SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (WAND) — The Air Force has invited residents to observe flyovers of their air refuelers over communities across Illinois on Tuesday.
The flyovers are intended to celebrate 100 years of aerial refueling.
Aircrews assigned to the 126th Air Refueling Wing, an Illinois Air National Guard unit, and the U.S. Air Force’s 906th Air Refueling Squadron, both stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, will perform total force flyovers in Illinois with two KC-135 Stratotankers.
The aircraft will be visible over Springfield at 10:22 a.m., and over the Chicago lakefront area including Six Flags Great America, the Baha’i House of Worship, Northwestern University, and Navy Pier from 11:04 – 11:13. The flight will then perform a pass along the Mississippi River in front of the Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri, at 12:10.
“Air refueling propels our Nation’s air power across the skies, unleashing its full potential,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander. “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.”
The first aerial refueling occurred on June 27, 1923 when 1st Lt. Virgil Hine and 1st Lt. Frank W. Seifert, flying a DH-4B, passed gasoline through a hose to another DH-4B flying beneath it carrying Capt. Lowell H. Smith and 1st Lt. John P. Richter.
One hundred years later, the United States Air Force celebrates these Airmen’s tenacity and innovative will that is still thriving in Airmen’s spirits today.
“As we embark on the next 100 years of air refueling, we will continue to strengthen our air mobility excellence,” said Minihan. “We must leverage the remarkable capabilities of air refueling to preserve peace, protect freedom, and bring hope to the world. As Mobility Airmen, we write the next chapter of air refueling.”
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Cierra “CC” Carlan, 906th Air Refueling Squadron, gets ready to refuel a B-52 Stratofortress November 17, 2021. The Illinois Air National Guard wing at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. was refueling B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
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