SAC stands for Strategic Air Command. This is where I was assigned after the war was over. The Korean War ended July 27th, 1953. I was transferred from flying as a gunner on B-29’s to becoming a refueling operator on KC-97’s. Our primary job was to refuel B-47 bombers. They were physically about the same size as our KC-97 with four jet engines and swept back wings. They were flown by three people and the refueling port was on the B-47 just in front of the pilot. He had a great view of the refueling operation.
We were assigned to open up Lincoln Air Force Base in Lincoln, Nebraska. Eventually we had about 20 tankers and I was assigned to the standardization crew. We had to check all the other crews twice a year. I checked out the boom operators and this included questions that I had come up with plus a little troubleshooting, like adding a problem affecting their hydraulic system so that the boom would not extend and retract. We also checked them out on an actual refueling mission. I enjoyed the job. There was a lot of flying and most of the time we’d spend about 10 hours in the air a couple of days a week.
We did have one incident that I recall. We were checking this crew, and the engines were at full throttle getting ready for takeoff. The pilot released the brakes and as we roared down the runway all four engines started blowing up and flames were everywhere. The pilot pulled back on the throttle and we all got out quickly. The fire trucks were there in a hurry and got the situation under control. We were all okay, just shook up. After a thorough investigation it was determined that someone had put water in the alcohol tanks. Alcohol is squirted into the cylinders to add power to the engines during takeoff. Water doesn’t compress, thus the reason why the cylinders were exploding and causing fire.
Being in SAC meant that you had to have about 1/3 of your planes in the air at any one time in case of attack. It also meant that you spent three months out of the year someplace else. Particularly out of the country. I remember our first trip was to load up the aircraft with all kinds of physical equipment, and troops and we would fly them to Goose Bay, Labrador.
Goose Bay temperature was 40° below zero when we arrived, that’s cold, probably the coldest I’ve ever been. We had to put heaters on all four engines so that you could start them up again when we were ready to fly. If you spit, the spit would freeze before it reaches the ground.
They issued us parkas with fur around the hood, heavy gloves, and heavy pants. The fur was to protect our face.
The cabins were not much to look at, but they had a potbelly stove which we kept burning continually.
One of the missions that I remember was when all our planes were in the air, refueling B-47’s over the North Pole. As we reached the refueling point, I noticed that the Northern Lights were so bright and brilliant, if you looked up from your instruments it would look like you were crashing into the ground. It was difficult for all to make and keep the connection. There were many breakaways. A breakaway is where you make a disconnection. The pilot of the B-47 releases the clamps, and you retract and fly the boom up and out of the way. After many tries, we did get all our fuel transferred to the B-47. It was quite a job, and we used a lot of fuel.
They had decided that we would have to land at Reykjavik, Iceland. This would be an emergency landing since Reykjavik was in the middle of a blizzard, but we landed anyway. As we landed it was obvious that some of the guys didn’t make out well. The planes were sliding off the runways and on to the snow. After we slowed down the pilot asked for the refueling operators to go outside and wing walk, so we didn’t hit anything, because they couldn’t see the end of the wings. We did and believe me it was cold.
After we made it off the landing strip and on to the parking area we unloaded and headed towards the barracks. Got warm, or warmer, then they took us to the cafeteria so that we could eat. I felt like I was in heaven. All the women serving were blonde haired and beautiful. I decided I loved Iceland.
