The C-141C Starlifter that flew the last US prisoners of war home from Vietnam moved indoors for the first time at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, on Wednesday. Hanoi Taxi moved into the newly completed fourth hangar, after spending several years in the museum’s outdoor airpark. The C-141 joined the museum after retiring from Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing across base in 2006. The new 224,000 square foot building houses the global reach gallery featuring Hanoi Taxi, as well as the research & development and presidential aircraft, spaceflight, and science-focused educational displays. The museum’s X-15 rocket aircraft was the first to move into the new facility at the beginning of October, followed by the massive, experimental XB-70 Valkyrie bomber, and now the C-141. The new building is slated to open to the public in June 2016, according to museum officials.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
