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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The U.S. Air Force is celebrating a century of air refueling with flyovers across South Carolina, Georgia and Florida Tuesday.
The flyover began with the C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Charleston and the KC-135 Stratotanker from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, according to Air Force Material Command.
The C-17 was expected to fly over the South Carolina State House in Columbia at approximately 1:15 p.m. and then over the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston at 1:40 p.m.
Other landmarks featured in the flyover events will include the Florida and Georgia state capitols, the Augusta National Golf Club, Key West, Miami Beach, and Busch Gardens.
The U.S. Air Force’s 100 years of air refueling experience deliver “unrivaled rapid global reach for U.S. forces and our allies and partners through the mobility air forces fleet of KC-46, KC-135 and KC-10 tankers,” a release states. “Air refueling propels our Nation’s air power across the skies, unleashing its full potential,” Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, said. “It connects our strategic vision with operational reality, ensuring we can reach any corner of the globe with unwavering speed and precision. Air refueling embodies our resolve to defend freedom and project power, leaving an indelible mark on aviation history.”
The first air refueling happened on June 27, 1923, when 1st Lt. Virgil Hine and 1st Lt. Frank W. Seifert, flying a DH-4B, passed gasoline through a hose to another DH-4B flying beneath it carrying Capt. Lowell H. Smith and 1st Lt. John P. Richter accomplished the first aerial refueling.
“As we embark on the next 100 years of air refueling, we will continue to strengthen our air mobility excellence,” Minihan said. “We must leverage the remarkable capabilities of air refueling to preserve peace, protect freedom, and bring hope to the world. As Mobility Airmen, we write the next chapter of air refueling.”
Here is the full list of destinations and expected arrival times:
11:15 a.m. Cape Coral Bridge – Ft. Meyers, FL
11:30 a.m. Florida State Capital, Tallahassee, FL
11:45 a.m. Key West – Key West, FL
12:20 p.m. Miami Beach – Miami, FL
12:30 p.m. Georgia State Capitol – Atlanta, GA
12:30 p.m. South Palm Beach – South Palm Beach, FL
12:50 p.m. Tidal Cove Beach – Sebastian, FL
1:00 p.m. Augusta National Golf Club – Augusta, GA
1:10 p.m. Interstate 4/Hwy 98 Intersection – Lakeland, FL
1:15 p.m. South Carolina Capitol, Columbia, S.C.
1:25 p.m. Skyway Bridge, St. Petersburg, FL
1:40 p.m. Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge – Charleston, S.C.
2:40 p.m. University of Florida Stadium – Gainesville, FL
2:45 p.m. Ocala, FL
3:00 p.m. Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL
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