Remember that most military aircraft are painted either in low-visibility gray-blue or in camouflage.
Step3
Note the C-141 has swept-back wings mounted high on the fuselage.
Step4
Check the engines. There are two jet engines mounted on pylons under each wing.
Step5
Remember, the C-141's fuselage is distinctive. The StarLifter features a rounded, somewhat bulbous nose with a refueling pod cresting over the cockpit.
Step6
Check the rear of the fuselage. Note how it seems to sweep upward to form the vertical stabilizer.
Step7
Look at the top of the vertical stabilizer. The horizontal stabilizer elements are at its peak.
Tips & Warnings
The StarLifter, designed and built by Lockheed-Martin for the US Air Force, is nearly 170 feet long, has a wingspan of 160 feet, and reaches to almost 40 feet at the tip of its vertical stabilizer.
Four Pratt & Whitney jets generate 21,000 pounds of thrust each to carry the C-141 2500 nautical miles at .74 Mach with a payload of 94,500 pounds.
A C-141's cargo compartment is more than 90 feet long, 9 feet high and 10 feet wide, offering a capacity of more than 9,000 cubic feet.
A single StarLifter can insert 168 US Army paratroopers into an area of operations.
C-141 StarLifters play a central role in the US military's airlift capability. You're most likely to see one at an exhibit or an air show.
Obey all security and safety regulations when visiting a US Air Force base.
