Aircraft flown by New Hampshire Air Guard achieves rare accomplishment Published March 25, 2015 By Airman Ashlyn J. Correia 157th Air Refueling Wing PEASE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.H. -- An Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft flown by the New Hampshire Air National Guard reached an achievement March 24 when it received a black-letter status. Tail Number 3576 achieved the coveted status by receive no known discrepancies before flight. "If anything is found within the aircraft within three hours of takeoff it's considered a red-ball write up," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Filliettaz, a crew chief with the 157th Maintenance Group Discrepancies are marked in red ink on the form wile things that are correct are marked in black, hence the name black-letter. Having a report with no red is concentered to be a very rare feat, some crew chiefs never see one in their careers. It's even harder to do on an aircraft that's more than 60-years old. "It's a super rare thing to happen, Tech. Sgt. John Bober, a crew chief with the 157th Maintenance Group The last time a KC-135 received a black letter status was at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, March 31, 2014. The crew chiefs worked hand-and-hand with all different shops with in the maintenance group to be able to achieve this. A smooth system with everyone working together is what makes achievements like this possible for the aircrafts. "Its entails a lot a lot of work from the whole squadron, it's not just us crew chiefs," said Bober A plaque will be mounted in the aircraft to serve as a reminder of the hard work put in by members of 157th Maintenance Group who keep these aircraft flying safely. "This is an amazing achievement, given the age of the aircraft." said Col. Rob Burrus, 157th Air Refueling Wing Commander. "It takes everyone working together making it the ultimate team sport."