Crew members said Friday's mission was relatively easy, because the weather conditions up and down the coast were perfect. But this is not always the case. Weather is definitely the biggest hazard we face. If possible, we try to avoid storms as much as we can, but it's not always possible. It does make refueling more interesting though.
Safety is always on the minds of the crew.
Members said they couldn't remember any incidents involving the KC-10 in a refueling mission. Safety is our number-one priority. Each of the training missions involves multiple refueling runs, enabling all crew members sufficient opportunities to practice. All crew members must complete a specified amount of mission 'events' each quarter, which vary depending on several factors. Usually we are pretty evenly split between refueling and cargo flights, but it all depends.