Hosted by PJs in Vietnam
Last Update: Sunday, July 15, 2007

Site Mission: Provide Pararescue and Air Rescue History
 

The Birth of Air Refueling for Helicopters

This article was sent to me via email by PJ Udo Fischer, who got it from Harry Dunn, who got it from Phil Prince. All of these men are legends within the air rescue community. I have left in Harry’s email because it is of interest to the rescue community.

----- Original Message -----

 From: Harry Dunn

 August 06, 2002 

Subject: Re: The Way Home  

 Although I take a lot of pride in initiating/directing  the in-flight refueling program (after a 3 month running fight with the engineers at Wright Patt who wanted the H-3 to flying FRONT of the C-130 carrying a hose out of the rear ramp and pumping fuel upwards from the tanker!!!), we developed a somewhat safer and more sensible system. Despite several references to the contrary, I did NOT do the first refuelings!!! 

This honor goes to another Jolly (Don Eastman) who was my right hand at Wright Patt in the Adverse Weather testing -and Refueling tests!! He had flown into Cherry Point while I was being picked up by two Sikorsky test pilots with the jury rigged probe H-3 at Andrews. When they arrived, I went out to jump on  board for flight to Cherry Point USMC airfield, but found they had shut down. When I asked why, was informed that they didn't  have Green (IFR) tickets and couldn't go on because Cherry Pt was IFR with 200 and 1/4. After what Don and I had been through getting the bird to be fully IFR Certified, I was a little dumbfounded that two of the best Sikorsky FTPs weren't IFR qualified!!   

Since I was just under the qual time limits, I told them I would file a flight plan and press on. They were pleased that we could go on, but when we disappeared into the clouds about an hour south of Andrews, they seemed to be a little google eyed as they learned what the H-3 could actually do in weather. I think they may have even gotten nervous when we fianally slipped down the ILS glideslope to a 100 and 1/4 landing and headed for the bar. (they bought!).  

 The next morning, Don Eastman and Dick Wright did their "flight testing" thing and made the FIRST Inflight Refueling hookups, which validated our efforts at Wright-Pat. We had won the fight against all of the Engineering "experts" and were damned pleased we had done so. While Don Eastman, Jim Neighbors and others at the Adverse Wx Test organization pressed on refining procedures,  Probe kits were being manufactured and processed into the H-3E's headed for RVN. At the same time USAF KC-130's with new Drouge design were becoming the future ARRS HC-130s. 

As a nice touch, we decided that AFSC at Andrews should award Don and Dick the Air Medal for their work!  Besides the basic historical interest of the refueling itself, the award of the Air Medal to Dick Wright was the first known to a civilian pilot.

Excerpted from the book "PJ's in Vietnam"
The Birth of Air Refueling

Although most of the action was happening in SEA, rescue innovators were hard at work back in the United States. The idea of refueling a helicopter in flight was being conceptualized.  Air refueling was urgently needed in SEA. Straight line distances from FOLs, to many of the target areas in NVN, were approximately 150–190 miles. Helicopters rarely flew a straight line to downed airmen. Circuitous routes were flown to avoid enemy air defenses. The actual flight distance was frequently as much as three times that of a straight line. Many missions exceeded the 350-mile radius of the HH-3. 

Major Harry P. Dunn  had spent his entire Air Force career flying helicopters. He believed it was possible to air refuel an H-3 from a C-130. Headquarters Air Rescue Service authorized him to test the concept. He jerry-rigged a fuel probe to the front of a CH-3. While it was not plumbed to anything, it would serve the purpose of attempting a link up with an in-flight KC-130 refueler.

AFHRA Photo

CH-3 with dummy probe installed for air refueling concept test

  On 17 December 1965, Major Dunn took off to attempt an air-refueling linkup with a KC-130 owned by the US Marine Corps. Many engineers believed that the helicopter would be destroyed by the prop wash and wake turbulence, that occurred behind a KC-130. Skepticism was heightened by the fact that Major Dunn had never participated in an air refueling operation. Despite this skepticism, the test took place with results far better than expected. Major Dunn’s theory was proved correct when he flew up behind the KC-130, slipped into refueling position, and on his first attempt plugged the dummy probe into the refueling basket. 

At the completion of the air refueling, the following message was transmitted to HQ ARRS: 

SUBJECT: HELICOPTER AERIAL REFUELING

ON 15 DEC 65, AT MCAS CHERRY POINT, N.C., AN AIR FORCE CH-3 HELICOPTER SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A SERIES OF AERIAL REFUELING TESTS WHICH INCLUDED A FIVE-MINUTE HOOKUP WITH A MARINE CORPS KC-130F HERCULES AIRCRAFT. THIS DEMONSTRATED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AVIATION HISTORY THE FEASIBILITY OF REFUELING A HELICOPTER IN FLIGHT USING CONVENTIONAL PROBE AND DROGE SYSTEM. 

With the concept proven, Rescue Headquarters ordered an initial modification of a few HH-3C helicopters. The modified aircraft would become the HH-3E. Several HC-130Hs were in the final stages of assembly. HQ ARS ordered eleven of them to be configured as tankers.. Air refueling would revolutionize helicopter SAR. It was to have a profound effect on successful SARs in SEA.

Note: Since publication of my book, I have learned that Harry Dunn coordinated the air refueling program but that Don Eastman and Dick Wright were the pilots on the first AR flight. This will be corrected in the next revision of my book.

[STORIES HOMEPAGE]

[VIETNAM HISTORY HOMEPAGE]

[PJ's IN VIETNAM HOMEPAGE]