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Tanker aircraft delivers 1 billionth pound of fuel
Air Force Link ^ | April 22, 2004 | Staff Sgt. Monte J. Volk

Posted on 04/24/2004 9:48:11 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl

Tanker aircraft delivers 1 billionth
pound of fuel

by Staff Sgt. Monte J. Volk
U.S. Central Command Air Forces-Forward Public Affairs


4/22/2004 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- If you were to count from one to 1 billion it would take about 95 years. It took a little over a year for U.S. Central Command’s Combined Force Air Component Command-controlled tanker airlift to deliver 1 billion pounds of jet fuel.

A KC-135 Stratotanker delivered 84,000 pounds of fuel to three different aircraft over Iraq on April 21 surpassing 1 billion pounds of fuel delivered in the theater since Jan. 30, 2003.

One billion pounds is a lot of fuel, but this number would be even higher if the millions of pounds of fuel delivered by Navy, Marine Corps and special-operations forces tankers in the past year were also included. It only includes fuel from U.S. Air Force KC-135 and KC-10 Extender and British Royal Air Force VC-10 aerial refuelers.

“Everybody is working their (tails) off out there,” said Maj. Darin Driggers, an instructor pilot on the milestone flight. “Whether it’s the Army, Marines, Navy … everybody has a part to play; this is ours.”

The crewmembers, deployed from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., said they are not concerned about how many pounds of fuel they deliver, as long as it is enough to help the other aircraft meet their mission objectives.

“It feels like any other day,” said Senior Airman Casey Killian, a boom operator. “If it’s the first hundred pounds, (or the) millionth pound … it doesn’t matter. It’s all about completing the mission.”

Just how big is a billion? One billion pounds of jet fuel is 153,846,154 gallons. In the sense of time, about 1.4 billion seconds ago the first KC-135 was delivered to Castle AFB, Calif., on June 28, 1957; about 1 billion seconds ago the last combat ground troops left Vietnam on Aug. 12, 1972; and about 731 million seconds ago the first KC-10 entered service March 17, 1981.

Many KC-10, KC-135 and VC-10 refueler crews have kept fighters, bombers, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flying and involved in the fight. Since Jan. 30, 2003, more than 52,000 U.S. and coalition fighter, bomber, reconnaissance and airlift aircraft have been refueled by U.S. and British tankers flying more than 16,000 sorties supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

“It’s nice to be directly involved. We’re up over … Iraq, and we hear firsthand what happens even before it gets to (the media),” said Capt. Bryan Cahill, pilot for the flight. “My parents and my friends knew people who were in the (World Trade Center), so it feels good to be over here, especially when I get to go back home and see those people and say that we did something to help out.”

Helping is what tanker crews do, but to some it is also kind of a family tradition.

“The job is a lot of fun,” said 1st Lt. Chris Saettel, a co-pilot. “My dad was a tanker pilot in the (1991) Gulf War. So, I’m picking up where he left off.”

The concept of refueling one aircraft from another in the air was first proposed in 1917 by Alexander P. de Seversky, a pilot in the imperial Russian navy. He emigrated to the United States, became an engineer in the War Department and received the first patent for air-to-air refueling in 1921.

The concept was tested and perfected in the mid-1920s using hoses to manually transfer fuel between aircraft. Its most famous application of that era occurred in January 1929 when the Army Air Corps set a world flight-endurance record of more than 150 hours in the air. Flying in circles over Metropolitan Airport in Van Nuys, Calif., a Fokker C-2A named the Question Mark was refueled 42 times by two specially equipped Douglas C-1s. The flight ended after seven days when the Question Mark had to land after one of its engines failed.

Aerial refueling evolved over the years with sophisticated booms, and probe and drogue designs replacing the hoses used in the early days. Today, nearly all U.S. and coalition military aircraft are capable of being refueled in the air, allowing virtually unlimited range and mission endurance.

In the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, some missions were flown by B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman AFB, Mo., to Baghdad and back. The 13,000-mile round-trip flight required 36 hours in the air and many aerial refuelings.

At the end of the day, it takes everyone -- fighters, bombers, surveillance, reconnaissance and airlift aircraft, and the people who fly and maintain them -- to succeed in war, officials said. Without the extended reach provided by aerial refueling, their daunting tasks would be far more difficult, and in many cases, “out of reach.”
 
Related Links
 KC-135 Stratotanker
 KC-10 Extender

One billion pounds of fuel
SOUTHWEST ASIA -- An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 555th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron on April 21. The F-16 received the 1 billionth pound of fuel from Combined Forces Air Component Command refuelers since Jan. 30, 2003. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II)  Download Full Image
 
One billion pounds of fuel
SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman Casey Killian refuels an F-16 Fighting Falcon supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on April 21. Airman Killian pumped the 1 billionth pound of fuel passed by Combined Forces Air Component Command aircraft since Jan. 30, 2003. She is a boom operator with the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II)  Download Full Image
 
One billion pounds of fuel
SOUTHWEST ASIA -- An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 555th Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, banks away from a KC-135 Stratotanker on April 21 following an aerial refueling. The F-16 received the 1 billionth pound of fuel distributed from Combined Forces Air Component Command refuelers since Jan. 30, 2003. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II)  Download Full Image




TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airforce; goodguys; kc135; oif; stratotanker; stratotankers; supplylines; supportourtroops

1 posted on 04/24/2004 9:48:12 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl
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To: Jammz; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; TEXOKIE; Alamo-Girl; windchime; Grampa Dave; anniegetyourgun; ...
 KC-135 Stratotanker delivered 84,000 pounds of fuel to three different aircraft over Iraq on April 21 surpassing 1 billion pounds of fuel delivered in the theater since Jan. 30, 2003.

“Everybody is working their (tails) off out there,” said Maj. Darin Driggers, an instructor pilot on the milestone flight. “Whether it’s the Army, Marines, Navy … everybody has a part to play; this is ours.”
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~        Q                               
 
KC-135 STRATOTANKER
Download

Mission
The KC-135 Stratotanker's principal mission is air refueling. This unique asset greatly enhances the USAF's capability to accomplish its primary missions of Global Reach and Global Power. It also provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft as well as aircraft of allied nations.

Features
Four turbofans, mounted under 35-degree swept wings, power the KC-135 to takeoffs at gross weights up to 322,500 pounds (146,285 kilograms). Nearly all internal fuel can be pumped through the tanker's flying boom, the KC-135 's primary fuel transfer method. A special shuttlecock-shaped drogue, attached to and trailing behind the flying boom, may be used to refuel aircraft fitted with probes. An operator stationed in the rear of the plane controls the boom. A cargo deck above the refueling system can hold a mixed load of passengers and cargo. Depending on fuel storage configuration, the KC-135 can carry up to 83,000 pounds (37,648 kilograms) of cargo.

In Southeast Asia, KC-135 Stratotankers made the air war different from all previous aerial conflicts. Midair refueling brought far-flung bombing targets within reach. Combat aircraft, no longer limited by fuel supplies, were able to spend more time in target areas. 
 
More: http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=110

KC-10 EXTENDER
Download

Mission
The KC-10 Extender is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for U.S. armed forces. Although the KC-l0's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments.

Features
The KC-10 can transport up to 75 people and nearly 170,000 pounds (76,560 kilograms) of cargo a distance of about 4,400 miles (7,040 kilometers) unrefueled.

In addition to the three main DC-10 wing fuel tanks, the KC-10 has three large fuel tanks under the cargo floor, one under the forward lower cargo compartment, one in the center wing area and one under the rear compartment. Combined, the capacity of the six tanks carry more than 356,000 pounds (160,200 kilograms) of fuel - almost twice as much as the KC-135 Stratotanker.

Using either an advanced aerial refueling boom, or a hose and drogue centerline refueling system, the KC-10 can refuel a wide variety of U.S. and allied military aircraft within the same mission. The aircraft is equipped with lighting for night operations.
 
More: http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=109

2 posted on 04/24/2004 9:52:42 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl ("Evil is out there, and evil wishes to attack us." - Lt. Gen. J Vines, commander, 18th Airborne Corp)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
KC-135 Tanker! BUMP!!!
3 posted on 04/24/2004 10:02:27 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" Kerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Americans still haven't figured out that this is why the price of fuel is going up - the military is using a whole bunch of it.
4 posted on 04/24/2004 10:37:14 AM PDT by snopercod (When it's watermelon time in Germany, I'll meet you on the Rhine.)
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To: F14 Pilot
Hanging out in starboard observation one day and my buddy rips the basket right off the 135. Biggest fireball I had ever seen comes out his right motor (both ends), but the thing keeps running. Needless to say the formation loosened up quite a bit. Absolute radio silence for about 30 seconds while the 135 shut off the fuel, and retracted and stowed the boom.

135 crew: "Can we provide any assitance"
F14 RIO: "No, just send us the bill."

5 posted on 04/24/2004 10:53:22 AM PDT by USNBandit
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
By my calculations, it takes approximately 30 minutes for 1 billion gallons to flow over the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls.

(Horseshoe Falls is the primary falls there.)

Three cheers for our amazing tanker crews!
6 posted on 04/24/2004 11:14:27 AM PDT by jigsaw (God Bless FreeRepublic.)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Wow ! That's a lot of Push Juice !! .....

7 posted on 04/24/2004 11:31:26 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (The Democrats say they believe in CHOICE. I have chosen to vote STRAIGHT TICKET GOP for years!)
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To: snopercod
"Americans still haven't figured out that this is why the price of fuel is going up - the military is using a whole bunch of it."

One of the main reasons the price of fuel is going up is Greenspan's depreciating the dollar with his 24 hour a day printing press.

The price of crude in Euros hasn't gone up, only in dollars. It will have to go at least up another 30% to get even with the Feds massive inflation in the last 2 years.
8 posted on 04/24/2004 11:37:41 AM PDT by dalereed (,)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
9 posted on 04/24/2004 11:47:29 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists, democrats and the mainstream media are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

10 posted on 04/24/2004 11:51:13 AM PDT by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Just how big is a billion?

How big is a billion?

Accessing....


If you laid a billion Courtney Loves end to end, no one would be surprised.

11 posted on 04/24/2004 4:10:05 PM PDT by gcruse (http://gcruse.typepad.com/)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
We sure have to burn a lot of fossil fuel due to that greasy death-cult called Islam. I think Greenpeace and the Sierra Club ought to be notified.
12 posted on 04/24/2004 4:12:18 PM PDT by Hank Rearden (Is Fallujah gone yet?)
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To: dalereed
Greenspan's depreciating the dollar with his 24 hour a day printing press.

Good point, and probably true. Still, you can't have a huge increase in demand without the price going up.

13 posted on 04/24/2004 6:42:38 PM PDT by snopercod (When it's watermelon time in Germany, I'll meet you on the Rhine.)
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To: USNBandit
Nice Story, thank you!
14 posted on 04/25/2004 3:29:00 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" Kerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: USNBandit
PLEASE, Join us here at

http://www.freerepublic.com/~doctorzin

This is Iran's daily thread and we disucuss Iran's news and issues there. Will be glad to meet you there! Thnx~~~~~!!!
15 posted on 04/25/2004 3:34:10 AM PDT by F14 Pilot (John ''Fedayeen" Kerry - the Mullahs' regime candidate)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Those old KC-135's were flying before I got there in 1970 and they are still getting the job done. Thanks for this post Ragtime Cowgirl.
16 posted on 04/25/2004 5:23:38 AM PDT by JOE43270 (JOE43270)
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To: USNBandit; Ragtime Cowgirl
Great story, USNB.

Thanks for posting this story, RCGirl - reminders of my life past...
17 posted on 04/25/2004 6:41:28 AM PDT by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Years ago the hose system was a thrill a minute.
18 posted on 04/25/2004 6:55:00 AM PDT by cynicom
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Bump!
19 posted on 04/26/2004 8:46:46 AM PDT by windchime (Podesta about Bush: "He's got four years to try to undo all the stuff we've done." (TIME-1/22/01))
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