WEBVTT

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This is the first time I've actually

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refueled F- 35 . I've seen some

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fighters on a deployment , but not that

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much stateside . I've been a pilot

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since 2019 and been at Macdill for

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about a year and a half . It's been

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super exciting to have them here

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sharing the ramp space with us and then

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it's presented some different

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challenges for having them sharing the

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ramp space with us at the same time .

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But ultimately , it's exciting getting

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to refill the fighters is great for us

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because we typically don't get to work

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with them stateside and it's great for

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the fighters because then they get to

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extend their bold times . I'm going to

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refill the fighters a lot faster of the

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mission set than we normally do with a

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heavy aircraft . So it is pretty cool

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to have them pull up on our wing and

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then have them cycle through and get

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their gas and then continue on with

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their sortie . So getting to refuel the

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fighters , it typically takes a couple

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of minutes for them to get their gas

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and then head on and continue their

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mission and we're only flying about a

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couple 100 miles nothing too crazy .

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The fighters do need us for their

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training missions and we also need them

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for our training mission as well . So

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it is a good relation , good working

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relationship with each other , even

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though we do have a little bit

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different cultures amongst the two

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being able to practice here . And now

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gives us the opportunity to go ahead

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and refine any of our tactics with the

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fighters . So then we're actually

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employing this in a real world scenario .

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We both are on the same page for

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understanding what we're going to be

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doing .

