BAFB Colonel Qualifies on All Three Air Force Bomber Platforms

Today was a banner day for one Barksdale Air Force Base officer.  

Col. Paul Tibbets IV is the Deputy Director of Operations for Air Force Global Strike Command and, today, he was certified to fly the B-52 Stratofortress.  That, in and of itself, is quite an accomplishment.  But, for Col. Tibbets, it placed him among a select number of Air Force pilots who are trained to fly all three Air Force bomber platforms.  He was already certified to fly the B-1 Lancer and the B-2 Spirit.

According to a news release from the 307th Bomb Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve, Col. Tibbets is the grandson of Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets Jr., who was best known for his atomic mission in the B-29 during World War II.  But Gen. Tibbets also flew 25 combat missions in the B-17 Flying Fortress.  His aircraft was decorated with the nose art "Red Gremlin" and, as you can see in the photo, Col. Tibbets' B-52 sports the nose art "Red Gremlin II."