Overhaul of McConnell's sim facility complete

Published Oct. 27, 2010
By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- After more than six months of construction and nearly $2 million, McConnell's newly remodeled KC-135 Stratotanker flight simulator facility received its final inspection Oct. 20, 2010.

The remodeling was the facility's first overhaul in more than 20 years. The long list of upgrades included a new heating and cooling system, a roof, interior lighting and an updated communications system.

Building 1094 was constructed in 1986 as the B-1B Lancer Simulator Facility when McConnell was designated as the 22nd Bomb Wing. The building remained operational until the simulator was removed in March 2003. Building 1094 was then remodeled as a temporary office for the Kansas Air National Guard.

"The facility [Building 1094] was originally designed for the B-1B simulator and was not capable of containing a KC-135 simulator when it was returned to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing by the 184th Intelligence Wing," said John Dock, 22nd Operations Support Squadron project officer and Air Force quality assurance representative. "As a result, the high bay and computer room of the facility were divided into several office sections that was unable to house the KC-135 simulator."

This changed as the Base Realignment and Closure process made funding available in September 2009, and the renovation began in March 2010.

The remodeled facility is now not only designed for one of the three KC-135 simulators, it also has space for new classrooms to train KC-135 navigators and pilots. McConnell is the only base in the Air Force that trains KC-135 navigators, Mr. Dock said.

To give the facility its final acceptance into the Air Force, Col. Billy Langford, 22nd Operations Group commander, and Lt. Col. Scott Thatcher, 350th Air Refueling Squadron commander, conducted final inspections. The commanders were enthusiastic about the possibilities the facility presents.

"The interior of the facility is 100 percent better than before," said Colonel Langford. "It's transformed from a facility marred by years of abuse and neglect, to a facility that now looks like the world class training facility appropriate for the center of air refueling excellence."

Each of McConnell's flight simulators is a full-sized, mechanical replica of a KC-135 cockpit that offers a virtual-reality flying experience. The windows, which line the front of the mock cockpits, are screens that display genuine flightlines and simulate realistic scenery.

McConnell houses and maintains the "world's largest and most diverse KC-135 Stratotanker fleet," according to the 22nd ARW fact sheet. McConnell flies more than 3,250 sortie hours a month and 42 percent of Air Mobility Command's tanker sortie hours.