Mildenhall 05/09/1976

[roadrunner46]

Looking back at my logs and transferring them to my PC I note that I have 64-14850 RC-135 recorded on this day 55SRW. According to all the serial books the block only ran upo to 64-14849, although I do recall reading that it was not unknown for the batch of RC-135's 14841-14849 to carry bogus serials at times. Can anyone confirm whether an aircraft with the serail 64-14850 was present that day (or around that date) in 1976 or is it just a simple miss-pole.

Regards Mike

[rh226]

I remember reading that 64-14849 carried the bogus serial of '50 around this time, but exact dates I don't know.

Can you help please, Mr. Luxton??

[plmc135]

No it is not a miss-pole as I noted it on 11/09/1976. It was just the Americans trying to fool everybody by using an unallocated C-135 serial, from memory they also used 64-14851.

Paul

EDIT Joe Baugher's serial listing shows that 64-14850/1 were actually Hiller H-23F's that were delivered to Uruguay.

[rh226]

Thanks, Paul. My first visit to Mildenhall was 19/10/1976. It had reverted to carrying 14849 by then.

[H.A.Bucken]

There's a pix by Paul Bennett in the "....KC-135, more than just a tanker" book taken 'late 1976' of 14849 at The Hall marked up as 14843 as well.
Kit R.

[graham luxton]

There's a pix by Paul Bennett in the "....KC-135, more than just a tanker" book taken 'late 1976' of 14849 at The Hall marked up as 14843 as well.
Kit R.

He also photographed it landing at Mildenhall in June'76 as 14848 - front cover of `BAR` Aug'76.

`BAR` reported 14849 as being rolled out of the hangars at Mildenhall on 30 Aug'76 marked up as `14850`- I saw it as such when it flew a `round robin` mission on Fri 10 Sep.
It was hangared again on the morning of 26 Sep and emerged later in the day as `14851`but reverted to 14849 (as Bob stated) before the end of its TDY.

As to why they would do this at one of the most reported US bases in Europe is questionable - might get away with it at somewhere like Eielson, Alaska but Mildenhall?

Having seen RC-135's come and go ever since they were first deployed to the UK at Upper Heyford in the '60's this was the only example (that I know of) where they clearly wanted to have some fun with the other side!

[Knife 04]

There's a pix by Paul Bennett in the "....KC-135, more than just a tanker" book taken 'late 1976' of 14849 at The Hall marked up as 14843 as well.
Kit R.

He also photographed it landing at Mildenhall in June'76 as 14848 - front cover of `BAR` Aug'76.

`BAR` reported 14849 as being rolled out of the hangars at Mildenhall on 30 Aug'76 marked up as `14850`- I saw it as such when it flew a `round robin` mission on Fri 10 Sep.
It was hangared again on the morning of 26 Sep and emerged later in the day as `14851`but reverted to 14849 (as Bob stated) before the end of its TDY.

As to why they would do this at one of the most reported US bases in Europe is questionable - might get away with it at somewhere like Eielson, Alaska but Mildenhall?

Having seen RC-135's come and go ever since they were first deployed to the UK at Upper Heyford in the '60's this was the only example (that I know of) where they clearly wanted to have some fun with the other side!

There is also a good picture of '14950' in Paul Crickmore's Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird book. Photo taken by Robin Walker on 1st September 1976

Cheers

[H.A.Bucken]

I'll check my Crickmore books when I get home