/video-poster-aca551c3-bd92-49c4-9eac-65d2297e40d8.jpg\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ever wanted to fly the B-2 stealth bomber? Here&#8217;s how to become one of the most elite pilots in the Air Force.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. \u2014 Being a B-2 pilot means experiencing the rush of takeoff and the pressure of weapons drops while flying in the nation\u2019s only stealth bomber. But it also involves having to manage nap times with your co-pilot during daylong-plus flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter you do a few [long-duration flights], anything under 20 hours doesn\u2019t seem like a big deal,\u201d said Capt. Chris \u201cThunder\u201d Beck, a former B-52 pilot who recently graduated from B-2 pilot training school. Beck spoke to journalist and Defense News contributor<a href=\"https:\/\/jeffbolton.org\/about\/\"> Jeff Bolton<\/a> during a visit to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beck has yet to conduct a long-endurance flight in the B-2 Spirit, the stealth bomber produced by Northrop Grumman and introduced to the U.S. Air Force\u2019s inventory in 1997. However, he got used to long missions while flying in the B-52, with one especially extended haul taking him from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, to Japan, and then back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/global-strike\/\" target=_blank><i><b>Click here for more from the special report on the U.S. nuclear enterprise. <\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy personal record is 33 hours for my longest duration, but you just really got to take it from a big-picture standpoint, what you\u2019re trying to achieve \u2014 you and your crew \u2014 and that\u2019s what you have to focus on. It helps the time go by,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/12\/07\/blink-and-youll-miss-it-the-b-21-bomber-accomplishes-another-big-review\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21_ocean.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Blink and you\u2019ll miss it: The B-21 bomber accomplishes another big review<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The final design of the B-21 is getting clearer&#8230;to the Air Force and Northrop Grumman, at least.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The B-2 is the only bomber in the U.S. inventory able to penetrate enemy territory to drop nuclear bombs, and still survive. Only 21 were produced, and all 20 operational jets are based at Whiteman AFB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To prepare for the types of missions that would take them beyond an adversary\u2019s border, B-2 crew training involves traveling from America\u2019s heartland to the other side of the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beck said he tries to stay awake for the majority of a long flight on the B-52 so he can be ready to perform any task needed. But B-2 pilots have less of a choice in that respect. The B-52 is flown by a five-person crew \u2014 two pilots, two navigators and one electronic warfare officer. On the B-2, all tasks are shared between the two pilots, leaving less time for rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou just have to identify what the crunch points are going to be. What\u2019s going to be the most important thing to do?\u201d said Capt. Mike Haffner, a B-2 pilot with the 13th Bomb Squadron, who manages the aircraft simulators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you get started in that mission, [it\u2019s important] to not get lulled into a false sense of security because you feel like you have 12 hours or more to get over to the target area,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to be productive and get things done, so you can start taking turns taking naps and getting ahead of that, because as soon as you get behind the power curve, it&#8217;s kind of hard to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2019\/03\/20\/what-aircraft-does-the-us-air-force-need-to-beat-china-and-russia-this-new-study-has-an-answer\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/B-21_ocean.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">What aircraft does the US Air Force need to beat China and Russia? This new study has an answer.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The future looks stealthy and unmanned.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whiteman Air Force Base maintains a staff of doctors and physiologists that specialize in how protracted flying can impact the human body. These officials help new pilots learn techniques to improve their performance over long-endurance missions and update experienced pilots with new information about how to prevent fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a way you can shift that circadian rhythm back and forth by getting the appropriate amount of sleep, shifting your sleep schedule and even modifying diet,\u201d said Capt. Caleb James, a doctor with the 509th Medical Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For especially long missions, James said doctors will prescribe medication \u201cin the event that those members need that little bit of extra push to help them stay focused on the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the outset of a B-2 mission, most pilots will spend \u201ca lot of time\u201d planning missions as well as learning how to balance obligations like takeoff, weapons activity and aerial refueling with rest, said Lt. Col. Niki \u201cRogue\u201d Polidor, a B-2 pilot and the 509th Bomber Wing\u2019s chief of safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you\u2019re faced with a 24-hour mission, or a long-duration mission, you really get into the details of who is going to do what task, and how we\u2019re going to manage our sleep,\u201d she said. The timing of every task needs to be set in advance \u201cso that we\u2019re both prepared to be in the seat, ready to go, for all the air-refueling and the weapons activity, and then of course landing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Usually, pilots can work in naps, each numbering a couple hours, but \u201cit depends on our route of flight, where our refuelings are place along that route, and where our weapons activity is,\u201d Polidor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from that, every pilot has their own common-sense methods to ensure they stay sharp on long-haul flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe day before, I don\u2019t want to eat anything too extravagant and try to get to bed early,\u201d Haffner said. \u201cWhen you wake up, just roll back over and go back to bed as long as you can.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beck noted the importance of staying hydrated and said he brings bottles of water and Gatorade aboard flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Haffner brings toiletries, spare clothes and light snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI kind of relate it to driving on a road trip,\u201d he said. \u201cYou&#8217;re stopping by the fast food restaurant, and you get the double cheeseburger and the fries and the shake and everything, and you&#8217;re going to put yourself to sleep. But if you don&#8217;t eat anything, you&#8217;re also going to feel miserable. So you\u2019ve got to find that happy middle point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environmental cues can also cue the body to stay awake or sleep. For example, Beck\u2019s 33-hour B-52 flight to Japan followed the sun, giving the crew only a few hours of darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYour mind doesn&#8217;t know what to think at that point. You&#8217;re just awake,\u201d Beck said, adding that situations like that can cause the crew to lose track of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019re very thankful when you land, I\u2019ll say that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Defense News partnered with <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/jeffbolton.org\/about\/\" target=_blank><i>independent journalist and long-time radio personality Jeff Bolton<\/i><\/a><i> for <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/global-strike\/\" target=_blank><i>a multimedia report<\/i><\/a><i> that takes an up-close look at the U.S. nuclear enterprise by way of Bolton\u2019s exclusive flights on military strike platforms and interviews with the leadership and military staff that support nuclear operations and missions.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pilots have their owns methods for staying awake and prepared during long-duration flights. How do they do it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters"],"primary_category":"your-air-force"}}},"categories":[7,160,32,116,36,30],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-59965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-global-strike","category-newsletters","category-smr"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"J5LFXGGOEFCQZA5FUN326OKDW4","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2019\/04\/29\/heres-how-b-2-bomber-pilots-pull-off-grueling-33-hour-flights\/","remove_feature_photo":true,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Here\u2019s how B-2 bomber pilots pull off grueling 33-hour flights - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pilots have their owns methods for staying awake and prepared during long-duration flights. 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