Weedn and Gilliard are among the 230 civilian reservists with the KC-135s who face cuts at Andrews Air Force Base.
Their primary mission is twofold -- to refuel other planes in flight and to train pilots how to connect and refuel. But their plane is aging -- the KC-135s here were built in the late 1950s.
The plane still carries some relics of the past-- like this sextant port. The navigator would pop open the valve to gaze at the stars and plot his course.
A Boeing contract would replace these planes with newer models … but the military is waiting for Congress to approve that funding, too.
Colonel William Mason is the wing commander.
But his status does not protect his pay either -- Col. Mason is withdrawing a savings account to pay for his daughter's college education. He says the sequestration may actually cost the Air Force more.
"It costs more to let somebody not fly and try to get them retrained than to continue flying them throughout the month and maintain that readiness," Mason said.
Colonel Mason says if the cuts go through....it could take his wing up to a year to recover.
None of these cuts has been made here yet. But if lawmakers take no action to stop them…much of the needed funding will simply disappear.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25