MILWAUKEE, Wis. – At the 128 Air Refueling Wing’s Open House event September 13 and 14, members of the public will be able to get up close and personal with some of the aircraft that call the 128th home. The crew on base lovingly call it “Pet-A-Jet”.
Ahead of time, WTMJ got an opportunity to pet-a-jet from 26,000 feet above the ground while a KC-135 Stratotanker actively refueled a C-17 Globemaster III in the skies above Nebraska.
The Stratotanker, commissioned in 1963 and featuring many of the same unaltered mechanics 62 years later, delivered about 5,000 pounds of jet fuel to the Globemaster.
One of the unique characteristics of the aircraft is its overhead heating system, built into the ceiling and making the cabin feel hotter towards the ceiling than at ground level. Cpt. Brian Benning tells WTMJ air temperatures range between -40 and -60 degrees at the altitudes the KC-135 flies at.
“Sometimes we have to actually descend into a warmer air mass to keep our fuel from gelling up,” says Cpt. Benning.
It’s hard to miss the big refuelers that belong to the 128th. The vertical stabilizers include nods to Wisconsin and Milwaukee, with a winged beer stein indicating the refueling wing is “Home of the Brew City Tankers”.
“We started that process about a year ago and just got that done about two months ago,” says Air National Guard Cpt. Charles Merkel.
The outing included a quick tour inside a KC-46 jet that had just landed from New Hampshire.
This weekend marks the first Open House at the 128th since 2012. In addition to the KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III, an F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18 Hornet and more will also be available to check out up close. The event runs 10:00am to 4:00pm September 13 and 14 and is free to the public.
View more photos captured by WTMJ’s Adam Roberts from a ride-along during a refueling mission September 12:
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