kc-135

CLOSE CALL: Instead of calling it quits on the aircraft, the pilot alerted the tanker of his malfunction, and the crew escorted the jet to its base "while refueling every 15 minutes to avoid an emergency."
Posted by Air Force Times on Thursday, February 11, 2016

Back to the future: Tankers saving fighter pilots has happened before

By Oriana Pawlyk on February 12, 2016 Air Force, History

History is making a comeback when it comes to tankers lending a helping hand to some stranded Air Force pilots out there. Air Force Times’ readers applauded the news that an Air Force tanker crew from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, helped save a struggling F-16 pilot. He was flying over Islamic State group-held territory last year when a technical problem affected his fuel supply. He might have ejected over enemy territory, but the KC-135 essentially towed him back to base. “Now THAT is a wingman,” reader Sam Axe wrote on the Air Force Times Facebook page. “Teamwork at its…

Last KC-135 leaves Manas

By Brian Everstine on February 25, 2014 Afghanistan, Air Force

The last Stratotanker has left the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, ending 12.5 years of refueling operations at the base. The transit center’s last refueling mission landed Feb. 24, according to the Air Force. The KC-135, deployed from MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., flew for six hours, refueling A-10s and F-16s over Afghanistan. “It’s pretty special to be able to say that we were able to fly on the last sortie out of Manas,” said Col. Mike Seiler, the commander of the 376th Expeditionary Operations Group, according to a release. “When [I] think about it, we flew our last sortie…

Andrews hosts eight-year-old pilot through “Pilot for a Day” program

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 3, 2013 AF kids, Air Force, Air Force Reserve

They say it’s the little things in life that make a big difference. Ne’Veah Littleton, 8, was made a pilot for life through the “Pilot for a Day” program at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Nov. 22. Littleton was diagnosed in April with stage four Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a tumor on the brain stem, according to an Air Force release. The average survival of children diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, is approximately nine months. Staff Sgt. Katie Spencer writes that members from Andrews, along with partners from the community, joined together to treat Littleton like a world-class…

VIDEO: Mid-air refuel between an AF tanker and a Navy Super Hornet

By Oriana Pawlyk on December 2, 2013 Air Force, Uncategorized, Video

Check out this video of the 909th Air Refueling Squadron refueling a Navy F-18E Super Hornet in the skies above Okinawa, Japan.

Man vs. machine

By Scott Fontaine on July 12, 2011 Uncategorized

The Battle Creek Air Show and Balloon Festival in Michigan earlier this month seemed to have a little bit of everything. The Navy’s Blue Angels performed. So did an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. Dozens of hot-air balloons took flight. Kids could see white tigers on display. The show also offered something you don’t see too often: One guy pulling a KC-135 by himself. Strongman Mark Kirsch pulled the refueling tanker 120 feet before an awed crowd, according to The Enquirer of Battle Creek, Mich. (For those keeping track, the tanker was assigned to the 54th Air Refueling Squadron from…

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