This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Rickey Baugh (Radar)
to remember
Luhm, Patrick, Sr. (Pat), TSgt USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Fond du Lac
Last Address Newalla, Oklahoma
Date of Passing May 28, 2013
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
1980-1997, VC-135 VIP Aircraft
From Year 1980
To Year 1997
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
VC-135 VIP Aircraft Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
The VC-135B aircraft were built as TF33-engined C-135 Stratolifters but were later converted into a VC-135B for the special 89th Military Airlift Wing. Five VC-135's came to the 89th MAW (now the 89th Airlift Wing) at Andrews AFB, just southeast of Washington beginning in 1966. The VC-135's were cargo versions of the KC-135 tanker converted to passenger use. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara had brought them to Andrews because, with nearly all the fuel tanks of the KC-135 and with turbofan engines, they could fly from AAFB to Southeast Asia (SEA) non-stop.
A total of five Boeing C-135B Stratolifters were acquired in 1962 and later converted to the VC-135B configuration: 62-4125, 62-4126, 62-4127, 62-4129 & 62-4130.
The VC-135B aircraft carried a normal crew of 11:
2 Pilots
1 Navigator
1 Flight Engineer
2 Airborne Communications Systems Operators (ACSOs)
5 Flight Attendants
An augmented crew of 16 consisted of:
3 Pilots
2 Navigators
2 Flight Engineers
2 Airborne Communications Systems Operators (ACSOs)
7 Flight Attendants
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§ Initially the VC-135Bs were definitely spartan. They had no windows, the bulkheads were originally painted plywood, while the sleeping bunks were fabricated of square tubular iron and plywood. By 1972 work was under way to design a completely new interior - storage, sitting areas, sleeping quarters, galleys, etc. In late 1977, as part of the efforts of the Carter Administration to expunge remnants of the Nixon "Imperial Presidency," the five VC-135's were repainted in a bland white and gold livery. Then in 1981, at the beginning of the Reagan Administration, they reverted to an Air Force One-like livery.
Many of the flights on the U.S. Air Force VC-135B aircraft were very long and the plane might be full or nearly so on every leg. Travellers on these flights were advised that carry-on items should be limited. Overseas purchases that did not fit in baggage should be mailed home since there was no extra cargo space. Because interior aircraft temperatures may vary from wam to cool, and because of the length of the flights, passengers were cautioned to plan to dress casually on travel days in something adaptable to differing climates.
