Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!unmvax!uokmax!occrsh!fang!att!cbnewsc!cbnews!cbnews!military
From: carey@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Charles Carey (SVER))
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Question about in-flight refueling
Message-ID: <1991Jun28.024034.54@cbnews.cb.att.com>
Date: 28 Jun 91 02:40:34 GMT
References: <1991Jun22.041715.3097@cbnews.cb.att.com> <1991Jun25.024108.27108@cbnews.cb.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.cb.att.com (william.a.thacker)
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Lines: 33
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: carey@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Charles Carey (SVER))
In article <1991Jun25.024108.27108@cbnews.cb.att.com>, johnm@vme.heurikon.com (John Mahoney) writes...
> 
> 
>From: johnm@vme.heurikon.com (John Mahoney)
> 
>In article <1991Jun22.041715.3097@cbnews.cb.att.com> jfriday@marie.stat.uga.edu (Paul Stacy) writes:
>>
>>
>>info on it but I read about one in about 1928 between two biplanes.
>>The one that received stayed up for 28 hours or so.  The fuel was
>>transferred through a fire hose.
> 
>I recall this as well, I'm not sure about the date, but I think it was Eddie
>Rickenbacker, and I'm pretty sure it was the 'Question Mark' planes. (I'm
>referring to the painted on ?'s, not asking you to fill in the ?)
> 


According to A Pictorial History of the USAF, Question Mark flew for 151 hours
between Jan 1-7, 1929 setting an endurance record for continuous flight. They 
used gas cans and a hose to transfer fuel. The crew was Sgt Roy Hooe,
Lt Elwood Quesada, Lt Harry Halverson, Capt Ira Eaker & Maj Carl Spaatz.
The flight was near Los Angeles. A/c was Fokker F-VIIA/3m (AAS type C-2A). 
There is a reference to this work being built on a previous flight on
June 27, 1991. Does anyone have any info on this flight?

On the original topic, I believe the first practical air to air refueling
was developed by Flight Refueling Ltd. of the UK just post-WW2. I do not
have any details and only vague recollection that it was a probe and drogue
type. Can anyone supply the details?