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Still In Service
Watching an aircraft at altitude heading westwards I thought I'd check FR24 to see just who was heading where; the aircraft in question was a USAF KC135 leaving UK airspace for a west bound oceanic passage. The details provided by FR24 showed the aircraft ID prefixed with 61, which I take to be the year of manufacture, which makes it at least 58 years old :eek:, It has to be older than the crew flying it!
This led to me musing: is this the oldest KC135 in the fleet?, indeed, is this the oldest active aircraft in the USAF inventory? Over to you :ok: Akro |
There used to be a saying that "The last B52 pilot's father has yet to be born". I guess that also applied to the KC135. That may still be true with the delays to the KC46.
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The "61" refers to the fiscal year in which funds were allocated for the purchase of the aircraft. It might have been built a year or two later.
There are KC-135s around with earlier serials - there are 58- and 59- serials still around. There are also 4 with 57- serials based at RAF Mildenhall. |
The oldest KC-135 currently based at Mildenhall is 57-1440, which made its first flight 16 July 1958. There might be a few in the inventory even older than this.........
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The oldest aircraft in active US Air Force Service is a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. It last flew on July 7, 2018 using the Call sign of REACH419. The registration number is 57-1419 and it was manufactured and accepted into Air Force Service in 1957. ............ :) |
Not to mention U2S 68-10337 flying out of Fairford, there a lot of very elderly airframes still doing good service.
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57-1419 first flight 29/5/58, delivered 27/6/58. As EGTE stated, the "57-" serial prefix only denotes the year the funding was approved, not the year it was built/delivered.
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So what is the oldest RAF aircraft still flying - not counting the BBMF ones of course. (Not sure if Boscombe should count either?)
Any suggestions?? |
The oldest aircraft in front line service with the RAF is probably Puma XW199 (f/f 1/1/71).
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Teeeteringhead, in terms of airframe age, presumably the RC-135s?
In terms of length of service with the RAF, Puma? |
Treadigraph, I think you'r right (I overlooked the RC-135 as their serials begin with a "Z"!). Of the three, ZZ666 is the oldest (just) being ex 64-14830 with f/f 12/10/64.
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Possibly not continuous service, but oldest RAF airframes surely must be the BBMF
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Originally Posted by Herod
(Post 10748683)
Possibly not continuous service, but oldest RAF airframes surely must be the BBMF
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Originally Posted by roger4
(Post 10748509)
The oldest aircraft in front line service with the RAF is probably Puma XW199 (f/f 1/1/71).
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not counting the BBMF ones of course. |
Mind you, what would be the oldest individual military aircraft in operational use worldwide? Surely has to be a C-47/Dakota?
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not counting the BBMF ones of course. |
Originally Posted by Herod
(Post 10748683)
Possibly not continuous service, but oldest RAF airframes surely must be the BBMF
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Mind you, what would be the oldest individual military aircraft in operational use worldwide? Surely has to be a C-47/Dakota? And again I would exclude "Historic Flights" on same grounds as BBMF, I mean aircraft doing a proper military task. |
Originally Posted by teeteringhead
(Post 10749582)
Probably a Huey of some sort; for British aircraft are any of the ex-RAF Wessex still flying in Uruguay?
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Originally Posted by Martin the Martian
(Post 10749541)
Mind you, what would be the oldest individual military aircraft in operational use worldwide? Surely has to be a C-47/Dakota?
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Some of the T1 and T1A Hawks are knocking on a bit. First deliveries in about '77 and some of the current ones in red nearly that old?
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Portugals military still operates the Chipmunk, that's no spring chicken either.
https://www.milavia.net/specials/fap_dhc-1/ |
Columbia Two PT-17s remain in active service for display (serials FAC-62 and FAC-1995). The Israeli Air Force maintains a single airworthy PT-17 |
Originally Posted by teeteringhead
(Post 10748500)
So what is the oldest RAF aircraft still flying - not counting the BBMF ones of course. (Not sure if Boscombe should count either?)
Any suggestions?? . |
Originally Posted by teeteringhead
(Post 10749490)
Just missed XW 199 when I did my very short Puma course (first pilot, day only, just ....), but I did fly XW 200.
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I was on No 4 Course in September 1971. I had spent the previous four months skulking over the south side preparing 33 Sqn's accommodation, building the coffee bar etc etc. Apparently I was supposed to be helping out in Flying Wing but they didn't miss me. My first flight with Dick Holmes was in XW199 but I did all the start and such as I had spent some time with Trevor Wood in XW204; the squadron's first aircraft. 33 Sqn. received XW 204 to XW 216, twelve aircraft, (no CQ) and 230 Sqn. carried on with XW 217 onwards.
In 1972 we were issued with XW227 which had a tailrotor protection skid. We were reliably informed that they would NOT be retrospectively fitted to earlier ones. This shortcoming was pointed out at Thetford when 219 brushed the ground with its tail rotor and seriously disassembled itself. Three weeks later they all had them fitted. |
And a Wing Commander P A ( he who I believe fell over in a wessex on the main pan ) who dragged one across the airfield on his Puma course tearing the skid out of its mounting, then triying to blame the ground crew for missing it dangling in the wind on a turn round and his crew too..who then had a guy driving back and forth over the airfield looking for the impact point,
FarEast you know someone posted a lot of the course photographs on the Puma Facebook pages. . |
I never have, or will, belong to Facebook.
I did 2,000 hrs on the Puma HC1, Another 1,000 hrs on the SA330J, and then, interposed with 2.500 hrs on the Sikorsky S76, another 9500 hrs on the 332L/L1. Flying the various versions of the Puma I cannot remember a moment of concern. We wont talk about the (write your own emergency checklist as you go along) S 76A. |
Originally Posted by NutLoose
(Post 10749863)
Yup we had XW199 XW200 XW201 XW202 XW218.... 218 being a replacement for 198 that beat itself to death on the end of the lazy runway.
XW201 - looking good.. https://c.imge.to/2020/04/15/yon78A.jpg |
Digging around I found ou that the Paraguayan Air force operated some 1930's Cubs until relatively recently in the training role but these have been replaced by something a little more modern. Not a surprise as I think the Paraguayan Navy operate the oldest warship (excluding vessels such as USN "Constitution") the "Capitan Cabral" - she was built by Werf-Conrad in Haarlem and commissioned in 1908, refitted in 1984 and was "still in excellent condition" in the last copy of Jane's I have
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Some of the AAC Gazelles are not far behind the Pumas in terms of age
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They may well be, but it still does not get around the fact the oldest military aircraft still in UK military service bar the BBMF etc is the Hunter.
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Where is the Hunter? The "target" ones, if still in service, are commercial companies I think.
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At least three "mil registered", all ex Swiss AF and G-reg I think.
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Originally Posted by NutLoose
(Post 10749856)
Stearman first first flew in 1934 and the DC3 in 1935
The Israeli Air Force maintains a single airworthy PT-17 They also have a spitfire https://www.iaf.org.il/4421-45092-en/IAF.aspx |
Originally Posted by Herod
(Post 10750636)
Where is the Hunter? The "target" ones, if still in service, are commercial companies I think.
But to operate they are on the MIL register with Mil serial numbers ZZ191 amongst them, and are based out of Scampton, the advantage of being on the MIl register means for trial work they can avoid any modification problems and when the Hunter was grounded these could continue in service, they also have a mothballed Bucc that can be generated, an SU22 and also an ex German Phantom. https://www.hunterteam.com/aboutus/ After extensive negotiations HHA acquired the aircraft on the 14 January 1999 when it was flown to our maintenance facility at RAF Scampton. When delivered, the aircraft had accrued only 767 flight hours in 743 flights and became the youngest & lowest houred aircraft in our fleet. The SU22M4 is currently in storage in HHA’s RAF Scampton, undergoing regular anti-det maintenance and custodial ground runs. The aircraft, its systems and spares are maintained in such a condition that it can readily be reactivated to flight status, should a contractual tasking arise which requires the performance and flight envelope of the SU22 platform. After over 2750 hours of design verification and critical system analysis work by HHA staff, the aircraft was classified in the BCAR A8-20 ‘Complex’ category for civilian use. XX885 is currently in storage at HHA’s RAF Scampton facility undergoing regular anti-det maintenance and custodial ground runs. The aircraft, it’s systems and spares are maintained in such a condition that it can readily be reactivated to flight status should a contractual tasking arise which requires the performance & flight envelope of the Buccaneer platform. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....13979ccc38.png They will all be adopting this scheme BTW https://live.staticflickr.com/924/43...111ba2c9_c.jpg ZZ191 Hunter Team Hawker Hunter F.58 at RIAT 2018 R.A.F Fairford Gloucestershire (EGVA) by shamu28, on Flickr Phantom ‘Phorce’In recent years, a couple of ex-German F-4F Phantoms have also joined HHA’s line up, one of which will be on static display this weekend. Like the Hunters, they’re not flyby- wire, but they’re extremely fast and can carry a huge variety of equipment.“The Phantoms will enable us to undertake various tasking that involve supersonic flight,” says Mat. “There’s one F-4F that is about to commence overhaul in Germany, and the other is here at Scampton, which we currently use as a ground procedures trainer. They will eventually fly on the UK military register with the one currently still in Germany having had the registration ZK848 allocated to it. The acquisition process has taken a long time, because it has meant dealing with ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] and included working with the US Department of Defence, the German MoD and the MoD here in Britain – so a lot of people generating a lot of paperwork have been involved in the process. “It’s a supersonic fighter jet with modern systems fitted within, so getting them ready was always going to be a complex affair, and one that we are determined to do correctly and get right. Remember that the aircraft itself is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the infrastructure and certification processes that have to be established to operate the type. All of our activity is audited and endorsed by the MAA, and with that relationship in place we are able to make this work.” https://www.hunterteam.com/hunterteam_news/ |
Great responses guys :ok: Watching FR24 again I can see KC135 59-1513 over the North Sea playing with a NATO E3, (how old is that one?), and an even older KC just touching down at Mildenhall winning today's elderly aircraft award with a 1958 tail code (58-0113).
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Thanks, Nutloose. Looks like you might have nailed it there. Impressive.
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Originally Posted by Wycombe
(Post 10749740)
Some of the T1 and T1A Hawks are knocking on a bit. First deliveries in about '77 and some of the current ones in red nearly that old?
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