# Gassed Up...Way Up (DD-711)

> Aerial refueling moves fuel from a tanker to another aircraft in flight. The first successful transfer took place on June 27, 1923, over Rockwell Field in San Diego. Two US Army Air Service DH-4B biplanes used a 50-foot hose to pass about 75 gallons, according to the National Museum of the US Air Force. Today there are two main methods. With probe and drogue, the tanker trails a hose ending in a basket and the receiver flies its probe into it. The US Navy, the Marine Corps, many allied air forces and helicopters use this method. With the flying boom, a boom operator on the tanker steers a rigid telescoping tube into a receptacle on the receiver. That's the standard for US Air Force aircraft. Some tankers carry both.

- Department: Military (also Tech, History)
- First published: 2026-04-19
- Last updated: 2026-04-19
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/gassed-up-way-up/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **June 27, 1923**: First successful air-to-air refueling, over San Diego
- **1949**: B-50A Lucky Lady II flies nonstop around the world using in-flight refueling

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=gassed-up-way-up

## Quick facts

- **DD-711-F01**: The first air-to-air refueling took place on June 27, 1923, over San Diego. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (A hose in 1923))_
- **DD-711-F02**: The US Air Force mainly uses the flying boom, while the Navy uses probe and drogue. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Flying boom))_

## Write-up

Filling up mid-flight. Tankers pass fuel by rigid boom or by hose and drogue.

1. **A hose in 1923**: On June 27, 1923, Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank W. Seifert passed fuel through a 50-foot hose to Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter over San Diego. The receiving DH-4B stayed aloft for 6 hours 38 minutes.
2. **Probe and drogue**: The tanker trails a flexible hose with a cone-shaped basket (the drogue), and the receiving pilot flies a probe into it. The method was developed in Britain by Flight Refuelling Ltd around 1949. It's used by the US Navy and Marine Corps, many other air forces and helicopters.
3. **Flying boom**: A boom operator on the tanker 'flies' a rigid telescoping tube, using small control surfaces, into a receptacle on the receiver while its pilot holds position. Boeing developed it in the late 1940s, and it's the standard for US Air Force aircraft.
4. **Both on one tanker**: Many tankers can do both. A boom can be fitted with a drogue adapter, and some tankers carry hose-and-drogue pods under the wings.
5. **Not only for warplanes**: In 1949, the B-50A Lucky Lady II flew nonstop around the world with four in-flight refuelings, showing how far the technique could stretch range.

## Related case files

- [XB-70 Valkyrie (DD-048)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/xb-70-valkyrie/): Another Air Force aircraft case
- [Helo (DD-150)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/helo/): I linked more military aviation
- [ATL Air Traffic (DD-678)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/atl-air-traffic/): Another aviation case

## Reel vs. record

- **Who uses which**: the US Air Force uses the flying boom, while the US Navy, the Marine Corps, many allied forces and helicopters use probe and drogue. Some tankers carry both.
- **Precision**: with a boom, an operator on the tanker steers the boom into the receptacle. The receiving pilot holds position rather than 'guiding' it in.
- **Missing history**: the first successful transfer was on June 27, 1923, when two Army DH-4Bs used a 50-foot hose over San Diego (NMUSAF).
- **Scope**: it isn't only for 'military planes'. Helicopters and tilt-rotors refuel this way too, and it was used for record flights such as Lucky Lady II's 1949 nonstop trip around the world.
- **Origin**: probe and drogue came from Britain's Flight Refuelling Ltd around 1949, and Boeing developed the flying boom in the late 1940s.

## Video: Gassed Up...Way Up: Filling up Mid-Flight

- Duration: 31.6 s · Published: 2026-04-19
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DXVAKaDkTgv.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? Air-to-air refueling, also called aerial refueling, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another while both are in flight, extending the range and endurance of military planes. This is typically done using either a probe and drogue system, where a flexible hose with a basket is trailed by the tanker aircraft and connected to a probe on the receiving plane, or a flying boom system where a rigid telescoping tube is guided into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. The operation requires precise coordination and steady flying, as both aircraft must maintain close formation at high speeds. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: In what year did the first air-to-air refueling take place?**  
A: June 27, 1923, over San Diego. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A hose in 1923) · National Museum of the US Air Force: First Air-to-Air Refueling; Air Force Historical Support Division: 1923, the beginnings of inflight refueling)_

**Q: Which method does the US Air Force mainly use?**  
A: The flying boom. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Probe and drogue) · Wikipedia: Aerial refueling)_

**Q: Who steers a flying boom into the receptacle?**  
A: The boom operator flies the boom. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Probe and drogue) · Wikipedia: Aerial refueling)_

**Q: What is the drogue?**  
A: It's a cone-shaped basket on the hose. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Probe and drogue) · Wikipedia: Aerial refueling)_

**Q: Which 1949 aircraft flew nonstop around the world using refueling?**  
A: The B-50A Lucky Lady II. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (A hose in 1923) · National Museum of the US Air Force: First Air-to-Air Refueling; Air Force Historical Support Division: 1923, the beginnings of inflight refueling)_

## Sources

- [National Museum of the US Air Force: First Air-to-Air Refueling](https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/197385/first-air-to-air-refueling/)
- [Air Force Historical Support Division: 1923, the beginnings of inflight refueling](https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/458986/1923-the-beginnings-of-inflight-refueling/)
- [Wikipedia: Aerial refueling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Gassed Up...Way Up." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-711, last updated Apr 19, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/gassed-up-way-up/