A B-2 Spirit prepares to refuel from a KC-135 over the Pacific Ocean. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Force)

‘Aerial refueling has never been as important as it is today, with air forces operating in hostile airspace over Iraq and Afghanistan.’

High above the Arizona desert in 2004 a harrowing scene played out. Lieutenant Colonel Edward B. Lamar Jr., a veteran air tanker pilot with service in Bosnia and Iraq, was flying a KC-135 on a training mission, refueling a flight of four A-10 Thunderbolts, when one of the Wart­hogs got stuck on his boom. “We can’t bail out because we’ll hit his airplane,” Lamar recalled. “He can’t punch out because we’ll crash. We can’t land together. Any other plane, it wouldn’t have been as bad, but with the A-10 the boom’s right in front of the cockpit.”

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The tanker crew and Warthog pilot struggled for what seemed like an eternity to separate the aircraft, eventually arriving at a solution. “The guy wound up killing both his generators at the same time we retracted the boom,” said Lamar, “and it somehow interrupted the electrical charge of the jaws that were keeping him clamped onto us. Finally—after 45 long minutes—he managed to break free. It damaged the boom and the fueling receptacle, but we both landed safely.”

Fortunately, episodes like this have been rare in the 85-year history of in-flight refueling, or IFR. That’s a good thing, because aerial refueling has never been as important as it is today, especially with air forces operating in hostile airspace such as over Iraq and Af­ghanistan. The aerial ballet that is modern IFR remains a key component in warfare and reconnaissance, as well as humanitarian missions.

It all started with a barnstorming stunt in November 1921, when wing-walker Wesley May strapped a gas can to his back and stepped out of an airborne Lincoln Standard, crossed over to a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” and filled its tank. The idea had actually been envisioned during World War I—notably by Russian aviator Alexander de Seversky in 1917—but it didn’t get serious consideration until the 1920s, when record-breaking endurance flights began to make headlines.

In June 1923 the crews of two U.S. Army Air Service de Havilland D.H.4Bs accomplished the first practical IFR, using a hose to transfer 75 gallons of gas between the planes. A more dramatic experiment took place in the first week of January 1929, this time with a Fokker C-2A trimotor crewed by Major Carl Spaatz, Captain Ira Eaker, Lieutenant Harry Halverson, Lieutenant Elwood Quesada and Sergeant Ray Hooe. Since no one knew how long the Fokker could stay aloft without landing, it was dubbed Question Mark. The answer was just under 151 hours, with 42 successful refueling sorties made by two Douglas C-1s acting as tankers. One fuel transfer actually took place over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena while Georgia Tech and California battled it out on the field below. The flight finally ended after the Fokker developed engine trouble. One of the Douglas pilots, Captain Ross Hoyt, later achieved legendary status thanks to the Brig. Gen. Ross Hoyt Award, which is awarded annually to the Air Force’s top refueling crew.

In a 1935 demonstration, brothers Fred and Al Key made use of the first spill-free refueling nozzle, employing a cutoff valve designed by A.D. Hunter. That device has been essential to IFR ever since.

Despite these preliminary successes, the U.S. Army Air Corps did not zealously pursue aerial refueling in the run-up to World War II. At one point the U.S. Navy considered developing the strategy for its seaplanes, but once aircraft carriers came on the scene, IFR took a back seat. The concept was actively explored by other nations, however, with Britain taking the lead.

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