The National Museum of the US Air Force now is home to the C-141 known as the Hanoi Taxi for its role in repatriating Vietnam War prisoners of war. It was the last C-141 serving in the Air Force and was flown by members of its last unit, Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, from the “A” side of the base to the “B” side, which houses the museum. As part of a weekend commemoration surrounding the retirement of the Taxi, more than 120 former POWs flew on two of the last three flights made by this historic aircraft.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.