Aerial refueling.

[V1670]

Just a quick question: during the 50s-80's, I used to see fairly often aerial refueling ops in the skies over the San Francisco bay area. Regularly, you'd see B-52's getting a drink from KC-135's.

How come I don't see that routine anymore in the bay area skies? I know it goes on, but is there some reg against ops over a populated area? What gives?

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I see the KC10s every so often, never refueling however. I think the refueling tracks are now either over water, or out over Nevada.

Will

[Reever]

Re: Aerial refueling.

One answer might be that the B-52's that use to be at Travis, Beale, Mather and Castle AFB's are all gone.

135's too.

Steve

[rampking]

Re: Aerial refueling.

Just a quick question: during the 50s-80's, I used to see fairly often aerial refueling ops in the skies over the San Francisco bay area. Regularly, you'd see B-52's getting a drink from KC-135's.

How come I don't see that routine anymore in the bay area skies? I know it goes on, but is there some reg against ops over a populated area? What gives?

There used to be a SAC detachment of KC-135's at Travis AFB years ago, kept parked right next to the runway for emergency scrambles.
After the Soviet collapse, no longer B-52's always in the air.
Plus Travis was a huge gateway to the Pacific during the Vietnam War.
The anti-military types in Northern California got their wishes granted, Moffett, Hamilton, Mather, McClellan, Alameda and Castle airfields are all gone, Beale is threatened. End of story. Outside of the F-18E/F training base at Lemoore NAS and the ANG F-16's at the Fresno airport, nobody in Northern California watching the store.

[Leo]

Re: Aerial refueling.

Travis was threatened by development back in the 90's. It was felt that the open space and farmlands around it could be floodproofed and housing, LOTS of housing built.
The thought of a C-5 or KC going into a subdivision made the AF threaten to close Travis for safety and reactivate somewhere else. With the loss of Mare Island jobs fresh in local minds the whole proposal quietly went away.
I see them over Reno fairly often. You can see them joining up waaaay up there, sometimes several KC-10's in a loose formation.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Aerial refueling.

One answer might be that the B-52's that use to be at Travis, Beale, Mather and Castle AFB's are all gone.

135's too.

Steve

That would be my guess too. I must say though that I have never seen refueling done over the south bay area, and I been here over 50 years.

I DID see a simulation re-fueling done at Moffett in the 80's with a C-130 and twin trailing heli's, but for crowd safety reasons they never actually hooked up.

[Reever]

Re: Aerial refueling.

This goes back to the sixties, but, at an open house at NAS Lemoore, an A-4 with a buddy pack refueling an A-3 and the A-3 was refueling an F-8.

All three hooked up.

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I remember seeing a refueling being done using an A-6 Intruder at a PT. Mugu airshow back in the 80s or early 90s.

[ukmerlin]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I live in Big Sur CA and see air to air refueling constantly.The deep rumble is a dead give away . Usually they will pass N/S ish and then return not long after (5- 30 mins) C5+KC135 ? big buggers though!!
Best when seen at night , they have a lot of lights on!!!

[Warbird5]

Re: Aerial refueling.

Just a quick question: during the 50s-80's, I used to see fairly often aerial refueling ops in the skies over the San Francisco bay area. Regularly, you'd see B-52's getting a drink from KC-135's.

How come I don't see that routine anymore in the bay area skies? I know it goes on, but is there some reg against ops over a populated area? What gives?

Morning,

With the closure of Castle AFB in 1991 the B-52 and KC-135 Air Crew training units were moved to other locations. With the number of training sorties flown Monday - Friday from Castle there would have been many dry and wet air refueling hooks up possible, visible all over northern California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.

Willie

[tim]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I live in Big Sur CA and see air to air refueling constantly.The deep rumble is a dead give away . Usually they will pass N/S ish and then return not long after (5- 30 mins) C5+KC135 ? big buggers though!!
Best when seen at night , they have a lot of lights on!!!

The last time I saw an air to air refueling was south of Big Sur, a KC-10 and a C-17, but looking down on them from a Southwest flight.

I do miss seeing all of the military flights that used to dot our skies.

[deepsky]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I listen to to the tanker tracks on my scanner all the time. If I can find it I will post a map of the tanker tracks over the US. Some of them have changed and the Air Force no longer publishes the information but I still hear them. Last time the T Birds flew at the races I caught them tanking on their way to the next show.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Aerial refueling.

I just walked outside and saw a KC10 flying a racetrack pattern with 6 F18s in tow. It was pretty sweet. I didn't see any on the boom, but there were 3 F18s in formation on each side of the tanker while the tanker continued to make a shallow left turn back toward Santa Rosa.

I wish I had my camera.

Will

[deepsky]

Re: Aerial refueling.

A couple of days ago my buddy and I watched a KC-10, four fleet F-18's, two aggressor F-16's, and three aggressor T-38's take off from Reno. Very cool sight as the flew right over us!

[p51flyby42]

Re: Aerial refueling.

That would be my guess too. I must say though that I have never seen refueling done over the south bay area, and I been here over 50 years.

I DID see a simulation re-fueling done at Moffett in the 80's with a C-130 and twin trailing heli's, but for crowd safety reasons they never actually hooked up.

I remember them flying RIGHT over my house! Very cool! Remember it, and tell the story, to this day.