A Day in Life of US Boom Operator Refueling Giant Aircraft Mid-Air 

Pretty amazing suff. Stay safe sons and daughters. We need you and love you. Thanks for your service.

Retired KC-135A/R & KC-10A boom operator here. Nice video. thanks for the memories. "Boom Stowed, Leaving Position."

our (Americas ) ability to do aerial refueling is what the difference when fighting a war and conducting operations, that without we could never win those wars and battle without it. BRAVO ZULU, boys!!

Respects out to all who serves my country. Thank you. As being a son of a US Navy E-5 United States Petty Officer during Vietnam. And during Afghanistan war my Nephew was there serving my country as United States Army. He told me he did control 50 cal on torrent on Humber and ground mortar rounds.

Breast Feeding in the skies. Long live USA.

Thank you to all for branches of our military service for serving our country. I thank you for that.

Flying gas stations, so important to the flyers of all branches. Thanks Air Force!

Go Military ✈️🏅🎖️🎗️🥇🥈🥉🏆

Great video... I worked on the 135 back in the day.

Back in the early days, 'boomers' laid on their bellies and passed gas.

Just a side not, Air Force fighters all use the flying boom, for that all Air Force fixed wing aircraft use the flying boom. The Navy, Marines and helos all use the probe and drogue method. The KC135 unless equipped with APRS, must convert the boom to a drogue in order to refuel those requiring it. I worked KC135s for 6 years before switching to the fast movers.

America has some impressive toys

As someone who is considering an air force career after high school, boom operator does sound like a cool job. But if I join I’ll want to be a flight engineer (enlisted) or Tanker Pilot (Officer)

Corrections: 1. USAF aircraft use a refueling boom, USN/USMC aircraft use probe and drogue, regardless of size. (with very few exceptions, i.e helicopters. most foreign A/C refuel via probe/drogue) 2. Average refueling speed is between 250-375 KIAS. Not 580. The only aircraft that refueled at anywhere close to that was the SR-71, but that only refueled from KC-135Q and certain KC-10s. Those tankers had special pumps, bladders, and booms to facilitate the transfer of JP-7 (which only the SR-71 used) to the aircraft. 3. Most helicopters refuel from KC-130Js, which are better at flying the required speeds for helicopter AAR. IIRC, A-10s prefer to refuel from them too, and KC-135/KC-10 have to fly at near stall to refuel them. Any tanker crew in here, feel free to correct me if I've got something wrong.

I really want an SR-71. Those are so cool. 😂

OMG SUCH DIVERSE MILITARY❤❤❤❤

That one boom operator looks like my dear friend Shun Latimer..... a veteran boom operator from Meridian, Mississippi 😎

One mistake and horror in the sky happens, professional troops here!

Superb video! Thank you for posting this!

CMSGT Sean Rix, how many times have you watched this? Love ya man.....

Great video!

I had an uncle who was in the Air Force in the late 1950's and was a crew on an inflight tanker. It crashed and they never recovered enough of his body to bury. In the small cemetery where he grew up (Funston, Georgia) is a headstone placed there to commemorate his death.

USA #1

Why would the Army/ Guard have to fabricate parts with no drawing or technical data? The DoD paid big bucks for the design, manufacturing and purchase of these aircraft. Even though the manufacturers may not produce the parts anymore, the technical data and specifications must exist somewhere in the supply chain for the part to have been produced in the first place. Another example of the U.S. taxpayer getting the shaft, (only in this case, we'd have to fabricate our own shaft).

Thanks for explaining this operation. 😊😊😊

A boom refueler gets to see where they've been...

I am so proud of our armed forces and the people who serve. Thank you for all you do. Men AND WOMEN doing the jobs. Great!!

When I joined the Air Force I wanted to be a boomer.

Amazing to see something simple be so effective. I do see this manual approach being phased out, becoming fully AI operated.. 'Machines talking to machines' type.. Any humans in the loop would simply oversee the entire mission. Pilot presses 1 button, from flying to locking onto fuel boom, disengage, everything automated and safe.. 'Auto Refuel.'

Awesome video

I love tankers, they're very cool.

Boeing delivered the KC-46 with known problems with its boom which made the airplane unusable for the refueling mission for a long period of time. The delivery was also over budget and late aswell. Airbus had been awarded the new tanker contract to begin with but Boeing created a stink and another bid was put in and given to Boeing . There’s a saying that sometime you don’t get what you paid for and in this case was a fact no matter if there’s another proven option out there to move forward. It is what it is and the GAO has the facts to back it up.

I believe a little Error happen. The Type of the refueling Probe doesnt depent on the aircraft size rather the Operator. As far as i know is the USAF the only one using the Boom, all Others using the chute and probe method

“Step tanker what are you doing” 😏

5:38 Incorrect. Air Force fixed-wing aircraft all use the boom. All rotor-wing aircraft , as well as Air Force rotor-wing aircraft, and all Navy and Marine aircraft use probe and drogue.

Wouldnt surprise me if the Military didnt have a simulator for boom operators

I'm told the Comedian Sinbad used to operate the boom on one of these aircrafts.

9:29 C-130 374AW YJ Yokota Air Base.

AWESOME!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

COOL!!!!! 😎😎😎😎😎😎

Gas! Gas! Gas! 🛫🛫🛫✈️

Çok iyi bir savaş uçağı pilotu savaş esnasında en az çok uçak imha edip öyle havada öyle inmeli çok savaş uçağı imha etmeden kendini imha etmili süper eğitim tehlikeli egtimi coni evet 🙄🥴☺️😒

*USAF is the #1 Air Force of the world. US Navy is the #2 Air Force of the world.*

I will say this, I used to live in Columbus Georgia on other end of Benning rd if I come out 9n porch pull out in rd to left I go straight to Victor Dr. Crossing over it is gates to Fort Benning base..I seen huge planes flying over such as these and cargo ones. Being from Ohio I now live in Dayton Ohio about 30 minutes from Wright Paterson Airforce Base. I can sit on my porch watch all day long military jets, huge military plans fly over and now that we might be going into world War 3 there's been lot of movement.

"주유시 엔진을 꺼주세요"

I can see using this for a future career session with some high school students. Just a thought.

Loved the F-16 in Top Gun.

😍✌️👍

No lie this some freaky as shit 😂😂

🇺🇸👍

🇺🇸👍🙂

5:37 "The boom is usually used to refuel larger aircraft ..". That is completely and utterly wrong. The Air Force exclusively uses the boom for refueling all of its fixed wing air, including the F-15, F-16, all of the bombers, everything. The Navy uses Probe and Drogue refueling only, because all of their carrier based tanker aircraft have *only* probe and drogue capabilities. Even cross service aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II and the F-15 Lighting II have different refueling systems, one for the Navy (F-4B, F-4N, F-35B and C)--probe and drogue--and one foe the Air Force (F-4C, D, E, J, and S, F-35A)--Boom.

I wonder if Chinese and Russian air refuelling is done in a similar manner?

As always a huge ty for all you do great job!!!!!

Hey, don’t forget about putting wax on those planes now go to your local auto parts store and get some Maguire’s automotive wax. That stuff will make these planes look brand new and shiny as a penny.

Old video

9:33 Helloooooooo Mrs Ground Marshal, ma'am!🥴 ....IDK what it is, but women in uniform pulling technical tasks and duties.......but yes please. Hits my inner nerd for procedure in a dumbstruck doe eyed kinda way. I wonder if this is what women feel with the whole 'man in uniform' thing...... Either way, she can park my plane anytime...... I mean, its not like my plane would ever get near her airfield, much less cleared to land, Im under no delusion of that......but still, a boy can dream........And while Im dreaming, fuck yeah! Marshal that bird, soldier!

How many innocent children must die to feed US army ???

¡¡Entren en guerra contra Rusia!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Soon drones will be refueling drones...

Dope