How many USAF C-135s have you seen?

[tm74sqn]

The real answer to the question is "far too many"!

[slogen51]

Boom!

Sorry I started this so I am going to finish

62-3580 Niagara Falls at Mildenhall 7 August 2020

Leaving two active Boeings still to see : 58-0055 KC-135R and 62-4133 TC-135

[rh226]

So when are you booking a trip to Japan (Okinawa) and Nebraska?

[slogen51]

Apparently tankers don't stay at Karena for very long due to the salt water corrosion? So hopefully 58-0055 will relocate to CONUS.

[starfighter]

Apparently tankers don't stay at Karena for very long due to the salt water corrosion? So hopefully 58-0055 will relocate to CONUS.

Believe we had this conversation on Tuesday evening ( Mr Jammie tit’s) ,
Will your luck want be long.

[slogen51]

Yes of course Steve I remember it well

(Hope your Saudi pics were to your liking, having said myself that the conditions were near perfect I then under exposed my shots !)

[slogen51]

Boom!

Sorry I started this so I am going to finish

62-3580 Niagara Falls at Mildenhall 7 August 2020

Leaving two active Boeings still to see : 58-0055 KC-135R and 62-4133 TC-135

Boom!

Totally self indulgent of me I know. Sorry.

62-4133 TC-135S at Mildenhall on 14/6

Leaving one active Boeing to see - 58-0055 KC-135T

( According to adsb-nl on 14/6 58-0055 flew from Tinker to Pittsburgh - it's first flight for about 6 months)

[Kodakman]

I think I have seen about 760 different ones. Initially at the SAC bases in the UK, where they were occasionally visitors, through to those rotating through Mildenhall. In addition, quite a lot at various bases in the USA. I managed to miss about 60 that were lost to accidents.
I gave up spotting, but went to Mont de Marsan in summer of 1990, with 58-0124 being in the static. At the time, this was the only active tanker I had never seen, so for a few mins I restarted, and promptly gave up again. so I could claim to have cleared my 135s. All good fun.

[slogen51]

760 Boeings

Wow that is an impressive amount

I am quietly confident of seeing my last active tanker 58-0055 as it is now at Pittsburgh so must have chances of seeing it in Mildenhall. I won't be giving up when I see it if I do.

[plmc135]

You might like the following link, Mike. Taken two weeks ago

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10656800

[slogen51]

Oooh ! Nice shot

One day

[sschofield]

Just found this! My tally is a not-too-bad 608 C-135 airframes (not including the 2 C-137s, which were a different airframe as I understand it?). By far the vast majority of these (probably around 500) were seen at RAF Mildenhall, dating back as far as February 1986, with a few at other UK bases, airshows etc and a few dozen at various European and US bases over the years.

By my reckoning I now need 41 active machines, the majority from ANG (22) or AFRC (12), 1 from 6ARW, 2 from 22ARW, 3 from 92ARW,and a solitary Cobra Ball! Still time yet but you're way ahead of me Mike! (Although I live 170 miles from Mildenhall so it's abit more difficult to get there at short notice!)

There's also the small matter of 50-odd stored machines still needed at AMARG (last visit there was 1996 and things have changed somewhat, with a lot of the 135s I saw then since scrapped!), but that's another story!

[a321]

I still need 3 Active KC-135R, and one RC-135S plus 20+ in AMARG, and a few gate guards. I'll have to keep looking and hoping. Regards Dave

[slogen51]

Excellent

I think anything over 500 is very good especially if you are younger than 50 !

I probably saw 95% of my Boeings in Mildenhall. I have been to the States quite a few times but it tends to be USAF fighters, Army and US Navy/USMC that is chased. Tanker bases always seem to be in the middle of nowhere.

It certainly helps living in East Anglia although I only moved up here in 2017 so now my civil has gone to pot!

( I haven't logged up DM sightings yet - it always seems like cheating to me but of course they are still military numbers that I will sort out one day when I am dribbling in a home)

[plmc135]

You haven't lived if you have not visited the remote USA tanker bases. Grand Forks, Minot, Ellsworth and Fairchild to name a few. Needed to visit them for the elusive EC-135's based at some of them. Those were the days

[luke28]

These numbers you guys are reeling off blow my mind, 500 / 600 / 700 + is outrageous!

I got into the hobby in 1996 and went to most of the Airshows at Mildenhall, Waddington and RIAT up until 2001. Then unfortunately had a decade away from it all when I left school and started work etc. Pretty much forgot about it in all that time and then stumbled back into the hobby in 2012 and became addicted. Scanners, forums, serials, checklists, radar apps, stupidly expensive camera equipment etc

Anyway over a consolidated 15 years I've managed around 180 frames. Learning to drive in 2017 and monthly visits to Suffolk ever since have helped.

[Malcolm]

'Puter says 703 of all types of C135 for me, although I do have 2 trips to DM that I still need to log up. 20 Active USAF ones remaining. Still need 7 French ones which I'll admit is a bit slack.

These numbers you guys are reeling off blow my mind, 500 / 600 / 700 + is outrageous!

I got into the hobby in 1996 and went to most of the Airshows at Mildenhall, Waddington and RIAT up until 2001. Then unfortunately had a decade away from it all when I left school and started work etc. Pretty much forgot about it in all that time and then stumbled back into the hobby in 2012 and became addicted. Scanners, forums, serials, checklists, radar apps, stupidly expensive camera equipment etc

Anyway over a consolidated 15 years I've managed around 180 frames. Learning to drive in 2017 and monthly visits to Suffolk ever since have helped.

IIRC there was one Saturday during the build up to Desert Storm where more than 50 KC135A/Q's were logged at Mildenhall. That was in addition to the normal 10 or so at Fairford. Got a feeling there were some at Heyford and Alconbury that weekend too.

[raaver]

I got 231, started in 97 at Riat. I do have 58-0055 at Nellis, unmarked in 2009…

Robert

[Alternative 4]

Boom!

Sorry I started this so I am going to finish

62-3580 Niagara Falls at Mildenhall 7 August 2020

Leaving two active Boeings still to see : 58-0055 KC-135R and 62-4133 TC-135

Boom!

Totally self indulgent of me I know. Sorry.

62-4133 TC-135S at Mildenhall on 14/6

I saw this aircraft back in 2015 on static at an Airshow at Dyess AFB and it's marked as a TC-135W. Wiki says TC-135S too. Only mentioning it because I thought it interesting and wondered why the difference.

[Alf]

Sorry to resurrect an old theme yet again.. but does anybody to know if NKC-135A 55-3123 still exists? This was at the USAFM at Wright Patterson and in the storage/restoration area outside for quite a while. It is no longer visible on Google Earth and Any Marden's excellent US Out Of Service book still has it listed but with a last seen date of October 2016. Is it likely to be stored inside somewhere or has it been scrapped? Thanks.