MacDill boom operators hone skills through simulation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Xavier Lockley
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FL --  At MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, KC-135 Stratotankers take center stage. The multifaceted capability they provide includes in-flight air refueling, cargo and passenger airlift, and aeromedical evacuation in support of contingency and humanitarian operations around the world.

While the pilots fly the mission, a group of highly trained enlisted boom operators provide a valuable skill set that is also vital to mission success. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joel Hildebrand, a boom operator with the 63rd Air Refueling Squadron, MacDill AFB, is one of those enlisted members ensuring aircraft are able to receive fuel safely at 20,000 feet.

To accomplish the precise maneuver, boom operators like Hildebrand must train constantly. Booms must stay current on mission requirements and the latest policy and procedures through classroom instruction, hands on evaluations and self-study.
"To hone my skills, I really just have to stay in the books," said Hildebrand. "With the Air Force constantly adding new aircraft to the inventory you have to continue to train as hard as we do to stay current," Hildebrand said.

As a traditional reservist, Hildebrand and other boom operators must make the most of their time during the unit training assembly weekends to fulfill their training requirements.

"Being a reservist we have to maximize the training time that we get," said Hildebrand. "Obviously we aren't here every day like the active duty, but when we come out to do our jobs whether it's here on station, in the simulator or elsewhere out in the field, we need to keep learning and progressing because that is what keeps us sharp."

One of the tools Hildebrand uses to keep his skills sharp is the boom operator weapons system trainer located here at MacDill. The BOWST is one of only a handful of simulators throughout the AF Reserve and members of the 63rd are fortunate to have one on base according to Hildebrand.

During the November unit training assembly, Hildebrand went through a simulated daytime mission in the BOWST. The scenario involved an air-to-air refueling of a C-5 Galaxy aircraft and included events Hildebrand could expect to encounter during a real world mission. 

"When you are a boom operator and dealing with another aircraft in close proximity, you always have to expect the unexpected," said Hildebrand. "You never know if turbulence will affect the refueling process then you may have to re-align the pump again, there is just a lot to go through so that the job gets done," he added.   

The BOWST is used as an effective way to mimic malfunctions that can change certain aspects such as time of day, cloud coverage, turbulence, and a change of receivers from fighter jets to heavy aircraft. In a short period of time boom operators must know how to operate when those conditions arise.