KC-97 at Unalakleet (Air Alaska)

B17news · **Posted:** Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:40 pm

haven't seen this one on here before, seen this?

Sad to see a KC-97 turned into a storage shed. :cry:

http://images2.travbuddy.com/774483_11889508624651.jpg

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:42 pm

Might want to change your title to KC-97

B17news · **Posted:** Fri Dec 30, 2011 11:49 pm

5 second clip on TV + 5 second Google search for B29 in Unalakleet= incorrect data

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:31 am

Yup, KC-97, it's been spotted before on the Flying Wild Alaska series and it was again in the background of tonights episode. Sad it's come to this, but that is one cool storage shed....beats being a beer can!

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:09 am

no fault for the mistake, but a sickening sight hands down!!

WallyB · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 11:57 am

It's N4580Q msn 17005 formerly 53-223 which caught fire at PAUN while offloading fuel on 18 May 1989.

JohnB · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:40 pm

As the post above indicates, it wasn't taken there to be scrapped...it was on the ramp and burned while being used as a commercial fuel tanker.

You have got to admit, that it still looks good despite being out in the weather for 20+ years.
I'd love it in my back pasture...

cooper9411 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 1:57 pm

airnutz wrote:

Yup, KC-97, it's been spotted before on the Flying Wild Alaska series and it was again in the background of tonights episode. Sad it's come to this, but that is one cool storage shed....beats being a beer can!

How cool would it be to sit in it and empty beer cans? :drink3:

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:21 pm

Since most of Alaska gets less than 11 inches of rain a calender year (snow doesn't count as it's technically not precipitation although it takes about the equivalent of 11 inches of rain to equal 1 inch of snow), technically it's considered desert and humidity is pretty low year round even that close to the salt water, and lots of people install humidifiers so they don't constantly ZAP themselves during cold months (a nylon rug and dragging your feet WILL definately light up a sleeping cat by touching it) . Consequently, low humidity low corrosion potential, look @ pictures of the 0-38 now in NMUSAF when it was recovered North of Fairbanks some 30+ years after going down, the salvers discovered the pilots manual still perfect and readable sitting on the pilots seat where it had been left by the crew in 1938 when it crashed and wooden parts of the airframe perfect. In Winter occasionally on clear, sunny days you get what looks like glitter showers in Winter, it's actually so cold that the remaining dropplets of moisture in the air are being frozen and falling out of the atmosphere.
I believe that operator 'STRATOLINES'? amazed Boeing when it was discovered that they were operating a commercial model 377 not a C-97 as one of their aircraft long after it was assumed that the last 377 had gone to airplane heaven.
Stuff weathers, sometimes heavily, but rarely rusts or corrodes significantly look @ pictures of the B-24 out on ATKA in the middle of the Bearing Sea, bare metal band except where parts of it are sitting in collected rain water on marshy, wet ground, zero corrosion.

pjpahs · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 4:23 pm

I think it's 1inch of rain would equal 10-11 inches of snow.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 5:03 pm

DANG!! Missed by that much!! you're right :roll:

WallyB · **Posted:** Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:48 pm

The Inspector wrote:

I believe that operator 'STRATOLINES'? amazed Boeing when it was discovered that they were operating a commercial model 377 not a C-97 as one of their aircraft long after it was assumed that the last 377 had gone to airplane heaven.

Amazes me too! I thought only the Israeli AF had genuine 377s after the one at Tucson was erroneously scrapped. Any clue to the identity ?

Canso42 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:07 pm

I'm with Airnutz on this. Sad to see any aircraft in wreckage state but at least it's still recognizable as such. Use whatcha got!

The Inspector · **Posted:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:53 pm

I'm sort of surprised AIRLIFT48 hasn't been on this since they were looking for some cockpit glass earlier.

Rick65 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:12 am

In the circumstances I don't find the saving of the fuselage by re-use as a shed sad.
Looks like a good shed and I would imagine they are highly valued up there.
The huge number of derelict planes in "the Desert Odyssey" surprised and saddened me more.

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KC-97 at Unalakleet (Air Alaska)

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