See Inside a Wisconsin Air National Guard Mission Before Weekend Open House

128th Air Refueling Wing. Photos by Jeramey Jannene.

We pride ourselves on going the distance to get the story at Urban Milwaukee. And usually, that means we’re delving deep into historical records on obscure Milwaukee history, sitting through a marathon committee meeting or covering an event on the city’s northwestern fringe.

On Friday, “going the distance” had us flying over Nebraska at 500 mph with another plane flying so close we could wave at the pilot.

The 128th Air Refueling Wing, an arm of the Wisconsin National Guard, invited us for a ride-along to see one of its KC-135 Stratotankers in action. From the edge of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE), the wing and its approximately 900 members operate a sophisticated fueling operation that quietly keeps the U.S. Air Force in flight.

For the first time in 13 years, the 128th will throw open its doors to the public. On Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 14, the general public will be able to see, touch and climb aboard the aircraft, talk with guard members, and view several other aircraft flown in for the event.

Before the event, the 128th took a small group of media members up into the air to experience firsthand how the refueling process works and give the public a better understanding of what the unit does.

After a safety briefing and a brief survey of other planes on the ground, it was up a stair truck and into KC-135R 37979, a Boeing-made jet that has served the U.S. military since 1963. The aircraft, a sibling to the Boeing 707, is approximately 136 feet long and has a wingspan of 130 feet. Most significantly, it can haul more than 200,000 pounds of fuel.

Being a passenger in a KC-135 isn’t glamorous, as the VHS-era safety video made clear. Passengers sit on utilitarian red fabric benches in a near windowless cargo hold. Comfort is an afterthought. Heat, radiates off a channel near the ceiling, while the floor cools in-flight because it’s effectively the top of a very large gas tank. “It’s a good idea to bring a sweatshirt,” we were told after arriving. Earplugs are necessary for the entire trip.

But things are clean and well-maintained on board. We were told we would be able to eat off the floor, a bold claim for a 62-year-old jet, but a claim that nevertheless rang true.

“It’s a flying tanker,” said Wisconsin Air National Guard Colonel Charles Merkel, the head of the 128th, before we took to the skies. The 128th has recently merged the tanker moniker with a tankard. The vertical stabilizer at the rear of one of the aircraft has been painted with a blue stein with wings and labeled “Home of the Brew City Tankers.” The newly-painted aircraft will be on display all weekend.

But the highlight of Friday’s preview wasn’t to be found on the ground.

After sliding in between commercial airliners and barreling down the runway, it was off to Nebraska. As best as any of the media members, with no connection to the outside world, could tell, we were somewhere with lots of farms. The location, according to the four-person flight crew, was chosen as a midway point between MKE and McChord Air Force Base in Washington.

The 128th’s KC-135 rendezvoused with a C-17 cargo jet, a much larger aircraft, around 3 p.m. with the intent of delivering 5,000 pounds of fuel. The amount is effectively a rounding error for the flying gas station, which is capable of delivering 6,000 pounds a minute, but the trip was to provide training to pilots and crew of the C-17.

Media members had effectively no awareness that the cargo plane had encroached on us until we were instructed to check out the rear boom area. In a small, crib-like area, Sgt. Zach Pulido had lain down to begin the work of connecting the two planes.

While lying on his stomach and peering out a bottom-facing window, Pulido used a joystick and an array of controls to extend the boom up to its maximum length of 48 feet and attach it to the trailing plane. He was wearing a headset that connected the crew on both aircraft, but often enough, he opted to wave or gesture at the pilots in the C-17. It would be hard to overstate how the proximity of the two aircraft, flying at hundreds of miles per hour at 26,000 feet, is unlike anything a commercial airline passenger will ever experience.

After connecting three separate times, in part so media members could rotate through the two benches next to Pulido and watch the action (videos below), it was time to head back to Milwaukee. The C-17 didn’t turn around; it will also be present for the open house.

For the 128th, trips range from 20-minute flights to Oshkosh to long hauls to Hawaii and off the coast of Florida. Some involve landing, but many involve distributing fuel and heading back home. The 128th also supports humanitarian missions, including a recent flight of a fire engine to Belize in partnership with the Racine Rotary Club, and hosts Air Force One during White House visits.

Open House Details

The public will be able to see the 128th’s operations, and much more, during the two-day open house. Several aircraft have flown in for the event, including a KC-46 cargo jet from the New Hampshire Air National Guard, F-35 and F-18 fighter jets and the C-17 cargo plane.

Attendees will have the opportunity to climb aboard various aircraft, informally dubbed “pet a jet” by 128th members, and interact with crew members. The open house, 1919 E. Grange Ave., will feature food trucks, live music and family-friendly activities.

The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. It is free to attend.

Attendees arriving in vehicles are encouraged to enter via the gate at the southeast corner of the airport on E. College Avenue, near the Union Pacific railroad tracks. Additional access points, according to the event website, are available on S. Pennsylvania Avenue near E. Grange Avenue. Milwaukee County Transit System Route 52 directly serves the base.

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