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Runway work sending tankers from MacDill
By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- The 12 refueling planes stationed at MacDill Air Force Base are flying south. No, the trip isn't part of an annual migration. The 322,000-pound tankers, called KC-135s, are being relocated while the MacDill runway gets a facelift. No planes will be able to take off or land at the base during May and June. They began leaving Monday for their temporary home at Homestead Air Reserve Base south of Miami. Along with the planes go 200 crew members and support staff. They should all have left MacDill by the end of the week, said base spokesman Tech. Sgt. Chris Miller. "It's only for a short stay," Miller said. "They should be back in July." In addition to the Central and Special Operations commands, MacDill houses the 6th Air Refueling Wing, a squadron of the lumbering KC-135 tankers. Traveling at speeds up to 350 mph, the tankers can refuel jets while flying thousands of feet above the ground. The tankers can transfer about 1,000 gallons of fuel per minute to the jets. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some crew members have helped fighter jets patrolling U.S. air space while others were deployed to secret locations overseas. The remaining units continued their training missions, knowing that they could be called upon at any time. The temporary move should not greatly affect the regular training flights. The latest construction on the MacDill runway involves the center portion, which forces closing the entire runway, Miller said. The runway is being narrowed from 500 feet to 150 feet, bringing it to Air Force standards. Construction crews are also replacing the lighting and repairing the touchdown area. Most of the work is scheduled to be completed by January, although the runway should be open for traffic again in July, Miller said. -- Contact Graham Brink at 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com.
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