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Deployed KC-10 crews extend air time for jets in bad weather

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Denise Johnson
  • 380th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The weather rarely poses obstacles in the Area of Responsibility; but when it does, the results can have serious ramifications.

Friday night's heavy fog and cloud cover seriously limited visibility and interfered with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's flight operations.

One KC-10 Extender was looking to land after flying a full 8-hour-plus mission. Another was on the runway preparing to take off. Although neither crew was able to meet the intended objective, the two refuelers managed to use the tools and people at hand to find the best possible outcomes.

"Friday's weather falls into that small window - about five percent annually according to climatology tables - when we're impeded by the climate," said the chief of the 380th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron's weather flight, Master Sgt. Johnny Whitehead.

Capt. Jason Moraes, pilot with the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, attempted a landing at approximately 2:30 a.m. Visibility deteriorated, thwarting his efforts at the first go round.

"We were on our way home when my copilot called in for a weather report," Captain Moraes said. "The weather caused our visibility to go below the minimum for a landing. The minimum requirements determine the degree of safety involved with the landing."

The crew started looking for an alternative landing site, according to procedures. The next weather update brought news the primary alternative site was likely to be fogged-in as well. If the KC-10 crew diverted to this location they could be held over, impeding mission capability at their home station. As the crew gathered information and contemplated options, weather-flight personnel advised the pilots the weather had temporarily cleared.

"We started a descent to begin our instrument approach to land," Captain Moraes explained. "As we made our approach, we still couldn't see the runway. We aborted the landing approach and climbed back up to altitude."

Landing a KC-10 requires more space than taking off in one. When the tanker descends, the flight deck (where the pilots sit) tilts upward, bringing the rear wheels down to land first. This limits the pilot's ability to see the runway, adding about another 1,000 feet to the minimum visibility requirement.

In the meantime, members of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Command Post were making contact with a British detachment's airfield manager at the secondary landing site, "just in case."

The 380th CP and weather teams were coordinating with the various teams involved, including coalition members at an infrequently-used landing strip. The team effort proved fortunate for the tired crew. With low fuel and limited alternative landing sites, the crew managed an uneventful arrival and was able to get refueled and back in the air by 7:30 a.m.

"I wasn't a fan of diverting to that location. The taxiways are unlit and there was limited information on the width of them as well," the pilot said. "Regardless of the limiting factors, the support we received was really impressive; the British did everything they could to expedite our turn around."

While Captain Moraes and his crew were facing difficulties trying to get down from altitude, Capt. Jim Crum, also a KC-10 pilot with the 908th, and his crew were trying to reach it.

"On our drive to work we noticed the weather conditions were changing rapidly. We immediately asked for an early departure so our fuel would be available in the AOR," Captain Crum said.

The pilot said his crew understood the constraints and responded to the situation accordingly. "We already heard there was an aircraft running low on fuel that might need assistance enroute. My crew didn't miss a beat; we took off 40 minutes early," he said.

The mission was underway. The KC-10 was airborne when the message came across that the scheduled receivers (aircraft to be refueled) cancelled their missions. The crew was directed to stay in the local area to provide support for any aircraft that might also be unable to land due to the weather.

With the help of the weather team the air traffic controllers and command post, Captain Crum and his crew were able to refuel local aircraft so they could hold their flying patterns until the weather cleared.

"We managed to launch a tanker ahead of schedule in a small window of time to keep airplanes from needing to divert; the fuel we supplied kept the returning crews airborne until the weather lifted," said Lt. Col. Joel Jackson, 908th EARS commander. "These were critical contributions by our teams, so we'd have airplanes and crews available to fly the next missions. Other aircraft in the AOR were also kept from diverting. Overall, the situation could have been much worse if we hadn't gotten our tanker up there."

The foresight proved fruitful for not only aircraft returning to the 380th, but also for the crew of an RC-135 Rivet Joint assigned to another base in the AOR. The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater- and national-level consumers with near real-time, on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

"Once we took care of returning aircraft here, we proceeded to another area to provide further refueling," the captain said. "We provided fuel to an RC-135, allowing a high-value asset to hold its pattern alleviating the need to divert."

Diversions affect a wing's ability to meet the Air Tasking Order. Considering the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron supplies about a third of the AOR's air-to-air refueling, the loss of a KC-10 and its crew can have wide-reaching ramifications. An aircraft that diverts could get stranded at the alternate landing site while also extending flying time for the flight crews.

Extended flying times can cause delays in crew rest which is required for anyone in flight-crew status. Flight crews must have rest 12 hours prior to flying; the last eight hours must be uninterrupted. Extended missions bump flying schedules due to maintenance and because the crew's rest time also gets pushed back.

To prevent these losses, a lot of Airmen have to come together to formulate and execute a plan.

"It's often been said, 'flexibility is the key to air power.'" Lieutenant Colonel Jackson said. "No matter what the weather or conditions, we are able to use our training and experience to make the mission work. That's what the 380th does every day: we fly the ATO and set the conditions to fly tomorrow."