Air Force Flyovers Around U.S. Celebrate 100 Years of Air Refueling

     To celebrate 100 years of air refueling, the Air Force recently conducted community flyovers across the country. The flyovers featured a variety of aircraft, including KC-135 Stratotankers, KC-10 Extenders and the KC-46 Pegasus.

     More than 150 aircraft took part, in all 50 states, to pay tribute to the first successful air refueling in 1923, 20 years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, according to the National Museum of the Air Force. Back then, Army Air Service 1st Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert, flying a DH-4B — a two-seat, single-engine World War I biplane observation and bomber aircraft — passed gasoline through a gravity hose to another DH-4B piloted by Capt. Lowell H. Smith and 1st Lt. John P. Richter, accomplishing the first aerial refueling.

     While the original mission of air refueling remains the same today, it is now done on a global scale. The flyovers that were conducted are one piece of the Air Mobility Command’s “100 Years of Air Refueling” campaign, created to educate the public about the vital role that AMC and air refueling plays in supporting the U.S. military.

     “Air refueling propels our Nation’s air power across the skies, unleashing its full potential,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command. “It connects our strategic vision with operational reality, ensuring we can reach any corner of the globe with unwavering speed and precision. Air refueling embodies our resolve to defend freedom and project power, leaving an indelible mark on aviation history.”

     In the Chicago area, at least two KC-135 Stratotankers from the Illinois Air National Guard’s 126th Air Refueling Wing and the Air Force’s 906th Air Refueling Squadron flew over parts of the state beginning with a flyover in Springfield.

     They then headed to Gurnee’s Six Flags Great America, Evanston’s Baha’i House of Worship and Northwestern University, and Chicago’s Navy Pier.

     The aircraft then headed south along the Mississippi River, reaching St. Louis’ Gateway Arch.

     In New York and New Jersey, the flyover began with one KC-135, 8 KC-46s and 6 C-17s departing from the 305th Air Mobility Wing out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The route of flight was visible from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania landmarks. There were two formations flying the route, approximately 20 minutes apart.

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Photo caption: A KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft connects with an F-15 Strike Eagle test aircraft from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Michael Jackson/U.S. Air Force)