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Mobility Airman profile: Travis KC-10 pilot, Air Force Academy grad, flies combat air refueling missions

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Every time Capt. Wesley "Wes" Spurlock steps with his crew to fly a combat air refueling mission, the 10-year-plus Air Force veteran said he knows the importance behind what he does.

"Operations are happening every day that require fuel at a moment's notice," said Captain Spurlock, a KC-10 Extender pilot deployed with the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing at a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia. "The KC-10 has the capability and the people to make it happen."

In his deployed duties as a pilot, Captain Spurlock drives the biggest air refueling aircraft in the Air Force inventory. In addition to the three main wing fuel tanks, the KC-10 has three large fuel tanks under the cargo floor, one under the forward lower cargo compartment, one in the center wing area and one under the rear compartment.

Combined, the capacity of the six tanks of the KC-10 carries more than 356,000 pounds (nearly 55,000 gallons) of fuel -- almost twice as much as the KC-135 Stratotanker. That's a lot of fuel to help keep aircraft providing ground cover in Afghanistan on target and in the air.

"As a KC-10 pilot over here, we support Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom plus other contingency operations," said Captain Spurlock, who is deployed from 9th Air Refueling Wing, 60th Air Mobility Wing, at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "I know my job has an effect on the war effort on a daily basis."

Becoming a pilot in the Air Force is not easy - it requires years of training and practice. According to the Air Force specialty description for 11T2, qualified pilot/co-pilot, Airmen in Captain Spurlock's field are required to plan and prepare for missions and review mission taskings, intelligence and weather information.

They also supervise mission planning, preparation and filing of flight plans and crew briefings while at the same time ensuring their aircraft is pre-flighted, inspected, loaded, equipped and manned for missions. All of this is done in addition to the actual physical act of flying the aircraft.

Through all of his work and combat air refueling missions, Captain Spurlock -- a native of Norco, Calif. -- said he is proud to serve.

"It is awesome to serve in the Air Force," said the 2000 graduate of Norco High School and the 2004 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. "It all comes back to seeing the impact that you have on a daily basis."

Captain Spurlock is on his second deployment in 2010 with the 908th EARS. As of Oct. 31, Airmen supporting the air refueling mission in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility have off-loaded more than 880 million pounds of fuel to more than 69,000 aircraft for wartime operations, Air Forces Central statistics show.

At his home station with Air Mobility Command's 60th AMW, Captain Spurlock supports a mission responsible for strategic airlift and air refueling missions circling the globe, the wing's fact sheet states. The unit's primary roles are "to provide rapid, reliable airlift of American fighting forces anywhere on earth in support of national objectives and to extend the reach of American and allied air power through mid-air refueling."

At the 380th AEW, Captain Spurlock supports a deployed mission that includes air refueling, surveillance, reconnaissance and air battle management in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. In addition to OND and OEF, the wing also supports the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.