After nearly 6,300 views at the website, some 3,000 views on Facebook (with 39 shares), the reason for this weird colourscheme, the location (and timeframe) of this picture and the exact serial of this C-141B Starlifter is still not clear. Anyone able to help AirHistory.net?
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No knowledge, but to me it seems like a pre- or post-maintenance shot with the normal paint removed. If you check the pattern it roughly coincides with the normal camouflage pattern. With the dark patches being the grey and the yellow being the green clours (both light and dark green). Notice also that all other markings are removed (no serial, no badges, no roundel).
And for the darkness of the dark colour, that probably has more to do with the light conditions. Look at the lizard one in the background, it is just as dark on the picture (way too dark for the real colours, looks like my own Lifter pictures from back in the nineties at Soesterberg, always that dark due to backlight and just poor camera handling...).
I have a agree with you on both
The green/grey camouflage has same pattern.
The one in the back is very dark or backlightish.
So it is made when C-141B went from white to green/grey. There is still a white one. But this one is already in camouflage.
It picture is made on a base where maintance/painting is done (could be all Starlifter base) with mountains as a backdrop..
Hi all, thanks for these comments, unfortunately no exact solution is given, but just great educated guesses, ten points! The location is most probably Norton AFB (CA) with the San Bernardino mountains on back-ground. I agree that the colour scheme could have some connection to pre- or post maintenance, but at the same time, the colours look quite weared so a temporary (watercolour, whitewash paint) can not be excluded. In the eightees, the US forces (US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps) were well known of temporary (test) camouflage schemes, also during (local) exercises. Time will tell if this was the case with this Starlifter.
The photo is of course a slide scan and I think I managed to come as close to the true colours. The little backlight as well as the quality of the original slide made it all quite difficult. Looking at the white/grey Lifter on the back-ground, the presented colours are imho quite realistic. The C-141B in the far back-ground is just dark green, a standard lizard one
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