HomeNewsFeatures

Feature Search

Results:
Tag: KC-135 Stratotanker
Clear
  • A KC-46 Pegasus assigned to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., for a refueling, Jan. 30, 2020.

    Delivering excellence: MacDill boom operators train for perfection

    There’s a saying in the Air Force about refueling aircraft, something along the lines of nothing accomplishes mission success without tanker aircraft gas. This saying rings true in Tampa. Refueling aircraft such as MacDill Air Force Base’s KC-135 Stratotanker are vital to mission success and keeping other military aircraft flying all over the globe.
  • U.S. Air Force Airmen stand with a recovered KC-135 Stratotanker Aug. 4, 2018, at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine.

    Total Force maintainers road trip for KC-135 recovery

    The skies were calm over the state of New York as a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, cruised through the veil of blue, en route to a deployment. All of a sudden, un-commanded flight control movements began to inexplicably shake the aircraft. As the pilots rushed to troubleshoot the situation, the aircraft began to drop altitude.
  • Kelly Barrett (third from left), 18th Air Force commander spouse, and Trish Simpson (far right), 18th AF command chief spouse, pose for a photo with Team Fairchild key spouses at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 21, 2019. Barrett and Simpson visited Fairchild to gain insight about Team Fairchild Key Spouse efforts that aid Airmen’s families. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Whitney Laine)

    18th AF, Fairchild key spouses address education partnerships, license reciprocity

    Moving to a new area presents unique challenges to military families. Spouses often need to look for new jobs, children move to new schools and the support networks families have relied on change with new scenery. Key Spouses are one resource the Air Force calls on to offer support to families throughout arrival, transition and establishment at their new assignments.
  • The 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron utilizes the newly implemented Weigh-In-Motion scale to expedite cargo deployment functions with a more accurate and efficient process at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, April 17, 2019. This innovation reduces the entire process to be as simple as driving over a plate in the ground to display the weight, dimensions and center of balance in one step. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Whitney Laine)

    Fairchild Airmen enhance deployment line, reduce man hours

    As the world modernizes around us, a culture of innovation has swept through the Air Force, encouraging Airmen to enhance nearly every part of our mission. That culture is no different at Fairchild, where a dedicated team of Airmen found ways to save both manpower and time. Newly implemented Weigh-In-Motion scales expedite cargo deployment functions with a more accurate and efficient process, as part of Team Fairchild’s Continuous Process Improvement efforts.
  • Airmen of the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron gathered in honor of their 70th anniversary and to celebrate history they’ve made since being established only two years following the foundation of the Air Force. The 93rd ARS has withstood relocation, change of mission sets and has continued their legacy as the first air refueling squadron to pave the way for Team Fairchild as the premier air refueling base. (U.S. Air Force Courtesy Graphic)

    Masters of the Art: 70 years of setting the foundation, still leading the charge

    The 93rd Air Refueling Squadron has stood the test of time through two relocations and a change of mission set and has continued their legacy as the first air refueling squadron to pave the way for Team Fairchild as the premier air refueling base. The 93rd ARS was established only two years after the Air Force was founded. They gathered to celebrate their 70th anniversary and honor their history on March 29, 2019.
  • U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Taylor Swartz, 22nd Training Squadron Survival Escape Resistance Evasion specialist, poses for a photo at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, November 1, 2018. Swartz has stood as a survivor of domestic violence to bring light and awareness to the hostile environments that have become some families’ normal. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Whitney Laine)

    Domestic violence: a survivor’s story

    Trailing behind his group of friends, feelings of anxiety and fear crowded his adolescent mind with the question of what version of his father awaited him at home. It hadn’t always been unsafe or tense, but his father’s behavior had become a constant uncertainty. The loving provider who had sat at the head of the table was now condemning and destructive. This is one of the many strong memories Staff Sgt. Taylor Swartz, 22nd Training Squadron Survival Escape Resistance Evasion specialist, recalls from his domestic-violence filled family life in adolescence.
  • RED FLAG ALASKA 18-3 participants included aircrews from allied countries including Australia, Great Britain, and Canada, and service members from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps at Eielson AFB, Alaska. The exercise serves as an ideal platform for international engagement and has a long history of including allies and partners, ultimately enabling all involved to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability. (Courtesy Photo)

    RED FLAG ALASKA 18-3 keeps Fairchild mission-ready

    The sky roared with engines as military aircraft from all over the world formed a mass convoy to accomplish one mission: international security. Amongst the aircraft buzzed a stagnant controller plane, monitoring flight patterns and operations, to ultimately ensure every coalition aircraft abided by the pre-determined rules of engagement. The slightest navigational error in execution could result in mission failure. Suddenly, the controller spotted a stray aircraft violating the approved flight path. Immediately the controller contacted the aircraft and dismissed them from the on-going operation for that day. There was no room for carelessness.
  • U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Triston Evans, an aircraft fuel systems journeyman assigned to the 6th Maintenance Squadron, squeezes through the interworking of a KC-135 Stratotanker training fuel cell at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., May 30, 2018.

    Dangerous and dirty – MacDill “Tank Divers” power the fight

    Known as “Tank Divers,” Airmen with the 6th Maintenance Squadron aircraft fuels systems section at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, constantly find themselves in a bind, looking for and fixing deterioration and leaks in the fuel systems of the aircraft.
  • Senior Airman Matthew Ronnfeldt, 384th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, starts a fire to stay warm in Pine Creek Canyon at Zion National Park, Utah, March 17, 2018. Due to a snow storm, Ronnfeldt and 1st Lt. Marclauren Galera (not pictured), 384th ARS pilot, were forced to stay the night in a cave after helping park rangers rescue six climbers. (Courtesy photo)

    Fairchild Airmen and Zion National Park Rangers rescue stranded climbers

    In the evening hours on March 17, two Airmen were hiking through the trails of a national park, when they came across another group of hikers who heard calls for help.
  • An aircraft maintenance crewmember screws a panel on top of a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a 900-hour inspection at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., May 16, 2018. This inspection occurs after an aircraft has flown 900 hours. MacDill’s contribution to global mobility is possible because of the maintenance Airmen who dedicate countless hours to ensure aircraft are fit for flight.

    Fit for flight: 6th AMXS maintains KC-135

    For more than 60 years, the KC-135 Stratotanker has executed rapid global mobility by providing unmatched air refueling and airlift support worldwide.
RSS