News>Life of a mission supporting French fighter aircraft
Photos
(Left to right) Senior Airman Michael Warren and Tech. Sgt. Michael Mackey, both with the 100th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, review maintenance logs and the flight plan with 1st Lt. John Lachiewicz and Capt. Tim Gerne, both with the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, prior to their flight on March 17, 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
Capt. Tim Gerne, 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, conducts pre-flight checks on a KC-135 Stratotanker prior to a March 17, 2013, flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
Capt. Tim Gerne, 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, enters data into the Flight Management System on a KC-135 Stratotanker prior to a March 17, 2013, flight. The FMS is the aircraft’s computer that controls various aspects of each mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
First Lt. John Lachiewicz, 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, performs an after-climb check on a KC-135 Stratotanker shortly after takeoff on a March 17, 2013, mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
Airman 1st Class Anthony Ellsworth, 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, prepares to refuel French fighter aircraft from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a March 17, 2013, mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
A French fighter aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during a March 17, 2013, mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
A French fighter aircraft pulls forward after refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during a March 17, 2013, mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
A French fighter aircraft rolls left away from a KC-135 Stratotanker flown by the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron during a March 17, 2013, mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
First Lt. John Lachiewicz and Capt. Tim Gerne, both 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, bank their KC-135 Stratotanker toward the runway after a March 17, 2013, refueling mission. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Jason Smith)
by Capt. Jason Smith
100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
3/20/2013 - SOUTHWEST EUROPE -- On March 17, 2013, a 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron aircrew delivered fuel to French fighter aircraft over Africa.
The French fighters are conducting operations over Mali, and the air-to-air refueling expands the operational capability of French aircraft by allowing them to remain airborne for extended periods of time.
Since deploying from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, RAF Mildenhall, England, Jan. 26, 2013, the 351st has flown more than 100 sorties in support of the French, delivering more than 4.5 million pounds of fuel.
This mission is shown in pictures from start to final approach back to the deployed location. On this particular mission, the pilots were Capt. Tim Gerne, a Barnegat, N.J., native, and 1st Lt. John Lachiewicz a Chapel Hill, N.C., native. Airman 1st Class Anthony Ellsworth was the boom operator and is a Gilbert, Ariz., native.
