Lockheed C-141 Starlifter (65-0261)

aka "freedom bird"

When was this photo taken?

i guess ... March 2005

Loved riding in the -141--it could go anywhere almost.

Must be from PHX during the Super Bowl rush.

Was a Flight Engineer on C-141s back in the 80s. I actually was a Flight Engineer on this exact plane -0261, for one mission. I like this color better than the green lizard color scheme. The best was the white over gray livery.

I'm a C-130 guy, but this was a real workhorse for MAC.

I'm a C-130 guy, but this was a real workhorse for MAC.

I was a navigator on C-141s in the 70’s and 80’s. Great plane took me all over the world.

I worked on the C-141As at McGuire. Avionics Inertial and Radar Nav Systems. I remember that the Doppler Radars would always fail after top of takeoff climb. Cause was found to be forward lav tank leaking which would flow down into the radome and freeze. Had happy experience of opening radome and getting soaked in blue lave water. Needless to say not one of my better days. Still loved working on them.

A great aircraft! Used to watch them do touch and goes at McChord AFB, WA with my young daughter.

C141 Starlifters came into the Grand Rapids/Kent County airport in the mid-60's on a daily basis. Viet Nam war was going hot and heavy. They were picking up tank engine blocks and heads cast at CWC Cannon Foundry in Muskegon. Then the powers that be decided they were a bit on the heavy side for GRR and they started into Battle Creek ANG base instead. Was a hoot watching them come into GRR for awhile though.

Civilian passenger on these a few times in the late 80s out of McGuire to Greenland. Sat in the flight deck jump seat during one return. Magical memory.

Hold on 96flstc."Freedom bird" was the phrase used by Viet Nam Vets for their ride "back to the world". All the 141s I saw in-country had hauled supplies in, and were hauling equipment needing major repair back out. The "Freedom bird"s were leased Airliners with airline crews continuously rotating troops.

was an Army paratrooper...jumped out of a C-141B into drop zone @ Tocumen Int'l Airport on 20 Dec 1989. "My" -141B was most likely based at Charleston AFB, but not sure. Always wanted to connect with the aircrews who flew us down there. A few years later, did mid-air refueling in another -141B over the N. Atlantic headed to Rhein-Main AFB...the JP-4 fumes were so intense!

I can still hear the whine of those engines.

The C-141 was the big workhorse of the Vietnam big-build-up. I remember that the C-141 38077 was a "Lead the Force" aircraft. One night on a landing at Clark AB Philippines, one of the guards on horseback around the AB perimeter, the horse escape from his rider while the rider was off the horse. The horse spooked and ran out onto the runway just as 38077 was landing, and yes, 38077 hit the horse. It severely damaged 38077, not to mention what it did to the horse. After all these years I cannot remember how long 38077 was on the ground at Clark being repaired, but it was a long time. They finally did get it repaired enough for an approved one-time-flight back to the US. Don't know what happened to it after that.

I was around those many a time during my MAC/AMC days. Part of our training as an Air Transportation Specialist, we were required to be able to load plan them, as well as the other aircraft. It was a true workhorse. They we used on the European Eagle channel missions with a mix of cargo and Space-A pax.

Really great aircraft!