Some of you may recall that I'm writing a book. It covers some of my growing up, 24 year Air Force career, and retired life. Tonight I'm have a sleepless night and have plenty of energy. My wife suggested days ago I add this story to my book. This story has taken me past 203 pages now.
As I'm now finished with the story and edited it only once, I've decided to share it with you.
Comments are greatly welcomed and if you discover an error and point it out that is also welcome.
I spent 21 years working on active duty aircraft and my last 3 years supervising the operation of the McChord Air Museum and resterations of it's historical aircraft. It was a great job and oppertunity.
My Last Mission for the Museum and the Air ForceIn the spring of 1995 I decided it would be a nice thing to have a VHS recording of an in-flight refueling mission added to our VHS program that played for museum visitors during our open hours. The Museum Foundation Members and I discussed this idea and agreed it would make a great addition to our program.
Now that the museum’s foundation staff had approved the idea, I had to get authorization from the Command Staff at Wing Headquarters. I just couldn’t walk into Base Operations with a camera and a VHS camcorder and say, “I’m from the Base Museum and I need to go up flying on an in-flight refuel mission.” They are going to want to see some official orders.
The Base Museum fell under the Wing Director of Staff. I made an appointment to see him and explained the museum’s request. He thought that was a great idea, and better yet, the museum was going to do the work and not request Base Audio Visual Detachment support. I was scheduled the following week on an in-flight refuel training mission.
I was to report to the flying squadron in the morning and sit in on the mission planning briefing. The aircraft commander introduced me to the members of the flight crew, four new Lieutenant co-pilots in training. Our aircraft flight engineer was out on the aircraft with the maintenance troops. I then listened and observed the mission briefing. My crew position would be right behind the co-pilot. I’d occupy the Navigators position which would give me excellent views to shoot film and pictures from.
After jet engine start, we’d taxi to the south end of the base if the wind did not change. Our take-off would put us on a northbound heading over Tacoma and part of Puget Sound. Our flight path would then turn us eastward making our aircraft pass Mount Rainer’s northface. Mount Rainer towered 14,410 feet. Our course would take us over the Cascade Mountain Range, and over Spokane in eastern Washington, where we’d then pass over northern Idaho, and into Montana. We flew over the Rocky Mountains between Kalispell and Missoula, Montana. We were to rendezvous with a KC-135 from Malmstrum Air Force Base, near Great Falls, Montana.
Just as we cleared the Rocky Mountains the Flight Engineer said to me, “The tanker will show up on the navigator’s radar, look into the nav/radar screen.” To my left on the navigator’s panel and table was a box with a 4 inch rubber tube and the end was the shape of a scuba divers facemask. I knew what it was as soon as soon as I sat at the nav’s position. I’d been working on aircraft for 24 years.
I looked into the nav/radar and could see a radar return at maybe 45 miles getting closer at our 11 o’clock position. I’d been rolling video tape on and off starting with engine start and taxi out. The crew was being very helpful so I pointed my camcorder at the nav/radar screen and documented the radar return. After that, I took a look out the left side windscreen and saw the tanker in the distance. At about 35 miles it was still very small. I continued to observe the KC-135, as it made a turning arc in front of our aircraft. I could see the outline of the fuselage, wing, and tail sections.
Our aircraft course put us directly in line behind the KC-135 tanker at maybe 20 miles. As we continued to close the distance radio contact was established between the two aircraft crews. At this point I wished that there had been a way to connect my camcorder audio up to the aircraft communications radio. It would have added more to the viewer’s experience.
Closer and closer we approached the tanker. The in-flight refueling mission I’d flown on out of Griffiss Air Force Base, NY to Minot Air Force Base, ND back in the 1970’s crossed my mind. During that mission I was onboard the KC-135 tanker looking at a B-52 bomber that we were giving fuel to. Now I was on a C-141 cargo jet aircraft receiving the jet fuel. I was about to view the dangerous in-flight operation from the other point of view and get it all on VHS tape.
Our aircraft continued to close the gap between us and the tanker. I watched as the tanker’s boom operator lowered the refueling boom as we approached. The boom was then extended outward toward us. As our pilot closed in to make contact the refueling boom and our aircraft bounced around some. I observed the boom pass over the top of the cockpit’s front windscreen and move out of sight to the top of our aircraft. Then someone said, “contact,” I assumed it was our flight engineer getting ready to accept fuel transfer.
Our Aircraft Commander was a Lieutenant Colonel and he did the first two hook-ups with the tanker and took on fuel. He was instructing the new Lieutenant pilots how it was done. After all this was a training mission. This was my first experience onboard the receiving aircraft and I could see this was far from an easy task for a pilot to pull-off. Our aircraft’s air-conditioning was working very well, but our pilot was sweating. He had one hand on the control yoke and his other on the throttles. Both hands kept moving to keep us in position and connected to the tanker. I then thought to myself, “How scary is it going to be when one of those new pilots try?” I was about to find out!
The Aircraft Commander (AC) then order a disconnect and our aircraft dropped back away from the tanker and lagged behind. In the co-pilots seat in front of me was a new pilot and the AC advised him it was his turn to make several hook-ups with the tanker and take on fuel.
Before these new young pilots go out on an in-flight refuel mission they perform the task dozens of times in a flight simulator. That is where they learn from their mistakes. Then they have to qualify in-flight. This was it for them and us.
He took the aircraft controls and closed gently on the tanker. His maneuvers and hook-ups were very well done. The next guy also did well but not so smoothly. Then another young pilot took the co-pilots seat. This co-pilot was a girl. She made her approach at the tanker and the AC made a few instructional comments as he did with the guys before her. “Easy, don’t over correct, short throttle movements, etc…” She made several successful connections and fuel transfers and then it was the last guys turn. This young man was more aggressive and at one point I thought the refuel boom was going to hit the forward cockpit windscreen. He made his required connections and it was time to head back to McChord Air Force Base.
The AC took over the flight controls again and flew along side the KC-135 Tanker for a few minutes so I could roll some tape of it. We then banked and dropped away toward the west and home base.
The flight back was very relaxing and less tense as the young pilots were more at ease now that they had completed their in-flight refueling tasks. We crossed back over the Rocky Mountains, flew over Spokane, and passed over the Cascade Range in Washington State. Our aircraft passed once again along the north side of Mount Rainer and banked south toward the base.
We entered the flight control pattern and flew past the base to the south before banking northward for an approach to the runway. Our AC said we had some extra fuel and would do some approaches with touch and goes. I thought, “More fight time perfect for me,” and I greatly enjoyed it, so I rolled more VHS tape. I’d packed extra camcorder batteries and blank tapes.
We made six or seven approaches, touched the runway and then took-off again. On our last go around and approach we landed and deployed the spoilers and thrust reversers. The thrust reversers and spoilers allowed us to slowdown enough so our aircraft could exit about halfway down the runway and proceed to the aircraft parking ramp. A maintenance technician marshaled our aircraft into its assigned parking spot. Other technicians quickly hooked up external power and the pilot shutdown the engines.
We departed the aircraft and boarded a crew bus that came by to take us back to the squadron area. I thanked the crew for their help in providing a good media tape for museum visitors to view. I also told them that flight would likely be my last as I was retiring for the U.S. Air Force in a few months. I offered to make extra copies of the VHS tapes if any of the crew members wanted them. The Colonel, our AC said he was also retiring this year and would like a copy of the tape. I got his name and phone number and told him it would be ready next week and he could swing by the museum and it would be waiting for him. As our crew bus pulled up to a stop in front of the squadron building I thanked everyone again. We all shook hands, saluted, and they wished me the best on my retirement.
:salute
