One bird three stones: KC-135 crew completes three missions in a day

by Senior Airman Micaiah Anthony
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

7/11/2014 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- Out of the quiet, clear blue sky, a KC-135 Stratotanker bursts through the clouds, racing towards its destination. Inside, a small swarm of people move swiftly through the cabin. The chatter is broken by an Airman shouting, "He's crashing!"

Another Airman rushes to her side and immediately begins performing chest compressions as the female Airman pumps oxygen into the unconscious individual. The Airmen work for several minutes, attempting to revive the incapacitated passenger, when suddenly a faint beep suspends the action. The tension finally lifts as a series of beeps begin to become more frequent and the Airmen continue their work to sustain the patient.

On June 24, 2014, this scenario was one of three missions supported by a KC-135 aircrew from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron on RAF Mildenhall, England. Though the in-flight emergency was part of a training exercise, the crew also performed two other missions this day, transporting military personnel and their families and aerial refueling.

The first mission the crew supported was a space-available mission from RAF Mildenhall to Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

"When mission and cargo permits, we're able to provide space available travel to bases with passenger terminals," said Capt. David Clark, 351st ARS chief of wing weapons and tactics from St. Clair Shores, Michigan. "It's a nice benefit for retirees, military members and their dependents at almost no cost."

When passengers are present, it's the boom operator's responsibility to ensure all cargo, including luggage, are secured.

"We're in charge of everything behind the flight deck," said Staff Sgt. Michael Eiland, 351st ARS boom operator from Omaha, Nebraska. "We're responsible for loading and keeping the baggage secure during the flight, along with making sure passengers are safe and comfortable."

With passengers on board and luggage secured, the aircraft departed RAF Mildenhall for Ramstein AB. Shortly after the passengers disembarked the aircraft, a truck pulled up alongside the aircraft and several Airmen from the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron strategically unloaded medical equipment from the vehicle and onto the tanker.

"We brought in-flight kits which contain all of the medical supplies we need, along with an equipment litter that has all of our life sustaining equipment on it," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Dahlberg, 86th AES medical technician from North Branford, Connecticut.

With all equipment and crew on board, the aircraft once again departed. Once in the air, Airmen from the 86th AES talked through various medical scenarios and KC-135 statistics.

"For some of our Airmen, it was their first flight on a KC-135," said Dahlberg. "We walked around and discussed the aircraft's electrical and oxygen systems, along with emergency exits."

After the familiarization overview, the training was suspended due to aerial refueling.

"We offloaded 10,000 pounds of fuel to eight German Tornados to support our NATO partnership," said Clark. "We provide the power projection to get forces where they need to be in a rapid fashion and enable that power worldwide."

Shortly after the last Tornado was topped off, training for the 86th AES Airmen continued with an in-flight emergency.

"For the hands-on scenario, we had a cardiac emergency to test the Airmen's advance cardiac life-supporting training," said Dahlberg. "However, our main objective for this flight was to get our Airmen comfortable with the aircraft during medical emergencies."

With the medical training complete, the aircraft returned to Ramstein AB to exchange the in-flight medical crew and their equipment for another group of travelers and their luggage to RAF Mildenhall.

"We're a worldwide asset. We can go anywhere, anytime, due to our extremely efficient, fast and versatile aircraft," said Clark. "Whether supporting medical evacuations or in-flight refueling, we're ready to support any mission."

As the sun began its final descent for the day, so did the KC-135. The aircraft tires screeched as the rubber met the pavement. The timeworn tanker trembled as the reverse thrusters engaged. At its final destination, passengers departed as the aircrew began their post flight checks.

Once the aircraft was buttoned up, the crew wound down and headed home to relax and prepare for their next mission.