Customer Reviews

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter - Warbird Tech Vol. 39

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is full of information any C-141 nut will really appreciate. I was a C-141 pilot when I was in the AF and recognize a number of the names Mr. Johnsen mentions in the book. Though the book is a bit tilted towards the 62nd MAW and McChord experience (where I flew) it does not distract from the story of the C-141! That's the real story of this book and it is a great one.

Sadly, as of 9/1/2005 there are only 10 C-141's still flying. They are all based at Wright-Patterson and flying medivac missions to Iraq. As of today (9/1) they are flying missions to the New Orleans area, doing what C-141's do best.

The remaining 10 C-141's will be retired by January 2006. The sad end of the road for this fantastic aircraft is here in Tucson, where I live and see the carnage every time I drive by the boneyard. But you can check out more info about the C-141 at www.c141heaven.com, where the C-141 will live on forever.

This is the story of the C-141 Starlifter litterally from the first to the last. The book starts with some background information about transport aircraft in general with some photographs of the Douglas C-124 Globemaster flying in formation with a C-141. From here it goes through the procurement process to the construction of the first aircraft. Then towards the end of the book there is a photograph of a C-141 having been chopped into several parts at the Aircraft Maintenance and Regeration center (AMARC) in Tucson, Arizona.

In between is the story of the C-141 itself. The story includes all versions of the C-141, including the single commercial aircraft constructed and variations that were proposed by Lockeed to the Air Force. The implication in the book is that the C-141 was itself successful. One question I would like to ask is: 'why were the commercial aircraft and the optional tanker, etc. aircraft types not successful.' What was better about the DC-10 to make it a better tanker than a modified C-141?

In 1994 the Air Force determined that flying C-141's bast the equivalent of 45,000 hours could jeoparize the design's inherent fail-safe features because of the onset of widespread fatigue. At that time, the C-141's began to be rapidly replaced by the C-17. As of June 1944 63 C-141's remain, 24 of which are in active use.

Finally at the end of the book is a list of the 19 aircraft that were lost to accidents and crashes, and a list of the places where preserved aircraft can be seen.

I bought two books on the C141 as gifts - for a Loadsmasher Vietnam Veteran who flew in these monsters. This was the best. Very accurate and Detailed.

For awhile, Lockheed had a monoply on all sizes of cargo planes. Smallest of the three, the C-130 Hercules(still in service), the C-5 Galaxy was the biggest and still in service, and finally, the C-141 medium cargo plane.

Built in 1963, 284 C-141 Starlifters were sold to the US Air Force. By all accounts, they did a good job. By 2006, all had been retired. Lockheed tried to sell a version to the civilian airlines, but it never caught on. This book covers the history and story of the C-141 well, with plenty of clear B&W photos, line diagrams and 8 pages of color. This is a great book for someone interested in cargo planes, those who have served on them, or those going to build a model. The book has a list and location of the survivors

The one thing I did not like about the book - sometimes the photo captions are identical to the text. In small books, I prefer the text to have different information. So why only three stars? It's a good, competent book about a good, competent airplane. Somehow, the author did not instill more than that into this work.

I loved this book.....I was a crew chief on C-141B's/C's for 18 years. I hated to see the aircraft retired. I felt it had a lot of service life left in it.