KC-135 "Stratotanker"

The development of this aircraft was solely responsible for creating the "jet age" of travel and has now been in operation for half a century.  What started out as a military project to develop a jet powered, aerial refueling plane, led to the development of the Boeing 707 passenger jet.  This jet later revolutionized air travel in the 1960's and 1970's and led to the demise of train travel across the United States.  After the development of the 707, most passenger aircraft designs were based off of what was originally the KC-135.

The first KC-135 flew in 1956.  The first squadron of KC-135's went operational at Castle AFB, California in 1957.  Development of the KC-135 also changed the way war could be waged.  Aerial refueling vastly increased the range of many military aircraft which became very apparent in the Vietnam War and later conflicts.

Amazingly, the inside of a KC-135 is empty.  A crew of three fly the airplane with a fourth person operating the boom which extends from the rear of the plane and transfers fuel to other aircraft.  This fourth operator lays on his/her stomach and looks out a small window in the rear of the plane to position the boom into a small refueling hole on the other aircraft.  All the fuel carried by the KC-135 for other aircraft is stored in the lower half of the fuselage, which is where the baggage compartment is for standard passenger aircraft.  Fuel consumed by the KC-135 itself is stored in the wings, just like other standard aircraft.

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