C-141 Starlifter - 1st flight photos

Once of my uncles retired from the Lockheed plant here in GA and he gave me these pictures a long time agp. They are not the best images (esp after scanning) but I thought I would share them anyway. They are standard 8.5 x 11. I have also attached a pic showing the later "C" version for comparison.

First flight of the Starlifter was December 17, 1963 according to one of my books.

Hope you enjoy...

My father retired from the Army and went to work for Lockheed in 62 at the GA plant he also worked on the C5A I went to work for them
work for them in 79 and worked on the rewing of the C5A and the new C5B ,141, F22, 130H and the C130J
AEC Retired Tony

Once and a while you will see them being scrapped on GL...usually at the aircraft bone yard in Arizona.....an ignoble end for a
great airplane. I used to see them dropping Airborn troops at Fort Benning.

They have all long surpassed their safe flight hours. You can hundreds of them parked at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona on Goggle Earth.

Jumped out of that plane and loved it. Got a chance in 1970 for some stick time on one heading to Hawaii from California. I was six at the time and I still remember that vividly to this day. Now you let the kid direct a plane or two and it is front page news. I wish I could take one a park it for folks to walk though and see what so many of our troops flew on to places all around this world. It sure does make for a long ride on the webbed seats from Ramstein to the U.S. Thanks for the pictures.

neat planes

Had the great pleasure to hop a ride on one while I was in the Navy. March AFB to HI. Had to ride back in a Navy C-9. The 141 was more fun. The crew was training for a medical transport....a dozen or so fake patients. What a way to get a free ride to HI.

wreckerman893 said:

........I used to see them dropping Airborn troops at Fort Benning.

Click to expand...

Had many a ride in the C-141...never landed in one though.

One flew over (near) our house two days ago. We are at 3,000 ft elevation and had almost a side view of it as it flew by. Sorry, no pictures....may have been the C17...

I was browsing through GL listings and came accross a listing for "Aircraft residue - scrap" I could read the tail numbers, it was a bird that I had crewed at Mcguire AFB in the late 80's. It was like seeiing the obituary of an old friend.

The 141 was not past its "safe" life. As with any aircraft they needed maintenance dollars, that were diverted for the C-17. The only way the C-17 could be funded was to claim the 141 was having issues (much like what went on with the A-6 and now the KC-135). That was the beginning of the end for the Starlifter. There were plans created by Lockheed to re-skin and re-engine the jet (amongst other upgrades) that would have kept it around longer, for much less than the alternative.

The 141 did fly for the first time on 17 Dec 63 as did the DC-3, which was the anniversary of the first powered flight......a popular day to have a first flight!

They stopped flying them in 2006........far short of the expected life of the B-52 and the KC-135.

Thanks for posting.....good memories.