Posted on 02/14/2016 10:24:06 AM PST by traumer
A US air force pilot was saved from ejecting into dangerous ISIS-held territory thanks to the quick-thinking crew of a nearby refueling plane, saving him from potential capture or death, the US Air Force has revealed.
The unnamed pilot, whose F-16 fighter jet was passing over ISIS-held territory, had attempted to refuel with a KC-135 Stratotanker plane when he discovered that his craft had suffered a malfunction that rendered more than 80 percent of its fuel capability useless.
Captain Nathanial Beer, 384th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, explained: 'The lead F-16 came up first and then had a pressure disconnect after about 500 pounds of fuel. We were expecting to offload about 2,500 pounds.' That left the plane with around 15 minutes of flight time. And that meant the pilot might need to eject into ISIS-controlled territory, risking capture — or death.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
That dude needs to count his lucky stars!
thank you God.
capture or death.
they left out horrific weeks and months of torture.
Big sigh of relief
They escorted the stricken plane home, refueling it every 15 minutes as its supplies dwindled, saving the pilot from a difficult situation.
Once the F-16 was safely on the ground, the Stratotanker returned to its planned operation and was able to complete all of its scheduled missions.
The fighter jocks may get all the glamour, but as this story proves, they’re just one link in a long chain. These tankers should be very proud of themselves for their unsung heroism.
Niece is a crewman on board a tanker.
I have some great shots of these guys in action.
not exactly Pardo’s Push but kind of cool
Anybody know what would cause an F-16 to only be able to take on 500 lbs of fuel at a time? Transfer fuel valves stuck?
Any which way that’s some good mid-air refueling practice!
Awesome quick thinking on the part of the KC-135 crew. Now back to refueling those awesome A-10s.
T also points out that battles may be won with tactics. Wars are won with logistics.
There’s a painting in the DV quarters at Seymour-Johnson AND of a 135 tobogganing to refuel a fighter that had completely run out of fuel.
Venting check valve stuck. Without venting you pop the rivets right out of the skin as the tanks blow up like hydraulic balloons.
Not so many years ago, when the then new F-22 were attempting a cross Pacific transit and lost all navigation crossing the international date line, it was the accompanying tanker that led them back to Hawaii.
Could the fueled have towed the fighter?
Fueler
Probably the valves on the internal tanks.
I seem to recall a story where that did happen. I think the fighter had partial power but was steadily losing altitude and the tanker kept it at altitude. It might have been a case of drafting as well as mechanical towing?
High five!
I don’t understand.... with its speed doesn’t 15 min of flight get you away from the danger zone?
Kudos to all involved. Wish, however, that they were allowed to attack more than three empty trucks per day.
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