From Hanoi to Iraq, combat aviation keeps proving the same hard truth: whether in a strike jet or a tanker lane, mission pressure, danger, and unforgiving skies never disappear.
Good read about 2 aircraft I know well. I worked on the WC-135 weather birds at McClellan AFB in Sacramento, then moved to Beale AFB where I taught another special version of the 135, the KC-135Q. The “Q” was specifically modified to refuel the SR-71, which burned JP-7 instead of the typical fuel used (JP-4 or JP-8).
While I never worked on the “D” version of the F-105, I did work on the the F-105G, the famous Wild Weasel. It was assigned to my first base out of Avionics Tech School, George AFB (since closed) across the high desert from Edwards AFB in Southern California.
Good read about 2 aircraft I know well. I worked on the WC-135 weather birds at McClellan AFB in Sacramento, then moved to Beale AFB where I taught another special version of the 135, the KC-135Q. The “Q” was specifically modified to refuel the SR-71, which burned JP-7 instead of the typical fuel used (JP-4 or JP-8).
While I never worked on the “D” version of the F-105, I did work on the the F-105G, the famous Wild Weasel. It was assigned to my first base out of Avionics Tech School, George AFB (since closed) across the high desert from Edwards AFB in Southern California.
Thanks for sharing Jeff, you were able to work on and be around some incredible airframes.