The Hanoi Taxi flew two missions into Hanoi, carrying out 78 POWs and two civilian returnees to the Philippines, and four missions from the Philippines to the U.S., carrying 76 ex-POWs
The U.S. Air Force first designed the C-141 Starlifter as a major jet aircraft to meet military standards for troop and cargo carrying. Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) built 285 C-141s in total, and these Starlifters carried out numerous airlift missions for the USAF for more than 40 years. The Starlifter projected American military power and humanitarian efforts across the globe rapidly with its impressive range and high speed.
A 1959 requirement for a fast, strategic transport aircraft that would serve as a “work horse” for rapidly moving U.S. Army troops worldwide led to the Starlifter’s creation. On December 17, 1963, the C-141 completed its maiden flight, and the C-141A began operations in April 1965 with the 1501st Air Transport Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
The USAF started transferring its C-141s to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units in July 1986, and the final two Starlifters retired from service in 2006. Starlifters recorded more than 10 million hours throughout their four-decade career, including a record established in 1981 when a C-141 transported 67,000 pounds of cargo non-stop from New Jersey to Saudi Arabia, refueling three times in flight.
The mission flown by the Hanoi Taxi (on display in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force) stands as the most significant among the many military and humanitarian missions completed by C-141s. This particular C-141 (serial number 66-0177) carried the first American prisoners of war (POWs) to freedom from Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi, North Vietnam, on Feb. 12, 1973. The Hanoi Taxi conducted two missions into Hanoi, evacuating 78 POWs and two civilian returnees to the Philippines, and completed four missions from the Philippines to the U.S., transporting 76 ex-POWs. For three more decades after these missions, the Hanoi Taxi continued flying around the world and accumulated more than 40,000 flying hours. The Hanoi Taxi underwent numerous changes during its lifespan. After being originally built as a C-141A model, its fuselage was extended, and aerial refueling capability was added in the early 1980s. The USAF then redesignated it as a C-141B. The aircraft later had its wings reinforced and was converted to a C-141C through the installation of advanced avionics.
The Hanoi Taxi received its final programmed depot maintenance in 2002. The aircraft was also repainted to appear as it did when it traveled to Hanoi in 1973, except for the Red Cross, which indicated it was transporting hospital patients. For the next four years, the Hanoi Taxi flew with these markings instead of the standard paint scheme to recognize its important history.
In May 2004, the Hanoi Taxi once again marked a historical moment when Maj. Gen. Edward J. Mechenbier, himself a POW repatriated from Vietnam, piloted it back to Vietnam to repatriate the remains of two American service members killed in action. The aircraft was flown to the museum in May 2006.
The aircraft was relocated to the fourth building at the museum in December 2015. In May 2016, the new hangar opened to the public, and the Hanoi Taxi now remains on permanent display in the Global Reach Gallery. Museum visitors can enter the cargo bay of the aircraft through a rear ramp door.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
