KC-135 Stratotanker crew providing support of trans-pacific ferry missions
In February 1977, while on deployment to Andersen AFB, Guam, and the Pacific Tanker Task Force, the crew of a KC-135 Stratotanker belonging to the 7th Air Refueling Squadron (7 ARS) achieved an impressive refueling record, according to the Carswell Sentinel, a squadron-based newspaper at Carswell Air Force Base (AFB) [Carswell AFB no longer exists; it is now Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, Ft. Worth].
According to an article in the Carswell Sentinel, Capt. E. Brady King, the information officer for the 7 ARS, stated that the KC-135 crew was sent to Andersen to support F-4 and A-7 trans-Pacific ferry missions as well as an F-15 re-deployment mission from Korea to the United States.
Emergency air refueling of an F-4
“The most significant accomplishment of the crew, was the emergency air refueling of an F-4 being ferried from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, to Andersen AFB,” said Captain King, “As the crew was leading the F-4 into Guam, the weather rapidly deteriorated and the primary approach aids (electronic means to descend through the clouds to land) were inoperative,” explained King.
“Because of low fuel the aircraft could not divert to Kadena, Okinawa,” he added. The KC-135 crew orbited over Guam while the F-4 attempted six landing approaches.
The F-4 pilot told the Andersen command post that he could not wait for the Andersen strip alert aircraft to take off after the sixth attempt failed and that he required fuel right away. The KC-135 crew took control at that point.
The aircraft commander, Captain Larry C. Beam, proclaimed an emergency and climbed to refuel the F-4. The F-4 was successfully refueled with 6,000 pounds thanks to the excellent coordination of the pilot-navigation team and the calm, confident actions of the boom operator.
Following its refueling, the F-4 landed at Agana Naval Air Station, Guam. With just 4,500 pounds of fuel remaining, Captain Beam landed at Andersen AFB and turned off his engines despite the bad local weather. Thus, a valuable F-4 aircraft was preserved thanks to the careful, deliberate actions of the KC-135 crew.
KC-135 Stratotanker crew chief first TDY
Earl Belz, former KC-135 crew chief, said;
‘I was the assistant crew chief on the KC 135 in this story.
‘It was my first TDY as a new Air Force crew chief. I was part of a pacific tanker task force that was ferrying F-4s from Hickam airbase in Hawaii to Andersen airbase in Guam. My tanker was on approach to land at Guam. When the pilot was asked to go back up and refuel the Phantom because it was almost out of fuel.
‘As a new crew chief, I was surprised that we went back up and refilled the Phantom as our fuel was pretty low in the tanker. However, we climb the altitude refuel the Phantom and managed to land at Andersen with only 4500 pounds of fuel registering in the fuel totalizer.
‘Part of our Pacific tanker, task force deployment, took us to Clark airbase in the Philippines and the crew chief and myself had our own patch (below) made signifying our participation, and that refuel.
‘The following patch instead is the official Pacific tanker task force patch that we were given to wear on our flight suit.
‘I have saved that article all these years along with those patches because that’s what a geek does.
Photos of the mission
Belz adds;
‘These four photos are ones I took from my KC-135 during that mission.
‘In the first photo taken from the cockpit, you can see an F-4 being refueled by another KC-135.
‘The second photo was taken from the over wing hatch window and shows one of the three F-4s we were ferrying to Guam.
‘The third photo is one of the F-4s moving into position for a top-off. That grease pencil writing you see in the boom pod photo is something the boom operator does to help remind him of the call sign of the fighters that he communicates with.
‘I took this photo from the cockpit and is two F-4s on a KC-135 that was part of the Pacific Tanker task force.’
Photo by US Air Force and Earl Belz