A film crew from the television series The Aviators recently visited Tinker AFB, Okla., to highlight the missions of the KC-135 tanker and E-3 AWACs air control platform for an episode scheduled to air in October, according to a base release. The film crew, traveling from Toronto, spent two days filming and learning about KC-135 and E-3 operations, states Tinker’s mid-April release. “The film crew was outstanding when it came to the interview. It was great to highlight our ops and maintenance teams,” said Maj. Mark Povec, a KC-135 pilot with the 465th Air Refueling Squadron. “Executing the schedule for the film crew took a Total Force effort” by the base’s Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command airmen, said Capt. Jon Quinlan, spokesman for AFRC’s 507th Air Refueling Wing. This episode will be part of The Aviators’ fourth season, states the release. The series mainly airs on the Public Broadcasting Service, but is also on the Discovery Channel in some areas, according to the release. (Tinker report by SrA. Mark Hybers)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.