Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind. -- Fueling the fight has long been the charge of the aerial refueling mission, letting fighters fight longer, bombers fly longer and helping cargo aircraft get the parts and personnel wherever needed as soon as possible.
Grissom showcased its airpower enhancement skills to local media members Nov. 16 during a refueling mission with a B-52 Stratofortress from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Seven local members of the media took part in the refueling mission and witnessed first-hand the training Airmen undergo to fuel the fight.
“This was a great opportunity for our local media,” said Douglas Hays, 434th Public Affairs office operations chief. “Not only did it provide them an opportunity to learn about the mission, their stories will be shared with their audiences also.”
At a glance the mission was straight forward, a KC-135R offloading fuel to a B-52, but behind the scenes training was at the forefront as an infight refueling specialist was being trained to be an instructor boom, and an instructor pilot was on board teaching and evaluating as well. Taking that training one step further, a public affairs apprentice was also being trained to engage with the media.
“There was training going on everywhere, and we pointed that out to our guests,” Hays said. “We want them to know what we are doing, why we are doing it and how it helps our nation.”
With cameras clicking, video recording devices running and a sense of awe in the air, the media were able to ask questions, document and record everything from mission planning, pre-flight activities, and the mission itself.
“The experience was absolutely amazing,” said Ken Holtzinger, general manager from Logansport’s Indiana's Best Radio. “The crew were very professional and went out of their way to make us feel at home; I’m proud to know men and women like that represent our country!”
“We tell them this is a training mission,” Hays said. “We do this whether you are here or not.
“We’re glad you’re here to witness and we hope you’ll echo what you see to your respective audiences and share our story with them,” he added.
What they saw was two older but vital pieces of the Air Force inventory meet over Missouri to provide training for both air frames.
Boom operators in the Stratotanker are required to have at least one daytime contact every 60 days to maintain currency, and for pilots of receiver aircraft they too must have a certain number of contacts to maintain their proficiency.
“They saw the actual inflight refueling, but were able to witness the training for inflight refueling specialists, pilots and even some of our PA staff,” Hays said.
Media flights offer outlets an opportunity to fly, and view operations so that they can report on what they see with their readership.
“It helps us build a relationship with them, and they can see what the citizen Airmen in their areas do in support of our defense,” Hays said. “It is an important program because we can’t reach all of people they can reach to tell our story.
“Flying a plane is something that is done quite regularly, but watching two planes flying at those speeds and passing fuel was just awesome!” said Holtzinger. “It’s all I’ve been talking about all day.”
The 434th ARW is the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command.
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