Click logo for Home Page"
T-Tail-Tall-Tail:
Why I Chose the C-141
David Millican
How and why I ended up in the cockpit of the 141 may
be unique in the
history of all the pilots who ever flew the plane.
My first flight in a C-141 was in May, 1967 when I
was aeroevac-ed from Da Nang
to Yokota, then on by helicopter to Yokosuka Naval
Hospital for surgery. I was
a Marine enlisted man who had been wounded on Hill
881 North near Khe Sanh on
May 3, 1967. When I was ready, and well enough, to
return to the states, I flew
non-stop on a C-141 from Yokota to Travis. As we
debarked from the plane I
asked the stretcher bearers to let me down close to
the ground. I then kissed
the soil of the USA.
I went back to college, finished, then went to grad
school. I got bored with
the civilian job I took after grad school, so I
applied to USAF pilot training
with the express purpose of flying the C-141. I
busted my ass and finished at
the top of the class. I was sweating bullets that no
C-141 would be in our
block. Sure enough there were two, one to McChord &
one to Norton. I chose
Norton. I was recommended for a fighter assignment
by my IP's , and there were
two F-4s in the block.
When my IP's found out that I was choosing a
"trash-hauler", they went nuts.
They said they were going to make me get my wings
presented to me in a garbage
can. I never told anyone at my UPT base the real
reason why I chose the 141. It
had brought me home safe and I always loved the
plane because of that. I wonder
if any other pilot who ever flew the Lifter took
their first ride in the plane
as a stretcher casualty.