[Don_Ret_USAF]

The KC-97’s I worked on(late 50’s and early 60’s) when assigned to the 509th Ground Maintenance Squadron. All assigned a/c were radial engine and prop driven without jet assist. When refueling the jet would slow to almost stall speed and the KC-97 would fly at max speed. So every now and then the jet would bump up the speed and cut back. It reminded me of a calf sucking on the mother and bumping to get the milk if it was being withheld. Never show a KC-97 with jet pods but did hear of them.Thanks you for the flash back forgot about the B-29’s and B-50’s Air Re-fueler’s. Did See a unicorn B-47 land. Had a broken boom stuck in the fueling receptacle.

[schurmann]

“...Did See a unicorn B-47 land. Had a broken boom stuck in the fueling receptacle.” [Don-Ret_USAF, post 71]

Any close formation entails elevated risk, no matter the conditions, the crew training level, and the capabilities of the aircraft involved.

While assigned to Bldg 500, I made the acquaintance of numerous retired personnel living in the Bellevue area. Some had crewed KC-97s while on active duty; a couple told us about refueling B-47s from the KC-97. Tanker and receiver would enter the A/R track at the top of the altitude block. In contact, the two birds would enter a dive, thus upping the airspeed beyond what the KC-97 could attain in level flight at max power settings. Helped keep the B-47 above min controllable airspeed - a figure that increased as the receiver took on fuel and became heavier.

The B-47 had a reputation: hotter, trickier, less forgiving than the B-52. A number of fighters of its day could not keep up.