Ellsworth Air Force Base in Pennington County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
C-131D Samaritan
Speedy Delivery
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
1. C-131D Samaritan Marker
When this plane was built in the 1950s, there was no such thing as next-day shipping, and more passengers moved by train than by airplane. To keep national defense moving, many bases had their own transport planes. Today, it's much cheaper for the Air Force to fly and ship commercial, freeing maintainers and aircrews for combat aircraft.
THIS IS A GRAY TAIL
Air Force slang often describes transport planes by their paint jobs. Military transports are called "gray tails." Civilian airliners are "white tails. VIP transports in the national livery are "blue & whites." This plane spent time as both a gray tail and a blue & white.
TOP: Our C-131 was a VIP transport for many years, in Washington D.C. and Tampa, Florida.
BOTTOM: The C-40 is the modern equivalent of the VC-131: an airliner converted for senior national leaders.
The Samaritan was originally intended as a flying hospital and could hold 20 stretchers. This "D" version was fitted with 44 seats for passengers.
Today, almost any transport plane in the Air Force can be converted for aeromedical evacuation.
DATA CARD
Top Speed mph · 300
Crew ·
this page online
Range · Regional
Payload · 44 passengers or 20 stretchers
Erected by South Dakota Air and Space Museum.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Science & Medicine • War, Cold. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota Air and Space Museum series list.
Location. 44° 8.019′ N, 103° 4.3′ W. Marker is in Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, in Pennington County. Marker and aircraft are on static display at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2890 Davis Drive, Ellsworth AFB SD 57706, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West River, in the Badlands, and in Greater Rapid City. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
2. C-131D Samaritan and Marker
Regarding C-131D Samaritan. Although an official field museum of the US Air Force Heritage Program and is adjacent to Ellsworth AFB main gate, the museum does not require access onto the base.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 20, 2026
3. C-131D Samaritan
Credits. This page was last revised on October 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 7, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
