A U.S. Air Force tanker crew from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas flew a KC-46A Pegasus without a copilot on Oct. 25.
The tanker actually the mission profile twice, with only a single pilot and boom operator, to “validate procedures for operating with a limited aircrew for certain potential high-end combat scenarios,” according to the USAF.
“This employment concept allows the KC-46 to complete its primary mission with a reduced crew complement when needed to rapidly launch aircraft with threats inbound or extend long-range operations in the air with offset crews,” added the USAF.
Learning to Fly a Tanker Without a Copilot
After a thorough pre-brief and planning, the first mission flew the pattern only sortie, followed by a debrief and assessment. The single pilot and boom operator then took off again for a full mission profile, which included aerial refueling.
While it was technically single pilot operations, the boom operator was in the cockpit with the pilot, except for boom ops. A second instructor pilot was always on board as a safety observer. A second KC-46 accompanied the latter mission as well, with a full crew of experts to provide assistance by radio, if needed.
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“The dynamics of the future operating environment require us to think in ways we might not usually think,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command. “Victory will be delivered on the back of the mobility air forces, and doing so means taking a hard look at every tool we have at our disposal.”
“This mission was practiced extensively in flight simulators,” said Col. Nate Vogel, 22nd ARW commander. “Each phase of evaluation has been carefully considered, taking into account crew safety, aircraft capabilities, and existing federal aviation standards. That allowed us to make a deliberate and thorough analysis of what risks and hurdles are present, how to mitigate those, and allowed us to recommend training requirements to familiarize crews with the basic functions and critical controls of unfamiliar crew positions.”
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First time a 767 sized airliner has been flown without a copilot
The mission marks the first time a 767 sized airliner has been flown by a single pilot. The Air Force’s KC-46A is a variation of that, built by Boeing to modernize and replace the Air Force’s KC-135 and KC-10 tanker fleets.
Time will tell if the accomplishment eventually kicks off a further push for single pilot cargo ops.
Airbus is already working on single pilot cargo ops for the A330.
