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  • An MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aircraft System idles at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, after returning from a mission in September, 2008. The Air Force is taking a new approach for developing pilots to sustain the fast-growing need for UAS capabilities. The MQ-1's primary mission is interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Scott Gaitley)

    Air Force develops plan for filling unmanned aircraft system positions

    The Air Force is taking a two-pronged approach to address the increasing need for pilots of unmanned aircraft systems in Afghanistan and Iraq, an Air Force official said recently. The first approach will use a small percentage of Undergraduate Pilot Training graduates for the short term. The second will examine the potential for a distinct career
  • A type of contrail usually seen at higher altitudes forms soon after a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by an 18th Air Refueling Squadron crew takes off from McConnell Air Force Base on Sept. 13. A contrail (short for condensation trail) can form at low altitudes when air hits a moving wing surface in very humid conditions. Consecutive days of rain that ended on Sept. 13 made 2008 the second-wettest year on record for the area around McConnell. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)

    Uncommon Contrails

  • A very wet Master Sgt. Katherine Pett chases after fellow KC-135 boom operator Master Sgt. Darren Demel on the McConnell Air Force Base flightline during the September Unit Training Assembly. The "wetdown," a tradition for flyers upon finishing their final military flight, was soon followed by Sergeant Pett's Air Force retirement ceremony at the 18th Air Refueling Squadron headquarters. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)

    One Wet Pett

  • A sandstorm makes visibility extremely difficult soon after the arrival of Staff Sgt. Scott Gaitley at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Sergeant Gaitley, 931st Air Refueling Group historian, departed near the end of August for a four-month tour with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad. (Courtesy photo)

    Sandy Welcome

  • Congratulations Promotees

    Congratulations to the 931st Air Refueling Group's most recent promotees: Lt. Col. Brad Anderson 18th Air Refueling Squadron Lt. Col. Eric Anderson18th Air Refueling SquadronLt. Col. Michael Gibbons931st Operations Support FlightLt. Col. Dan Malles18th Air Refueling SquadronLt. Col. Michael Moeding931st Operations Support FlightLt. Col. Joseph
  • Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Babcock mans a fire extinguisher while a KC-135 Stratotanker is refueled on the flightline of McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on Sept. 2. Sergeant Babcock is a traditional Reservist assigned to the Communications and Navigation section of the 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, but he often performs fireguard and other crew chief duties to help fill in for deployed active-duty maintainers. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Jason Schaap)

    Fireguard Fill-In

  • Lt. Col. Clint Burpo (far left) watches Air Force and local emergency response personnel evacuate simulated crash victims during a major accident response exercise just outside McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on Sept. 3. The exercise was coordinated by the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, the 931st's host wing at McConnell. Colonel Burpo, an air reserve technician assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Group's Plans and Programs office, helped the 22nd ensure safety during the exercise was not unnecessarily compromised on a cold and rainy day.

    Total Force Support

  • Tech. Sgt. Robert Lorenz took this photo from the inside of the Sabanci Central Mosque in Adana, Turkey, while recently deployed with other Airmen from the 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Though the mosque is just 10 years old, it was built with a classic Ottoman design and is considered the symbol of Adana. It has the capacity to serve 28,500 people and is the biggest mosque in the Middle East.

    Looking Up

  • Turkish rugs are popular souvenirs for Airmen who deploy to Incirlik Air Force Base, Turkey. Tech. Sgt. Robert Lorenz took this photo of a Turkish woman weaving a rug by hand during his recent deployment to Incirlik. Sergeant Lorenz returned to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., on Aug. 17 with the last of three personnel rotations his unit, the 931st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, deployed to Turkey in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

    Rug-ged Deployment

  • Airmen are being issued the new Citibank government travel card, which will look like this example. Distribution will begin Aug. 13. (U.S. Air Force illustration)

    Kansas Airmen to get new travel card soon

    Citibank officials began mailing its new government travel credit card this month with distribution to cardholders in Kansas scheduled to begin Aug. 22.Distribution dates are determined by the mailing address cardholders currently have statements and other GTCC-related material sent to. Airmen assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Group who live
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