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May 8, 2008 10:47 pm US/Eastern
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Refueling Wing Executes Precision In The Sky
MOON TOWNSHIP (KDKA) ―
This weekend marks an early return for the "Wings Over Pittsburgh" Air Show.
It begins Saturday at the 911th Air Base in Moon Township and a local unit is showing off their skills in keeping some top technology in the skies.
Technologically speaking, they're a relic, but the Boeing KC-135 is key to keeping some of today's high-tech military aircraft flying, and it's Pittsburgh-based manpower that run these refueling missions throughout the country.
"This is a training mission, so obviously we have a certain attention to detail, but there's no bad guys around, so that makes it easier. And this is a lot of fun," Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Schill, of the PA Air National Guard, said.
Inside, their task is anything but easy. The two in the cockpit play a delicate balancing act between the planes on a refueling circuit between Pittsburgh, Ohio and the Great Lakes.
The men and women behind the whole mission control a massive boom that dumps the equivalent of six tractor-trailer loads of fuel into its destination, an F-22 Raptor.
And while you always run the risk of some challenges in the air, it's a job that these reservists do with pinpoint accuracy. Even though it's a part-time job for much of the 171st, they know it's all about working together.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)