Extenders fly into heat of battle
A 60th Air Expeditionary Group KC-10, deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom is offloading 120,000 pounds of fuel to a B-52 from the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing. The entire process takes about 20 minutes, and both aircraft continue on to complete their missions.
According to Capt. Tyson Hummel, the KC-10 aircraft commander, this is where training pays off. "It's all about training," said Tyson. "If we talk over the air everyone knows exactly where we are and what we're doing … that means we have to get the job done with as few words as possible," he said.
The bomber and the tanker may repeat the same scenario several times before their mission is complete. And according to Col. Jan Swickard, 60th AEG commander it should happen the same way, every time. "It's amazing the precision with which our guys do this procedure at 500 mph with about 12-15 feet of space between the aircraft," said Swickard.
While it only takes a handful of people to accomplish an air refueling during flight, there are a lot more people involved in the success of a mission such as this. "It takes hundreds of different people working in unison to get two aircraft off the ground," said Swickard.
The KC-10 crew consists of a four-member team, a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and boom operator. The flight engineer monitors systems during flight and runs all checklists for the crew, as well as other duties. "It is my job to ensure the aircraft is running properly during flight," said Tech. Sgt. Rob Boyer, 60th AEG flight engineer.
The tanker will normally meet at a predetermined location to refuel its receiver, which may be bombers, fighters or even other tanker aircraft. During refueling operations, fuel is transferred to the receiver at a maximum rate of 1,100 gallons per minute. Thanks to the Automatic Load Alleviation System and Independent Disconnect System the boom operator's job is made a lot easier.
"My primary duty is to coordinate the refueling," said Staff Sgt. Jack Fortner, 60th AEG boom operator. "I am responsible for keeping the boom steady and making contact with the receiver aircraft, then the computer system takes over," said Fortner. During the refueling the boom operator continues to monitor systems to ensure that everything is going smoothly.
Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft when necessary. "The members of the 60th AEG and the 40th AEW are a team … we as crew members are reminded of that each time we successfully complete a refueling mission," said Swickard. It is not our efforts alone that get the job done, but the efforts of all the men and women who are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom," said the commander.
(From Air Mobility Command Public Affairs)
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