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319th ARW tanker refuels Fargo F-16s during historic flight

Air Mobility Command

Release Date: 5/22/2003

By Staff Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Tagged with the flight name "Raid 31," the KC-135R Stratotanker aircrew didn't know at the time of their flight May 13 that refueling F-16s from the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Fighter Wing was actually history in the making.

The crew consisted of Lt. Col. Patrick McCormack, aircraft commander, 1st Lts. Brian Ewasko and Thomas Hutton, co-pilots, and boom operators Master Sgt. Patrick D'Augustino and Staff Sgt. James Andrews.

During the flight, the 119th Fighter Wing, home of the Happy Hooligans, became the only Air National Guard F-16 unit to fly 60,000 hours without an accident, said Master Sgt. Dave Somdahl of the 119th FW Public Affairs Office. "That covers more than 13 years and some 38,729 sorties (one flight by one aircraft), in all kinds of weather," said the sergeant.

Sergeant Somdahl said this timeframe includes the armed, alert response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and thousands of hours of Combat Air Patrol flights since that time. It also includes thousands of hours of counterdrug fighter operations as a part of Operation Coronet Nighthawk from 1991 to 1999, operating from Howard Air Base, Republic of Panama, and Hato International Airport, Curacao, from 1999 to 2001, local area familiarization flights, flights for North Dakota Governors John Hoeven, Ed Schafer and George Sinner, a flight for Congressman Earl Pomeroy, cross-country flights, and tens of thousands of training sorties.

Sergeant Somdahl said the milestone is "particularly sweet" for his unit because, in addition to having 60,000 accident-free hours in the F-16, the 119th has nearly 53,000 hours of accident-free flight operations with the F-4D Phantom II (1977 through 1990) and another four years of accident-free flying with the F-101B Voodoo (1973 to 1977).

"We do darn well in fighter aircraft -- more than 30 years since our last accident that took place on March 15, 1973," Sergeant Somdahl said. "That's 132,000-plus hours of accident-free fighter aircraft time."

For the 319th Air Refueling Wing, this wasn't the first time they've shared historic situations with their ANG counterparts from Fargo. In a 2002 flight where the 119th flew Governor Hoeven, a KC-135 from the 319th ARW refueled the F-16 carrying the governor. In 2001, the 319th refueled a Fargo F-16 carrying the New York state emergency management director from Montana to New York City within hours after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"It's an honor to participate in an event such as this," said Sergeant Andrews, the boom operator who refueled the F-16s. "I'm proud that the 119th Fighter Wing was the unit to achieve this milestone for the F-16. It exemplifies the commitment and professionalism that North Dakota units are known for."

Sergeant Andrews said the 119th FW is also crucial to the success of mission qualifications for 319th ARW boom operators.

"A 319th ARW boom operator's first exposure to an Air Force fighter aircraft is usually a Fargo F-16," Andrews said. "Having a unit like the 119th so close in proximity to Grand Forks and so willing to accommodate our training requirements vastly improves our mission readiness."

Colonel McCormack, the pilot for "Raid 31," said it was great to be able to "force extend" the 119th's historic flight.

"Achieving that level of flying safety is something to marvel at considering the inherent danger in flying such a complex and challenging aircraft," Colonel McCormack said.

The lieutenant colonel added that mutual training support between the 319th and the 119th is critical to maintaining both units' ability to achieve their wartime readiness.

"At Grand Forks we know we can count on the 119th to come through when we need to accomplish our training," Colonel McCormack said. "They also know we will be there to keep them proficient in air refueling. I'm sure it was not just by chance that a Grand Fork's tanker refueled them during their historic mission."