Sunday, June 30, 2013

Aluminum overcast...

The front office of a Boeing KC-97L Stratotanker at Grissom Air Museum rises like an aluminum cliff above us puny admirers.

First operational in 1950, the Stratotanker wasn't retired by Texas and Utah Air National Guard units until 1978.
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10 comments:

Joseph said...

Interesting to note that in May 1957 one of these aircraft ditched in the Atlantic and then floated for 10(!) days, eventually being sunk by USS Wisconsin, which my father was serving on.
I remember these tankers flying around O'hare airport for many years.

8:33 PM, June 30, 2013
Anonymous said...

And if you want to spend some time in one, the Colorado Springs Airport has one made into a restaurant. One of those 'I gotta try this at least once' places.

http://www.theairplanerestaurant.com/ or 38.80652, -104.72636. Short walk from self serve AvGas pumps at Peak Aviation / Cutter area on the field if you are flying.

No personal interest in either/any, but it was a fun lunch excuse one day while in Denver.

Bonus - US Army Space Command shows up on Google Earth just across the street.

8:37 PM, June 30, 2013
Old NFO said...

SLOW aluminium overcast... :-) But they got the job done until the KC-135 came on line. Biggest problem was they couldn't go fast enough for the jets to get a full bag in high DA situations!

9:54 PM, June 30, 2013
LCB said...

The Air Force Museum has a cargo cousin that you can walk into, look around in the cargo bay...my dad-in-law got to fly as cargo in them during the 50's.

8:10 AM, July 01, 2013
bedlamite said...

Aluminum Overcast is the name of a B-17 and Will be in Madison this month along with Fifi, the last flying B-29

8:13 AM, July 01, 2013
Tam said...

bedlamite,

Aluminum Overcast spent some time parked right outside my office window one fine week in '98 or '99. I didn't get a lot of work done on those days. :D

8:28 AM, July 01, 2013
Matt G said...

Wikipedia says that they had a Max. takeoff weight: 175,000 lb.

Think about that: You see a semitractor trailer tanker rug rolling down the highway, that thing is 80,000 lbs. This is 2.5 times that, airborne, getting to level-flight speeds of nearly a P-40.

We came a long way in a short time, back then.

12:54 PM, July 01, 2013
Justin said...

while you're on the topic of military museums in Indiana, have you checked out the military museum in Vincennes?


I visited years ago when it was mostly just some guys collection in a couple of pull barns, but it looks like they've stepped up their game in the intervening years.




might be worth a trip some weekend.


http://www.indymilitary.com/

12:55 PM, July 01, 2013
Sevesteen said...

I used to be stationed at Grissom, and I'm planning a vacation wandering through the area next week. Is there a practical and legal way to visit the museum that doesn't mean leaving my carry gun behind for the entire trip? Stowing it in the car for the visit would be fine, if there's parking not too far away.

7:02 PM, July 13, 2014
Tam said...

SFAIK, the museum is not on the actual grounds of the air base. It's certainly outside any fences, signs, or guardposts.

7:15 PM, July 13, 2014

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