507th Air Refueling Wing

Cecilia Ainsworth, a Production Management Specialist with the 421st Supply Chain Management Squadron, watches as Col. Michael Mahon, 507th Air Refueling Wing vice commander, adds 2 additional flight hours to her father’s pilot flight hour log book following an employer support orientation flight. The last previous entry in the log occurred more than 61 years ago. Ainsworth, the civilian employer of a 507th ARW Air Force Reservist, had been selected to participate in the December 3 flight. The flights are conducted to show civilian employers the importance of their support for national defense.

507th Air Refueling Wing

The yellowed pages of a decades old pilot flight hour log book that had belonged to Cecilia Ainsworth’s father received an update December 3 with a recording of 2 additional hours flown aboard a KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft belonging to the 507th Air Refueling Wing, Air Force Reserve. Ainsworth was nominated to participate in the wing’s employer support flight by one of her employees who is a member of the 507th ARW. Although her father died in 2004, Ainsworth said he would have “been thrilled” to know she flew on an air refueling mission.

Employer Support flight also serves to honor a father's memory

Published Dec. 13, 2010
By Lt. Col Richard Curry
507th Air Refueling Wing

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Oklahoma -- It had been 61 years since its last military flight.

And Cecilia Ainsworth figured 61 years was long enough for her father's pilot logbook to be grounded.

On December 3, Ainsworth, a Production Management Specialist with the 421st Supply Chain Management Squadron here brought her father's pilot flight log with her during an employer support orientation flight held by the 507th Air Refueling Wing.

Employer support flights are routinely conducted by the 507th ARW to provide reserve employers the opportunity to witness the wing's air refueling mission and develop a greater appreciation and understanding of how their support of the Air Force Reserve is important to national defense.

Ainsworth said her father, Hulan Lee France, died in 2004 but "would have been thrilled to learn I was getting the opportunity to fly on a KC-135R Stratotanker and watch an aerial refueling mission." She said she decided to "bring the memory of my father with me" during the flight.

The faded, yellow pages of her father's 5" X 7" brown flight log had already seen its share of service. Hulan France entered Army Air Corps in June 1940 receiving training at Ft. Sill, OK, Jefferson, MO and in Florida. He served overseas in 1943 in the China, India & Burma Theatre and was honorably discharged from the Army Air Corps in September of 1945

France was awarded the American Defense Service Medal, the China-Burma-India Theater (C.B.I.) Ribbon with two battle stars and Good Conduct Medal. After a brief transition France went back to the Army Air Forces to attend Officer Candidate School. His graduation ceremony was at Indoctrination Division Air Training Command, San Antonio, Texas on June 28, 1947.

His pilot log began with the first entry date of March 15, 1948 during an undergraduate pilot training mission flying an AT-6D at Randolph AB (sic), Texas. The log book continued to record a variety of aircraft missions flying the AT-6D, T-6, TB-25S, TB25J, C-45, C-47 and finally the C-54 aircraft. In all roughly 375 flight hours were logged.

But this mission would hold one last surprise for Ainsworth. "When we fly employers my wing places each person's name in a hat to select two people to ride in the cockpit during the take off and landings," said Major Bill Pierce, Public Affairs Officer. The luck of the draw favored Ainsworth who also sat in the boom operator's seat during takeoff.

After the mission Col. Michael Mahon, 507th Air Refueling Wing vice commander and aircraft pilot for the mission had the honor of updating her flight log with 2 additional hours aboard a KC-135R Stratotanker. For Ainsworth, the experience will be a memory to treasure. "Thank you so much for Friday's flight. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. This will be something I'll remember always! My father would be so thrilled!"