Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (03-0364)

February 1969 - support a/c for F-102 returning from Europe who made an emergency landing at YZV.

I have not seen these in White over Silver. Excellent photo! Thank You pelican! Cheers!

Great subject great photo - many thanks for posting this

Nice. P&W R-4360 Wasp 3,500hp 28 cylinders.

MANY years ago when I was a kid, MSP was know as Wold Chamberlin and Northwest Airlines flew the Stratocruiser to the orient. Never saw anything that big!

Thanks pelican006 for the memories! Avgas, 100w oil, engines that leak naturally, and the interior that had a perpetual old age smell....my kind of airplane!!!

Very, very good photo.

So...upon return to Sunny California, the Maintenance Sergeant collars our perpetual screw-up, Airman Schmuckatelli:
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AIRMAN! See that aircraft there? I want you to check - and correct - the valve lash on every valve on every cylinder on every engine. You have 24 hours from... NOW! GET TO IT!!!

Oooops - forgot the punch line - that's 224 valves, by the way.

Old bird! I'm guessing that airframe was actually delivered in 1950 and would be USAF reg#50-30364, however that seems off because by then wartime production levels were way off from 30K/Yr. Tail number seems odd... 03- just doesn't work either. Anybody have info?

skylab72 - This one is more likely 53-0364.

Joe Baugher's information reveals this about the a/c...

"53-106/365 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, Were KC-97G-29-BO, then KC-97G-145-BO MSN 16888/17147. Transfer dates to MASDC from www.amarcexperience.com 106,109,138,140,142,145,160,162,197,201,209/215,217,220,228,233, 236,238,239,241,242,246,261,270/275,279,284,294,297,306,311,314,316,324,329,330,332,334,335,337/342,346,349,353,356,358,359,364,365 converted to C-97G."

"364 converted to C-97G. TO MASDC Aug 12, 1970. Declared excess May 19, 1971".

U.S. Air Force FY 1950 s/n's evidently didn't go beyond 50-1844.

http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1953.html

http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1950.html

http://www.amarcexperience.com/ui/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20045&Itemid=220