This Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, shown parked on the ramp, exemplifies the U.S. Air Force's postwar generation of large piston-engine transports. Derived from the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser and B-29/B-50 bomber lineage, the KC-97's unmistakable double-bubble fuselage housed both cargo and, in tanker variants, the fuel systems needed to refuel jet bombers and fighters in flight, making it a critical asset during the early Cold War. Project: 218468