On Friday, Oct 28th a group of 45 interns from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Lakehurst’s Professional Development Group (PDG) participated in a refueling training mission with the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL). The interns flew aboard two of the Wing’s KC-10 air refueling tankers in a four hour mission that took them out over the Atlantic Ocean, up through northern New York and back to JB MDL, New Jersey to practice tanker hook-ups for aerial refueling. During the mission the interns had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit, talk with crew members and watch the boom operator conduct hook-ups with the other tanker while flying at over 400 mph.

The PDG is an intern run organization that helps entry-level NAVAIR employees develop into performance-level journeymen by providing skills, knowledge and other performance aptitudes necessary for successful personal and career growth. Educational opportunities such as this event are ideal for the interns.

PDG Chairman Jay Chu and Events Committee Head, Kevin Kasper arranged this unique experience for the interns by working with Gerry Zanzalari of the JB MDL Community Relations Office. “Gerry, along with the cooperation of the airmen from the 305th were wonderful in making this flight possible, “ said Kasper.

The interns all arrived at the JB MDL Passenger Terminal at 7:30am and boarded the massive KC-10s for safety briefings and a 9:00am take-off, with one lucky intern getting to sit in the cockpit, another had the opportunity during the landing. Once airborne, passengers read, napped, played cards and listened to music as many are used to doing on commercial flights. However, once the training sessions for refueling began, two interns from the first aircraft and the boom operator went to the control room at the tail of the plane to observe the boom being connected to the other aircraft. Interns from the second KC-10 took turns sitting in the cockpit to view their aircraft being refueled. After a few minutes of connection, the boom operator disconnected and repeated the process for nine other sets of interns.

“The opportunity to observe this training mission was very educational for all of the NAVAIR PDG interns from Lakehurst. It showed us first hand a critical defense mission that is performed every day by one of our sister services, the U.S. Air Force, “ stated Chu. “We are very grateful for the time and expertise they shared with us.”

Plans are underway to work with the 305th and have another group of interns participate in this experience next year. For more information on the Professional Development group, contact Jay Chu at 732-323-1989.