Beavercreek Township in Riverside in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 28, 2025

1. Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker Marker

Inscription. The KC-135 ranks among the US Air Force's most iconic aircraft. First delivered to the USAF in June 1957, the KC-135 operated for over sixty years as the USAF's principal refueling aircraft. Originally developed to extend the range of Strategic Air Command's bomber fleet, the Stratotanker's mission extended to supporting a broad range of aircraft. In the 1980s, the USAF upgraded roughly half of its 732 KC-135s, allowing them to offload fifty percent more fuel, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce operational costs.

The KC-135 is equipped with a telescoping boom that transfers fuel. The process is accomplished by an enlisted crewmember who uses the boom's ruddervators (small wing-like control surfaces) to physically guide the KC-135's nozzle into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. The operation requires precise and steady flying by both aircraft.

The NMUSAF's KC-135 received the Mackay Trophy for a mission its crew flow on 31 May 1967. A downed U.S. Navy pilot needed rescued in Southeast Asia. Two Navy F-8 fighters provided cover for the pilot. For several hours, two Navy tankers kept the F-8s fueled and flying,

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but the group was dangerously low on fuel and could not make it back to the aircraft carriers. The KC-135 crew responded and refueled tankers while they simultaneously refueled the fighters. While returning to base, they fueled two more Navy F-4s.

TECHNICAL NOTES

Crew: (3) pilot, co-pilot, and boom operator
Engine: 4 FM International F108 (CFM-56) turbofan engines each producing 21,634 lbs of thrust
Max Fuel Load: 200,000 lbs
Max Cargo Load: 83,000 lbs

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, Vietnam. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1957.

Location. 39° 47.067′ N, 84° 6.489′ W. Marker is in Riverside, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Beavercreek Township. It can be reached from Bong Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Bong St, Dayton OH 45431, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro

and in the Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker Marker - wide view with aircraft image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 28, 2025

2. Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker Marker - wide view with aircraft

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Lockheed AC-130A (within shouting distance of this marker); Boeing EC-135E ARIA (within shouting distance of this marker); Conair NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulatot (TIFS) (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Belly Tank (about 300 feet away); American Air Forces in England, WWII (about 300 feet away); White Square (about 300 feet away); 8th Air Force Control Tower (about 300 feet away); McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Riverside.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 249 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.