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Over the past several months, I have noticed several airplanes doing what appears to be mid-air refueling over our area. The most recent was between 6:30 and 7 p.m. Monday, March 24. Are there regulations that govern where planes can do mid-air refueling (because of population) and at what altitude? They look like transport planes, I have not seen any fighters. Could they be military aircraft? What kind of mission would necessitate refueling this far inland when they probably fly over bases where they could stop and re-fuel?

James White

Bristol, Va.

The short answer is they are military aircraft and are likely performing training missions.

Having worked in Knoxville, I was familiar with the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson Airport. So I contacted 1st Lt. Jaime Oakley, executive officer/public affairs officer at the air base for some answers.

I e-mailed the question to her and here is her response ...

"Mid-air refueling this far inland is accomplished for routine missions and training missions, ensuring that our airmen are proficient and ready to protect and defend our country," she said in the reply e-mail.

She confirmed the planes were military aircraft. However, the ones Mr. White saw on March 24 were not from the 134th, she said.

She went on, "The Air Force has been mid-air refueling for over 50 years. Air refueling enables aircraft to remain airborne longer and extends the range that aircraft can deploy."

Concerning why the planes didn’t just refuel on the ground like regular air traffic, Oakley said landing and refueling is not only less cost effective and sometimes impossible, but it is also time-consuming.

She said the Federal Aviation Administration regulates the altitude in which all aircraft can fly in public airspace, including military aircraft.

FAA officials said in general military planes fly at 20,000 to 22,000 feet and must maintain a minimum 2,000-foot altitude over this mountainous area.

The military has a couple of designated flight paths over the Tri-Cities area, an FAA spokeswoman in Atlanta said.

One is an instrument flight route, which means pilots fly using the plane’s instrumentation. It creates a bit of a triangle from about Mountain Empire Airport in Smyth County, Va., to Kingsport, Tenn., to Elizabethton, Tenn.

The other is a visual flight route, where pilots navigate by sight, which stretches from Mountain Empire Airport to Kingsport. The VFR generally has planes flying at lower altitudes.

Oakley concludes her comments by saying, "Above all, The U.S. Air Force must be ready to respond to crises throughout the world. This rapid response capability is required to meet the Air Force’s mission of ‘Global Reach, Global Power.’ When we are called upon, we’re ready to act – and act fast."

MARK HICKS is assistant city editor at the Bristol Herald Courier and can be reached at (276) 645-2546 or by e-mail at Questions can be mailed to Question Mark, Bristol Herald Courier, P.O. Box 609, Bristol, VA 24203.