kc 135 refueling

Kc 135 Refueling - The Last Page of the Cold War Era The legendary story of the USAF KC-135 refueling the US Navy KA-3 while the Skywarrior flew two F-8 Crusaders (at one time) for RESCAP in North Vietnam. to fuel

The odd story of a USAF KC-135 refueling a US Navy KA-3 while a SkyWarrior refueling two F-8 Crusader fighters (at a time) to RESCAP in North Vietnam.

Kc 135 Refueling

U.S. Navy KA-3 Skywarrior pilot Don Alberg, Deputy Commander Don Alberg, said, “I deployed my hose, and the F-8s came one after the other and took the fuel off me while the KC- 135 gave us fuel."

The Story Of North Star, The Kc 135 Stratotanker That Saved An F 4 Phantom Over The Atlantic

In the final years of World War II, as the United States Navy sought to maintain its longstanding position as the nation's front line of defense in the nuclear age, it was awarded a contract to develop an aircraft carrier. The Navy used a nuclear punch. Douglas Air's renowned engineer Ed Hineman and his team presented the A3D Skywarrior.

With the arrival of the Polaris missile, the Navy's carrier-based heavy strike mission was weakened and the versatile A3D (redesignated A-3 in 1962) assumed other roles and missions, including photoreconnaissance, electronic countermeasures, and air Refueling.

According to the book Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, one of the most amazing KA-3 Skywarrior tanker missions was flown by Dan Alberg of Detachment VAH-4, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the USS Enterprise. . In mid-May 1967, at the height of Operation Rolling Thunder during the Vietnam War. Four KA-3Bs - "Hollygreen" 896, 897, 898, and 899 respectively and piloted by Lt. Commander John Winsch in 896 - are flown by 16 A-4 Skyhawks from the VA-212 Ramp in Hanoi. was tasked with supporting the attack. ". Attackers." With the Skyhawks fully fueled, the four Skywarriors took off racing along the beach to await their return.

Ten minutes later, Lt. Commander Aaron Chauncey's A-4 made an attack and was shot down 50 miles from Hanoi. Four F-8 Crusaders from VF-24 "Red Checkertails" had to RESCAP him. Alberg noted:

Air Refueling Practice Over Germany

Wunsch warned our flight numbers three and four, Holly Green 898 and 899, that they would be responsible for tanking the strike during the withdrawal, and that he and I - Holly Green 896 and 897, respectively - would RESCAP to cover Everything was standard procedure. All that was needed now was for the SH-2 Seasprite to launch from SAR destroyer duty to come and pick up Chauncey.'

No matter how "routine" any military mission may be, adverse weather conditions and mechanical reliability of equipment can always turn the routine into a memorable one. "About fifteen minutes later, we heard that our helicopter had a mechanical breakdown and they started a backup." Soon, Alberg and Wunch were the only U.S. aircraft around when they learned that a second helicopter had also crashed. "We called the task force on the helicopter but got no concrete response. The RESCAP chief separated two F-8s to tank with us. Finally, a third helicopter was reported down." The helicopter was launched from the Enterprise, not a cruise ship, more than 100 miles out to sea, the arrival was a good hour at top speed. In any rescue, time is of the essence; This was the beginning. Looks very suspicious.

The two fighters refueled the thirsty F-8s and held their position. As the two F-8s went "dry-footed" to the rescue site, Alberg observed his fuel situation with increasing concern. "We were close to 'bingo' for our internal fuel, but the halo was nowhere in sight, and the F-8s wouldn't return to the carrier without another hookup."

Finally, after more than an hour, the Sea King appeared before him and entered. At this point, Alberg had ten minutes of gas, and Wunsch six. Tankers needed - fast! "I called all the tanker's frequencies, and the KC-135 reported that it was close. I asked its altitude, and it was at 28,000 feet. We were at 1,500 feet, so there was no way we could get enough. Don't have gas that passed. He said he would come down.

Boeing Kc 135 Usaf Refuelling F 16 Nellis Afb Models Military Airplanes

When the large Air Force tanker arrived, Vansh was the first to refuel for 30 minutes, followed by Alberg:

"He got his gas and I went. I had trouble hooking because the Air Force system and the basket was different than the Navy. With the Marines, if you hit the basket and hit the tape hard, you Will screw up a tire and it won't go. With the Air Force, it's just the opposite. I searched three times for maybe five minutes and I was literally spitting fire and crashing because I couldn't get a hookup, And then they came around to tell me.

Finally connected, Alberg breathed a sigh of relief as his gas gauge ticked upward. Meanwhile, the rescue mission failed in a spectacular way when Lt. Commander Chancey was captured by the North Vietnamese while the rescue helicopter was still five minutes away. The F-8s stayed on station longer than they did; When they left North Vietnam "wet feet", they each had less than ten minutes of fuel left.

This print is available in several sizes at AircraftProfilePrints.com - click here to get yours. KC-135R Stratotanker 161st Air Refueling Wing, 197th Air Refueling Squadron "Copperheads" 63-8038 - Arizona Air National Guard - Sky Harbor ANG Base, AZ

Kc 135 Stratotanker > 507th Air Refueling Wing > Display

Having just solved the problem of connecting to the basket, Alberg only started to get fuel:

"I had about seven or eight minutes of fuel in the plane and I couldn't take it off. They couldn't wait. I replaced my tire, and the F-8s came at once and took the fuel off me while in which the KC.-135 gave us fuel. Fortunately, our receiving system was faster than our delivery system, so we carried more than we needed to keep flying."

With the F-8s refueled and on their way home, Alberg pulled back so Winsch could get enough fuel to return to the company, and the two crews asked for their help from the KC-135 crew. Thank you for The Air Force tanker burned so much fuel at low altitude that it could not return to Thailand and had to make an emergency repair at Da Nang:

"A few weeks later, we reported that the crew of the KC-135 had been arrested by the Seventh Air Force and were being prosecuted. We informed the Air Force that these guys had two A-3s and four F-8s—ten saved, if the Air Force hadn't saved us we certainly wouldn't have gone home. So, instead of a court martial, they were each given a Distinguished Flying Cross! We're behind and from the Task Force Commander." "Happy Birthday".

Th Air Refueling Wing: In Flight Refueling 'anytime, Anywhere'

Dario Leon Dario Leon is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the founder and editor of the Aviation Geek Club, one of the most widely read military aviation blogs in the world. His writing has appeared in the National Interest and other news outlets. He was reported from Europe and flew Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

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