On the line

A 916th Air Refueling Wing KC-135R Stratotanker sits on the flightline ready for a mission Sept.11 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)

A 916th Air Refueling Wing maintainer waits to marshal out a KC-135R Stratotanker for a mission Sept. 7 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)

A 916th Air Refueling Wing maintainer completes final preflight checks on a KC-135R Stratotanker prior to a mission Sept. 7 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)

Tech. Sgt. Joe Smith, 916th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals out a KC-135R Stratotanker toward a mission Sept. 7 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)

916th Air Refueling Wing maintainers watch as the KC-135R Stratotanker’s engines begin to start prior to a mission Sept. 7 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)

Senior Airman Jose Reyes, 911th Air Refueling Squadron, rolls up a venting hose prior to a KC-135R Stratotanker mission Sept. 7 at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. The wing operates and maintains 16 KC-135R aircraft for worldwide operational commitments. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Sam King)