Pre-Flight Checks
Captain Andrew McLay, and 1st Lieutenant Clint Waitkus both pilots with the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, run through their preflight checklists prior to take off in a KC-135R Stratotanker, March 5, 2009, in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The preflight checks ensure all systems are operating properly before takeoff. Captain McLay is native to Evergreen Colo. and Lieutenant Waitkus hails from Tucson, Ariz. both are deployed from Royal Air Force, Mildenhall, England in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia/released)