Spouses take flight

(Right) Pamela Freeman, spouse of Capt. Kent Freeman, 58th Airlift Squadron, along with Julie Schindler (left), spouse of Capt. Nick Schindler, 54th Air Refueling Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Randy Kay, 55th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, gaze as a C-5 Galaxy approaches for refueling during a training mission at Altus Air Force Base.

Spouses take flight

Published March 9, 2007
By Senior Airman Aldric Borders
97th Air Mobility Wing

ALTUS AFB, Okla. -- Two dozen spouses of Airmen here took to the skies Feb. 23 to see first hand what it is their husbands do day in and day out.
The Spouse orientation flight allowed participants to fly on one of the three airframes flown at Altus Air Force Base during a training mission. The spouses were broken into groups to fly on a C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster or KC-135 Stratotanker.
For many of the spouses, this was their first flight on a military aircraft during a training mission. The event took the participants through their spouses work day starting with a pre-flight mission briefing and then moving to the aircraft.
The training mission included a refueling track over Tulsa Okla., south to Shreveport La. and back.
The C-5 and C-17 refueled with the KC-135 during the mission. This enabled the spouses to get a view of the air refueling processes from either the tanker and receiving aircraft.
Pamela Freeman, spouse of Capt. Kent Freeman, 58th Airlift Squadron, said she was particularly excited about the orientation flight because from her position in the KC-135 boom pod she was able to see her pilot husband maneuver the C-17 into position for refueling.