A retired Bo
eing KC-135 aircraft, known as Speckled Trout, that was once used to transport the Air Force Chief of Staff was towed Feb. 15 through the streets of San Antonio from Kelly Field Annex, Tex. to its new home at the training annex of Lackland Air Force Base. There, the 344th Training Squadron will use it to train boom operators, airborne mission specialists, Air Force flight attendants, and loadmasters. “We’re going to use it indefinitely as a premier trainer for these career enlisted aviators,” said Lt. Col. Marc Caudill, commander of the training unit. Prior to the move, workers from Worldwide Recovery, a contractor from Omaha, Neb., spent about two weeks removing the aircraft’s engines, wings, and tail section. Roughly the same amount of time will be needed for reassembly. (Lackland report by Mike Joseph)
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
