Simply amazing

(Originally published November 2006) –  Today at 9 a.m. I was in a flight briefing with the Tennessee Air National Guard.  Our mission was to fly from Knoxville to Memphis, turn south and follow the Mississippi River to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico and then turn back toward Knoxville over Alabama and Georgia.  Along the way, we would drop our massive KC-135 StratoTanker to within 13 feet of a B-52 Bomber (while flying at 30,000 feet and traveling roughly 400 mph) and refuel the B-52 in mid-air.

We would do that maneuver about ten times between Memphis and New Orleans – once while practicing an “emergency disconnect” which involves our airplane going full-throttle, nose-up toward the heavens while the airplane we were connected to slams on the air-brakes and points its nose toward the ground.  An amazing little stunt that I can only describe as being shot out of a gun onto a rollercoaster track.

I sat in the fuselage for a while (very few windows, dark and 55 or 60 degrees at its warmest), sat in the cockpit between the pilot and co-pilot for a while (so completely cool), used the restroom (which, in a feat of engineering genius, places the toilet about four inches away from an electric circuit board with a “Danger: High Voltage” sticker on it – I prayed for good aim and no turbulence) and – as the B-52 approached the rear of our airplane, I was on my stomach in the “boom” (the small room at the tail of the airplane where the refueling arm is controlled) looking out a window into the eyes of the three men piloting the B-52 just feet beneath me.  It was absolutely incredible.

I have flown about every week for the past twelve years and I have never experienced anything like my flight today.  The Air National Guard Refueling Wing is an amazing group of guys – and the expertise each and every one of them bring to their job left me speechless (not easy to do).

I’m still wearing my aviator sunglasses and humming the theme song to Top Gun …