Air Force to mark 100 years of air refueling with flyovers over all 50 states

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kansas (KRDO) -- The United States Air Force (USAF) is honoring 100 years of aerial refueling with flyovers over all 50 states.

The flyovers are happening on Tuesday, June 27.

According to the USAF, the Colorado flyover effort comes from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. McConnell will launch a KC-46A Pegasus and a KC-135 Stratotanker and send them on a route over several landmarks and cities over the Front Range in Colorado.

The schedule for the Colorado flyovers is tentatively as follows:

· Pueblo: 9:18 a.m., Pueblo Memorial Airport, Doss Aviation

· Colorado Springs: 9:24 a.m., Garden of the Gods and Downtown

· Air Force Academy: 9:26 a.m.

· Denver: 9:34 a.m., Capitol building, Coors Stadium, Downtown

· Boulder: 9:39 a.m., University of Colorado Boulder

· Fort Collins: 9:45 a.m., Colorado State University, Downtown

The USAF said these times are approximate and can shift due to required airspace clearance.

The aircraft are scheduled to fly over at about 2,500 feet.

According to the USAF, air refueling is the practice of transferring jet fuel from one aircraft to another in mid-flight. The aircraft providing the fuel is also known as a ‘tanker,’ which effectively serves as a gas station in the sky.

For more information, visit https://www.af.mil/.