MacDill tankers hone high-flying act

The KC-135 tankers based in Tampa can pump 1,000 gallons of fuel per minute into the tanks of a jet flying just feet below.

By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 3, 2001

In a refueling tanker high above the Florida Panhandle, a boom operator used a joystick to move a 40-foot boom toward the fighter jet below.

The boom was maneuvered into a receptacle on the jet and, within minutes, the refueling process was over. This is what the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base has done on a daily basis for years, honing their refueling skills in the skies over Florida to prepare for war.

MacDill's refueling crew, which can transfer about 1,000 gallons of fuel per minute from tanker to jet, are a vital part of combat.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some crew members from MacDill's air wing have been assisting fighter jets patrolling U.S. air space while others have been deployed to secret locations overseas. The remaning units continue their training missions, knowing that they can get the call at any time.

"It's very serious business for us when the time comes," said Brig. Gen. Wayne Hodges, the head of MacDill's air wing, one of six refueling units in the country.

MacDill's forces can claim to be the best in the world, having won a competition this year that pitted refueling teams from around the globe.

During a training mission on Monday, F-15 fighter jets from Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City flew alongside the tanker 25,000 feet above this Panhandle city, gearing up for consecutive refueling maneuvers.

Traveling at speeds up to 350 mph, three jets assumed a flying formation a daunting 30 feet from the refueling craft while another jet zoomed in, just below the 322,000-pound tanker. With expert precision, the pilot maintained a constant speed while the operator positioned the boom.

The goal is to refuel as quickly as possible so that the jets can continue on to their destinations. The operation is completed within minutes.

The fighter jet pilot signaled a thumbs up and flew off as the next pilot positioned his fighter under the tanker.

For the crew inside the tanker, it was business as usual.

The pilot, co-pilot and boom operator make up a refueling crew.

The inside is nothing like a commercial plane, although it was designed after the 707 passenger aircraft.

The walls and ceilings of the cargo deck are lined with gray padding and there are only four small windows. Round lights on the ceiling provide dim illumination and a row of seats lines both walls. The seats are similar to beach chairs, without the hand rests, and with red cargo netting as back support.

While the KC-135's primary operation is refueling, it can also hold up to 83,000 pounds of cargo, including 57 passengers.

Boom operations take place in the rear of the plane, down a few short steps. Boom operators lie on their stomachs and can see the fighter jets from a window.

The tanker is capable of refueling different aircraft from many allied nations, although the smaller the craft the more difficult the maneuver.

"They provide a significant amount of global reach," Hodges said. "They take combat aircraft wherever they may go anywhere in the world."

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