On The Job: Air Refueling
by Al Ratcliffe
CBS 42 News
2008-04-30 09:15:38.0
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Al Ratcliffe is back on the job, just not the one he performs at CBS 42. This time he's taking to the air and getting an up-close look at what it takes to be on the job with the 117th refueling wing.
This trip started just like most plane flights, but since there aren't any stewardesses, I had to settle for a 10 minute video. But before take off the flight and ground crew do a complete check on the plane. Nothing is left to chance as they check everything from the tires to wings.
"We check for rivets, loose rivets. We have to check for corrosion, we have to check to make sure all of the systems are serviced," said Sergeant Paul Brown.
Then it's time to go air born. Tonight, we'll be about four miles in the air doing 400 miles an hour while refueling F-16s out Maxwell Air Force base in Montgomery.
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"We're gonna be in a two ship formation. The first aircraft will do four receivers and we'll do the rest," said Major R.J. Smith.
Smith is the pilot on this flight. He says once you get used to it it's not that hard.
"The biggest problem is if they pull out too fast or come in too fast, they'll pull our tail down and their nose up," said Smith.
Now unfortunately because of safety restraints my participation in this high flying job is as an interested passenger. Boom operator Master Sergeant John Freeman says flying the boom passing the gas is kind of like a video game.
“You know we have a joystick in one hand and we have a lever in the other to extend and retract the boom," said Freeman.
But that doesn't mean it can't get a little dicey, especially at night in rough air.
"As long as we've got smooth air, it's a piece of cake. But if you get into a lot of turbulence it can get tricky and scary at times," said Freeman.
And this is something they do everyday, and they all say there isn't anything else they'd rather be doing.
"It's a very unique job and very few people get to do it," said Freeman.
Depending on the plane, Freeman says the refueling process can be as short as a couple of minutes or as long as 45 minutes.
And refueling is not the only thing they do. Besides passing gas, crews from the 117th fly Medivac missions, haul cargo and carry passengers all over the world.
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