"Stratocruiser" Legacy Lives On

[Jim Reed]

It has been many years since the big Boeing "STRAT"has vacated the skies. But now the "Legacy Lives On" by way of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation from Toms River NJ. They now own & operate & are preserving in flying condition a very RARE C-97G(377)Stratocruiser which soon will become a "Flying Museum of COLD WAR History"inside of Her huge cargo area & when complete hopefully,will be able to Fly to airshows & special events all around the world! ONLY 2 of these fine Boeing examples still survive in the WORLD today that are AIRWORTHY! A total of 888 where produced & of that production run ONLY 55 became civilian airliners known as the 377 Stratocruiser. The USAF flew the rest as the KC/C-97 proptransport & airtanker. Help & support in anyway is welcomed in this great project to assist in getting this great proptransport back in the skies once again.See us at new web site for info & pics at www.spiritoffreedom.org "Keep M Flying"

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Ahhhhh what joy. Let's hope it makes it across to the UK...

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

Probably on three engines, as usual...

[treadigraph]

I was awaiting a VS flight back from Miami a few years ago and watched one of those Dominican registered KC-97s start rolling down 09L (how I wish I'd been up on the car park rather than in the sound-proofed terminal!). A Command Performance of both outboard engines emitting excessive smoke caused an abandoned take-off - I wonder if she ever left after that, or suffered the ignominy of the scrapper?

Remember seeing a couple of ANG KC-97s flog along Green One in the mid-seventies - what a sight, what a sound.

I hope she gets over here too!

[kala87]

:rolleyes:

Any chance of painting it in BOAC colours??


I wasn't aware that the Strat/KC97 flew in the Berlin Airlift as the first airline operated aircraft didn't appear until 1949, but if you say so...

Anyway, can't wait to hear the sound of four 3500 HP radials again.

[treadigraph]

Think only one did and possibly just the one flight, Jim... Read it somewhere some time back, might have been in Flypast.

[ExNeptuneDriver]

Hawkins and Powers of Graybull, Wyoming have been using a kc-97 in Alaska to fight fires. It is at Ft Wainwright standing by right now. It has 16 dump doors and can be used for cargo also. There are photos at H&P web site.

[stranex]

I was at Greybull last month on vacation from the UK, what a sight. Six KC97's there, one on the apron being worked on the other's out on the field. Had a good close up view around all of them and they all looked in good external condition.

Many C-119's also there plus C-82 packet.

Pure bliss and all on video for prosperity

[4wings]

What fuel do they use these days, as there can't be much 115/145 around now? I had enough trouble finding some for the C97s the US flew into Lagos in 1970 at the end of the Nigeria / Biafra civil war (I was Shell's logistics manager). They were going to be used for flying relief supplies into the Uli Ihiala strip, but wasn't either practical not politically acceptable.

[Jim Reed]

Those huge P&W 4360's radaidial engines are still using 100/115 octane fuel. We burn the same fuel in our C-54 Skymaster. Very important now to check fuel truck on delivery to aircraft as not to get jet A or kerosene. at airshows. "Help Keep M Flying" Best Rgards,Jim Reed:Dir.BAHF