Spouse orientation flight showcases reserve refueling mission

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Krystin Trosper
  • 507th Air Refueling Wing Historian
During the February unit training assembly the 507th Air Refueling Wing worked jointly with STRATCOM Wing One to fly Navy and wing spouses on a KC-135R orientation flight to showcase the Air Force Reserve aerial refueling mission.  
  
The mission was a normally scheduled air refueling training sortie but this flight also familiarized military spouses with the unit mission.

Spouses from the Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron three and the 465th Air Refueling Squadron flew on two individual sorties on Feb. 7. Both sorties took off from Tinker Air Force Base at the same time to refuel an E-6B Mercury and the C-5 Galaxy.

The incentive flight program is an Air Force program to aid with retention. Airmen who are listed in critical Air Force specialty codes are given priority to participate in the spouse orientation flight, according to Air Force Instruction 11-401.

"The Spouse Orientation Flight will familiarize military spouses with the unit aircraft and mission to enhance their understanding of the military member's role and contribution to the Air Force mission.  This spouse orientation flight will be limited to retention and recruitment of critical skills," the AFI states.

"The program gives us a chance to really display to spouses what military members do for the military," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Bowman, boom operator in the 465th ARS. "This gives the spouses a broader picture on what their family members are doing."

Despite one of the flights not being able to complete the air refueling, one spouse remained in good spirits.

"We got to see the E-6 come up and get a little bit closer. My husband was in that plane, so that was pretty cool," said Navy spouse, Allison Campbell. "It's such a great opportunity to see what your spouses do."