That little A2A Simulator trained Tim to fly a big C97

[Scott - A2A]

http://www.warbirdsnews.com/warbird-res ... -york.html

Last week Jake and I were at Toms River airport where they first landed to get more fuel. I was joking with Jake before they came out saying "Jake, I can see Tim attacking me after getting out of the airplane screaming "that DAMN simulator - it flew NOTHING like the real thing! I'll never get rid of all these bad habits that have been drilled into me over these years!"

But when he got off I asked "So Tim, how was it?" He said "Scott, as I was taking off all I could think was how I feel completely at home because I have done this a thousand times before."

Speaking with Tim last night, he went on to say "Scott, I've never flown the real C97 with full flaps but have flown hundreds of full flap landings in my sim. When I dropped the flaps all the numbers were spot on. The temperatures, fuel flow, and everything is exactly what I was seeing on the real airplane."

At 5:15 in this vid, you will see Tim being presented with his simulator. This was NINE years ago.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmlnGtuylKA[/youtube]

Watching Tim over the past decade has been an inspiration to say the least. I can't think of anyone in this industry, let alone the world, who would (or could) take an old crumbling C97, strip it down, build it back up, then train a crew to fly it. He has almost 20,000 hours flying legendary aircraft for the airlines and even owned a Constellation at one point. Tim is an A&P (mechanic) and was the most hands on person rebuilding this airplane. It took him 17 years to bring this airplane to where it is right now. SEVENTEEN YEARS...

A few months back while preparing the engines for this flight Tim said "Scott, there are 224 spark plugs on this airplane. Do you know how I know that? Because I changed every one of them myself."

Scott.

[patful]

Beautiful! Thanks. $100 for toll roads? Are the roads up there paved with gold?

[AviationAtWar]

I've anxiously awaited this one for a while. I realized several years ago that a late friend of mine may have flown in this aircraft while it was a KC-97 at Malmstrom. Scott, if you have an email address for Tim I'd appreciate if you could pass it along.

[Skycat]

Tim's KC-97 was once assigned to Malmstrom? I hope he can bring it Great Falls someday!

[AviationAtWar]

Yep.

HISTORY OF 52-2718


Manufactured by Boeing Aircraft Company, Seattle WA, as KC-97G and delivered to the USAF on April 27, 1954.
Apr. 1954 to 98th Air Refueling (Medium) Squadron (Strategic Air Command), Lincoln AFB, NE.
Sep. 1954 to 96th Bombardment (M) Wing (SAC), Altus AFB OK.
(Deployments to Ernest Harmon AB, Newfoundland, Elmendorf AFB AK, and Mountain Home AFB ID).
Sep. 1957 to 96th Air Refueling (M) Squadron (SAC), Altus AFB .
Jun. 1958 to 97th air refueling (M) Squadron (SAC), Malmstrom AFB MT.
Feb. 1961 to 407th Air Refueling Squadron (SAC), Malmstrom AFB
Jul. 1961 to 26th Air Refueling Squadron (SAC), Plattsburgh AFB, NY
Feb. 1962 to 4108th Air Refueling Wing (SAC), Plattsburgh AFB
Jan. 1963 to 497th Air Refueling Wing (SAC), Plattsburgh AFB
Aug. 1964 to 128th Air Refueling Wing (Air National Guard), General Billy Mitchell Field, Milwaukee WI
Aug 1965 Converted to KC-97L (Two General Electric J-47 jet engines installed under outboard wings, so
the aircraft could refuel the fast jets.)
Sep. 1972 to 151st air Refueling Group (ANG), Salt Lake City MAP UT
(Deployments to Rhein Main AB, Frankfort, Germany, "Operation Creek Party")
Sep. 1976 to Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, Davis Monthan AFB AZ.
Jul. 1977 Dropped from Inventory as surplus.
1986 Auctioned to unknown group who converted her to C-97G
(Removing Aerial Refueling Equipment, and Fitting Cargo Doors)
1988 - Seized by US Marshal Service and auctioned to Grace Aire Inc. of Corpus Christi TX.
(Operated as a cargo transport for humanitarian missions to South America and to carry fish in Alaska.)
4-22-1996 Purchased by Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation.
Nov. 1997 Aircraft paid for in full by Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation
Oct. 1998 Ferried from Moses Lake, Washington to Greybull, Wyoming for inspection and restoration.
Sep. 1999 FAA Approval of Inspection program achieved.
2000 Aircraft painted in colors of YC-97A 45-59595, the sole C-97 used in the Berlin Airlift.
July 2001, Ferried from Greybull, Wyoming to Aberdeen South Dakota.
Nov. 2001 Ferried from Aberdeen SD to Millville, NJ.
May 2002 Ferried to Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY on a loaner #3 engine.
November 7, 2017 After a long restoration process, the "Angel" has returned to the skies!

[Skycat]

Cool. The 407th AREFS was originally part of the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing, the base's first Strategic Air Command unit, and flew KB-29 refuelers. When the 407 SFW was inactivated, the refueling squadron remained. A second refueling squadron was then activated, the 97th AREFS, and both were assigned to the 4061st Refueling Wing with KC-97 aircraft. The 4061st was the host wing for the base until the 341st Strategic Missile Wing was activated in 1961 for the new Minuteman ICBM mission. My memory is a little fuzzy here but one KC-97 refueling squadron left then and one remained until 1965 I think. Anyhow, it is very interesting that this aircraft was assigned to both of our KC-97 squadrons.

[AviationAtWar]

Skycat -

It sounds like you were or are there. Might you have any resources to determine what squadron someone was assigned to and when? The friend that I mentioned flew in the KB-29 and 97, was an instructor in the 97 and then moved onto KC-135's. He was at Malmstrom in the same time frame as the BAHF plane but I don't know the exact dates or his squadron; he passed away a little over three years ago and I haven't been able to get any records from his family.

[Skycat]

The old base guides, in the late 1950s, listed personnel. We also have a yearbook from the 1960s that has mugshots of everyone in every unit on base. Here and there, some group photos of kc-97 crews, some with identifications. It'd be hit-or-missued but PM me the name and I'll look into it.