B-52 Memorial Park is located within the

Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located 6 miles (10 km) southeast of Downtown Orlando, Florida. In 2021, it handled 19,618,838 passengers, making it the busiest airport in the state and seventh busiest airport i ...

just off the Beachline Expressway formerly the Bee Line near

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

18L. It is a small, relatively hidden park under the control of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and features a retired

B-52D Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

, Air Force Serial Number 56-0687, from the

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

. The aircraft was at one time assigned to the 306th Bomb Wing of the now defunct

McCoy Air Force Base McCoy AFB (1940–1947, 1951–1975) is a former U.S. Air Force installation located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Orlando, Florida. It was a training base during World War II. From 1951 to 1975, it was a front line Strategic Air Command ...

. The bomber was built in 1956 and retired 28 years later in 1984. Final flight was from its last unit of assignment, the

7th Bomb Wing The 7th Bomb Wing (7 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it is also the host unit. The 7 BW is one of only two B-1B Lancer strateg ...

Carswell AFB Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth (abbreviated NAS JRB Fort Worth) includes Carswell Field, a military airbase located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant Coun ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, to the former

McCoy AFB McCoy AFB (1940–1947, 1951–1975) is a former U.S. Air Force installation located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Orlando, Florida. It was a training base during World War II. From 1951 to 1975, it was a front line Strategic Air Command ...

, now

, on February 20, 1984. The park is located on Bear Road, accessible from Tradeport Drive just south of Beachline/SR 528 Exit 4, around the corner from where the old Orlando Jetport terminal, the predecessor to the current Orlando International Airport terminal, used to stand. The park is open from 7:00am to sunset, and is free of charge to visit. The park also contains a memorial for the Airport Authority's K-9s adjacent to the B-52.

External links

Photos of plane in the park
{{Coord, 28, 26, 59, N, 81, 18, 46, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-FL Parks in Orange County, Florida Tourist attractions in Orlando, Florida Monuments and memorials in Florida Orlando International Airport