News>Taking flight, Hoosier media tells Grissom's story
Photos
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Maj. Shane Toomay, 434th Maintenance Squadron maintenance officer, points out the specifics of a KC-135R Stratotanker to Josh Lozinak, an intern with WFYI Productions, here Aug. 1. Indiana media outlets converged on Grissom to experience an aerial refueling flight and learn about the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Chris Elberfeld, director of videography for WFYI Productions, films a boom extended from a KC-135R Stratotanker while it was undergoing maintenance here Aug. 1. Elberfeld was part of a crew that was capturing footage for a documentary about aviation in Indiana. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Derrick Ellis, an intern with WFYI Productions, films a KC-135R Stratotanker from the air traffic control tower here as it prepares for takeoff Aug. 1. Indiana media outlets converged on Grissom to experience an aerial refueling flight and learn about the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Grissom firefighters operating two firefighting trucks extinguish the flames coming from a mock airframe here Aug. 1. The GFD demonstrated their training for members of the media who were visiting the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Aric Hartvig, an Indianapolis television producer, takes footage inside the cockpit of a KC-135R Stratotanker during an ariel refueling mission here Aug. 1. The refueling mission gave crew members from both aircraft hands on training in aerial refueling to keep them ready for any mission around the globe. The mission also gave local media the chance to get up close and see a refueling mission take place. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- A KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing tops off an A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 127th fighter Wing Michigan Air National Guard during a refueling mission Aug. 1. The refueling mission gave crew members from both aircraft hands on training in aerial refueling to keep them ready for any mission around the globe. The mission also gave local media the chance to get up close and see a refueling mission take place. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind.-- A KC-135R Stratotanker from the 434th Air Refueling Wing fly's side-by-side with an A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 127th Fight Wing Michigan Air National Guard during a refueling mission Aug. 1. The refueling mission gave crew members from both aircraft hands on training in aerial refueling to keep them ready for any mission around the globe. The mission also gave local media a chance to get up close and see a refueling mission take place. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Mark Orders-Woempner, 434th Air Refueling Wing public affairs specialist, gives local media a behind the scenes tour of a new air traffic control tower here Aug. 1. The tour gave local media the chance to see the new tower before a ribbon ceremony Aug. 3. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Jami K. Lancette)
by Senior Airman Andrew McLaughlin
434th ARW Public Affairs
8/22/2012 - GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Armed with cameras, recorders and notebooks, several Indiana media outlets converged on Grissom to learn about the 434th Air Refueling Wing and tell the story of the Hoosier Wing.
Both traditional and social media took part in a special media day here recently, which not only put some of them in the air to cover actual aerial refueling missions, but also gave them a behind-the-scenes look at Grissom's maintenance and support personnel who keep the mission going day in and day out.
"When you think of Air Force Reserve, you just think of weekends, but it's operating 24/7 constantly rotating people out," said Aric Hartvig, a local television producer.
The media who flew went up on two separate KC-135s, one refueling a C-5 Galaxy, the Air Force's largest transport aircraft, and the other with two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, close air support aircraft.
They captured the 434th ARW in action as they spoke with pilots and crewmembers and observed an aerial refueling from the view of the aircraft's boom pod.
"It was awesome," said Hartvig, who witnessed the A-10 refueling. "Before I got to do this, I didn't realize people could refuel in air."
A special media team stayed on the ground to film the part of Grissom's mission that keeps the aircraft flying. They documented pilots training inside a KC-135 flight simulator, and filmed Airmen from the 434th Operations Support Squadron and the 434th Maintenance Squadron as they talked about their jobs and demonstrated their work.
The media team also got a close-up view of aircraft maintainers working on a KC-135 out on the flight line.
The media also saw the Grissom Fire Department in action as they conducted life-saving training. The firefighters ignited a mock aircraft frame used for fire training as the visitors watched from a safe distance but close enough to still feel the heat. The GFD used two firefighting trucks equipped with water cannons to extinguish the flames.
The visitors had a chance to tour the new $7.4 million air traffic control tower as well.
