100 Years of Passing Gas
Air Force Celebrates Air-to-Air Refueling
Our very own Boomer sends us news of the Air Force’s century of in-flight refueling, an amazing capability that changed military aviation.
Air Force flyovers around US celebrate 100 years of air refueling
By Georgina DiNardo
To celebrate 100 years of air refueling, the Air Force is conducting community flyovers across the country Tuesday. The flyovers will feature a variety of aircraft, including KC-135 Stratotankers, KC-10 Extenders and the KC-46 Pegasus.More than 150 aircraft will take part, in all 50 states, to pay tribute to the first successful air refueling on June 27, 1923, 20 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, according to the National Museum of the Air Force. On that day, Army Air Service 1st Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert, flying a DH-4B — a two-seat, single-engine World War I biplane observation and bomber aircraft — passed gasoline through a gravity hose to another DH-4B piloted by Capt. Lowell H. Smith and 1st Lt. John P. Richter, accomplishing the first aerial refueling.
Thanks, Boomer. I have nothing but admiration for my fellow flyers who perform this mission. I’ve seen AAR from the receiver viewpoint in both fixed and fling wing aircraft- much less chance of a JP bath in fixed wing.
Category: Air Force, Blue Skies, Guest Link
The 127th Wing may have done a flyover above Michigan yesterday. It’s unknown if they did, visibility was poor, because of Canadian wildfires.
Anyway, congrats on your centennial!
I’ve actually had the privlege of sitting, or should I say lying in the boom position when goinig TDY to Europe.
I’m going to just leave you here with this. I’m sure our Boom Dude will have plenty to say about this…. 👼 💩
Some assholes were sucking up seat cushion in BOTH of those aircraft, I’m sure.
MY seat cushion went about halfway up MY ass….and I’m just watching a video!
My dad told me about a B-52 refueling incident that left the flight deck awash in JP-4. Didn’t sound like it was one of his favorite flights.
Bad case of wake turbulence? Looked good there for a while.
Hope the crewmembers in the back of that AWACS were all strapped in tight when those AWACS pilots pushed their nose over to get separation from the tanker.
Looked like it was negative Gs a-go-go back there.
Congratulation Zoomer Boomers.
Happy Birthday, Boomer Boys. Thanks for keeping the Aerial Artillery Platforms gassed up. Will there be cake…and ice cream?
If it comes up the hoist, I’ll bring it.
hbtd…
😉😎
Thanky, ninja. Just so happen to have a half gallon of Blue Bell Vanilla Bean in the freezerdaire. Thought I was gonna have to put it on top of this slab of True Southern Buttered Milk Cornbread.
gabn/rtr/hbtd 😍
In 1960 I flew a refueling mission on a KB-50 out of RAF Schulthorpe, UK. They refueled F-100’s over Spain. Developed a fuel leak on the return and the landing was interesting. It was back in the day when all aboard wore a chute.
Name, you know.
AW1
AW1Ed and Boomer
Thank You so much for sharing this information…100 years…Wow!
We passed your info with the article to our Air Force Buddies.
Learning something new everytime!
As seen in the opening of Dr. Strangelove… in 1963 (sixty years ago):
Saw the Upstate New York flyover just south of Rochester. Pretty neat!
😎
I’ve watched our F-15s refuel from the observers postion, it was pretty damn cool.
Then years later I’m watching our MC-130E take gas, on our way to Oman after 9-11. Got invited up to the flight deck to watch….That was frigging awesome and to be honest nerve racking. See a big bird that damn close to the semi-big bird you’re in.
Also on the same trip, I watched as one of the other MC-130E’s took gas. We were a three ship, followed by a two ship about 12 hours behind us.
Watched as our MC-130E passed gas to helicopters, on several ride alongs in our MC-130E’s.
Regardless of who is passing or getting gas it’s a carefully orchestrated ballet, one oh shit and your world changes.
There was this oops moment.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NZA8fCSKE8c