User:AFBoomer/sandbox

USAF Boom Operator
Enlisted Aircrew Badge
Active	March 1950 – present (74 years, 7 months)
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	In-flight refueling specialist
Role	Aerial refueling (U.S. & allies) Nuclear deterrence Special operations Airlift (Cargo & Personnel)
Size	765 (90% male, 10% female)
Garrison/HQ	List of Air Refueling Squadrons
Nickname(s)	"Boom", "Boomer"
Motto(s)	"Nobody Kicks A** Without Tanker Gas!" (NKAWTG)
Engagements	Korean War Vietnam War Gulf War Iraqi no-fly zones Bosnian War Kosovo War War on Terror  • War in Afghanistan  • Iraq War  • Military intervention in Libya  • Northern Mali conflict  • Military intervention against ISIL Yemeni Civil War Syrian Civil War

In the U.S. Air Force (USAF), a boom operator is an aircrew member aboard tanker aircraft who is responsible for safely and effectively refueling other aircraft during flight. The name boom operator implies that one "operates a boom" (i.e. flying boom), which in the case of a tanker is a long, extendable metal arm attached to the rear underside of the tanker that connects to the fuel receptacle of a receiving aircraft. Boom operators also control other air refueling equipment such as the refueling drogue, a flexible hose with a basket attached that trails the tanker, when using the probe-and-drogue system. The USAF officially designates the boom operator career field as "In-Flight Refueling" with a job code of 1A0X1. However, this designation is usually reserved for administrative paperwork such as enlistment contracts and performance reports, as boom operators themselves are rarely referred to as in-flight refuelers. The title "Boom Operator" is most commonly used, in reference to the aircrew position they occupy on the airplane, as noted in USAF regulations and aircraft flight manuals. Fellow aircrew members affectionately address them as "boom" or "boomer".

The boom operator crew position was created in 1948 when Boeing developed the flying boom at the request of the USAF. Prior to this, when the only practical means of transferring fuel was through a hose, other crew members fulfilled the duty of operating the air refueling equipment, such as the hose reel operator in the DH-4B and C-1 and the line operator in the B-24D and KB-29M using the grappled-line looped hose system. In the modern U.S. military, the boom operator crew position only exists in USAF tankers equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-135, KC-10, and KC-46. For tanker aircraft not equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-130, HC-130, and F/A-18E/F, the specific crew member(s) responsible for operating the air refueling equipment and supervising refueling operations varies by aircraft. Boom-equipped tankers have been obtained by several foreign countries as a result of USAF tanker procurement programs and U.S. foreign military sales. An estimated 63 boom-equipped tankers (KC-135, KC-10, A330 MRTT, KC-767, and KC-33) are operated by 14 countries; in comparison, the USAF operates 457 KC-135 and KC-10 tankers.

The boom operator crew position was not created until the flying boom was developed by Boeing in 1948.

a crewmember in the observer position in a two-seater airplane (e.g. de Havilland DH-4B) or a third crewmember in the cargo compartment of larger planes (e.g. Douglas C-1 and B-24D Liberator). In the modern U.S. military, the boom operator crew position only exists in USAF tankers equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-135, KC-10, and KC-46. For tanker aircraft not equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-130, HC-130, and F/A-18E/F, the specific crewmember(s) responsible for operating the air refueling equipment and supervising refueling operations varies by aircraft.

That year, due to the onset of the Cold War, in-flight refueling (also known as aerial refueling, air refueling, air-to-air refueling, and tanking) had become the military's top priority after being in the experimental stage for 27 years. The first documented transfer of fuel from one airplane to another during flight occurred during a barnstorming stunt in 1921. While circling over California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the fuel tank. Earlier that same year, aviation pioneer Alexander de Seversky received the first patent for air-to-air refueling, which was a proposal to provide large refueling tankers to supply fuel to pursuit airplanes (receivers) using a refueling hose lowered from the tanker by an additional crew member. Two years later, Seversky's patented proposal was successfully put into practice by the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the USAF. From the observer position in the DH.4 tanker, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered a 50-foot hose to the receiver airplane and operated the shutoff valve during fuel transfer. While the U.S. and British militaries developed new air refueling systems and techniques over the next 25 years, the refueling hose remained the sole method of transfer. The crew member responsible for operating the in-flight refueling equipment included the

In the U.S. Air Force (USAF), a boom operator is an aircrew member aboard tanker aircraft who is responsible for safely and effectively refueling other aircraft during flight. The name boom operator implies that one "operates a boom" (i.e. the flying boom), which in the case of a tanker is a long, extendable metal arm attached to the rear underside of the tanker that connects to the fuel receptacle of a receiving aircraft (the receiver). Boom operators also control other air refueling equipment such as the refueling drogue, a flexible hose with a basket attached that trails the tanker, when using the probe-and-drogue system. The USAF officially designates the boom operator career field as "In-Flight Refueling" with a job code of 1A0X1, however this designation is usually reserved for administrative paperwork such as enlistment contracts and performance reports as boom operators themselves are rarely referred to as in-flight refuelers. The title "Boom Operator" is the most commonly used, in reference to the aircrew position they occupy on the airplane, as noted in USAF regulations and aircraft flight manuals. Fellow aircrew members affectionately address them as "boom" or "boomer".

The flying boom is a long, metal telescoping tube with movable flight control surfaces that a boom operator on the tanker aircraft extends and inserts into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. All boom-equipped tankers (e.g. KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender) have a single boom, and can refuel one aircraft at a time with this mechanism.

http://www.amc.af.mil/News/Features/Display/Article/787753/mcconnell-home-of-the-booms/ https://web.archive.org/web/20131102111137/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine/2013/0513fullissue.pdf

The boom operator crew position was not created until the flying boom, developed by Boeing in 1948, was installed on Boeing KB-29 refueling tankers in 1950. Prior to this, when the only means of transferring fuel was through a hose, other crew members fulfilled the duty of operating the in-flight refueling equipment, such as a crewmember in the observer position in a two-seater airplane (e.g. de Havilland DH-4B) or a third crewmember in the cargo compartment of larger planes (e.g. Douglas C-1 and B-24D Liberator). In the modern U.S. military, the boom operator crew position only exists in USAF tankers equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-135, KC-10, and KC-46. For tanker aircraft not equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-130, HC-130, and F/A-18E/F, the specific crewmember(s) responsible for operating the air refueling equipment and supervising refueling operations varies by aircraft.

The first documented mid-air transfer of fuel between two airplanes occurred during a barnstorming stunt in 1921. While circling over California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the fuel tank. In 1948, the boom operator crew position was created when the flying boom was developed by Boeing. During the 27 years between these two events, the U.S. and British militaries experimented with transferring fuel by trailing a hose from a tanker airplane that was retrieved and connected by a receiving airplane. The crew member responsible for operating the in-flight refueling equipment included the hose reel operator in DH-4Bs and C-1s and the line operator in B-24Ds and KB-29Ms using the grappled-line looped hose system. In the modern U.S. military, the boom operator crew position only exists in USAF tankers equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-135, KC-10, and KC-46. For tanker aircraft not equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-130, HC-130, and F/A-18E/F, the specific crew member(s) responsible for operating the air refueling equipment and supervising refueling operations varies by aircraft.

The boom operator crew position was created in 1948 when Boeing developed the flying boom at the request of the USAF. 27 years earlier, the first documented mid-air transfer of fuel between two airplanes occurred during a barnstorming stunt in 1921. While circling over California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the fuel tank. The time between these two events involved the U.S. and British militaries experimented with transferring fuel by trailing a hose from a tanker airplane that was retrieved and connected by a receiving airplane. The crew member responsible for operating the in-flight refueling equipment included the hose reel operator in DH-4Bs and C-1s and the line operator in B-24Ds and KB-29Ms using the grappled-line looped hose system. In the modern U.S. military, the boom operator crew position only exists in USAF tankers equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-135, KC-10, and KC-46. For tanker aircraft not equipped with a flying boom, such as the KC-130, HC-130, and F/A-18E/F, the specific crew member(s) responsible for operating the air refueling equipment and supervising refueling operations varies by aircraft.

when wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon gas can strapped to his back and filled the fuel tank. Wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank.

using a hose to connect two airplanes during flight.

through a hose, other crew members fulfilled the duty of operating the in-flight refueling equipment.

Seversky's 1921 air-to-air refueling patent was timely, as the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the U.S. Air Force, was simultaneously searching for practical ways of transferring fuel during flight. Utilizing Seversky’s patented proposal, the Air Service carried out the first successful in-flight refueling between two aircraft on June 27, 1923 over Rockwell Field in San Diego between two de Havilland DH-4B biplanes. From the observer position in the tanker, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered the 50-foot hose to the receiver airplane and operated the shutoff valve during fuel transfer. Subsequent successful missions made the future of air refueling look promising until November 18, 1923 when the Air Service attempted a refueling over Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas as part of a carnival exhibition. The hose from the tanker caught in the propeller of the receiver, and the tanker crashed, killing pilot Lieutenant Paul T. Wagner, the first aerial refueling-related death in history. Wagner's death ended American experiments with refueling for several years.

Two years later, the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the U.S. Air Force, carried out the first successful in-flight refueling between two aircraft on June 27, 1923 using a hose

, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered the 50-foot hose

The first documented transfer of fuel from one airplane to another during flight came from barnstorming, a popular form of entertainment in the United States in the 1920s where pilots and wing walkers traveled the country performing aerial stunts and selling airplane rides. On November 12, 1921, while circling over Long Beach, California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank. The Standard J-1, a World War I trainer, was piloted by Captain Frank Hawks, a member of the Gates Flying Circus who was also a reserve pilot in the U.S. Army Air Service (descendant organization of the Aeronautical Division) and a WWI veteran pilot. Hawks is also notable in aviation history for giving Amelia Earhart her first plane ride on December 28, 1920 in Long Beach, an experience she credited with beginning her desire to learn to fly.

The concept of air refueling appeared not long after airplanes first flew. Six years after the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, a cartoon in a 1909 issue of Punch Magazine depicted a crewmember of an airship dropping a can of gasoline into a net held by a crewmember of a passing airplane with the caption: “The chief difficulty to be overcome in aviation is that of replenishing supplies of fuel while in the air.” That same year, the Wright brothers delivered the world’s first military airplane to the Aeronautical Division, the aviation arm of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and progenitor of the U.S. Air Force.

The first documented transfer of fuel from one airplane to another during flight came from barnstorming, a popular form of entertainment in the United States in the 1920s where pilots and wing walkers traveled the country performing aerial stunts and selling airplane rides. On November 12, 1921, while circling over Long Beach, California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank. The Standard J-1, a World War I trainer, was piloted by Captain Frank Hawks, a member of the Gates Flying Circus who was also a reserve pilot in the U.S. Army Air Service (descendant organization of the Aeronautical Division) and a WWI veteran pilot. Hawks is also notable in aviation history for giving Amelia Earhart her first plane ride on December 28, 1920 in Long Beach, an experience she credited with beginning her desire to learn to fly.

Earlier in the same year that Wesley May performed the refueling stunt, Alexander P. de Seversky received the first patent for air-to-air refueling ("Aerial Filling Device" patent #1,728,449 filed June 13, 1921), which was a proposal to provide large refueling tankers to supply fuel to pursuit airplanes (receivers) using a refueling hose lowered from the tanker by an additional crewmember. Seversky was a Russian naval aviator during World War I who lost his leg after being shot down on his first combat mission during an attack on a German destroyer during the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915. After recovering and being fitted with a wooden leg, Seversky was initially deemed unfit for front line duty by the Imperial Russian Navy. To prove his superiors wrong, he made a spectacular but unauthorized flight at an air show and was promptly arrested. Czar Nicholas II intervened on his behalf and in July 1916, Seversky returned to combat duty. Seversky went on to become an ace by downing 13 (six confirmed) German fighter planes during 57 combat missions. It was during these missions (which required multiple landings for refueling) that he first proposed increasing the range of combat aircraft by refueling them in flight. After the war, Seversky immigrated to the United States and worked for the U.S. War Department as an aeronautical engineer and test pilot. In 1921, while applying for the air refueling patent, he became a special consultant and advisor in the famous "airplanes versus warships" bombing tests of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. Over the next eight years, Seversky applied for at least 360 patents (including the first gyroscopically stabilized bombsight) and became a U.S. citizen in 1927. In 1931, he founded the Seversky Aircraft Corporation, later renamed the Republic Aviation Corporation after his departure in 1939. His 1942 book Victory Through Air Power, which advocated for the strategic use of airpower (including in-flight refueling) rather than exclusively as support for ground-based operations, won Seversky the Medal for Merit from President Harry S. Truman after World War II. In 1952, he formed Seversky ElectroAtom Corporation, a company focused on protecting the U.S. from nuclear attack and on extracting radioactive particles from the air. Research in that area led to the discovery of the ionocraft, an aircraft that derived lift and propulsion from ionic emissions. For serving as a special consultant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he received the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal in 1969. Seversky was enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1970.

1921 air-to-air refueling patent was timely, as the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the U.S. Air Force, was simultaneously searching for practical ways of transferring fuel during flight. Utilizing Seversky’s patented proposal, the Air Service carried out the first successful in-flight refueling between two aircraft on June 27, 1923 over Rockwell Field in San Diego between two de Havilland DH-4B biplanes. From the observer position in the tanker, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered the 50-foot hose to the receiver airplane and operated the shutoff valve during fuel transfer. Subsequent successful missions made the future of air refueling look promising until November 18, 1923 when the Air Service attempted a refueling over Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas as part of a carnival exhibition. The hose from the tanker caught in the propeller of the receiver, and the tanker crashed, killing pilot Lieutenant Paul T. Wagner, the first aerial refueling-related death in history. Wagner's death ended American experiments with refueling for several years.

Later that year, the first documented transfer of fuel from one airplane to another during flight occurred during a barnstorming stunt. While circling over California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the fuel tank. Two years later, Seversky's patented proposal was successfully put into practice by the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the USAF. From the observer position in the DH.4 tanker, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered the 50-foot hose to the receiver airplane and operated the shutoff valve during fuel transfer.

came from barnstorming, a popular form of entertainment in the United States in the 1920s where pilots and wing walkers traveled the country performing aerial stunts and selling airplane rides. On November 12, 1921, while circling over Long Beach, California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank.

began 27 years earlier as a barnstorming stunt in 1921. While circling over California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of one biplane to another with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the fuel tank. Earlier that same year, Russian-American aviator Alexander P. de Seversky received the first patent for air-to-air refueling ("Aerial Filling Device" patent #1,728,449 filed June 13, 1921), which was a proposal to provide large refueling tankers to supply fuel to pursuit airplanes (receivers) using a refueling hose lowered from the tanker by an additional crewmember.

KC-135, KC-10, KC-33, KC-767, and A330 MRTT, KC-135 17 by 4 countries KC-10 2 by 1 country KC-33 4 by 1 country KC-767 11 by 4 countries A330 MRTT 29 by 4 countries

1A0X1 Duties

Insert duties

1A0X1 Description

see Operations specialist (US Navy) for example

1A0X1 Overview

A USAF KC-135 boom operator refuels a USAF F-16 during a mission over Iraq.

The primary job of the boom operator is to safely and effectively refuel other military airplanes during flight, day and night, in diverse environments and weather conditions, during worldwide military operations. This is accomplished by operating the air refueling controls to affect contact between the tanker and receiver aircraft; directing the movements and positioning of all airplanes in the vicinity of the tanker during air refueling operations; instructing the receiver pilots of actions required to safely maintain position within the air refueling envelope (the area in which contact with the flying boom is safe); monitoring the control panel for proper operation of equipment during air refueling; keeping the tanker pilot informed as to the progress of air refueling operations; and initiating immediate emergency actions (called a breakaway) when necessary to avoid mid-air collisions.

Air refueling enables greater

Air refueling allows the receiver aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range, loiter time over target, or endurance time on station. A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue or engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. Because each aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is lower than its weight limit during flight, air refueling enables a receiver aircraft to takeoff with minimal fuel and a greater payload of weapons, cargo, or personnel; the receiver aircraft is then topped off (i.e. filled up) with extra fuel once airborne. Alternatively, a lighter aircraft due to minimum fuel requires a shorter runway for takeoff; again, the aircraft can be topped off once airborne.

combat radius

Air refueling allows the receiver aircraft to remain airborne longer (range and endurance), which can maximize the distance traveled, time on station (in area of operations), or time over target. A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue or engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. Because each aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is significantly lower than its weight limit during flight, air refueling enables a receiver aircraft to takeoff with minimal fuel, thus decreasing the weight, which allows for a greater payload of weapons, cargo, or personnel; the receiver aircraft is then filled up (i.e. topped off) with extra fuel once airborne. Alternatively, a lighter aircraft due to lesser fuel requires a shorter runway for takeoff; again, the aircraft can be topped off once airborne.

shorter take-off roll can be achieved because take-off can be at a lighter weight before refueling once airborne. Aerial refueling has also been considered as a means to reduce fuel consumption on long-distance flights greater than 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi). Potential fuel savings in the range of 35-40% have been estimated for long haul flights (including the fuel used during the tanker missions).

In the KC-135 and KC-10, the boom operator's refueling station is located in the back of the airplane, facing to the rear, below the main cargo floor. The refueling station is called a boom pod in the KC-135 and an aerial refueling operator station in the KC-10. The KC-135 boom pod is similar to those in previous operational tankers, as the boom operator must lie in the prone position, head propped up on a chin rest, during air refueling. KC-10 boom operators are seated during air refueling. Both tankers feature large windows to allow the boom operator to visually maintain direct line-of-sight with the receiver aircraft, and a system of smaller windows and mirrors to aid in monitoring other aircraft flying on either wing or approaching from a distance.

The transfer of fuel is performed using two methods: the flying boom system (sometimes called boom and receptacle) and the probe-and-drogue system. Receiver

US Air Force fixed-wing aircraft use the flying boom system. Typically countries operating F-16 or F-15 variants have had a need for boom equipped tankers. Therefore, in addition to the USAF, the boom system is used by the Netherlands (KDC-10), Israel (modified Boeing 707), Turkey (surplus US KC-135Rs), and Iran (Boeing 747).

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/weapons/RL32910.pdf

Air Force fixed-wing aircraft refuel with the “flying boom.” The boom is a rigid, telescoping tube that an operator on the tanker aircraft extends and inserts into a receptacle on the aircraft being refueled.

Air Force helicopters, and all Navy and Marine Corps aircraft refuel using the “hose-anddrogue.” NATO countries and other allies also refuel with the hose-and drogue. As its name implies, this refueling method employs a flexible hose that trails from the tanker aircraft. A drogue (a small windsock) at the end of the hose stabilizes it in flight, and provides a funnel for the aircraft being refueled, which inserts a probe into the hose.

The flying boom is a long, metal telescoping tube with movable flight control surfaces that the boom operator extends and inserts into a receptacle on the receiver aircraft. The boom operator "flies the boom" (moves the flying boom up, down, left, or right) with a right-hand control stick and extends and retracts the boom with a left-hand control stick.

The flying boom is a long, metal telescoping tube that the boom operator extends and inserts into a receptacle on the receiver aircraft. All boom-equipped tankers have a single flying boom, and can only refuel one aircraft at a time with this mechanism. The flying boom is powered by hydraulics, and the physical connection (called contact) between the flying boom and receiver's receptacle and the subsequent physical separation (called a disconnect) are actuated electronically through a wire running through the boom called a signal coil. The flying boom is fitted with a pair of aerodynamic flight control surfaces called ruddervators that form a distinctive 'V' or 'U' shape. These ruddervators act as a pair of wings that allows the boom operator to "fly the boom" (move it up, down, left, or right) with a right-hand control stick to align the boom with the receiver's receptacle. A left-hand lever is used to extend (to make contact) and retract (after disconnect) the boom. When not in use, the boom is stowed and latched under the tail section of the tanker, and it is raised and lowered to and from the stowed position with the aid of a cable. The location of the receptacle varies by receiver aircraft, located either directly overhead of the cockpit in most larger aircraft, behind the canopy of most fighter aircraft, in the nose of some aircraft, and near the left wing of F-15 fighter jets. USAF fixed-wing aircraft (and their variants sold to foreign allies) are the only aircraft fitted with receptacles for boom refueling.

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  (The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.]])
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  (The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.]])
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  (A boom operator in a USAF KC-135 conducts a preflight inspection in the boom pod prior to a mission in the Middle East.]])
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  (The challenge coin for a boom operator]])

The boom is lowered and hoisted with the aid of a cable attached under the tail section of the tanker, and

The flying boom contains two movable aerodynamic flight control surfaces

, the boom operator "flies the boom" (moves the flying boom up, down, left, or right) with a right-hand control stick and extends and retracts the boom with a left-hand control stick.

and extends and retracts the boom with a left-hand control stick. 

Using a right-hand control stick, the boom operator "flies the boom" 

The KC-46, currently under development, will feature a rear-facing air refueling operator station located in the cockpit; the traditional boom pod will be replaced with cameras which will provide 3D panoramic video feeds to the operator station.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/1025801.pdf http://www.f-15e.info/technology/fuelsystem/air_refueling/air_refueling.htm

The probe-and-drogue system The drogue (sometimes called the basket) is The probe is

is utilized by receivers equipped with a probe No helicopters; refuel C-130s which refuel helicopters

All U.S. Navy and Marine Corps fix-wing aircraft, USAF and U.S. Army helicopters, and most foreign aircraft use the probe-and-drogue system. Boom operators do not refuel helicopters however, as they cannot fly fast enough to keep up with jet-operated tankers. Instead, boom operators refuel C-130s using the flying boom, who in turn refuel helicopters using probe-and-drogue.

USAF helicopters, , U.S. Army helicopters,

Helicopter In-Flight Refueling (HIFR) is a variation of aerial refueling when a naval helicopter approaches a warship (not necessarily suited for landing operations) and receives fuel through the cabin while hovering. Alternatively, some helicopters equipped with a probe extending out the front can be refueled from a drogue-equipped tanker aircraft in a similar manner to fixed-wing aircraft by matching a high forward speed for a helicopter to a slow speed for the fixed-wing tanker.

A USAF KC-10 boom operator refuels a Dutch F-16 during a mission over Afghanistan.

directing the receiver aircraft into air refueling position within the "air refueling envelope," ;

. Operates in-flight refueling controls and switches to safely affect contact between tanker and receiver aircraft. Monitors control panel for proper operation of equipment during air refueling, and advises receiver pilot of actions required to safely maintain position within the air refueling envelope. Keeps tanker pilot informed as to progress of air refueling operations. Performs emergency operations and procedures as required for emergency off-load and on-load of fuel.

While in contact, the receiver pilot must continue to fly . Moving outside of this envelope can damage the boom or lead to mid-air collision

, and

connecting the flying boom or refueling drogue

The flying boom is a long, metal telescoping tube with movable flight control surfaces that a boom operator on the tanker aircraft extends and inserts into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. All boom-equipped tankers (e.g. KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-10 Extender) have a single boom, and can refuel one aircraft at a time with this mechanism.

perform in-flight refueling duties. (types of airplanes refueled, types of missions, AE, nuclear)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/14/AR2005051400071.html

(Air Refueling Operations)

(Receiver operations)

(Other in-flight refueling duties including checklists and inspections)

(Crew duties including backing up pilots, cargo loading, passenger monitoring)

(Career progression including instructor and evaluator upgrade)

File:KC-135_Stratotanker_boom_operator.jpg

File:Tara_Conner_McGuire_1.jpg

As part of the tanker aircrew, boom operators are responsible for performing a variety of duties in addition to in-flight refueling.

4.2.1. Performs in-flight refueling aircrew duties. Checks forms for equipment status. Performs visual and operational check of air refueling and associated systems and equipment. Performs pre-flight, thru-flight, and postflight inspections. Accomplishes pre-flight and post-flight records and reports. Performs in-flight operational check of air refueling systems. Directs receiver aircraft into air refueling position. Operates in-flight refueling controls and switches to safely affect contact between tanker and receiver aircraft. Monitors control panel for proper operation of equipment during air refueling, and advises receiver pilot of actions required to safely maintain position within the air refueling envelope. Keeps tanker pilot informed as to progress of air refueling operations. Performs emergency operations and procedures as required for emergency off-load and on-load of fuel. Computes and completes aircraft weight and balance documentation. 4.2.2. Verify clearances, monitoring altitudes, airspeeds, traffic, aircraft configuration, fuel, electrical systems, monitoring take offs, approaches, and landings. 4.2.3. Receives cargo/passenger load briefing and reviews load plan and cargo documentation. Accomplishes load planning of cargo/passenger loads if required. Supervises cargo/passenger loading and off-loading operations. Directs the placement of material handling equipment to accomplish cargo on/off loading operations. Ensures cargo/passengers are placed according to load plans. Determines cargo restraint requirements according to criteria and directs and checks the application of cargo restraint equipment. Checks cargo/passenger loads against manifests. 4.2.4. Ensures availability of fleet service equipment and receives and stows in-flight meals. Accomplishes passenger briefings to include the use of emergency equipment, evacuation procedures, and border clearance requirements. Demonstrates the use of passenger emergency oxygen systems and life vests. Supervises passengers in-flight. 4.2.5. Performs staff functions. Performs staff duties at squadron level and above where Inflight Refueling expertise is required. 4.2.6. Load and utilize COMSEC on aircraft for specific missions according to the applicable directives. 4.2.7. (KC-135, KC-46) Perform and maintain certification in OPLAN 8010 mission.

https://www.boeing.com/defense/kc-46a-pegasus-tanker/ https://www.boeing.com/defense/kc-46a-pegasus-tanker/#/technical-specifications https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/exclusive-meet-the-usafs-long-awaited-kc-46a-pegasus-t-1675663600

Boom operators are used in McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is currently being tested for use in refueling. There are currently only three boom operators that are qualified to operate in a KC-46. The future training program for the KC-46 for a boom operator is to be 59 days long, and the training time for a pilot is to be 82 days long.

Space-A travel

Flying boom

Drogue

Boom Drogue Adapter

Multiple refueling system tanker flying boom and probe-and-drogue systems) and 8 have been converted to receiver-capable tankers (able to be refueled as the receiver aircraft)

Diverse missions combat medevac humanitarian coronet

1A0X1 Qualifications

The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.

A boom operator must have a high school diploma or GED with 15 college credits. They must have normal depth perception, cannot be shorter than 64 inches (160 cm) or taller than 77 inches (200 cm), must complete a Single Scope Background Investigation, and complete seven and a half weeks of basic military training, and Airmen's week, and must be between the age of 17 and 39.

http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/671462.pdf

1A0X1 Training

The aerial refueling operator's station in a USAF KC-10. The boom operator is seated while refueling.

All boom operators first receive a month of training in flying tankers at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. After this they spend three weeks in survival training. The boom operators of Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers are trained at Altus Air Force Base for four months.

http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/503047/altus-afb-produces-mission-capable-boom-operators/

Castle Air Force Base 1956-1995

Altus Air Force Base 1995-present

1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC)

On April 23, 2014, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James announced Altus Air Force Base as the preferred training unit for the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft. The 97th Air Mobility Wing is expected to receive the first aircraft sometime in 2016.

Initial Training

• Block I Basic Career Knowledge (30 Days)

Portable radio familiarization, basic career knowledge, and associated publications.

• Block II Ground Environment Training (30 Days)

Field training exercise, day and night land navigation, vehicle navigation, convoy training, and small unit tactics. Also including training in bivouac setup, site selection, patrolling methods, and day and night navigation on foot and in a vehicle.

• Block III Air Support Coordination/Weapons Systems (25 Days)

Methods and means of requesting close air support, weapons effects and utilization, and other coordination procedures.

• ALO Qualification Course: The ALOQC will provide 13L ALOs advanced knowledge of mission planning and the Military Decision Making Process needed to function as an ALO.
• Fire Support Coordinator Course: The Army FSCOORD course will be the 13L ALO’s introduction to how the Army’s Fire Support planning processes function. This knowledge will be critical to the ALO’s function of integrating airpower into the Army’s combat maneuver planning.
• Joint Fires Observer Course: The JFO course will provide the 13L ALO with knowledge and skills of how the Army directs artillery fire.

Aircraft

This section refers to operational tankers manned by USAF boom operators since the crew position was created in 1950. For a complete list of U.S. military tankers, see List of United States military aerial refueling aircraft.

In Service

Image	Type	Operational	Attributes	Boom Operator View
A KC-135 refuels a flight of F-16 Fighting Falcons over the Baltics.	Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker	1957–present	First jet-powered refueling tanker. Equipped with the flying boom. Initially developed for use by Strategic Air Command (SAC) to refuel long-range, jet-powered strategic bombers, specifically the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Development of the attachable boom-drogue adapter in 1959 made it possible to refuel drogue-equipped airplanes while losing boom refueling capability. Role was expanded extensively during the Vietnam War to refuel tactical fighter aircraft in addition to bombers. After the war, role expanded further to include nearly all types of U.S. and allied airplanes. Since the 1990s, 20 have been converted to multiple refueling system tankers (flying boom and probe-and-drogue systems) and 8 have been converted to receiver-capable tankers (able to be refueled as the receiver aircraft). 803 built between 1955-1965; 398 in service as of May 2017 (156 in active duty units, 70 Air Force Reserve, and 172 Air National Guard).	A USAF KC-135 boom operator refuels a USAF F-16 during a mission over Iraq.
A KC-10 refuels an F-16 with an F-16 and F-15 in tow.	McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender	1981–present	First multiple refueling system tanker and first receiver-capable tanker. Developed to supplement KC-135 tankers to help meet the global commitments of the U.S. military, including air refueling and airlift. 60 built between 1979-1987; 59 in service as of May 2014, all in active duty units (0 Air Force Reserve, 0 Air National Guard).	A USAF KC-10 boom operator refuels a Dutch F-16 during a mission over Afghanistan.

Under Development

Image	Tanker	Operational	Attributes
A KC-46 refuels a C-17 Globemaster during a test flight.	Boeing KC-46 Pegasus	Production began in 2013. First test flight in 2015. Project has suffered numerous delays, setbacks, and cost overruns (at Boeing's expense). Initial August 2017 deadline for delivery of first 18 tankers has now been delayed to late 2018.	Multiple refueling system tanker. Receiver-capable tanker. First tanker with infrared countermeasures and electronic warfare capabilities. Developed to replace aging fleet of KC-135 tankers. USAF plans to purchase 179 tankers by 2028.

Retired

Image	Tanker	Operational	Attributes
A KB-29P refuels a B-45 Tornado.	Boeing KB-29 Superfortress	1948–1957	First operational refueling tanker. Converted from B-29 Superfortress bombers. Developed for use by SAC to refuel strategic bombers. The KB-29M, introduced in 1948, initially utilized the grappled-line looped hose system and later converted to the probe-and-drogue system. The KB-29P, introduced in 1950, was the first tanker to be equipped with the flying boom, which was invented by Boeing in 1948.
A KB-50 refuels a flight of F-100 Super Sabres.	Boeing KB-50 Superfortress	1956–1965	Converted from B-50 Superfortress bombers. Developed for use by Tactical Air Command (TAC) to replace KB-29Ms to refuel tactical jet fighters using the probe-and-drogue system. Though the KB-50 was not equipped with the flying boom, boom operators were used to operate the probe-and-drogue system.
A KC-97 refuels a B-47 Stratojet.	Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter	1951–1978	First purpose-built refueling tanker (previous tankers were converted from other airframes). Equipped with the flying boom. Developed for use by SAC as a faster alternative to KB-29Ps to refuel strategic bombers.

History

"The chief difficulty to be overcome in aviation is that of renewing supplies of petrol while in the air" (Punch 1909)

Wing walker Wesley May climbs from one plane to another with a gas can strapped to his back in 1921 over California.

Alexander Seversky 1914.

The first mid-air refueling between two airplanes over San Diego in 1923.

The refueling of the Question Mark in 1929 over California revived interest in air refueling in the U.S.

The US Airforce Boeing B-50 Superfortress, Lucky Lady II being refueled by Grappled-line looped-hose during the first non-stop circumnavigation of the world by air (1949). Lucky Lady II (46-0010) being refuelled by B-29M 45-21708

KB-29 refueling F-84E over Korea c1952. A U.S. Air Force Republic Republic F-84E-25-RE Thunderjet (s/n 51-485) from the 49th or 474th Fighter-Bomber Group refueling from a Boeing KB-29M Superfortress (from the 43rd Bombardement Wing?) over Korea. Operation "High Tide", which saw the first aerial refueled strike missions, began in May 1952 when twelve F-84Es flew non-stop from Japan to bomb targets in North Korea. In the same year, aerial refueled "Fox Peter" operations began flying F-84Gs non-stop across the Pacific. The F-84Es had refuelable outboard tanks that had to be refueled seperately with the "probe-and-drouge"-system, whereas the F-84Gs used the boom-system to refuel all tanks. The depicted F-84E 51-485 was lost when it crashed after bomb run on 12 April 1953. The pilot was killed.

YKB-29J 44-86398 refuels F-84E of 116th FBW Korea 1952. U.S. Air Force Boeing YKB-29J Superfortress 44-86398 links up with a Republic F-84E Thunderjet of the 116th Fighter-Bomber Wing over Korea in 1952. The 116th FBW was made up only of Air National Guard units, the 158th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, Georgia ANG, 159th FBS, Florida ANG, and 196th FBS, California ANG.

KC-97 refuels B-47.

KB-50 triple-point refueling.

A KC-135 refuels a B-52.

KC-135 over Vietnam 1965.

KC-135 over Vietnam 1972.

KC-135 over Iraq 2003.

KC-10 over Persian Gulf 2005.

KC-135 refuels B-2 Stealth Bomber.

A U.S Air Force KC-10 Extender refuels an F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft prior to strike operations in Syria, Sept. 26, 2014. These aircraft were part of a strike package that was engaging ISIL targets in Syria.

An F-22 refueling before a strike on Syria.

This section references the history of air refueling in relation to the Boom Operator crew position in the U.S. military. For a more comprehensive overview of air refueling, see Aerial refueling.

Organization	Active	Air Refueling Milestones	Notes
Aeronautical Division, U.S. Army Signal Corps	1 August 1907 – 18 July 1914	None	Division was first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in history and the progenitor of the USAF.
Aviation Section, U.S. Army Signal Corps	18 July 1914 – 20 May 1918	None	World War I
Division of Military Aeronautics, U.S. Army	20 May 1918 – 24 May 1918	None
2010	vs. Oregon	W 22–19
2013	vs. Alabama	W 34–28
2017	vs. Georgia	W 40–17
2017	vs. Alabama	W 26–14

• Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps 1 August 1907 – 18 July 1914
• Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps 18 July 1914 – 20 May 1918
• Division of Military Aeronautics 20 May 1918 – 24 May 1918
• United States Army Air Service 24 May 1918 – 2 July 1926
• United States Army Air Corps 2 July 1926 – 20 June 1941
• United States Army Air Forces 20 June 1941 – 18 September 1947
• United States Air Force 18 September 1947–present
• List of World War I flying aces from the United States
• List of Training Section Air Service airfields
• List of Air Service American Expeditionary Force aerodromes in France
• Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force
• Spruce Production Division

• Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps (1 August 1907 – 18 July 1914)
• Aviation Section, Signal Corps (18 July 1914 – 20 May 1918
• Division of Military Aeronautics (20 May 1918 – 24 May 1918)
• Air Service, U.S. Army (24 May 1918 – 2 July 1926)
• U.S. Army Air Corps (2 July 1926 – 20 June 1941)*
• U.S. Army Air Forces (20 June 1941 – 17 September 1947)**

• de Havilland DH-4B (1923) – first experimental refueling tanker; converted from DH-4B general purpose biplanes by installing a 50-foot rubber hose with a manually operated quick-closing valve at each end; in-flight refueling equipment was operated by a second crewmember in the observer position who lowered the hose over the side of the plane.
• Douglas C-1 (1929) – converted from C-1 cargo/transport biplanes by installing two 150-gallon fuel tanks, a 50-foot rubber hose with quick-closing valves at each end, and a hatch in the floor to lower the hose through; in-flight refueling equipment was operated by a third crewmember in the cargo compartment.
• B-24D Liberator (1943–1944) – converted from B-24 Liberator bombers; equipped with grappled-line looped hose system; in-flight refueling equipment was operated by a third crewmember in the cargo compartment.

http://www.airuniversity.af.mil/Portals/10/AFEHRI/documents/AircraftHistory/gentry.pdf https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/tanker-history.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090715023006/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/research/aircraft/bomber/index.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20090806043843/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2554 https://web.archive.org/web/20090806051734/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2555 http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b29_22.html

KB-29

https://web.archive.org/web/20090529064107/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/research/aircraft/index.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20040321020424/http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0304/2-7_Desert.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20081221050404/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/research/aircraft/index.asp https://web.archive.org/web/20081221125856/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3231 https://web.archive.org/web/20081221125900/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3257 https://web.archive.org/web/20081221125905/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3286 https://web.archive.org/web/20081221125914/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil:80/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3307

Early Development

The concept of air refueling appeared not long after airplanes first flew. Six years after the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, a cartoon in a 1909 issue of Punch Magazine depicted a crewmember of an airship dropping a can of gasoline into a net held by a crewmember of a passing airplane with the caption: “The chief difficulty to be overcome in aviation is that of replenishing supplies of fuel while in the air.” That same year, the Wright brothers delivered the world’s first military airplane to the Aeronautical Division, the aviation arm of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and progenitor of the U.S. Air Force.

The first documented transfer of fuel from one airplane to another during flight came from barnstorming, a popular form of entertainment in the United States in the 1920s where pilots and wing walkers traveled the country performing aerial stunts and selling airplane rides. On November 12, 1921, while circling over Long Beach, California, wing walker Wesley May climbed from the wingtip of a Standard J-1 biplane to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully poured the gas into the Jenny’s fuel tank. The Standard J-1, a World War I trainer, was piloted by Captain Frank Hawks, a member of the Gates Flying Circus who was also a reserve pilot in the U.S. Army Air Service (descendant organization of the Aeronautical Division) and a WWI veteran pilot. Hawks is also notable in aviation history for giving Amelia Earhart her first plane ride on December 28, 1920 in Long Beach, an experience she credited with beginning her desire to learn to fly.

Earlier in the same year that Wesley May performed the refueling stunt, Alexander P. de Seversky received the first patent for air-to-air refueling ("Aerial Filling Device" patent #1,728,449 filed June 13, 1921), which was a proposal to provide large refueling tankers to supply fuel to pursuit airplanes (receivers) using a refueling hose lowered from the tanker by an additional crewmember. Seversky was a Russian naval aviator during World War I who lost his leg after being shot down on his first combat mission during an attack on a German destroyer during the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915. After recovering and being fitted with a wooden leg, Seversky was initially deemed unfit for front line duty by the Imperial Russian Navy. To prove his superiors wrong, he made a spectacular but unauthorized flight at an air show and was promptly arrested. Czar Nicholas II intervened on his behalf and in July 1916, Seversky returned to combat duty. Seversky went on to become an ace by downing 13 (six confirmed) German fighter planes during 57 combat missions. It was during these missions (which required multiple landings for refueling) that he first proposed increasing the range of combat aircraft by refueling them in flight. After the war, Seversky immigrated to the United States and worked for the U.S. War Department as an aeronautical engineer and test pilot. In 1921, while applying for the air refueling patent, he became a special consultant and advisor in the famous "airplanes versus warships" bombing tests of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell. Over the next eight years, Seversky applied for at least 360 patents (including the first gyroscopically stabilized bombsight) and became a U.S. citizen in 1927. In 1931, he founded the Seversky Aircraft Corporation, later renamed the Republic Aviation Corporation after his departure in 1939. His 1942 book Victory Through Air Power, which advocated for the strategic use of airpower (including in-flight refueling) rather than exclusively as support for ground-based operations, won Seversky the Medal for Merit from President Harry S. Truman after World War II. In 1952, he formed Seversky ElectroAtom Corporation, a company focused on protecting the U.S. from nuclear attack and on extracting radioactive particles from the air. Research in that area led to the discovery of the ionocraft, an aircraft that derived lift and propulsion from ionic emissions. For serving as a special consultant to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he received the Exceptional Civilian Service Medal in 1969. Seversky was enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1970.

Early U.S. Military Experiments

Seversky's 1921 air-to-air refueling patent was timely, as the U.S. Army Air Service, a predecessor of the U.S. Air Force, was simultaneously searching for practical ways of transferring fuel during flight. Utilizing Seversky’s patented proposal, the Air Service carried out the first successful in-flight refueling between two aircraft on June 27, 1923 over Rockwell Field in San Diego between two de Havilland DH-4B biplanes. From the observer position in the tanker, 1st Lieutenant Frank W. Seifert lowered the 50-foot hose to the receiver airplane and operated the shutoff valve during fuel transfer. Subsequent successful missions made the future of air refueling look promising until November 18, 1923 when the Air Service attempted a refueling over Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas as part of a carnival exhibition. The hose from the tanker caught in the propeller of the receiver, and the tanker crashed, killing pilot Lieutenant Paul T. Wagner, the first aerial refueling-related death in history. Wagner's death ended American experiments with refueling for several years.

In the fall of 1928, a group of U.S. Army Air Corps (successor to the Air Service) aviators decided to try in-flight refueling again after members of Belgian Military Aviation broke the American air refueling endurance record set in August 1923. Beginning on January 1, 1929, two Douglas C-1 tankers, call signs "Refueling Airplane No. 1" and "Refueling Airplane No. 2," refueled an Atlantic-Fokker C-2A, nicknamed “Question Mark” because no one knew how long it could stay in the air. The C-1 tankers carried a third crewmember in the cargo compartment (2nd Lieutenant Irwin A. Woodring in Refueling Airplane No. 1 and 2nd Lieutenant Andrew F. Solter in Refueling Airplane No. 2) to reel out the hose, work the shutoff valve, and lower a supply rope. Starting over the 1929 Rose Bowl football game to generate publicity, the tankers kept the Question Mark aloft for six days between January 1-7 over Southern California with 37 refuelings and six resupplies of engine oil, food, and water.

Receiver recognition, tanker crew "invisible"

Civilian records

Several crewmembers involved in the mission would later become leaders of the U.S. Army Air Forces (successor to the Air Corps) during World War II and subsequently, the independent U.S. Air Force, including Question Mark pilots Major Carl A. Spaatz, Captain Ira C. Eaker, and 2nd Lieutenant Elwood R. Quesada. Major Spaatz, commander of the mission and supervisor of the fuel exchanges, later became Commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, Commander of U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific in 1945, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces after the war in 1946, and the first Chief of Staff of the Air Force upon the Air Force’s separation from the Army in 1947. It was in this latter position that Spaatz would declare air refueling the Air Force’s top priority in 1948.

British Military Experiments

While the record-setting flight of the Question Mark revived the practice of air refueling in the country, the U.S. military showed little interest in developing it further. Research and development continued, however, in other countries, particularly Great Britain. After observing aerial refueling demonstrations at the National Air Races in Cleveland and Chicago in 1929 and 1930, respectively, Lieutenant Richard Atcherley of Britain’s Royal Air Force thought the process could be improved. He patented a new approach called the “crossover” method which called for the tanker (with a grapnel hook hanging from a line) to fly in from behind at an angle and hook the receiver’s weighted line, who in turn would pull in the tanker’s line which was attached to a fuel hose. The patent was purchased in 1935 by British manufacturing company Flight Refuelling Limited (FRL), who continued further research and development. By 1939 FRL had developed another technique known as the “grappled-line looped hose” in which the receiver pulled a weighted line with a grapnel hook at the end, while the tanker flew alongside and fired—somewhat like a whaling harpoon gun—its hooked line across the other to entangle the hooks. The tanker pulled in both lines, attached a hose, and released them. The receiver then pulled back the lines and the hose with a winch (See the referenced link for a diagram of the operation). As in previous methods, the fuel flowed under the power of gravity, requiring the tanker to fly higher than the receiver.

World War II

World War II put further development on hold, though the U.S. and British militaries conducted tests using FRL’s grappled-line looped hose method when devising ways of reaching the Japanese homeland. In 1942, representatives of FRL visited the U.S. to fit their looped hose equipment to a Consolidated B-24 Liberator tanker and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress receiver. The Army Air Forces initially planned to develop fleets of tanker and receiver aircraft, but ultimately chose to invest in long-range bombers with a large internal fuel capacity instead, specifically the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress which was used to bomb Japan into submission in 1945. Ironically, after the war, B-29s would be converted into refueling tankers when air refueling became the top priority of the U.S. Air Force.

Cold War

Changing Priorities

Three events in the aftermath of World War II changed the fate of air refueling in the U.S. military: the onset of the Cold War, the appointment of General Carl Spaatz as the first Chief of Staff of the newly independent U.S. Air Force in 1947, and the appointment of Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay as commander of Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1948. Spaatz had been commander of the Question Mark mission in 1929 and thus recognized the importance of air refueling. As relations between the U.S. and Soviet Union deteriorated after the end of WWII, Air Force leaders began measuring the distance between the U.S. and targets in the Soviet Union. In 1947, the Aircraft and Weapons Board recognized that only two airplanes could reach targets in the USSR: the active Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the planned Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, both turboprop planes. The Board recommended replacing turboprops with turbojets, which promised greater speed at the cost of greater fuel consumption. In order to reach targets on the other side of the globe, more fuel needed to be added. Realizing that adding more fuel meant adding more weight which burned more fuel, the Board concluded that the planned weight and range of the bombers had to be reduced, and the deficit in range would be made up by air refueling. Spaatz received the recommendations in January 1948 and immediately made air refueling the Air Force’s top priority. He dispatched retired Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle to England to study FRL’s grappled-line looped-hose system. Doolittle, a WWII hero and Medal of Honor winner, had been aviation manager at Shell Oil Company (60% owner of FRL) prior to the war. Doolittle returned from England with a wealth of data on aerial refueling and a motion picture of FRL’s operations.

In March 1948, two FRL grappled-line looped hose units arrived from England and were installed on two B-29 Superfortresses at the Boeing factory in Wichita, Kansas. After flight tests in May, Air Force leaders decided to modify 80 B-29s into tanker-receiver pairs; the tankers were designated as KB-29M, the receivers as B-29MR. In June, the service directed that all Boeing B-50 Superfortress bombers be equipped as receivers; those in the inventory would be retrofitted and others would be modified on the production line. June proved to be an eventful month, as the Soviet Union began a blockage of Berlin. The U.S. response was the Berlin Airlift, and overnight, the military requirement to be able to reach Moscow became urgent. On June 30, 1948, twenty-five years after the world’s first aerial refueling, the world’s first aerial refueling units were created—the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, and the 509th Air Refueling Squadron at Walker Air Force Base, Roswell, New Mexico. The units were assigned to Strategic Air Command, or SAC, the Air Force command which would be responsible for Cold War command and control of two of the three components of the U.S. military's Nuclear Triad: strategic bomber aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Aerial refueling aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and airborne command post aircraft would form SAC’s fleet of nuclear support aircraft. With the sudden flood of orders and the Air Force’s reluctance to become dependent on an overseas supplier, FRL created American subsidiary Flight Refueling, Incorporated (FRInc), which operated until the 1960s when it was acquired by Aeronautical Corporation of America (Aeronca).

LeMay assumed command of SAC in November 1948 and wasted little time in showcasing the command’s new air refueling capabilities. In December 1948, a SAC B-50 flew 9,870 miles in 41 hours and 40 minutes, during which it was refueled three times by KB-29M tankers positioned along the route. From February 26 to March 2, 1949, Captain James Gallagher flew nonstop around the world in 94 hours and 1 minute in the Lucky Lady II, a SAC B-50. The plane refueled

by KB-29M tankers

four times along the way, over the Azores, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and Hawaii. After the mission, LeMay proclaimed, “We can now deliver an atomic bomb to any place in the world that requires an atomic bomb.” During his nine years as SAC commander, four years as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and four years as Chief of Staff of the Air Force (1948-1965), LeMay built the U.S. aerial refueling capability into what was practically an air force unto itself, an “invisible” foundation for the nation’s original nuclear deterrent. During those 17 years, the number of SAC bases increased from 16 to 54, the number of air refueling squadrons increased from 2 to 49, and the tanker fleet grew from 40 to over 1,600.

eventful summer Executive Order 9981, Women's Armed Services Integration Act, Vandenberg resolution, Marshall Plan, Military Selective Service Act

B-29 tail gun turret Boeing_B-29B_Superfortress_%27484053%27_(11351835263).jpg

The Flying Boom

https://www.tactankers.com/tactical_tankers_chronology.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20060618052859/http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b29_23.html

Jet-Powered Tankers

KC-135

Post-War Expansion

as air refueling became a force multiplier that maximized the power projection of global U.S. and allied military forces.

Multiple Refueling Systems

KC-10 KC-135 Boom Drogue Adapter (BDA)

as tanker operations became a vital part of all U.S. military operations to the present day

Gulf War

abcd

Post-Cold War

Other Missions and Engagements

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/13/house-yemen-civil-war-authorization-244868

Future of Air Refueling

https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/the-future-of-aerial-refueling-includes-stabilized-drog-1673992575

Notable Operations

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Traditions

The challenge coin for a boom operator.

A boom operator in a USAF KC-135 conducts a preflight inspection in the boom pod prior to a mission in the Middle East.

Boom Coin

Annual Boom Symposium http://www.boomunion.com/symposium/

Annual Boom Signal http://www.boomunion.com/community/boom-signal/

Boom Operator Memorial

A family visits the Boom Operator Memorial located in Wings of Freedom Park at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Boom Operator Memorial at Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Oklahoma, the Boom Operator training base for new boom operators and instructor boom operators since _____ Honors all boom operators killed in tanker crashes KB-29, KB-50, KC-97, and KC-135 tankers 119 names between July 7, 1951 and May 3, 2013 http://www.altusboom.org/boom-memorial/

http://www.boomunion.com/who-we-are/boom-memorial/

https://airrefuelingarchive.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/boom-operator-memorial-altus-afb-ok/

The memorial was dedicated on April 25, 2003.

Popular Culture

Television

• In 2006, the Air Force launched a series of commercials titled "Do Something Amazing" to promote their supplemental recruiting website dosomethingamazing.com, which featured several Air Force careers. In-flight refueling was featured, with genuine footage of a boom operator refueling a C-17 cargo airplane.

http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/125867/airmen-invited-to-do-something-amazing/ https://web.archive.org/web/20101003035547/http://dosomethingamazing.com:80/see-what-its-like/

• In 2011, BMW launched a commercial featuring the 2011 BMW 5 Series named "refuel". The driver in the commercial has his coffee cup refilled by an aerial refueling aircraft, similar to that of a KC-135 Stratotanker boom but a KC-10 nozzle.

Film

• Dr. Strangelove (1964) has genuine footage of a "boom and receptacle" operation between USAF KC-135 Stratotanker and B-52 Stratofortress in turbulent air.
• Air Force One (1997) contains a sequence where a KC-10 tanker is ordered to carry out the mid-air refueling of Air Force One, but the hijacked plane becomes unstable. The hijacker runs Air Force One into the refueling boom causing a fire and the explosion of the KC-10 tanker.
• The Sum of All Fears (2002) features a mid-air refueling sequence with the E-4B NEACP. In the commentary, author Tom Clancy describes mid-air refueling as "sex between two planes at 35,000 feet".

Notable Boom Operators

• Sinbad - comedian and actor. Entered KC-135 boom operator training at Castle Air Force Base in California in May 1979 and was assigned to the 384th Air Refueling Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas in the early 1980s.

Gallery

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  (F-15E Pilot & WSO)
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  (B-1B Lancer WSO)
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  (F-18 Pilot & WSO)
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  (F-4 with tandem pilot & WSO canopies open)
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  (SU-34 pilot & WSO positions in simulator)

Gallery

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  (The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.]])
• 
  (The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.]])
• 
  (A boom operator in a USAF KC-135 conducts a preflight inspection in the boom pod prior to a mission in the Middle East.]])
• 
  (The challenge coin for a boom operator]])

The boom pod in a USAF KC-135. The boom operator lies in a prone position while refueling.

The aerial refueling operator's station in a USAF KC-10. The boom operator is seated while refueling.

A boom operator in a USAF KC-135 conducts a preflight inspection in the boom pod prior to a mission in the Middle East.

The challenge coin for a boom operator

See also

• Aircrew (Flight crew)
• List of United States military aerial refueling aircraft

References

[[Category:]] Military supporting service occupations [[Category:]] United States Air Force specialisms