Your Tax Dollars at Work

George Grand · February 2005

There were combat air patrols over New York City today, and guess who got to refuel them, right over his old neighborhood in Brooklyn.............me.

George Grand · February 2005

Maybe YOUR uniform Chico, I was born to do this stuff. I made this contact Annie Oakley style, laying on my back instead of my stomach using a mirror.

I'm full of **** too. What a cheap thrill, refueling the guys protecting my old stomp. The only thing better would've been driving that F-16.

This digital camera makes the F-16 look a lot further away than it actually is. In real time, if the guy flipped his helmet sun visor up, you could tell what color his eyes were.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands

cfrizz · February 2005

Awesome picture George!

George Grand · February 2005

Thank you my good woman!

I plugged this guy and his wingman three separate times today, with about an hour and a half between each rendezvous. Damn F-16 drives forever on a tank of gas.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

Dennis Gardner · February 2005

What are you flyin' there George?

George Grand · February 2005

I'm "flying" the boom that's transferring the gas into the F-16. The little "wings" you see on the boom are ruddevators, and my inputs move those "wings". The ruddevator control stick is in my right hand, and the telescoping lever is in the left hand. Line up the boom with the receptacle and plug 'em! It's a piece of cake.

I ride on a "tanker" Dennis, the KC-135E. Today it was serial # 58-0111, a 1958 model.

In the flying business, when the word tanker is used, it means a -135. When "bomber" is used, it means the Bongo 52's. Both Boeing's and a hell of a compliment to the company. There are other airplanes that transfer gas, and when people talk about them they call them KC-10's. Other airplanes are used to drop bombs strategically, and they are B-1's, and B-2's.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

warren · February 2005

Wow George, my bro. in law was a crew chief out O'Hara, retired did a stint over in sand land when Daddy Bush didnt like what Sadam was do to his neighbors. Regards, Warren

beardog03 · February 2005

Now that`s a cool job..!!!:cool:

Dennis Gardner · February 2005

Wayyyy Cool George!

I figured that it was a KC-135. I get buzzed by the C-5a bunch out of Fort Sill OK. alot. Now that is a beast of a plane. That and the wise guys out of McConnell in Wichita love to fly low at +400 right over your head on the western Kansas highways in the B-1s.
If that doesn't pucker your butt nothing will. You don't even know what happened until they are almost outta sight.:D

George Grand · February 2005

Dennis, Bones (B-1's) ARE loud.

The guy in the photo drove that thing real good. I plugged him at 12 feet of extension and he never moved. Just PARKED that thing. I felt comfortable enough with him to let go of everything and shoot the image you see.

His wingman was a little less stable, and I didn't get HIS picture.

Both were from the 178 Fighter Squadron, North Dakota Air Guard. They are home based at mighty Fargo Int'l. Airport (with daily flights to Canada). They are the "Happy Hooligans" and on rotation to a base here on the East Coast.

My unit is the 150th Air Refueling Squadron, New Jersey Air Guard.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

amulford · February 2005

That's the thing about being military... You get to play with some WAY cool toys:D

beardog03 · February 2005

Hey George...

Thanks for helping to keep our country safe...

Again...that`s a way cool job..!!!

Nemesis · February 2005

Wow. I'm getting a copy of this photo to peg in my locker (next to my shots of the 2005 Mustang

)

shack · February 2005

I get to see those KC-135Es quite often. The 134th Air Refueling Wing is located at McGhee Tyson here in Knoxville. There are a couple of golf courses next to the airbase and from time to time they will do some touch-and-gos and other training manuvers while I'm playing golf. When they are doing some of their practice runs they almost seem to hover in the air with very little air speed. The base is adjacent to the airport so lots of jets come and go but you always know the 135s when you see them. Quite impressive aircraft. Here is a picture of one of them over Neyland Stadium....home of the Tennessee Volunteers Football team.

disneyjoe7 · February 2005

Beautiful Picture, thanks for sharing George.

George Grand · February 2005

You're welcome .

Those are REAL, ARMED, AIM 7 Sparrow radar guided missiles on the wingtip stations, REAL, ARMED, AIM 9L Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles on the stations just inboard of the Sparrows, and a couple of 500 gallon external fuel tanks on each inboard station. The dark oblong shape off to the right of the pilots left shoulder, is the port for the 6 barrel Vulcan 20mm Gatling cannon. The pilot can select several rates of fire for 'The Gun" the fastest being 6,000 rounds per minute. 100 per second. I've heard those things on high rate of fire and it doesn't sound at all like individual explosions. It sounds like a burst of electricity. I'm sure the gun was also armed today, with as much ammo as the F-16 can carry, which isn't a lot. It certainly doesn't carry anywhere near 6,000 rounds. It might carry 800-1000. Those cannon shells are big, take up a lot of room, and are heavy.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

beardog03 · February 2005

mmmmm the vulcan.....

**drool,drool**

Those are the ultamate machine gun !

They have those on blackhawks,don`t they ?

jcaut · February 2005

Awesome picture, George!

12' --! I didn't really realize the distances involved there.
At about what altitude was that picture taken?

When I was a kid living at home, the F-16s from the 188th, out of Ft. Smith, would occasionally fly down the valley where I lived (lightly-inhabited, rural Arkansas), maybe a few hundred feet above the treetops. They were usually in pairs, and sometimes I got to see the second one, or the back end of it, anyway. Scared the hell out of me, more than once. That's a pretty awesome noise, especially when it breaks the relative silence of a quiet morning out in the country.

Thanks for the picture!

Jason

disneyjoe7 · February 2005

Originally posted by jcaut
At about what altitude was that picture taken?

I take a guess here 14500ft.

George Grand · February 2005

At precisely 21,000 feet, or FL 210 as we call it.

Blackhawks I believe use 7.62mm mini-guns. I didn't make up the mini-gun part, that's really what they're called.

Google up the AC-130 "Spectre" gunships if you want a real woody. We refuel those guys every now and then, but never in daylight. Those things are a nightmare. They have so much **** aboard them that shoots it's unbelievable. Vulcans, 40mm Bofors cannons, and one model had/has a 105mm howitzer. The targeting system they have is also good enough to take out a truck windshield FIRST, then they move to the cargo area. Get the first and last truck in a convoy, everybody in the middle has no place to go. Nasty.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

organ · February 2005

Originally posted by George Grand
I plugged this guy and his wingman three separate times today

LOL:D Oh my!;)

GREAT SHOT!!! The F-16 is one sexy bird. I used to collect little toy airplanes when I was a kid and my fav were the two F16's I had.

Maurice

George Grand · February 2005

Sparrows and Sidewinders are the industry standard babe.

You have any idea how big a Sparrow missile is? Even if it just HITS your aircraft without blowing up, your day is ruined.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Typical guy. F-16's go fast, make a lot of noise, and aren't nearly as beautiful as a prop driven B-17. Now THAT is a beautiful airplane friend. Nobody, but nobody in the business calls airplanes "birds".

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

George Grand · February 2005

I have to apologize to Organ, what I wrote is a little harsh and I didn't intend it to sound that way.

Sorry Organ.

Birds are the only things that REALLY know how to fly!

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

bert26 · February 2005

Hi George - I'd just like to chime in and offer up my thanks and gratitude to yourself (and all the other service guys) for the job you do. None of you gets enough credit. Well done.

I have to agree about the prop driven aircraft (especially of WWII). There is just something beautiful about them. My favorite has always been the F4U Corsair. Those gull wings and big prop are awesome to see up close. That's not to say that the F/A 18 Hornets and F14 Tomcats aren't amazing, just different in a modern way. Something very sterile about them to me....

I live pretty close to Dayton OH, where Wright Patterson AFB is. It is also home to the USAF Museum (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/). I would recommend that place to anyone who loves airplanes, old and new. I get down there a couple of times a year, and I never tire of it.

Please pass along my thanks to your fellows.

Chris

Your Tax Dollars at Work

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