KC-135 Refueling Flight

Sitting in a cargo net on the inside of a flying hot dog, eating Chick-fil-a, and having some deep conversations with new friends. Voices loud, to hear over the roaring of the engine of our KC-135 flying four miles above ground.  Smiles, nervous stomachs, and quiet observers among the passengers. 

Taking flight in a KC-135 at McConnell Air Force Base was probably one of my all time favorite memories.  Few select spouses got the chance to fly with some of the best KC-135 pilots over Kansas into Missouri and back last week.  With a rare opportunity to walk freely through the plane, into the cockpit, and listen to the chatter of the pilots in formation flying around giant Midwest thunderclouds.  Their eyes and hands never ceasing to analyze and adjust all the knobs and buttons and dials. 

How often can one say they got to lie down in the belly of the KC-135, with a blond 20-something, female boom operator, set to observe an oncoming jet ready to be refueled?  She patiently and calmly talks into her headset to the pilot below and the one flying our plane, giving them the readings of all the buttons and whistles beneath her nose. Her hands directly under her, navigate a joystick bringing a swinging hose through the air, closer and closer to the top of a jet waiting for the sound of suction and connection as a 1,000 gallons a minute get pumped into the jet needing to get a few more miles in before landing. Clouds skim over the top of the receiving jet wings.  Flying just beneath and behind our plane, constantly making adjustments left and right, remaining as steady as possible through turbulence.

On a clear day, you might have seen the quilt of Kansas below, but today only gray and white clouds are the view beneath the planes.  Amazingly, the flying hose stays connected through rough skies and with constant communication and teamwork, a loud pop and the hose releases.  The planes separate and the jet beneath drops down and below the belly of our plane, slowly backing away into the distance.  The boom operator watches and notifies the pilot of the current location of the detached plane until it is gone from our view.

I stumble back to my seat on the side of the plane, with a pure joyous smile on my face, filled with adrenaline.  What an experience I will not soon forget!

Son, in the words of Lee Ann Womack, 'when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.'   Never let fear hold you back from having some of the greatest experiences of your life.  Take hold of the fear and tell it, "not today!"  You won't regret it!