Special crest to mark the fact that this is the famous 'Hanoi Taxi', the C-141 that brought the first POWs home from North Vietnam during Operation Homecoming. This was also the last Starlifter to be retired from USAF service in 2006.
Little-known SOLL II (Special Ops Low Level II) Starlifter variant, flown by the 437th AMW. Note the FLIR turret under the nose and the ECM blisters. Rodeo 98.
65-0257 retired from service and was towed across the runway to the museum in November, 1999 after its 44,130 flight hours had exceeded designed safety limit specifications.
Just about to cross the fence into Palmdale, this C-141B Starlifter was operated by the 63rd MAW out of Norton AFB. Starlifters and Norton AFB are both sadly memories now.
Although closed several years earlier Frankfurt was reopened as an active base during the build up of American forces in the Balkans. The Starlifter was one of the aircraft types that returned to this former main USAF transport station in Europe.
During the build up of American forces in the Balkans Frankfurt became the main transport base again. In the background are C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, C-141 Starlifter, KC-135, E-8A JSTARS