You could always identify a KC-97 pilot/copilot or maintenance personnel by the oil stains on their flight jacket. The 4360 was a good engine,but consumed a lot of oil. When reflexing from Lockbourne AFB (Columbus,Ohio) to Lajes in the Azore's we strapped an extra 55 gallon drum of oil on the upper flight deck with a hose running down to the central oil tank to replenish it when needed. Usually both the drum of oil and central oil tank were dry by the time we arrived at Lajes. However, I enjoyed flying the KC-97 during my four years at Lockbourne with the 91st ARS. It was a good stable, comfortable aircraft, but had outlived it's usefulness for the SAC mission in refueling B-47's and the B-52's. Because of it's limited speed, we rarely refueled fighter aircraft after the KC-135's started to arrive in SAC.
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KC-97 Stratotanker Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
General characteristics
* Crew: five (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer, boom operator) * Capacity: 9,000 gal (34,000 L) of jet fuel * Length: 117 ft 5 in (m) * Wingspan: 141 ft 2 in (m) * Height: 38 ft 4 in (m) * Wing area: ft² (m²) * Empty weight: 82,500 lb (kg) * Loaded weight: 153,000 lb (kg) * Max takeoff weight: 175,000 lb (kg) * Powerplant: o 2× General Electric J47-GE-23 turbojets, 5,790 lbf (kN) each o 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-59 radial engines, 3,500 hp (kW) each
Performance
* Maximum speed: 400 mph (km/h) * Cruise speed: 230 mph (km/h) * Range: 2,300 mi (km) * Service ceiling 30,000 ft (m) * Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s) * Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²) * Power/mass (prop): hp/lb (kW/kg)
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