Boeing’s C-97 Stratofreighter airlifter was first flown on 9 November 1944. A development of the B-29 Superfortress, the C-97 essentially shared the bomber’s wings, tail, and engines- at least at first.
But after the tenth airframe was completed, Boeing switched to the taller vertical tail assembly from the B-50. The video below was uploaded to YouTube by our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos. Enjoy!
The C-97 Stratofreighter Served for More Than 30 Years
Over the subsequent 31 years of service, C-97s would be converted for use as aerial tankers, medical evacuation transports, electronic warfare aircraft, and air-sea rescue platforms.
Starting Out as a Tanker
Owned and operated by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation (BAHF), the C-97G airlifter flew in 2017 for the first time in 15 years. Lovingly restored at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, the C-97G flew again on 7 November 2017. Originally delivered by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1954, the BAHF’s C-97G started life as a KC-97G aerial refueling tanker.
Odd Jobs and a Unique Legacy
After serving for 20 years, the aircraft was retired to the boneyard at AMARG in 1974. After that, the aircraft’s odyssey included seizure by US Marshals, humanitarian flights to South Africa, and carrying cargoes of fish in Alaska. Today, the beautifully restored aircraft wears the colors of the only C-97 to participate in the Berlin Airlift- YC-97A 45–9595. You can learn more about the project here.
EDITOR’S NOTE (November 2025): This article first appeared on Avgeekery in November 2017. Since then, the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation’s prized C-97G “Angel of Deliverance” has been parked at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, since 2019. But the foundation hasn’t given up on the last flyable Stratofreighter in the world. It sits in Reading awaiting an engine and inspection before it can return to the skies. Thankfully, it appears that after a years-long delay, plans are once again in motion.
After years of focusing on keeping its C-54 operational, the foundation is once again turning its attention to the C-97. In 2021, the group acquired a complete C-97G in Greybull, Wyoming, as a source for replacement parts, followed by the donation of two additional airframes. Those acquisitions make the foundation the world’s largest C-97 fleet owner with four aircraft.
The next step, which was set for sometime in 2025, is to recover and transport key components to support the restoration effort. It is part of what the foundation calls its Boeing C-97 “Tiger Team” initiative. You can read about the latest foundation update here.
