C141 Last Flight?
 

I just heard that, as of sometime last month, the C141 fleet is permanently grounded...true? Kind of just...faded away! Sam

Sad but true....
 

Hit www.c141heaven.com for some very nice photographs of the "Last Line Flight".

http://tmmkkt22.********.com/2006/05...tarlifter.html will take you to an article and photos of the Last Flight of the "Hanoi Taxi" which took it to the USAF Museum in Ohio.


http://www.c141heaven.com/67/67-0166...crew_signs.jpg

Hi,

Is that NASA Starlifter still flying?
I believe it was built just for NASA, never allocated a USAF serial.
I bet it has unbelievably low hours compared to any USAF C-141.

Best regards, Transall.

True...The t-tailed, bug-sucking, lizard-looking, hoovers served well, but had their lives cut short by GWI & C17 procurement...

...I'm sure the crew were comfortable in the red webbing of a Hercules for the ride home! :E

Talk about memorable rides in an aircraft!
 

My last flight on a C-141 was on a stretcher nursing a bottle of morphine.:E

WRIGHT PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - More than 120 former prisoners from the Vietnam War and their families will help the Air Force Reserve's 445th Airlift Wing retire the Air Force's last C-141, the "Hanoi Taxi" during festivities May 5-6.

The C-141 "Hanoi Taxi" was the first aircraft to arrive in Hanoi in February 1973 to pick up the POWs returning to the United States. The "Hanoi Taxi" was one of several aircraft involved in repatriating more than 500 American POWs held by the North Vietnamese.

There are numerous live feed opportunities for morning and afternoon shows.

POWs will participate on two flights at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, commemorating Operation Homecoming in 1973. Some POWs will be available for interviews throughout the day. Media will be provided with B-roll from the flights, and will have access to the day's festivities and more than 50 spokespersons until about 7 p.m.

The Hanoi Taxi will depart the 445th Airlift Wing at 8:20 a.m. Saturday, May 6, make several passes above the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and make its final landing at 9:30 at the museum, located next to Wright Patterson AFB. Media interested in covering the departure of the aircraft from Wright Patterson AFB base operations and its arrival at the museum should be prepared to send a crew to each location due to travel time constraints. In case of rain, a small ceremony will take place inside the museum and the Hanoi Taxi will be flown to the museum at a later date.

The film, "Return with Honor," will play at 1:30 p.m. May 6 in the museum's Carney Auditorium and a former POW will be available to answer questions after the film.

An exhibit, titled "Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia," located in the museum's Modern Flight Gallery will be open to the public May 5.:D

All that stuff about rescuing the prisoners is all fine, but quite one-offish. Crew members remember...dollar ride, cone for the zone, double-dippers (end & beginning of month in war zone, for combat pay/tax benis), SANDY (fir for Saigon), CAM, Round-house in Frankfurt, Crazy Sexy, layovers/stages in Torrejon, Mildenhall, Lajes, Incirlik, Elmendorf, Yakota, etc, F/E's figuring how to max per diem, $2 for BOQ room, cockpit that could fit 10 people comfortably, 270 strokes, over-powered climbs, damn checkrides, 28-hour days, and total aircraft forgiveness of dumb pilots. Lousy coffee, pissed in at Frankfurt, box lunches w stale sandwiches for 60 cents, etc etc, & so much more. One flight for the prisoners, 43 years of the rest...guess it depends on who is looking. Whata machine! Sadsack Sam