Tech. Sgt. RaileR Cantrell, a boom operator with Mildenhall’s 351st Air Refueling Squadron recently logged his 6,000th flight hour. (Geoff Ziezulewicz / Stars and Stripes)
Modern technology is often only as good as the man or woman behind it. Take refueling an aircraft high in the sky. Yes, the jet and its assorted components make it all possible, but without that guy in the back of the KC-135, lying down and guiding the massive boom to a fuel-hungry fighter jet, the tech is about as useful as a catcher’s mitt on a rainy Saturday in England.
Tech. Sgt. RaileR Cantrell of Mildenhall’s 351st Air Refueling Squadron is an expert when it comes to making the most out of the Stratotanker. The boom operator, basically the guy who connects a long pipe to a waiting jet at high altitudes, passed his 6,000th flying hour last month.
Congratulations on such a milestone. You’re the only boom operator at the 100th Air Refueling Wing to hit that mark, right?
As far as the tankers go, yeah. A good friend of mine, he’s right behind me, about a year.
How does it feel to hit that landmark?
It feels great because you’ve achieved something you wanted to. And to be recognized by your peers, that you’ve obviously done your job and you know what you’re doing, it’s a pretty nice accomplishment.
How did you become a boom operator?
Years ago when I was in Germany, there was a retired chief master sergeant. He started mentioning boom operators. I had no idea what a boom operator was.
What do you like about the job and what would you say to an airman considering this field?
We do that quite often. Ask any boom operator out there, they’ll tell you it’s the best enlisted aviation job out there. The fact that you get to go to different locations, you get to go do operational missions, the fact that you’re flying with two other officers.
And you’re laying down on the job and refueling planes, realizing that you’re flying 300 to 400 mph refueling a plane that’s, at best, 20 feet behind you. We tell the guys what we do, but until they actually come watch you do a flight, they have no idea.
What’s the hardest part about your job that people might not realize?
The amount of work that it takes to do any sortie you’re doing. I know most people who are not fliers work a set Monday-through-Friday type job. We do not have a set schedule.
So what’s the new golden hour you’re shooting for?
We once had this retired chief. He was in for 30 years. He hit a little over 7,500 hours.
That’s probably a goal I won’t see. But I’m going to keep flying every sortie I’m tasked for. Whatever I make, I make.
