Well my budding Air Force career got me another great opportunity to do something really cool. Today, my ROTC unit drove to Birmingham International Airport (Birmingham, Alabama that is), and once we got there we went over to the locally based 117th Aerial Refueling Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard.
They took us up in a KC-135R, and we flew south to meet some F-16’s also of the Alabama Air National Guard, but based down in the capital of Alabama which is Montgomery. After meeting up with the four F-16’s, we refuelled each one. I took along a friend’s digital camera, and got some pretty damn cool pictures as well as video of us taking off and then a video of an F-16 refuelling on the boom. It was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen, and I’m more excited than ever that I get to be a part of that as a job here in a little over a month when I go on active duty.
Regarding the KC-135 itself I was incredibly impressed at how good a condition our aircraft was. Our particular bird was 58-0030, and you’d have thought it was built like 5 years ago or something……everything was spick and span and it just didn’t feel like an old airplane. It had received all of the upgrades including Pacer CRAG and other such new systems. Not only all of that, but the new engines…….I mean wow! The acceleration on the R model is ridiculous! It was a heck of a take-off to say the least. Apparently, the R model with the CFM engines can outclimb a T-38 all the way to 10,000 feet!
EDIT: Sorry the pictures weren’t posted first. I had to upload them to photobucket, and so here they are………enjoy!
Arriving at our bird.
The massive F108 (i.e. CFM) engines.
A view into the wild blue yonder.
Lawndart on our wing!
And another one!
Closer shot.
Even closer shot!
Getting some gas.
The awesome cockpit of the -135, complete with Pacer CRAG glass cockpit update.
Me (in the flight suit) and a buddy of mine.
The nose of our bird (58-0030).
Shutting it all down for the day.
Sign In
April 1, 2006 at 5:23 am