Page 10 - Volume 19 Number 11

The KC-135R demands its own briefing, especially for the guests (passengers). The airplane is very utilitarian inside, with much of its wiring and ductwork exposed. Entry is via a large cargo door on the left side and seating is bench-style, running along each side of the interior. Although the pilots enjoy a pressurized EROS-style emergency mask system, much like that found in any GA business jet, there is no centralized emergency oxygen for the passengers. Instead, everyone receives an EEBD (Emergency Escape Breathing Device) hood, contained in a small plastic bag. In a case of depressurization, you are to remove the hood from the bag and crack it open, thereby causing the chemically-produced oxygen to flow, then don. We were given a live demonstration; I came away hoping the cabin stayed pressurized.The KC-135R is also a very mechanical airplane, with cables linking the yoke to the control surfaces with no hydraulic boost except for spoilers, flaps, and rudder. The pilot would be overwhelmed by the control forces had not Boeing linked the yoke to tabs on the inboard and outboard ailerons and the elevators. (The outboard ailerons are neutralized except when flaps are deployed.) The pilot controls the tabs, which in turn move the actual control surfaces. Spoilers also activate to assist with roll when the flaps are deployed. Horizontal stabilizer adjustment is used for trimming the airplane, operated by an electrically-powered jackscrew. One very-seasoned KC-135 captain compared handling to a Piper Navajo; “certainly not the truck-like feel other big Air Force airplanes like the B-52 exhibit”.There are no leading-edge slats, but the KC-135 does have very-formidable double-slotted Fowler flaps and Krueger leading-edge flaps to provide extra lift. All of this, along with nearly 22,000 lbs of thrust from8 • TWIN & TURBINEeach engine, is needed to accommodate a MGTOW of 322,500 lbs. The KC-135R can carry almost twice its empty weight in the form of fuel, most of it accessible for provisioning receiver aircraft.Once airborne, Captain Jamie Blume, the co-pilot, divulged some flight track and holding-position details that were withheld during the briefing. Our destination was AR631 (Air Refueler Route 631), a piece of airspace running east-west from near Kennebunk to Vermont’s southern Champlain Valley. Our holding pattern was defined by four waypoints, used to establish the refueler’s anchor pattern. The clearance was to hold at 22,000 ft while waiting for the receiver aircraft.Places To AvoidThe air refueler routes and anchor points are public information, but they are different from MOAs and restricted areas, and not typically charted or reported in NOTAMs. Fortunately, most of the operations are conducted in positive-control airspace, where ATC provides separation. “Hot” MOAs should definitely be avoided. It’s legal, but entering a hot MOA VFR can be very risky.According to Major Rissacher, “it is generally a bad idea unless you have a lot of awareness of what exactNOVEMBER 2015