Minicraft #146991/144 USAF KC-97L Tanker

Minicraft #146991/144 USAF KC-97L Tanker

The first dedicated USAF air to air tanker was the KC-97. This, like all of the Air Force's tankers since, was a modified airliner, in this the B.377 Stratocruiser. This aircraft a minor success for Boeing, mostly due to the cost of each plane, but when it came to the tanker version, it was a best seller.

The USAF began operating the KC-97 in 1950. It purchased a total of 811 KC-97s from Boeing,[as opposed to only 74 of the C-97 cargo version. The KC-97 carried aviation gasoline for its own piston engines but it carried jet fuel for its refueling mission, this required an independent system for each type of fuel. However, it was able to offload its aviation gas to a receiver in an emergency in a procedure known as a "SAVE".

These tankers were vitally important to the world-wide Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic operations. An example was the support of Arctic reconnaissance flights from Thule Air Base.

While it was an effective tanker, the KC-97's slow speed and low operational altitude complicated refueling operations with jet aircraft. B-52s typically lowered their flaps and rear landing gear to slow the aircraft enough to refuel from the KC-97. In addition, a typical B-52 refueling engagement profile would involve a descent that allowed the aircraft pair to maintain a higher airspeed (220–240 knots). In the early 1960s, the Tactical Air Command added General Electric J47 jet pods from retired KB-50 aerial tankers to produce the KC-97L. These jet pods increased the speed of the KC-97 (for short periods of time) and made it more compatible with jet fighter planes like the F-84, F-100, and F-101.

In 1956, the Strategic Air Command began phasing out its KC-97s in favor of the KC-135 Stratotanker. KC-97s continued flying with Tactical Air Command, the Air Force Reserve, and the Air National Guard. The rest of the KC-97s were retired completely in 1978, when the Texas Air National Guard and the Utah Air National Guard exchanged their KC-97Ls for the C-130 Hercules and the KC-135 Stratotanker, respectively.

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