McConnell Reservists 'fuel' Thunderbirds' mission

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Abigail Klein
  • 931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  When spectators line up at the Cleveland National Air Show Sept. 5 to view the aerial stunts performed by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstrations Squadron, they probably won't consider the journey to get the team there. 

On Sept. 3, 2015, this "stunt," included the efforts of four Reservists from the 931st Air Refueling Group and a KC-135 Stratotanker.  The aircrew performed multiple refuelings in to help the team make a non-stop, long-distance flight to Cleveland.  The refueling began at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and concluded over Cleveland, Ohio.

This was not the 931 ARG's first time refueling the Thunderbirds.  This past season alone, the 931 ARG flew approximately 20 sorties with the team providing more than 700,000 gallons of fuel to help the team arrive on time to their scheduled shows.  This required to the 931 ARG to dedicate more than 90 hours to the team.  Fortunately, McConnell's Reservists were committed, and appreciated the training opportunities that the team provided.

For Chief Master Sgt.  John "Tex" Austin, 413th Flight Test Group, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and one of the boom operators for this flight, he's lost count of the number of aerial refuelings he's performed with the 931 ARG.  A former member of the 931 ARG, Austin was present for the refueling today to maintain his flight status.  His experience as a boom operator has spanned nearly 30 years.  When it comes to refueling the Thunderbirds, he doesn't let the "pretty paint" distract him, instead he focuses on the mission and the fact that he is refueling an F-16 Fighting Falcon.

"I've refueled them at least a dozen times," he said, "Like any other plane, you have to avoid damaging the aircraft, because the quick flow of their aircraft shortens the amount of time to get the gas in."

Lt. Col. Kevin Rainey, 18th Air Refueling Squadron pilot and the aircraft commander for this mission, agreed.

"The hardest thing is keeping fuel available for offload by draining from one tank to another," he said. "The seven aircraft come in so fast in such a short amount of time, it can be difficult to offload the right amount of fuel to each one."

Despite these challenges, the aircrew dedicated more than six hours of flight time, allowing the Thunderbirds to arrive on time to the Cleveland National Airshow.

For more information about the Thunderbirds, visit www.afthunderbirds.com.