T Campbell
@tcamp202
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Non practicing USAF Boom Operator (88-97) All things air refueling (with a little bit of WWII Marine Aviation) #NKAWTG
East Coast, USA
Joined September 2022
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Seeing as how tomorrow is the last flight of the KC-10, I though I'd post some of my photos. Pardon the low res... these were taken a digital camera (not a high end on either) in the mid '90s.
Cargo bay, looking aft. Notice the rope on the (airplane) right wall. These was needed
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So, last night I decided to post some of my old crappy images of my glory days in the -10 during the '90s because I knew of the retirement today.
And I want to say thanks to all the folks who read, commented, liked, and reposted my photos and commentary. It's the biggest response
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What are the most amazing things you've seen as a Boom Operator?
Five KC-135Rs and Sixty F-16s Refueling Near Kuwait
In November and December of 1990 during Operation Desert Shield I was flying out of Jeddah, Saudia Arabia. The flight lunches always had goat cheese on the
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This is what that poor jet will look like tomorrow...
All saved up for when we need them next!
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#OneElevenWednesday
... this is the first -111 photo posted this evening that I did not take... (Edwards AFB, Harrison, April 21, 1982)
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1957: The number one song for the year was All Shook Up by Elvis Presley, who had just purchased Graceland. Wham-O released the first Frisbee toys for sale and the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 kicking off the Space Race.
Meanwhile, the folks at Eglin AFB, FL decided to create
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For all you kids out there... this is why I joined the Air Force.
KC-135A refueling the incredible SR-71.
AIM HIGH!
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A couple of pilots standing in front of the cargo net and the bunks.
The cargo net was to stop any cargo from reaching the cockpit in the event of an emergency. The net used temp stitching and if the cargo did move forward the temp stitching would break and the net would expand
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To wrap it up, I'll post my most treasured KC-10 photos from when the first two KC-10s were being tested.
This photo was lent for me for scanning back in the mid '90s by Frank Junge, a Sim instructor and great boom operator. He was part of the initial cadre of boom operators
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2004: I was out of the Air Force by this time working in IT. Music pretty much s*cked. Gas was up to $2.10 a gallon (and it was pissing me off) and the Summer Olympics were held in Greece.
In my four years in the KC-135, I carried my helmet on every single mission. I only wore
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My KC-10 squadron patch and optional patches circa 1992. 2d Air Refueling Squadron.
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KC-10 on KC-10 air refueling. This picture shows the receiver doing a limitations demo and being far out to the (airplane's) right, probably around 28 degrees.
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Although I apparently created this X/Twitter account in September of 2022, my first post wasn’t until February 2024 when I decided I wanted to share my knowledge about air refueling and my time in the Unites States Air Force.
Thanks to all who have commented, reposted and liked
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We refueled
All USAF Aircraft
Adventurous Navy Aircraft
A few good Marine Aircraft
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Thought you -111 guys might like this one... it's got a pretty paint job.
F-111 over Edwards AFB, October 15, 1985
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It's definitely not fake. This maneuver, called the Whiff, was done at Castle Air Force Bases' CFIC instructor training. It was a confidence building maneuver used to demonstrate the tanker being the Big ADI (Attitude Direction Indicator) in the sky and it was a perfectly safe 1G
BUFF TANKING
Its unlikely we may ever see B-52s in Australia tanking like this but in past in tight tanker tracks and curved routes, KC-135 tanker and B-52 turn sharply to maintain assigned tanker tracks.
its not fake. many more examples of extreme banking tanking.
USAF photo
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A very nice photo taken May 20, 1997 of a McGuire AFB KC-10 refueling a B-1B
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Always thought the three throttles was kind of weird, but it worked well. The KC-10 was a lot more advanced than the KC-135 I came from.
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Just talked with the a friend and boom operator who I haven't spoken to in over 24 years thanks to all these postings about the KC-10 and it's retirement.
We even touched on a few stories... loading 3 IAKs (Passenger Kit for the KC-10) on one aircraft and carrying passengers
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Wow... what a formation:
Consolidated B-36
Boeing B-47
Boeing C-97
Lockheed RC-121
Martin B-57
North American B-45
Douglas B-66
Boeing B-52
Consolidated C-131
Fairchild C-119
Douglas C-124
North American F-96
North American F-86F
Consolidated F-102
Lockheed F-94C
Northrop F-89
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Found a bit of a treasure trove... public photos.... nice ones too. In honor of our retiring birds... 1982
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1983
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I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m glad everyone has been enjoying the stories of my youth. I was a line Boom Operator in the KC-135 A and R for around four years before moving on to the KC-10s for another five. While I did eventually become an Instructor Boom
Although I apparently created this X/Twitter account in September of 2022, my first post wasn’t until February 2024 when I decided I wanted to share my knowledge about air refueling and my time in the Unites States Air Force.
Thanks to all who have commented, reposted and liked
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Yeah baby... B-1B approaching the contact position.
TSGT Lance Cheung, August 1, 2000
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Found a Two-fer...
I'm sure the were listening to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, or Shake It Up by The Cars while prepping for this flight
KC-10A test bird refueling F-111 over Edwards AFB on April 21, 1982.
The F-111 is approaching the inner limit of the telescope in this
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Edwards AFB, California, March 23, 1983
1983: Michael Jackson was rocking with Billie Jean, the United States invaded Grenada (which I thought was a Ford car), and Microsoft releases Word.
Meanwhile at Edwards: An air-to-air view from the boom operator's window of the B-1B/159 testbed aircraft (originally the No. 2
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Today, I saw many people wonder, what made the KC-10 and it's community so great.
Well... the fact that it could offload more gas, recieve gas in flight, carry more passengers, and carry more cargo than the KC-135 was the starting point.
But the special sauce was the fact that
Seeing as how tomorrow is the last flight of the KC-10, I though I'd post some of my photos. Pardon the low res... these were taken a digital camera (not a high end on either) in the mid '90s.
Cargo bay, looking aft. Notice the rope on the (airplane) right wall. These was needed
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Pushing pallets down the rails and into position. Then put the locks up to keep them in place. Locks were always checked before takeoff and before landing. We definitely did not want things rolling around back there.
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Smoking in the Boompod
In May of 1989, I went on a 6-week Temporary Duty Assignment (TDY) to the Alaska Tanker Task Force (ATTF) at Eielson AFB, Fairbanks Alaska in a KC-135 A model. At Loring, we were converting over to the luxurious “R” model.
Crew R-121 was a young crew. The
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Seems to be a KC-10 day... seeing as how they're retiring and all... so here's some KC-10s at Diego Garcia (Gilligan's Island) waiting to support some B-52 for Operation Desert Strike on December 18, 1996.
I'm sure alot of those deployed folks wished they would just knock it
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How I Missed the D*mn War – Part 1
Monday, August 5th, 1990, my buddies phone rang and it’s his Aircraft Commander (AC) telling him he is now in crew rest, to pack a bag for 90 days, report to the squadron in 12 hours, and no, he didn’t know where they were going.
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1982 again... KC-135 in formation with a KC-10 refueling a C-5A over the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Edwards AFB
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All great photos come from the *ss end of a KC-135 and this one's no exception.
This is the F-111 advanced fighter technology intergration aircraft on March 28, 1988. I wish I had more operational details, but sadly I don't. Looks like something special on the wing though.
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Don't normally post fighters unless they are refueling, but was looking for low level heavies and found this stunning photo with a unique livery.
An F/A-18 Hornet from Naval Strike Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) armed with Hellfire and AIM 9 Sidewinder missiles, flies at a
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1996: We continued flying over the Middle East and during our downtime, we learned the "Macarena", sung by Los del Rio. Prince Charles and Princess of Wales Diana call it quits and Mad Cow Disease hit Britain.
Meanwhile, over the deserts of Saudi Arabia, an F-16 pilot,
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1980: Billy Joel’s hit was “Still Rock and Roll to Me”, the Rubiks Cube debuts, 3M begins sales of it’s latest product, the Post-It Note and the population of the United States is 226 million people.
Meanwhile in the desert of Arizona: AN air-to-air front view of an MC-130E
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This is my favorite photo of Mount Shasta... it was photo bombed by the great looking KC-10 though, but I think that makes it better.
Flew from KHND to Grants Pass, OR (3S8) today. Flying by Mount Shasta was AMAZING.
#SundayFunday
#FlySomethingSunday
#avgeek
#aviation
#Flying
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Snoopy...
Late 1980s, can’t ever get enough of the RC-135 taking gas from a KC-135 over the North Sea. These pilots were amongst the best at receiver air refueling, as good as, if not better than, their B-52 cohorts. The tanker is from the 912 AREFS and the RC is from the 306th
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42nd Air Refueling Squadron, Loring AFB, Maine, 1992(ish), over 30 years ago. Some many faces from the past.
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Bringing cargo in the door. You had to watch your feet, if you got between the rail and a pallet, your day could be over very quick.
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1983: Michael Jackson was rocking with Billie Jean, the United States invaded Grenada (which I thought was a Ford car), and Microsoft releases Word.
Meanwhile at Edwards: An air-to-air view from the boom operator's window of the B-1B/159 testbed aircraft (originally the No. 2
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A boom operator and friend of mine with the 2d AREFS at McGuire in the boom pod.
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The USAF had a facination with flying heavies low level for a while. Not sure if they are still doing it as much these days.
"An elevated left side view of a C-141B Starlifter aircraft in flight during special operations training"
(MAJ John Franklin) 1995
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BTW... nobody ever referred to it as the "Big Sexy" in my day. Don't know where that came from, but I don't know that I'm all that keen... It's a nice looking jet, but Big Sexy.... come on...
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Close up of the powered rollers that helped move pallets as they came in the door. They would pop up and grab the pallets. I think there were a total of six. They could spin in both directions, and by using two rollers spinning the opposite direction, you could spin the pallets
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We had this huge winch in the aircraft. I never used it on a mission, but if an item was too heavy, such as a Duece and a half, or HUMVEEs, you could use this to winch the item aft.
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This is where all the good sh*t happened! (it's the door to the ARO (aka Boom Pod) and the stairs down.)
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Hazardous cargo sucked donkey balls. Special planning, special loading, special parking... just a big PITA.
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I've got to go mow my lawn, but as usual, I'm seaching through photographs for something interesting and this morning I found it. Everybody has seen pictures of a B-52 being refueled a thousand times, but there is something really odd with this photo... can you tell what's
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1983: I was still in high school, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, and The Police released that creepy song that everybody liked “Every Breath You Take”
Meanwhile at Boeing, “A side view of a flutter model of a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft undergoing a ground
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NKC-135 55-3124 equipped with the AARB (Advanced Aerial Refueling Boom) testing with the A-10 Warthog over Edwards AFB, CA January 26, 1978 (L. Cunningham)
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When we carried the larger seat configuration, the seats had to be offloaded to load cargo. Another big PITA.
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Enrique T Tabyanan, who sent me many emails, send one saying this:
"By the way, I did the flight test with the Boeing 747 with a boom on it out at Boeing Company in '71 & '72. That was a great project to do. The picture attached is my favorite."
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Ever wonder why the KC-135 tail had a check on it? It doesn't mean "good to go".
The tail folds over the right for maintenance, and the area within the check is where you can walk when the tail is flat.
This jet, 61-0293 was the very first converted R model. It is still flying.
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Here's a B-1B not quite ready for prime time yet... but it's getting there...
SSgt T.L. Viada, October 18, 1985
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SAC Crew Dogs: B-52G Training Folly
This isn’t a boom operator story; this is a somewhat funny story about how sometimes the bureaucracy makes crazy decisions. It probably has something to do with how New Commanders Can’t Do Anything too. This story is also about the mighty Big
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Another stunning photo from the NKC-135A 55-3124 with the AARB (Advanced Aerial Refueling Boom) installed refueling an F-15 Eagle likely over Edwards AFB on January 26th, 1978. (photographer L. Cunningham)
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Pointy-ist nose I've ever seen. Same jet, 61-0293, the first KC-135R.
Found a great new (to me) photo of 61-0293, the first -135 converted to an R model. The engines look very rounded in this photo... but it's a good one. Gotto love the pointy nose too!
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I am hoping to improve my presence on X (hoping maybe I can make a new income stream) and if you are reading my stories and enjoying them, your pleasure is my service, I thank you!
And I would humbly ask if you could repost my stories, spreading them wide and far, if you think
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Guiding the loader up to the cargo door was the loading boom's job. First you would open the door, then you had to install the door sill protector, which was large, heavy and awkward, then you could direct the loader driver up to the plane.
You didn't want him to drive into the
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Ever wonder why they called them the Gucci boyz?
The story, as I was told... (it could just be lore, and not actually true)
When the KC-10 were stood up, the bases were Barksdale AFB LA, March AFB CA, and then Seymour Johnson AFB NC.
Boom Operators were given HP calculators
This video brought back some cool memories. I will miss seeing the KC-10 flying around.
.
.
IG: highspeedboom
・・・
Gucci boyz out and about on the California coast🌅
#KC10
#boomoperator
#airrefueling
#KC135
#tanker
#usaf
#aviation
#air2air
#GoldenHour
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KC-10, all shiny and new in January 1982. I always liked the white tops.
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For you -141 low level guys...
Two C-141B Starlifter aircraft from the 437th Military Airlift Wing make a low-level equipment drop during a training mission
Yeah baby!
(TSGT Hans H. Deffner) 1990
The USAF had a facination with flying heavies low level for a while. Not sure if they are still doing it as much these days.
"An elevated left side view of a C-141B Starlifter aircraft in flight during special operations training"
(MAJ John Franklin) 1995
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SAC Crew Dog Alert Stories: An Introduction - Part 1
In 1989, I spent a lot of time trying to explain to my family what being on Alert was. The fire house analogy was the only one I could come up with. For seven days straights, a couple of times a month, we would move into the
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☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️
Come explore the world’s LARGEST aircraft boneyard. Video is live!
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Look ma! No googles!
79 AREFS KC-10 refuels an F-16 from the 150th FW, NM ANG during PITCH BLACK 96. Looks like the red interior lights are on full bright for the camera (or avoid him tripping and falling.)
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2004: Thirteen years earlier, this E model -135 slung two engines off its wing and still managed to return to base. Those wing tip vortices and jet wash are a b*tch.
It wasn’t the only incident. We had a guard crew accidentally take off from a taxi way while a C-141 was doing an
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A woman in a Facebook group made these to commemorate the KC-10
An old-school caricature of the Gucci jet, when they were blue & white in the 80’s
Acrylic. Raised lettering, lines & symbols. Mine came in yesterday & I love it!
The artist:
IG:
@lazeyjanedesigns
Email:
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In the event of an emergency during an Air Refueling, I think proximity might be a great motivator and it’s why I think not building a boom pod in the KC-46 was a mistake.
I don’t have an issue with the use of camera’s, on the contrary, I think it’s a good idea for automation,
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Why I’ve Been Writing All These Stories
I’ve written about this subject sporadically a couple of times answering questions, but this time, I’m going to give it some structure. I’ll give it a title and save it, so I don’t have to write it again. It’s a bit long winded, so forgive
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They don't call it the Freaking Ridiculous Engineering Design (FRED) for nothing...
351st AREFS KC-135R refueling a C-5B over England shown in a great public photo by TSgt Brad Fallin on June 10th, 1996.
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The business end of a KC-10 with an F-15 photo bombing.
I can tell you, that nozzle is much bigger than it looks.
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Folks seem to enjoy the B-1... and who wouldn't... (well, maybe the people getting bombed, but tough on them.)
This one is during the golden hour, Operation Enduring Freedom November 27, 2001.
A very nice photo taken May 20, 1997 of a McGuire AFB KC-10 refueling a B-1B
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How a Change in Point of View Can Make Such a Difference
My first KC-135 crew was a young crew. We were viewed by our peers (and our commanders) as a young crew because we didn’t have a lot of experience, individually or collectively. Our copilot was the most experienced, but he
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1988: Having just joined the Air Force, in July I was going through Survival Training and Escape & Evasion Training at Fairchild AFB. If you’ve been to the Final Point, you’re my type of peoples.
Rick Rolling got it’s start with Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. The
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These missions used to be very common in the 80's and 90's with the Russians both on the East Coast and on the West Coast of Alaska. So much so, at Loring we had a patch and a plaque in the Ready Room with crew members names on it.
I did mine in 1989 while I was stationed at
NORAD used at least x2 KC-135s, x1 RCAF CC-130, x2 RCAF CF-18s, x2 F-16s, x2 F-35s, x1 E-3 AWACS to intercept x2 Russian AF Tu-95MS and x2 PLA Airforce Hun-6k as they approached the Alaskan ADIZ yesterday. 😎
Callsigns heard:
BYTE65
CHENA55
OILER79
FATE21
AXE11
CACHE51
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Found a great new (to me) photo of 61-0293, the first -135 converted to an R model. The engines look very rounded in this photo... but it's a good one. Gotto love the pointy nose too!
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Like this?
@tcamp202
Hell yeah. Great pic. USAF E-5 who was working at Eielson AFB 1985-1986 with SW 6 tryin' to sleep during the day while all those water-injected -135's were taking off....
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McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender 79-1713 refueling a flight of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II on September 15, 1983.
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Darn it, I was looking for this yesterday and couldn't find it. Was the first image I found today, buy accident. Happy 70th!
HC-130 in 1986.
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