Master Sgt. Travis Fowler, 507th Maintenance Squadron, spends a final few moments with a KC-135R he worked on for years. In the Air Force Reserve many crew chiefs work on an aircraft tail for many years and have a personal vested interest in it. As a result of force structure changes authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act, four KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft flown out of Tinker Air Force Base were relocated this summer, with tail number 38880 leaving Aug. 30. The aircraft was operated by the Air Reserve Component Associate Wings consisting of the 507th (Air Force Reserve Command) and the 137th (Oklahoma Air National Guard) Air Refueling Wings. This aircraft was relocated to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to support the Hawaii Air National Guard. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mark Hybers)
Maintenance crews from the 507th and 137th Air Refueling Wings and the Hawaii Air National Guard prepare to launch tail number 38880 for the last time. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mark Hybers)
KC-135R tail number 38880 makes its final taxi down the 507th Air Refueling Wing ramp as it prepares to take off for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Mark Hybers)