"The other prior service students and I would usually get together and hit the books. Knowing they are all in the same boat, Walls said the students help each other as much as possible when their on their own. "Putting that knowledge to use can be a bit overwhelming at first because things happen pretty fast." "I think it was partly being back on the flightline in my comfort zone and having a good foundation."īerry said, new students are generally very good at running checklists correctly and have solid book knowledge. "For my first flight I was nervous the morning of, but as soon as I stepped on the jet, the nerves were gone," Walls said. As the training goes on I will slowly fade into the background as the student takes charge and grows into their job."Īfter making it through much of the classroom and simulator instruction, Walls was ready to get back to the aircraft so she could put her knowledge to work. "On the first flight I will demonstrate several things, make a lot of the radio calls and sometimes help the student on the control stick. "My approach is to be very hands on at the beginning and gradually pull back," Berry said. "Usually a student will have several different instructors so they can have advice from different points of view. "My instructors were very knowledgeable," Walls said. With experience under his belt and the expectations set forth, Berry, along with his fellow instructors, provide the confidence and support the students need. "We want them to study in their spare time and come to each flight with a good attitude, prepared to accomplish the mission and willing to learn their part." Logan Berry, a 54th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator instructor. "We expect students to know the procedure in the checklist and have a basic knowledge of how the systems on the plane work," said Tech. With so much going on, the students rely on their instructors to provide the knowledge and support they need. Now I'm part of the crew it's much more involved." "When you're flying as a crew chief, you're not as involved as the crew on the KC-135," Walls said. Students also spend approximately three weeks in survival school, and then spend the next four months at Altus studying, training in simulators, learning checklists and flying. Much more in fact, before boom operators come to Altus, they spend one month at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, learning the basics of tanker aircraft. Walls came away with a lot of knowledge, more than just being able to make good contacts during refueling. "I expected to learn more about backing up the pilots, and how to operate the boom," she said. "I loved being a crew chief, but I just felt like this was an advancement."Īlready being familiar with the KC-135 from her previous career field, Walls was ready to learn more. "I felt like being a boom operator was a new challenge and I was at a turning point in my career," she said. Amanda Walls, a former KC-135 crew chief with Tennessee Air National Guard’s 151st Air Refueling Squadron.Īfter spending six years as a KC-135 crew chief, Walls said she decided she was ready for a career change. However, before any of this is possible, they had to go through extensive training.Īltus Air Force Base is where the path begins for all KC-135 boom operators, including Staff Sgt. (AFNS) - Boom operators on an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker have the ability to pump thousands of pounds of fuel to any capable aircraft, thousands of feet above the ground, flying at 200 knots, all while only 47 feet from colliding into each other.
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