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Contact Info
Home Town Pasadena, California
Last Address Bossier City, Louisiana
Date of Passing Oct 17, 1999
Location of Interment Rose-Neath Cemetery - Bossier City, Louisiana
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
He was a tanker pilot, a transport pilot, and a staff officer during his service. He flew a total of 214 combat missions during 3 tours in Vietnam.
His AF Cross citation: Awarded for actions during the Vietnam War
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Colonel [then Major] Hunter F. Hackney (AFSN: 0-65287), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as a C-7A Aircraft Commander of the 458th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Cam Ranh Bay Air Base, Vietnam, in action near Duc Lap Republic of Vietnam, on 25 August 1968. On that date, Major Hackney flew two drop passes delivering vitally needed ammunition through vicious concentrations of anti-aircraft and automatic weapons fire in which his aircraft sustained severe battle damage, disabling it and causing him to recover at a forward base. Realizing that the defenders of Duc Lap could not survive through the night without resupply of small arms ammunition, Major Hackney obtained a new aircraft and volunteered to reenter this hostile environment in which five other aircraft had perished. With tenacious courage, he delivered his cargo, again sustaining heavy battle damage. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of an opposing armed force, Major Hackney has reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Aircraft/Missile Information
The Boeing Company's model 367-80 was the basic design for the commercial 707 passenger plane as well as the KC-135A Stratotanker. In 1954 the Air Force purchased the first 29 of its future 732-plane fleet. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, Calif., in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965.
Of the original KC-135A's, more than 415 have been modified with new CFM-56 engines produced by CFM-International. The re-engined tanker, designated either the KC-135R or KC-135T, can offload 50 percent more fuel, is 25 percent more fuel efficient, costs 25 percent less to operate and is 96 percent quieter than the KC-135A.
Specifications StatsCentral Model Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker Length 136.25 ft | 41.53 m Width 130.84 ft | 39.88 m Height 41.67 ft | 12.70 m Engine(s) 4 x CFM F108 turbofan engines generating 22,000lbs of thrust each. Empty Weight 106,307 lbs | 48,220 kg MTOW 322,503 lbs | 146,285 kg Max Speed 610 mph | 982 km/h | 530 kts Max Range 2,880 miles | 4,635 km Ceiling 41,719 ft | 12,716 m | 7.9 miles Climb Rate 1,290 ft/min (393.2 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament None. Accommodations 3
