Oil Burner or Heavy Wagon routes

[beasly]

I just read this on my Jepp CFI renewal course and I thought you might find it interesting.

Until the 1980s, Military Training Routes(MTRs) were not shown on civilian aeronautical charts. Pilots mostly depended on copies of DOD charts posted on walls in FBOs to avoid the routes, which were then called Oil Burner or Heavy Wagon routes.

I am curious where the moniker "Oil Burner" came from.
Cordially,

b.

 

[MikeD]

They were known formally as "Olive Branch" routes......low level radar bombing routes that SAC bombers would fly to practice low ingress/egress. They became Oil Burner as a slang name.....due to the then-turbojet engines that used to smoke like nobody's business....esp on the B-52/B-58/B-47 etc.

There were a number of RBS or Radar Bomb Scoring sites all over the USA, about 15 or so.....one of them being in Holbrook, AZ (Detatchment 2, 2nd Radar Bomb Scoring Squadron, Holbrook AFS, AZ.....closed under BRAC 1991) at one time, where these bombers would make simulated attacks. Theres still a large site at La Junta, CO, 3 in Montana, one in Nevada.....among the others.

 

[beasly]

They were known formally as "Olive Branch" routes......low level radar bombing routes that SAC bombers would fly to practice low ingress/egress. They became Oil Burner as a slang name.....due to the then-turbojet engines that used to smoke like nobody's business....esp on the B-52/B-58/B-47 etc.

There were a number of RBS or Radar Bomb Scoring sites.....one of them being in Holbrook, AZ at one time, where these bombers would make simulated attacks. Theres still a large site at La Junta, CO.

Thanks MikeD.

What is ingress/egress? At ATP my instructor used those terms during preflight brief when he meant "get into the plane, get out of the plane." But if you are flying a bomber at low altitude, I suppose you can get out ok, but getting in could be a problem.

Cordially,

b.

 

[MikeD]

Thanks MikeD.

What is ingress/egress? At ATP my instructor used those terms during preflight brief when he meant "get into the plane, get out of the plane." But if you are flying a bomber at low altitude, I suppose you can get out ok, but getting in could be a problem.

Cordially,

b.

Ingress/egress in this sense = going inbound to the target, and going outbound from the target post-bombing....all low level for this.

Regards the OB routes.....you still hear alot of the old-school Cold War era bomber guys refer to the low level routes by these terms.

 

[beasly]

Ingress/egress in this sense = going inbound to the target, and going outbound from the target post-bombing....all low level for this.

Regards the OB routes.....you still hear alot of the old-school Cold War era bomber guys refer to the low level routes by these terms.

Thanks, man, I appreciate the info.

b.