A man who walked on wings.
Two daredevil pilots.
A five-gallon can of fuel.
Aerial refueling began as a stunt, rather than a key defense capability that today keeps America’s military going. A maneuver that then probably earned the participants a few bucks has transformed into a multibillion-dollar industry with thousands of workers.
From a man leaping from one aircraft to another, to what amounts to a fireman’s hose connecting two planes, to today’s high-tech boom system, aerial refueling has evolved dramatically over the last 89 years. Here’s a look at Boeing’s role.
Early efforts
The first refueling in the air took place in 1921 and essentially was a barnstorming stunt, involving a wing walker jumping from one aircraft to another with a five-gallon can of fuel strapped to his back. In 1923, the Army Air Service conducted an aerial refueling using two de Havilland DH-4B aircraft and a hose.
In 1929, Bill Boeing recognized the business potential for aerial refueling as a means of speeding up the delivery of mail. Boeing worked with the Army Air Corps for the nonstop transcontinental flight of the Boeing Model-95 named “Boeing Hornet Shuttle.” Boeing used two modified Model-40 aircraft and the Air Corps provided two Douglas C-1 aircraft for refueling.
KB-29 tankers
With the Cold War came the need to fly bombers long distances without stopping for fuel. Boeing converted its B-29 bombers to tankers that could fly from U.S. military bases to targets inside the Soviet Union. The initial 92 B-29 converted tankers used a refueling technique — a system of looped hoses — developed by two British men in the 1930s.
But the hose setup wasn’t particularly efficient or time-effective, prompting Boeing to develop its “flying boom.” Near the back of the tanker, an operator could guide a retractable tube from the tanker to the aircraft in need of fuel. Boeing added its boom to 116 KB-29s.
Fun fact: KB-29s were used to fuel the first nonstop flight around the world by the B-50A Lucky Lady II.
KC-97
Boeing used its luxurious, double-decker commercial 377 Stratocruiser as the basis for the KC-97 Stratotanker. The Air Force bought 811 Renton-built KC-97 tankers from Boeing.
These tankers were the last to be powered by large piston engines. The jet-powered bombers that were being fueled had to fly with their landing gear lowered while KC-97 flew at maximum speed to keep up.
Fun fact: Rather than being used as a tanker, one Boeing 377 was converted into a transport for NASA’s Apollo program. Aero Spacelines B-377PG Pregnant Guppy, Superguppies and Miniguppies, are the predecessors of both Boeing’s 747 Large Cargo Freighters and Airbus’s Beluga.
KC-135
Boeing’s Dash-80 served as the prototype of its 707 aircraft, the company’s first commercial jet and the basis of the KC-135 tanker.
The first KC-135 tanker was dubbed “the City of Renton” when it rolled out of the factory there in 1956. Boeing delivered 732 KC-135 tankers to the Air Force over a span of eight years. About 415 of those tankers have undergone various modifications, including getting a different engine.
Fun fact: The U.S. government used Boeing 707s to transport the president for nearly 30 years, replacing the presidential aircraft with 747s in 1990.
KC-767
Boeing received orders from both the governments of Italy and Japan for tankers based on its 767 commercial jet. The company has filled Japan’s order but still owes Italy four tankers. The tanker uses a remote vision system for refueling.
Fun fact: The 767 NewGen tanker that Boeing plans to offer the U.S. Air Force in the latest contest features fuel-saving winglets and an enhanced flight deck similar to the one on its new 787 Dreamliner.
Other Boeing tankers
The Boeing Co. has produced several other tankers for the U.S. government. Boeing delivered 60 KC-10s, which are a military derivative of the tri-engine DC-10 commercial airplane. The company produced three tankers from 747 jumbo jets and one KB-47, from a B-47 bomber. Additionally, Boeing delivered 371 KB-50 tankers from 1956 to 1965.
Sources: Michael Lombardi, Boeing Co. historian; boeing.com; realamericantankers.com; af.mil.com.
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