The History of Air Refueling

Welcome to the forty-second episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast!


How did the concept of air refueling get started and how long has it been around? The answer will surprise you... 1921 and a gas can on a man's back! Experimentation with air refueling methods continued with the flight of the Question Mark in 1929 and the first air refueling company with a patented system created in 1934. The air refueling world owes a lot to the Brits! How we went from prop to jet-engined tankers is a fascinating study in a channel to market and risking an entire company in the 1954 air refueling tanker competition. Boeing lost the battle but won the war.  


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Video of air refueling over time can be seen here (https://youtu.be/2s_cyw2J_7k) , the Question Mark refueling here (https://youtu.be/Xyjv2w6GjWc) , and operations over Afghanistan and Iraq here (https://youtu.be/AIXgN2YPspc) .


Video of Tex Johnson barrel rolling (https://youtu.be/UB63bWPuMz4) the Dash 80 can be seen here (https://youtu.be/mr9J-dWId2Q) .


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Видео The History of Air Refueling канала Lt Col Mark Hasara