MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 927th Air Refueling Wing, Florida, participated in an incentive flight on September 11, 2021.
The flight was offered to Airmen who won either Airmen of the Quarter or Airman of the Year awards.
The 17 Airman who participated on this trip flew with pilots and boom operators with the 63 Air Refueling Squadron on a KC-135 Stratotanker. There were two flights. One flight refueled F-16 Fighting Falcons with the 482nd Fighter Wing, Florida. The second flight refueled an E-3 Sentry with the 552nd Air Control Wing, Oklahoma.
Aerial refueling is the 927th’s primary mission, this flight was an opportunities to see the end result of all their hard work.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Melissa Laughrey, the assistant chief nurse with the 927th Aerospace Staging Squadron, was a passenger on the flight. She had been on C-17 Globemasters and C-130 Hercules before, but never a KC-135 Stratotanker.
Laurey said, “At the end of the day, this is our mission. This flight is an excellent opportunity to understand what is going on and how we have an impact.”
Some of the passengers on the flights were with the 927th Maintenance Group and were used to seeing different types of military aircraft as part of their job. However, even though this flight was just a few short hours, the experience proved to be different.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Agbenu, a communications navigation and mission systems specialist with the 927th Maintenance Group said, “I have seen F-16s in the past on the flightline, but it was cool to see them in action up close and personal.”
The 927th ARW has recently started to routinely offer incentive flights to Airmen with the Wing. Although, this flight was offered to Airmen of the Quarter or Airman of the Year award winners, moving forward it will be opened it up to all Airmen of the Wing.