Guided tour around the Doomsday Plane - the EC135 Looking Glass

Boeing EC-135 Looking Glass walkaround tour at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace museum near Omaha, Nebraska.

Other videos:

0:00 intro
0:29 Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum Nebraska
0:40 history
2:15 exterior
9:20 crew entrance and cockpit
16:00 battle staff area

[PaulStewartAviation]

Thanks for watching everyone! Please give the video a thumbs up so that Youtube knows what types of videos you enjoy. More tours coming soon 😃

[russellroberts]

I was an Avionics maintainer on the EC135s at RAF Mildenhall. Worked on RC135s there as well.
Later, I was aircrew on the EC135 ARIA at WrightPatterson AFB and Edwards AFB when the entire wing moved out there. ARIA also used modified 707s called EC18s, much more space in those. Also, after the Apollo program ended, the name was changed to Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.
I had to hit LIKE on this video, but only because there was no button for OMG, I FREAKING LOVED IT.

[happycamper]

Woo Hoo, I spent 2 years working on the electronics, uhf, hf, switchboard, ALCS boxes, multi track recorder, HARDS (high altitude radiation warning system) warning and VLF on that plane! Early on, the vlf wire antenna reel didn't work very well and when the hydraulic cutter and the manual cutter wouldn't work, they would have togfo out and land in the desert dragging some miles of wire. Rumor said a rancher had collected some of the orange cones and mounted them at the entrance of his farm.

[saintuk]

Looking Glass.... makes me always think, and perhaps quite apt recently, of James Earl Jones and "By Dawn's Early Light"

[jefesman]

The restoration is absolutely beautiful!!! It's been a long time for this EC-135 airframe, but definitely worth it. WOW!!!! I saw this very aircraft fly over our house so many times during its continuous non-interrupted mission operations. These aircraft were always well cared for & I'm glad to see that this airframe still is. Need to get those wings back on!!!! Thank you.

[flyoma]

That museum really is wonderful.... I grew up with these flying patterns over my head out of Offutt AFB. The SAC museum used to be primarily out doors next to the base. I remember when it first moved to its present location which was quite the improvement and has only expanded since.

[trob]

Being that I was in SAC in the 70s, I’m very familiar with the”Looking Glass” -135 a/c and of most command and control aircraft, etc. of the time(NECAP, KC-1”CINC-SAC’s a/c”, various RC-135s? SAM 26000/27000), thx for this trip back down memory lane!

[bobbybabsonjr]

I was a looking Glass crew chief at Ellsworth AFB in late 80s, I was assigned to 61-0297, I think 8049 might have been there once or twice, but I do remember 8048, 8051, and 8052 being stationed there those were the C model ACFT. With the antenna drogue on the bottom, and more crew I think it was 24 compared to 12 on the A model I crewed on . Thanks for the video

[lexblake]

This is the first video I have watched from you, I loved it, everything was perfect! Great job!

[fullmetal]

Paul, thanks for putting out another great aircraft tour and thanks to the staff at the SAC museum for the access. Great information and interior shots of the EC 135.

[anotheruser]

I can't shake the feeling the SAC logo panel in the cockpit used to house something else, something still classified and since removed.

Thank you for showing us around these marvelous machines.

[rickcski]

I was stationed at Offset AFB from 1980 to 1989 working these aircraft. Lots of good memories.

[cruisinguy]

It is my sincere hope that when the VC-25b aircraft are retired from service you'll find a way to be among the first people to get a private tour, I thoroughly enjoy your videos and always learn something even on aircraft I'm very familiar with.

One minor comment regarding the SR-71: as you mentioned they needed to hit the tanker after their initial takeoff and climb but it wasn't because of how much fuel it burned or as often misrepresented that it leaked so badly on the ground due to the panel gaps it would run out of fuel shortly. The issue was actually how little fuel it initially had for takeoff. While the SR-71 had a maximum fuel capacity over 130, 000lbs the max fuel on take-off was only about 80, 000lbs, but after several crashes it was determined taking off at max weight was causing premature failures of its specialized tires. Additionally in the event of engine failure at take-off / initial climb out it couldn't maintain sufficient speed and would also crash. To address these incidents they reduced the ground fuel loading to just 40, 000lbs.

[sanfordlubell]

Great video, I was with Blue Eagle and was Crew Chief on Airborne Command Post flying the Pacific.

[tango_uniform]

I appreciate the SAC emblem at 10:23 reminding the crew that 'Peace is our profession war is just a hobby'. I knew some of the pilots at Offutt who told wild stories. I worked in WWMCCS and provided documents for each Looking Glass flight.

[Sacto]

Excellent video. It should be noted that the US Navy is actually considering supplementing their E-6 fleet with a fleet of specially modified C-130J models that would fly at lower altitudes trailing a very low frequency (VLF) wire to communicate with Navy submarines.

[pkh]

The Sioux City, Iowa airport lies approximately 95 miles north along the Missouri River from Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska where Looking Glass flights originated. At the south end of Sioux City Colonel Bud Day Field is a golf course. I used to play there and in the evenings, Looking Glass would practice touch and go landings on Sioux City’s long (a former Army Air Force Bomber training base with 10, 000 ft runways) runways.

[miloszobloza]

I've recently returned to aircraft scale modelling (mainly cold-war era examples - I've finished B-58, SR-71, A-37, F-4).

Your vids are very helpful and inspiring, thx!

[andrewkyle]

Nice video! Glad to see they finally have the restoration finished! Two points: 1) as you mention about the red & white area under the boom pod was marked off - you could actually get an electrical shock if you touched the airplane while the HF antennas were operating and that was the main reason for the area being marked. And 2) as you mentioned about he 707 being used for the E-6 Navy plane, it was because at the time of procurement, the 707 was the only narrow body 4 engine plane still being produced, so the main reason they went with it, the body width was just a bonus.
I was a mechanic on the EC-135H’s at RAF Mildenhall and love those planes!
Cheers!

[tippo]

Great video as always Paul, love the video's of the aircraft that were a major part of the Cold War and their constant airborne statuses, and their derivatives...these aircraft played such pivotal roles throughout the era, and even to this this with the qty of KC-135's still toodling about...hard to believe that even the old analogue systems from yesteryear are still deemed classified/top secret, given the nature of digitilisation nowadays.
Thanks for the video and all the efforts put in to bring them to us, greatly appreciated!!!!
Cheers from Sydney!!!! 🍻🍻🍻🍻