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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Sept 15, 2020 22:30:03 GMT
Good supporting/explanatory text Erik As I, myself, are beginning to learn (thanks to Erik's education) .... the C-135 family are "a bag full of surprises" in regard to their specific aircraft type roles and purposes .... and represented by a surprising number of odd-ball aircraft sub-type designations as a result. And things gets even more "interesting" when military conversion of ex-civil B707's start entering this mix Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by christrott on Sept 16, 2020 0:01:34 GMT
If you can find it, I highly recommend Aerofax's book Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More Than Just a Tanker, by Robert Hopkins. It's getting a bit dated, but it is one of the most comprehensive KC-135 books out there and includes information on the 707's the USAF bought for donor engines and tails with the KC-135E conversion program.
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 16, 2020 21:38:26 GMT
If you can find it, I highly recommend Aerofax's book "Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker: More Than Just a Tanker", by Robert Hopkins It's definitely a great one! I've got a copy of the original as well as the updated and revised version that was published a few years ago. Together they've been invaluable for both photo and technical references as we've been working on the C-135 family over the last few months! On that note, here's another unique military 707; originally slated to become an E-6 for the US Navy, this particular frame was pulled off the line and transferred to the Air Force for the basis of a proposed CFM56-powered version of the E-8; in this role it was designated as a YE-8B (as the fuselage markings would suggest). Ultimately the decision was made to simply continue converting secondhand 707s to E-8s instead, in the name of shorter-term cost savings. The aircraft, as N707UM, was shopped around by Boeing for other potential customers, and eventually became an RE-3 for the Royal Saudi Air Force. This is how it looked while being demonstrated by Boeing around 1993.
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 22, 2020 4:24:10 GMT
As with a few of the 135s, it's missing a few antennas by virtue of the fact that it uses an existing model, but here's an early example of the USAF's AWACS fleet. The E-3A was the initial model in service, and 79-0002 is seen here as it looked around 1981 with the 552d Air Warning & Control Wing at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. The E-3A predated the large sensors on the forward fuselage which were introduced with the upgrade to E-3Cs.
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 23, 2020 21:40:57 GMT
Next one off the line is this EC-18D, serial no. 81-0895. Converted from the former N7566A of American Airlines, this one served in the Cruise Missile Mission Control Aircraft role (CMMCA), where it tracked air-launched cruise missiles during test flights. In addition, it had some control over the missile's flight profile, and an operator in the EC-18's cabin could direct it via joystick if the need arose. 0895 was retired from this role in the late '90s and was planned to be converted to an E-8 (as several of the other EC-18s had been), but this didn't take place for reasons known only to those involved with the program. It's been stored at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana since at least 2004, and as far as anyone knows, is still there in some form.
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 25, 2020 18:48:48 GMT
Back to the civil side briefly, here's a trio of Lufthansa 707-420s from the 1960s: D-ABOF, 1963, named München. This one had a non-standard variation of the tail with the all-yellow band for some reason. D-ABOB, 1965, named Hamburg. This was the standard intermediate livery, which featured a straight cheatline along with details from the delivery scheme. D-ABOG, 1966, named Bonn. This was the basic livery used throughout the 1970s, but still with the older-style tail design. I long thought that this was just a hybrid livery as the '70s version was being introduced, but it was apparently an 'official' livery used for a few years as the first few 737s were delivered this way in 1967 (although they were immediately repainted prior to entering service).
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Sept 25, 2020 20:29:10 GMT
Those'll go well with the original short tail LH -420 we currently offer Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 28, 2020 19:37:55 GMT
One more Lufthansa Boeing to complete our lineup (barring any other previously unknown variations!)- here's 720-030B D-ABON (named Hannover) circa 1964. The 720Bs didn't last long in Lufthansa service, but just long enough to get the revised intermediate colors. This particular one was sold to Pan Am as N786PA in December 1965, and later to Avianca as HK-749. Currently it's sitting in Bogota, Colombia and was at one point used as a restaurant.
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Sept 28, 2020 21:02:08 GMT
Das izt gutt Erik .... sehr gutt mein komraden It was sitting inside a recreational park/El Museo De Los Ninos (minus its pylons and engines) within a suburban barrio of the city of Bogota DC for many years (I saw it there quite a few times between 2000 and around 2015, but, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" prevented me from getting up close and personal with it each time .... ella no le gusta aviacion por nada ) .... as follows .... PHOTO: Javier ("Topper") FRANCO.... but, I believe it's since been dismantled and removed to another location (possibly even scrapped completely .... since they had a purge/huge clean up at SKBO around this time) that I'm not familiar with A lot of old aviation exhibits (especially those from El Museo Aeroespacial/El Museo Fuerza Aerea Colombiana at SKBO) recently went to El Parque Jaime DUQUE. outside of Bogota DC, but, so far as I'm aware, this B720 is not among those exhibits .... unless it's destined to go there sometime in the future. Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Sept 30, 2020 22:25:27 GMT
It would definitely be sad if it's been broken up, but not altogether surprising, I suppose. Satellite pictures appear to show that it was removed between February and November of 2018. Here's one final German 707 (as far as I know, anyway!), representing 1004 of the West German Air Force circa 1980. The fleet of four was primarily maintained by Lufthansa Technik and wore this semi-Lufthansa livery for most of their careers. Upon their retirement, this one and 1001 went to NATO as CT-49A transport/trainer aircraft, while 1002 became an E-8C with the USAF. 1004 was named after Hermann Köhl, a German aviation pioneer noted for making the first east-to-west transatlantic crossing in April 1928.
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Sept 30, 2020 23:53:04 GMT
Colombia (from my own personal perspective) is one of those countries where "aeroplanes" are regarded more as "tools/means with which to make money" .... but .... aren't really valued/appreciated to the same extent they are within the UK, USA, Europe, Australia, NZ and other western countries. In Colombia .... once aircraft have served their purpose they're often either scrapped or otherwise discarded .... if not sold-off. Most Colombian's (certainly the few with whom I associate that "DO" hold their countries achievements in aeronautical history in quite high regard) would probably agree that the country generally doesn't uphold it's aviation history/development with any great regard (despite what the "aeroplane" has dome for to develop Colombia over the past 100 years) .... although "El Museo FAC/Aeroespacial" and "El Parque Jaime Duque" are notable exceptions (the latter having recently received a number of the FAC museums historical exhibits) to this apparent and sad rule and apart from a few other old and no longer serviceable airframes that have ended on roadsides or being displayed within residential or children's theme parks. Sad really .... but .... that's the way it "IS" in Colombia .... and even some western countries too Prior to around 2015 there was a reasonable accumulation of C46's, CARAVELLE's, DC-9's and ELECTRA L-188's laid-up around the city-side perimeters of Bogota DC's Aeropuerto El Dorado Internacional .... BUT SADLY .... they suddenly disappeared (got "THE CHOP" I believe) as part of "a major clean up" (I admit that despite some of these aircraft being as historic as they are .... they were also an "unsightly mess" too) around the same time as the new international/domestic terminal facilities were completed. The often sad thing is (and this applies outside Colombia as well) that any number of historic airframes have ultimately fallen victim to the scrappers .... essentially because they're worth more in pieces, or as scrap, than most whom would like to see them preserved are willing, or even able, to pay in order to ensure their preservation/survival for future appreciation. "Display space" is often another associated problem too .... given most space available to be occupied must be "paid for" .... and "ongoing maintenance costs" as well given even a displayed aircraft still needs to be "maintained". AND .... before anyone comments .... Erik's LUFTWAFFE B707-320C "IS" different from the version we already host given it's .... (a) an entirely different aircraft .... and (b) it also supports a number of chronologically different livery details too Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Oct 5, 2020 22:19:51 GMT
Catching up with Erik again .... I'm always doing that Official portraits of his latest ladies in uniform .... in the form of the following USAF E-3A AWACS and EC-18D subjects .... USAF E-3A 552nd Air Warning & Control Wing 79-0002 (1981)USAF EC-18D 4950th Test Wing CMMCA 81-0895 (1986)Great stuff as always there Erik .... "THANKS". Still several more for me to attend to .... as I get time to do do Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Oct 6, 2020 20:59:50 GMT
Going back the US, here's a pair of United 720s to complement the ones we already offer: N7208U, 1962. Delivery colors with the updated tall tail, as they looked when new in service. N7223U, 1972. The final variant with slightly lighter blue and updated titles as used on the Friendship/Stars & Bars livery. This was as close as 720s came to getting that livery, as they were retired around 1974.
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Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Oct 6, 2020 21:15:14 GMT
Nice timing Erik since I'm "fiddling with the FDE" for the B720-A at the moment ... in-between other priorities at the moment What I'm getting so far is better than what we currently offer .... performance-wise .... and is now more in-line with that of the B720-A. Mark C AKL/NZ
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Post by Erik Ingram - HJG on Oct 7, 2020 18:05:16 GMT
While on the topic of United 720s, here's one that found a second life with the Cornhusker Air Travel Club of Nebraska circa 1975. I couldn't find much information about the outfit, though I presume it was one of the many membership-based tour organizations that existed throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. A friend of my father also told me that he vaguely remembered this plane being chartered to take Nebraska football fans to the 1975 Fiesta Bowl, but that's about all the information I've got.
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