It was a rare sight both above and on the ground at Regina International Airport Friday afternoon.
Two US Air Force planes landed and stayed overnight. The plane is a KC-135 Stratotanker air-to-air refueling aircraft.
The tail boom can be lowered and extended to transfer fuel to other Air Force jets.
One of the planes came from Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington.
Although some of the crew members are setting foot on Canadian soil for the first time, they have flown over Canada many times on a variety of missions.
Two KC-135 Stratotankers from the U.S. Air Force’s 92nd Air Refueling Wing landed at Regina International Airport on Friday. (Gareth Dilliston)
The KC-135 is known as a flying gas station, but it can also transport passengers. On Saturday, the plane will touch down in Texas carrying 50 Canadian Air Force student pilots for a month-long training mission.
Their primary job is to provide gasoline to other aircraft in the air, not necessarily to transport people, said Col. Casey Vaughn of the U.S. Air Force’s 92nd Air Refueling Wing.
“We can do that because we have a large deck, so there’s a lot of seating. We also take care of cargo that needs to be transported between bases. So our main job is to make sure that the jet is able to accomplish its mission. It’s refueling jets in the air,” he said.
The KC-135 can carry a total of about 200,000 pounds of fuel, some for its own engines and some for transfers. After completing their training in Texas, the Royal Canadian Air Force student pilots will return to Moose Jaw, 15th Wing, aboard the 92nd Air Refueling Wing’s Stratotanker.
