McConnell Air Force Base pilots, 1st Lt. Matthew Welch, 334th Air Refueling Squadron, and Maj. Shane Rogers, 22nd Operations Group, sit inside the cockpit of a KC-135 Stratotanker on the runway at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., March 15, 2012 as they perform a pre-flight checklist before takeoff. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Earlandez Young)