Altus AFB C-141B "The Tube of Pain"
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6Ks
N 34° 39.882 W 099° 16.761
14S E 474405 N 3835896
This 141 is on display at Altus AFB, OK. She is kept next to the flight line she flew from for the last years of her service as a training bird, which by the way is not an easy life for a plane. It is the main reason she is on display here, for many years she spent teaching new pilots how to land until she was found to be structurally unsound. Because she could not safely fly away she was given a new life as a static display.
Waymark Code: WMA74
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 04/10/2006
Views: 110
I flew as Loadmaster on 141s from 1992 to 1998 gaining 1643 hours of flight time. In those 6 years the “Tube of Pain” took me on a whirl wind trip around the globe. Doing everything from bringing in Toilet paper for the troops to flying a new born in need of a heart transplant from Guam to Hawaii. I have very fond memories of this fantastic plane for those of you who are rollercoaster junkies nothing and I mean NOTHING compares to flying 310knots @ 150ft AGL(above ground level) through the mountains.
The last C-141 will be flown to Wright-Patterson AFB to become a static display on 6 May 2006. I share these same sentiments from a former 141 pilot who set up a website for all things 141. See it at www.c141heaven.com
“Add up all the experience of every crew dog, GI, POW, dependent, patient and evacuee that benefited from the C-141 and you can begin to realize how much this veteran aircraft contributed. The C-141 made a real difference to our country and the world. That long green tube has seen it all: life, death, hope, despair, triumph, and tragedy. Yet through it all it has been a steadfast friend that gave more than could be expected.
It is sad to see the end come. Our powerful friend is now old and tired. It helps to remember the Starlifter's time was spent with the best people doing their best work for the best country in the world. What an honor it has been.”
Mission
The C-141 Starlifter fulfills the vast spectrum of airlift requirements through its ability to airlift combat forces over long distances, deliver those forces and their equipment either by air, land or airdrop, resupply forces, and transport the sick and wounded from the hostile area to advanced medical facilities.
Features
The C-141B is a "stretched" C-141A with in-flight refueling capability. The stretching of the Starlifter consisted of lengthening the planes 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 meters). The added length increased the C-141 cargo capacity by about one-third, for an extra 2,171 cubic feet (62.03 cubic meters). The lengthening of the aircraft had the same overall effect as increasing the number of aircraft by 30 percent. The C-141A, built between 1963 and 1967, was Air Mobility Command's first jet aircraft designed to meet military standards as a troop and cargo carrier. The development of the B model was the most cost-effective method of increasing AMC's airlift capability. The C-141C includes the addition of advanced avionics.
A universal air refueling receptacle on the C-141, with the ability to transfer 23,592 gallons (89,649.6 liters) in about 26 minutes, means longer non-stop flights and fewer fuel stops at overseas bases during worldwide airlift missions.
With more than 40 YEARS OF SERVICE AND NEARLY NINE MILLION FLYING HOURS, the C-141 force has a proven reliability and long-range capability. In addition to training, worldwide airlift and combat support, the C-141 has amassed a laudatory record in response to humanitarian crises.
The C-141, with its changeable cargo compartment, can transition from rollers on the floor for palletized cargo to a smooth floor for wheeled vehicles to aft facing seats or sidewall canvas seats for passengers, quickly and easily, to handle over 30 different missions.
Background
The first C-141A, delivered to Tinker AFB, Okla., in October 1964, began squadron operations in April 1965. The C-141 was the first jet transport from which U.S. Army paratroopers jumped, and the first to land in the Antarctic. The first C-141B was received by the Air Force in December 1979. Conversion from A to B models was completed in 1982. Conversion to the C-models began in 1997 and was completed in 2001.
The last active-duty C-141B retired Sept. 16, 2004, at McGuire AFB, N.J. AMC began transferring C-141s to the Air Reserve and Air National Guard forces in July 1986. There are 20 Reserve C-141C's stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
General Characteristics
Primary Function: Cargo and troop transport
Contractor: Lockheed-Georgia Co.
Power Plant: Four Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-7 turbofan engines
Thrust: 20,250 pounds, each engine
Wingspan: 160 feet (48.7 meters)
Length: 168 feet, 4 inches (51 meters
Height: 39 feet, 3 inches (11.9 meters)
Cargo Compartment: Height, 9 feet 1 inch (2.77 meters); length, 93 feet 4 inches (28.45 meters); width, 10 feet 3 inches (3.12 meters)
Cargo Door: width, 10.25 feet (3.12 meters); height, 9.08 feet (2.76 meters)
Speed: 500 mph (Mach 0.74) at 25,000 feet
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,496 meters) at cruising speed
Range: Unlimited with in-flight refueling
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 323,100 lbs (146,863 kilograms)
Load: Either 200 troops, 155 paratroops, 103 litters and 14 seats, or 68,725 lbs (31,239 kilograms) of cargo
Unit Cost: $47.4 million (fiscal 2002 constant dollars)
Crew: Five or six: two pilots, two flight engineers and one loadmaster and one navigator (added for airdrops).
Aeromedical Evacuation Crew: Basic crew is five (two flight nurses and three medical technicians). Medical crew may be decreased or increased as required by the needs of the patients.
Date Deployed: C-141A: October 1964; C-141B: December 1979; C-141C: October 1997.
Inventory: Active duty, 0; Air Force Reserve, 1(until 6 May 2006)
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Lockheed/C-141B
Tail Number: (S/N): 65-9400
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Altus AFB, OK Near the flightline next to the Control tower.
inside / outside: outside
Other Information:: Not listed
Access restrictions: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
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