Retired Former KC-135 crew chief Sgt. Bobby McCasland was impressed by how simple the Stratotanker was to maintain in comparison to the B-52 Stratofortress
The first KC-135 Stratotanker was delivered to the American Air Force (USAF) on June 28, 1957.
A former crew chief and retired Chief Master Sgt. Bobby McCasland was a member of the team that flew the first aircraft, tail number 55-3127, from Larson Air Force Base (AFB), Washington, to Castle Air Force Base AFB, California, where it was given to the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron.
In the article Retired crew chief reminisces about 60 years of KC-135 airpower written by Airman Erin McClellan, 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs, McCasland, who served in the Air Force for 30 years, shared his memories of the first KC-135 being delivered and his time working with the aircraft.
“Three airplanes came in that day, [tail numbers] 55-3127, 55-3128, and 55-3129,” said McCasland. “We were the first ones to land at Castle, and it was just a great time.”
When the first Stratotanker arrived, McCasland, who had received training on a variety of various aircraft, said he was struck by how simple the KC-135 was to repair in comparison to the B-52 Stratofortress.
When the USAF needed soldiers to fulfill the recently improved air refueling task, McCasland volunteered and thus began his life’s journey.
“I just stayed with the [KC-135],” said McCasland. I probably had close to 10,000 [flying] hours my whole career.”
McCasland accrued the majority of those flight hours while serving on the crew of the KC-135 that Gen. Curtis E. LeMay, then the vice chief of staff of the air force, had dispatched to what is now Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The aircraft was primarily employed for testing, as well as for transporting notable civilian and military leaders.
The City of Moses Lake Stratotanker, tail number 55-3126, carried out the first flight of Project Speckled Trout, the chief of staff of the Air Force’s major transport program ever since. It was the final KC-135 test, and it delivered exactly like the first one.
As part of Operation Long Legs, this aircraft flew under LeMay and set two records. The first record was achieved on November 11–12, 1957, for a nonstop, unrefueled flight from Westover AFB in Massachusetts to Buenos Aires, Argentina, while the second record was set the following day for a trip from Buenos Aires to Washington, D.C.
“Gen. LeMay wanted us to try it out and see if we did better than the [Air Research and Development Command] did,” said McCasland. “We were on a 90-day test program, and he was happy with what we did, so we just stayed with him until he retired in 1965.”
McCasland had previously served at Castle AFB for a brief period of time before moving on to Andrews AFB and finally the 2762nd Materiel Squadron at Detachment 2 at Majors Army Airfield in Greenville, Texas, where he retired. KC-135 aircraft were modified and tested there.
However, even after leaving the USAF, McCasland continued to play a significant role in the KC-135 industry. He really held two different civilian jobs at Det. 2 from 1987 to 1996, one in quality assurance and the other in the U.S. Customs Service.
He was chosen in 2003 to work as a project engineer to construct a KC-135 modification. When it was finished in 2007, this aircraft took over Project Speckled Trout’s utilization of the C-135 with tail number 61-2669.
“I worked on the KC-135 and flew in it from the time it was built until I got out in 1980,” said McCasland. “My service time was very enjoyable. The KC-135 was and still is an awesome airplane.”
Photo by Airman 1st Class Christopher Thornbury / U.S. Air Force