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Spokane media fly with Fairchild crew

  • Published
  • By Scott King
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Spokane-area media outlets witnessed a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling mission first-hand on Friday.

Journalists from KREM 2 News, KXLY 4 News, KHQ 6 News, the Spokesman Review and the Cheney Free Press newspapers boarded the KC-135 and documented the mission highlighting the refueling of six F-15 Eagles from Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Oregon and one C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

It was an eye opening experience for the journalists.

"It was great flight and the experience of a lifetime," said Kaitlin Loukides, KREM 2 News reporter and first-time flyer with Fairchild. "I feel like today I met the real 'Captain Americas' of our time."

A more seasoned flyer with Fairchild, Jeff Humphrey with KXLY 4 News said; "This is not the first time I've been on this workhorse [KC-135] and hopefully will not be my last. It's always a pleasure to fly with Fairchild crews. This mission in particular was significant because we got to see multiple airframes being refueled and I will be showcasing the importance of the KC-135 and its role in building air bridges to bring the fight to the enemies."

The mission took the journalists more than 1,200 miles above Washington, Oregon and Idaho where the crew unloaded roughly 24,000 pounds or 3,500 gallons of fuel to the receivers.

For one crew member, it was an important mission.

"I always think it's important for people to know that the military is still here," said SrA Amy Zemaitis, 92nd Operations Group boom operator. "It's good to let the public know [through the media] there are still people defending and serving this country."

Col. Matthew Fritz, 92nd Air Refueling Wing vice commander, piloted the plane. He also emphasized the importance of bridges, but in a different way.

"Because we have a large gap between civilians and the military, this is how we bridge it," Fritz said. "This flight is an opportunity for us to engage with civilians to close that gap."

Other crew members for this flight were: Capt. Robert Delabar, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron instructor pilot; 1st Lt. Kris Hull, 92nd ARS pilot; Senior Master Sgt. Jeremiah Docken, 92nd OG instructor boom operator and SrA Amy Zemaitis, 92nd OG instructor boom operator.