KC-10

As many know, Zach is no longer working on the C-130 Hercules. About a year or so ago the Air Force decided that if you work on one airplane engine, you can work on them all! It was all part of the reorganizing and solution to the problem of Zach's career field being undermanned. So that opened a lot more bases for us as well as new airplanes. As we were walking home from the school Halloween parade Friday Zach took a picture of his new plane, the KC-10. There are a little over 30 of them here that Zach and his fellow airmen keep flying! The base also has C-17's and a guard unit with KC-135s.

The KC-10 is very different from a C-130. First off there are no propellers! It does have an engine on each wing and then one above the tail. They are much bigger and the mission is completely different. KC-10's are flying gas stations. They can haul cargo, but their main mission is fuel. They rendevous with other aircraft to refuel them in flight. Pretty neat! Zach has been on a gunship during an inflight refuel, but is looking forward to flying on the KC-10 and watching it refeul. Zach misses his 130s, but working on a big airplane will give him different training and potential to work on commercial airliners if he ever decides to do that.