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| The prototype was built by Boeing in 1944, showcasing the first practical aerial refueling boom - designated by the 'K'. It earned its status as the pioneer aircraft in the field. The 'C' designates its double duty as a cargo ship. At 117 feet long and 38 feet high, it has a wingspan of 141 feet and weighs 82,000 pounds. Its maximum flying weight is 175,000 pounds. After 1956, the KC-97 was gradually replaced by C-135s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Photos taken in Alaska, 1996-2001.
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Beginning in 1984, veteran pilot Bob West guided a modified KC-97 to its fireline targets for nearly 20 years, leading a four-man crew. Fitted with retardant tanks capable of holding 4300 gallons, most contracts limited the plane to 3000 gallons per load. With 16 'doors', the slurry was dropped all at once or in a series of lighter-coverage drops. It's retardant-dropping speed was 150 knots. From 1998 until its retirement in 2003, the KC-97 flew exclusively in Alaska to reduce stress on its Pratt & Whitney 4360 cubic inch engines. The ship was ideal for battling wildfires burning in the tundra and woods of Alaska. No air tanker was more impressive to watch - and hear - working the firelines. The sputtering growl of its huge radial piston engines could be heard from miles away, and was always a welcome sound.
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