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Description
| Manufacturer: | Boeing | |
| Base model: | C-135 | |
| Designation: | RC-135 | |
| Version: | D | |
| Nickname: | Stratolifter | |
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | |
| Designation Period: | 1925-1962 | |
| Basic role: | Transport | |
| Modified Mission: | Reconnaissance | |
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Recent comments by our visitors
| Bob Rankin Dagsboro, DE | Assigned to 6985th from 1962-66 which was the original project OFFICE BOY. Arrived 9/62 even before the A/C did. Was a young TSgt and NCOIC of Dawg flt with 2LT Gary Belcher as flt commander and Capt Doyle Larson as Sq Commander (later M/G Larson). 30 month tour, stayed 4 yrs.Flew about 1600 hrs. Never a problem (that I was aware of). Terrific people everywhere LOVED IT 07/27/2008 @ 13:16 [ref: 22273] |
| Mick St.Clair Salem, VA | I was a photographer stationed at Eielson in 1969-70 and I shot lots of photos of the tankers and the RC-135s. I have a wonderful color photo of a Cobra Ball at night in the big hangar. I remember seeing the RCs and tankers using up most of the runway to get airborne, trailing the black smoke from the engines. Our photo lab processed the mission film from the RC-135s. I used to walk through the dayroom of the 24th SRS since they were in the same building as our photo lab (Amber Hall, formerly Ptarmigan Hall). I can remember seeing all the coffee cups of the crewmembers lined up on the wall of the dayroom when I occasionally walked through there. I made friends with a tanker crew and even rode with them from Eielson to Orlando AFB, Fla. in their KC-135. WOW, that was almost 40 years ago and I remember those big big birds roaring down the runway like it was yesterday. 03/05/2008 @ 08:35 [ref: 19865] |
| Tom Tolar Palmetto, FL | Ah, the old KC-135 "water wagon." Four J57 PW's with water injection... what a mess! Flew them for a couple of years out of Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. They would suck about 600 gal. of water through 'em to boost the thrust (increasing mass out the ass gave it a little more boost). It was a thrill-a-minute! Well actually 2 minutes... the time it took to use up the 600g. We used to joke about putting a bag of rocks in front of the nosewheel so we could open it up (we never did figure out how to do that) and make the KC think it had run out of runway and decide to get airborne! The more I think about it the more I DON'T miss that old bird. Oh well. At least I'm around for the memories. I enjoy reading all the comments. Take care. 01/10/2008 @ 05:25 [ref: 19212] |
| Jack Harris Fort Worth, TX | Update email address:
Former Crew Chief 60-357 at Eielson and the Cobra Ball aircrft during the 5 years in Alaska (1968-73). 12/08/2006 @ 05:52 [ref: 14951] |
| Don Walker Atlanta, TX | We lived at Eielson from 12/70 to 12/74 I was 9 when we got there and 13 when we left. My father(died 9/82) was commander of the 24th SRS for our last 2 years there. I still have his flight manuals for the KC and RC-135d. 01/09/2006 @ 19:53 [ref: 12112] |
| Ed Sellmeyer East Syracuse, NY | I flew on all three 356, 357, 362 from 11/64 to 02/67 out of Eielson; flew a few out of Shemya; I remember the lights going out about 5 seconds after "ROTATE" because the generator went out; also remember running dry on landing rollout because of headwinds; also remember handcranking the landing gear down while circling the field; quite a time. 12/14/2005 @ 22:14 [ref: 11985] |
| Ed Sellmeyer East Syracuse, NY | I flew on all three 356, 357, 362 from 11/64 to 02/67 out of Eielson; flew a few out of Shemya; I remember the lights going out about 5 seconds after "ROTATE" because the generator went out; also remember running dry on landing rollout because of headwinds; also remember handcranking the landing gear down while circling the field; quite a time. 12/14/2005 @ 22:13 [ref: 11984] |
| Tom Simundich , CA | The takeoffs of the RC-135Ds were both dramatic and gut wrenching to watch from the maintenance truck at the foot of the runway at Eielson. The birds were heavy, loaded with fuel and underpowered. After burning fuel for a half hour at the end of the runway power and water would be applied to the engines. The RC-135D would start rolling, oh so slowly. The pursuit tanker would then come into position for takeoff. The RC-135D would roll seemingly forever (2 minutes as I recall) before it rotated. From the perspective of the maintenance truck it looked to be hardly climbing with black water vapor spewing from the engines. It appeared to just barely clear the stunted trees at the end of the runway. Then it would start banking to make a shallow turn to fly north. Doubtless the crew enjoyed flying over the homes in North Pole, Ak. When the RC-135D started turning the tanker would begin its takeoff with greater dispatch than we had just witnessed, all in all quite a spectacle. 03/22/2005 @ 19:20 [ref: 9780] |
| Bob Leapley Springfield, MO | Looks like previous visitors mostly worked on the the old D's. I was a Russian linguist with the 6985th Security Sq. at Eielson from 1970-73 and flew on all three a/c. As I remember, we only had 2 that were there at a time due to one always at LTV getting the cracks fixed in the wings. Also flew Cobra Ball out to Shemya and points west quite a few times. Made a few TDYs to England. 09/26/2004 @ 21:35 [ref: 8347] |
| Rick Taylor North Pole, AK | I was assigned to the 6th Strategic Wing twice. From 4-71 to 10-75 and 8-78 until I retired in September of '83. I was Jack Harris' Assistant Crew Chief on 60-357 from April '71 to '73. I ended up turning over all three of the RC-135D's to the 55th SRW by the end of '74, and was assigned as a Crew Chief on the RC-135S 61-2664 for a short time in '78. Finished my last tour as NCOIC, Night Shift, for the Field Maintenance Branch, and spent most of 79 and 80 as the Shop Chief, Repair and Reclamation Shop. 61-664 crashed in 80 and was replaced by 61-2662 just before I retired. The 6th was a great unit and staffed by the "best of the best" that SAC had. 02/15/2002 @ 10:41 [ref: 4318] |
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