US Navy's 159116

Our July edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" features the United States Navy's C-9B SkyTrain II (the military version of a DC-9-32CF), Bureau Number 159116 (c/n 47580, l/n 704), in a photo from January 2005, as it's seen above on Taxiway RT, with markings for VR-61 "Islanders" (based at NAS Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor, WA) and named "City of Seattle".

Not much is known about the history of this C-9B, other than it was delivered to the US Navy in September 1973. In the late 1980s, it was assigned to the VR-57 "Conquistadors", and was named both the "City of Long Beach" and the "City of Carlsbad". In the mid-2000s, it was assigned to the VR-61, and flew with the "Islanders" until it was retired in June 2012. It now sits in storage at the AMARG (Davis-Monthan AFB) in Tucson, AZ.