B-52 IS ON WAY TO TOWN.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A B-52 Stratofortress that has been on display at State Fair Park for 33 years is being dismantled for shipment to its new home in Palmdale.

The bomber will be a feature at Palmdale's Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Plant 42 on Rancho Vista Boulevard and 25th Street East. Palmdale is paying $248,000 for the bomber to be disassembled, shipped and reassembled at the airpark.

The Air Force bomber, which sat on pedestals in Oklahoma, is being removed as part of a $55 million renovation to the park. ``It's not our core mission to deal with and preserve aircraft,'' said Tim O'Toole, the fair's general manager.

Maintaining the bomber also was a problem. Since it was raised off the ground, it was difficult for crews to clean and preserve the bomber. ``The B-52 is being given to the city of Palmdale,'' O'Toole said. ``They have aircraft on their grounds available for public tour.''

A contractor Palmdale hired has taken the plane off its pedestals and is slowly disassembling it for its trip west.

The eight-engine B-52 was put on display at the fair park in 1973 as part of an exhibit representing the development of Tinker Air Force Base. Several other planes also were put on display in the early 1970s.