This airframe (62-4139) first flew in 1962 as a C-135B transport with the 1611th Air Transport Wing at McGuire AFB. Five years later it was converted to a RC-135M “Rivet Card” used to gather signals intelligence over Vietnam, flying more than 1,000 combat missions. Converted to the more modern RC-135W “Rivet Joint” package in 1985. Although the C-135 wasn’t originally intended to be flown for more than 10,000 hours, this bird still flies 25 years after logging 40,000 hours in 1997. It is still flying for Offutt Air Force Base’s 38th Reconnaissance Squadron.
