JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (KTUU) – Flying a cargo jet just 10 feet below another fixed-wing aircraft isn’t inherently normal unless you’re with the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf. 168th Wing of Richardson or Eielson Air Force Base.

That’s exactly what the 144th Airlift Squadron crew did during a September training flight, leaving JBER just before noon in a C-17 Globemaster III before connecting to a KC-135 Stratotanker that left the Fairbanks-based facility a short time later.

Commanding the C-17 today is Lt. Col. Brian Marasco, flight instructor for the pair of co-pilots on board; Captain Erik Andresen and Captain Robert Monfore require this training flight to meet minimum training requirements and stay current.

However, in order to complete this type of training, various factors must be in harmony.

“There are definitely a lot of variables in connecting with a tanker aircraft,” Marasco said. “Not only do we have two planes to get in the air, we also need the weather conditions to accommodate it.”

While it wasn’t exactly a bluebird day in Anchorage, weather conditions allowed training to proceed as planned.

While Marasco and Andresen were hovering in the clouds, they were in constant communication with the pilots at the KC-135 coordination point.

As his eyes fixate on the horizon, the tanker comes into view through a thin layer of clouds. From here, a series of procedures are performed until the fuel line is ready to be connected to the C-17.

“We start a mile behind the tanker, 1,000 feet down, and then we slowly climb down a half mile behind the tanker, 500 feet down,” Marasco said. “Then we slide into what we call the stern position, which is about 50 feet behind the tanker and probably about 50 to 20 feet below it.”

From there, both teams stabilize their speeds and match power settings before gaining the necessary clearance to move into final position.

Marasco is the first to move the cargo plane into position as operators on the KC-135 extend the boom. In order for the line to be successfully deployed on the C-17, Marasco would need to make several attempts and extremely minor adjustments.

Although the main goal of the training was to successfully connect the two aircraft, in this mission the KC-135 transfers fuel to the C-17 after it is aborted, leaving the tanker with weight to conduct other training exercises. He had planned for day 168.

After successfully connecting and disconnecting the tanker, Marasco hands over the controls of the C-17 to Andresen’s command.

To maintain currency, aircraft commanders must “tak” every 45 days.

“This is a temporary skill; practice makes perfect,” Andresen said. “It’s not the easiest thing (to do).”

Marasco calmly talks Andresen through the process via a headset, repeating the phrase “move your hands, wiggle your toes,” a tactic used to help pilots ease any tension.

Andresen met refueling requirements over the 45-day period by successfully connecting and disconnecting from the KC-135 several times.

Marasco asks if he wants to complete another connection, but Andresen admits that he needs to take a break.

“Aerial refueling is very tiring, especially when you haven’t done it for a while,” Andresen said. he said. “If you do it for a long time, it wears you out.”

While Marasco remains in the left seat of the cockpit, Andresen swaps seats with Monfore, giving the third pilot the chance to complete the minimum requirements for mid-air refueling.

Meanwhile, the crew on the KC-135 is also changing positions for training purposes.

After Monfore completes a series of slips, Marasco radios the KC-135 commander to ask if his crew needs any additional training. Once all goes well, KC-135 banks off to return to Eielson, while Marasco, Monfore, and Andresen discuss returning to JBER to complete additional takeoff, approach, and landing procedures (additional currencies that must be maintained)—before completing the training mission.

Monfore and Andresen switch seats again, each making a few short takeoffs over Knik Arm, then landing a final time to taxi back to the parking lot just outside the C-17 Operations and Maintenance building.

Before getting information about their flight, they discuss their plans to reheat the chicken shawarma waiting for them in the fridge.

The training day was completed and the currencies were maintained. As the crew exits the cargo jet, the next group of guards march towards it to complete their own training exercise.

It’s a 24/7 work cycle that Marasco says he doesn’t regret signing up for.

“I encourage this career path to anyone who aspires to fly,” Marasco said. “Looking back over the years, it has been an amazing journey.”

Marasco currently has 21 years in the National Guard, with the last 12 years serving in the Alaska Air Guard. He plans to retire in August next year.

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