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Lt. Elwood "Pete" Quesada, a member of the historic "Question Mark" aerial refueling operation, adjusts an aircraft gas line. During a 1929 operation dubbed "Question Mark," a 10,000-pound Fokker C-2A was refueled in flight by two modified Douglas C-1 transport aircraft. A large question mark was painted on each side of the receiver aircraft's fuselage, intended to "provoke wonder at how long the aircraft could remain airborne," according to Air Force history experts. During the operation, which began on New Year's Day in 1929 and ended 150 hours and 40 minutes later on Jan. 7, the Douglas refueling aircraft passed 5,660 gallons of fuel. All tolled, the tankers completed 43 sorties, 12 of which occurred at night.


Celebrating 80 years of air refueling

Lt. Elwood "Pete" Quesada, a member of the historic "Question Mark" aerial refueling operation, adjusts an aircraft gas line. During a 1929 operation dubbed "Question Mark," a 10,000-pound Fokker C-2A was refueled in flight by two modified Douglas C-1 transport aircraft. A large question mark was painted on each side of the receiver aircraft's fuselage, intended to "provoke wonder at how long the aircraft could remain airborne," according to Air Force history experts. During the operation, which began on New Year's Day in 1929 and ended 150 hours and 40 minutes later on Jan. 7, the Douglas refueling aircraft passed 5,660 gallons of fuel. All tolled, the tankers completed 43 sorties, 12 of which occurred at night.

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