Flying with the 117th

.

The Alabama National Guard's 117th Refueling Wing is located in Birmingham. The 117th flies KC-135 tankers. News 5 got to go along as they refueled F15 tankers. Take a look at the video I shot with my digital camera.
Published: Mon, August 13, 2007 - 9:00 am
Last Updated: Mon, August 13, 2007 - 9:33 am
Last month, News 5 got the chance to fly with Birmingham's 117th Air Refueling Wing. It was an amazing experience. On this mission, the 117th refueled F-15 fighters from Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. We watched as F-15s came within feet of our plane. Boom operators like to joke that they fly backwards, lay down and pass gas. Its actually true! The boom operator's area is at the back of the plane. They lay down and direct the boom to the into the gas tank on the fighter. It has to be tough, but the 117th made it look easy! We were close enough we could see the fighter pilot's faces and wave at them.
When the pilots finished gassing up, they would fly on the edge of the tankers wing.It was like being in a movie! We took some amazing pictures and video. The video at the right of the page, is video I took with my digital camera.


Recently Commented On


News Mobile AL Pensacola Florida Weather :: Weather Forecast, Tides, Live Doppler, Photo Gallery and More News :: WKRG.com News, Consumer Team, Medical Reports, County Road 5 Sports :: Local Sports News, NFL News, SEC News, Sideline WKRG :: Staff Bios, Contact Info, Employment and Internships ON AIR :: Whats on WKRG, Watch CBS Shows here
Parade Maps Photo Gallery Parades and Events Mardi Gras
All Photos Mardi Gras Cute Critters Fishy Photo Weather Photos Submit your Photos
Daily Recipes Classifieds Submit your Photos News Map Gas Prices Map Events Calendar Community Forums
Live Doppler Local Tides Feeding Times Marine Forecast Weather Education Photo Gallery
Tropical Outlook Tropical Archives Live Doppler Sea Surface Temps Marine Forecast Tropics News Active Systems
CBS News Election 08 Consumer Team Medical Team County Road 5 Investigates Daily News Archive
CBS SportsLine Sideline SEC NFL NCAA
Internships Employment Staff bios Contact Us User Photos Community Forums
CBS.com Contact Us Television Schedule Watch Shows
Crime Statistics Hate Crimes Population Sanctioned Teachers Toy Recall Nursing Homes Colleges Golf Courses Gas Prices
Keyword Site Web Weather