Photo By Airman 1st Class Cynthia Yang | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alyssa M. Degner, boom operator with the 128th Air Refueling...... read more read more
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MILWAUKEE, WI - Eyes locked on with steady hands thousands of feet in the air traveling at three hundred knots per hour, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Alyssa M. Degner, boom operator of the 126th Air Refueling Squadron, 128th Air Refueling Wing, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates the boom of a KC-135 Stratotanker to refuel fighter aircraft above the Atlantic Ocean as part of Air Defender 2023. For Degner, being a part of the German-led exercise, the largest air exercise since NATO’s inception, was the result of hard work and dedication to a career in boom operation and aviation.
“We operate the controls to fly the boom,” said Degner. “We are the person that is responsible for hooking our plane up to the receiver planes in flight so that we can give them gas and do air refueling.”
Enlisted as an administration personnel specialist for the first five years as a traditional guardsman, Degner was able to work with pilots and boom operators where she was exposed to the stories of their adventures, sparking her curiosity of becoming a boom operator. In time, the support of her supervisors and other boom operators propelled Degner towards a military career of aviation.
Inside the back of a KC-135 Tanker is a large and metallic “straw” called a boom, which is extended during flight to connect to other aircraft in order to deliver fuel. Boom operators control the boom using various functions in the boom pod to execute the refueling process.
Often consisting of a three-man aircrew of two pilots and a boom operator, the boom operators perform “pre-flight” checks to ensure that aircraft are prepared for refueling missions. Internal refueling systems are checked for proper functions and cargo is weighed to help pilots determine the amount of fuel and freight load to fly safely.
Boom operators are also involved in the safety of operating flying aircraft, often sitting in the front with pilots in the flightdeck to help observe various aviation measure controls for alarming or dangerous conditions that may interfere with the flight.
“The boom operators are watching the gauges, the airspeed, what it looks like outside,” said Degner. “If any of those things were to be off, you would have heard me speak up.”
As an aircrew, both pilots and boom operators cannot successfully conduct air refueling missions without one another.
“Everything that we do in the mission, the pilots could not do the mission by themselves,” said Degner. “The boom operators could not do the mission by themselves, we need both of those parties to be there. We each have different parts of the checklist that we have to accomplish in order for the receivers to get their gas in the way they need to.”
As a boom operator, Degner has participated in many air refueling missions, including AD23. Operating from German airfields, AD23 is focused on Germany’s ability to command and control a multinational air force in a collective defense exercise that creates an air bridge across NATO and allied countries. As a part of AD23, Degner plays a crucial role in national defense strategies with U.S. allies to deter strategic aggression through airpower. By ensuring that aircrafts receive sufficient amounts of gas through air refueling to form an air bridge and reach their destination successfully, Degner is one of many Airmen that is directly supporting and contributing to the peace, stability, and security of Europe.
“Air Defender is cool because you have different aircraft from all over the United States, different guard units coming over to Europe to do this exercise,” said Degner. “It shows you most of the people in the guard do other things most of the time, so for them to be able to do what they do in their regular lives and then come overseas and do this mission and excel at it, that’s really impressive.”
Driven by mission accomplishment through teamwork, Degner is motivated by showing fellow service members the importance of their jobs and roles through boom operation demonstrations during incentive flights.
“I really love taking people, especially from our unit, up on incentive flights,” said Degner. “Small groups of people of all types of career fields up with us to see all of our refueling missions, it was really neat. You could see it really click for people like this is why my job matters, this is why I do what I do everyday, and how it impacts the mission. Being able to see that lightbulb go on for people is the most rewarding part of this job.”
After years of hard work, dedication, and commitment to being a boom operator, Degner encourages aspiring boom operators to take on all the opportunities of a rewarding aviation career in the U.S. Air Force.
“If anyone in the unit is thinking about becoming a boom operator, apply and talk to as many current boom operators as you can about what it takes to do the job and express interest,” said Degner. “I was a little doubtful and so I would tell people, do not count yourself out, submit your package and let hiring board decide if the job is going to be right for you or not, but do not count yourself out.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 09.08.2023 20:32 |
| Story ID: | 447492 |
| Location: | MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 247 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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