Crécy Publishing | The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Reviewed by Kevin Williams
Publisher: Crécy Publications
Author(s): Robert S. Hopkins III
Publishing date: 2022
ISBN: 978-1-80035-264-3 (Hardcover)
Pages: 448
Crécy is known to be a very respected publisher. Most books from this publisher are thorough and well researched, and this volume is certainly no exception.
This is a revised third edition regarding this aircraft. The author is a former USAF pilot, and is fully qualified on the type.
This latest version of The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker from Crécy incorporates several additional pages of new material updating and adding to the previous volumes. A look is also taken at the possible replacement aircraft for the air tanker role as well.
The author has done an excellent job here of telling the Stratotanker story. Initial design philosophy and development is covered here, as is the full service life of the aircraft, including its many variations. Included in the book are gobs of color and black and white images of the KC-135 (essentially a converted and modified Boeing 707) on the ground and in the air.
As with the majority of titles from this publisher, this is very much a supreme effort, using photos from many varied sources, and there are quite a fair good number of them in this excellent volume. Printed on good quality semi-glossy stock, the photos are quite interesting, highlighting many variations of the air-frame, giving both modelers and aviation enthusiasts alike, a rather fascinating glimpse into this long-serving aircraft, though certainly not a walk around type book.
Numerous publications have been produced over the years dealing with the excellent KC-135 Stratotanker, and this volume adds quite nicely to that body of work. (For a very nice walk around type of book, I can highly recommend the quite nice Squadron/Signal volume.)
Photo Samples
The Stratotanker, serving in many of its basic iterations, has served the US Air Force well over the yeas, and still soldiers on in its task to this day.
For those of us with a taste for larger scale aircraft models, there is really nothing at all available for the KC-135, besides, it would be huge (and probably quite expensive anyway), so probably just as well, at least in my opinion.
For those with a passion for the truly iconic Stratotanker, I can highly recommend this volume. Buy a copy, you will not be disappointed.
Summation
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate this book as a solid 10, no question about it. Topping out at a very respectable 448 pages of fascinating KC-135 data and photos, it is highly recommended.
My review copy compliments of Casemate Publishers. Thanks a ton to Casemate, it's truly an outstanding reference book on this classic Boeing designed aircraft, really top-notch stuff.
© Kevin Williams 2024
This review was published on Thursday, April 18 2024; Last modified on Sunday, April 21 2024