Fairchild tankers refuel C-17s over Oregon

A KC- 135 Stratotanker prepares to refuel a C-17 Globemaster III over Oregon, Feb. 27, 2013. The C-17 Globemaster III was from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño)

Fairchild tankers refuel C-17s over Oregon

Airman 1st Class Melanie Bright, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, prepares to refuel a C-17 Globemaster over Oregon, Feb. 27, 2013. The boom operator is part of the three-person crew on the KC-135 Stratotanker. One of the things a boom operator is responsible for is guiding the boom into the receiving aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Janelle Patiño)

KC-46A

An artist's rendering of a KC-46A refueling F-16 Fighting Falcons (photo courtesy the Boeing Company)

“676” Stratofortress static display stands proud

A B-52 Stratofortress static display, tail “676,” sits dominantly at the Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., Heritage Park May 8, 2012. On Dec. 18, 1972, during Linebacker II operations over North Vietnam, “676” became the first B-52 to shoot down an enemy MiG aircraft. The tail gunner, Staff Sgt. Samuel O. Turner, fired his 50-caliber machine guns at a MiG-21 as it moved in to attack the B-52. Turner reported a “gigantic explosion to the rear of the aircraft” and was credited with being the first tail gunner to log a confirmed kill during combat in a B-52. (U.S. Air Force photo by Scott King/Released)

Spokane community members visit base, experience mission first-hand

An F-15 Eagle from the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Ore., refuels during a training sortie over Washington and Oregon March 28, 2012. The Eagle was one of eight F-15s to be refueled in-flight by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton/Released)

Spokane community members visit base, experience mission first-hand

An F-15 Eagle from the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Ore., refuels during a training sortie over Washington and Oregon March 28, 2012. The Eagle was one of eight F-15s to be refueled in-flight by a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton/Released)