This photograph captures a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter marked 'CALIF. AIR GUARD' on an airfield ramp. Developed from the wings and engines of the B-29/B-50 bomber family and sharing its fuselage design with the civilian Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, the C-97 served as a heavy cargo and, in its KC-97 tanker variant, aerial refueling aircraft. Air National Guard units, including squadrons in California, flew the type from the mid-1950s into the early 1970s, supporting both federal Air Force missions and state duties such as disaster relief. The aircraft's four large radial engines and capacious double-deck fuselage made it a familiar sight on Guard flight lines throughout the Cold War era. Project: 218665