The aviation book I'm reading is a good one...
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, More than a Tanker by Robert S Hopkins III.
It charts the history of the 135 and its use as a Tanker, then themed chapters examine its work as a transport, test beds, Recon and more. The chapter then gives you a brief history of the airframes used in that role and their eventual fate.
We all know MATS had 45 C-135s...but this is the first book I've seen that goes into their use and makes the obvious observation (which I admit I had never thought of...it being TOO obvious
) that it was an import part of US military airlift history as it was the first jet transport but the ONLY USAF jet transport (VIP VC-137s excluded) for about four years...until the C-141 came online in 1965.
The author is a former 135 pilot (before getting a PhD in History) who flew ORCs, so that chapter, which I haven't gotten to, should be good.
He makes comments about the USAF, at times it comes across like he's "telling tales out if school", but they add a perspective not usually seen in techie books. I'm just concerned that some may take some of his comments too literally, as at times it comes across as an expose of the service. No doubt foreign readers will selectively read it to reinforce their anti-U.S. biases...
Really, 5 stars. The author has a B-47 book coming out next month, and despite my shelves already being home to 4-5 Stratojet books, I'll likely buy it.
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