Tuesday Air Force flight over Grand Forks now expected to occur shortly after 3 p.m.
Jun. 26—GRAND FORKS — The time for an in-flight demonstration by the Air Force has been changed.
The demonstration over Grand Forks — and UND in particular — is now expected to occur at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27. That time is earlier than previously announced by the Air Force.
The event is happening to mark the 100-year anniversary of in-flight refueling and is expected to include a refueling demonstration over Grand Forks.
According to a release from the Air Force, aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base, in eastern Washington, will fly over 17 landmarks and destinations in two separate flights, including Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.
The flight will fly over UND at approximately 3:15 p.m. and then continue toward Grand Forks International Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Flight times vary, and could be 15 minutes earlier or later, according to the Air Force.
According to a release from the Air Force, "air refueling, also known as aerial refueling, was first demonstrated on June 27, 1923, by the United States Army Air Service when a De Haviland DH-4B passed 75 gallons of gasoline through a hose to another DH-4B flying beneath it. This was the first air-to-air refueling using a gravity-flow hose."
Over the next century, the release noted, "the technique has since become a crucial component of military and civilian aviation operations around the world. Air refueling enables aircraft to extend their range and endurance, allowing them to complete missions that would otherwise be impossible or require multiple stops. As a result, this capability has become essential for strategic and tactical operations, as well as humanitarian relief efforts. Today the U.S. Air Force employs multiple aircraft for refueling, to include the KC-135, KC-10, and the KC-46."
