The KC-97, an aerial-refueling tanker, was also used as a
commercial airliner. Introduced in 1950, the propeller-driven
airplane used the "flying boom" refueling system that worked
so well it is used in the replacement KC-135 and KC-10
tanker aircraft. The 28-cylinder, 2,800-horsepower engines
were no fun to overhaul since each engine had 112 spark plugs.
The KC-97 was too slow to refuel the new jet aircraft. It
sometimes had to start a descent just to have enough speed
to refuel the jets. The addition of two jet engines made the
tanker more compatible with high-performance jet aircraft.
The last USAF KC-97 was retired in 1973.
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