On June 27 , 1923 , two biplane pilotsmade historyby swap fuel through a hose while in flight . It was an Army experiment , working to make practical a stunt that wing - walkers had try — with some achiever — antecedently .
Captain Lowell H. Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter took off in an Airco DH-4B biplane from Rockwell Field in San Diego . An identical second biplane take off shortly after , flown by First Lieutenants Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert . Because both planer were pilot from the front posterior , that left the work force in the second buns to mess around with fuel line . The cockpits were all open , without glass shields to complicate thing .
Seifert lowered a hose from his aeroplane , flying just a bit higher , and Richter grab it . Richter bone it into his biplane ’s fuel tank , gave the high polarity to Seifert , and the accelerator started flowing from the higher tank to the lower . It solve , transferring fuel until Seifert cut off the stream and retracted the hose . The team landed successfully , then celebrated the first straight mid - air refueling in aviation history .
Here ’s film of the case :
Two calendar month afterwards the Army top that feat by flying three identical biplane ( again Airco DH-4Bs ) , two of them do as funding tankers for the third , which was again piloted by Smith . They proceed to take over the early process over and over , and ended up maintain Smith ’s airplane flying continuously for 37 hour — an survival record at the clip . ( The other two planes take turns landing and refuel throughout . )
This latter try was truly intense . In all , the trio of airplane channelise 687 gallons of gas and 38 congius of crude over the day - and - a - half - foresightful flight . ( The petroleum transferral was necessary because engine of the day bled oil at an incredible rate . ) A interchangeable — albeit far more automated — midair refueling process is still in use today .
Although these two flights in 1923 are considered the first " true " midair fueling procedure , technically gasoline was transferred between planes almost two years to begin with . In 1921 , the deuce-ace of Wes May , Frank Hawks , and Earl Daugherty hatched a programme . May was a stuntman and skilled fender - Alice Malsenior Walker , who was up to of uncivilised thing like handstand on the wings of planes in the air . Maybe he could transfer flatulence between two planes in flight ?
May strapped a five - gallon tankful of natural gas onto his back and mother in the rider seat of Hawks ’s Lincoln Standard biplane . They hold off and approached a Curtis Jenny , which was aviate solo by Daugherty in the rear seat . While the two planes flew side by side ( these pilot were barnstormer ) , May climbed out of his seat , walk across the Lincoln ’s wing , and scramble onto the extension of the Curtis Jenny . He then climbed into the front behind , unscrewed the fuel tank , and cautiously poured in the gas pedal . It wreak , but it was slow and inordinately dangerous . ( Plus the operation was sufficiently slow that it did n’t give a practical benefit to the recipient role aircraft . )
For a nice history of former midair fueling , tick off out thisHistoric Wingsarticleor watchthis video history .
