B-1A Refueling

Rockwell International B-1A (S/N 74-0159) is refueled by Boeing KC-135A (S/N 62-3527) during the B-1B flight test program. (U.S. Air Force photo) Click image to enlarge.
In this picture a KC-135A is in contact with a Rockwell B-1A. The vertical fin says “B-1B”, but this is because the aircraft is participating in the test program that would eventually spawn the B-1B. The B-1A was a faster version of the B-1 and reached a maximum speed of mach 2.22 compared to the B-1B’s top speed of mach 1.2. During refueling the B-1 is able to accept up to 1,000 gallons per minute of fuel, even then it can take over 20 minutes to fill the tanks.
Source:
- B-1 Lancer. (2009, May 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:29, May 11, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=B-1_Lancer&oldid=288582654
Concerning the two KC-135’s out of Homestead (8/28/63), as wife of one of the co-pilots, William (Bill) Smith, I was told that the planes disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, not that they collided. I was also told, after two weeks of searching up and down the East Coast that a piece of a plane w/a serial number and a navigator’s helmet were the only items found. I wonder what else I was not told. Some of their comrades did mention the possibility of the planes flying in formation and creating a mid-air collision.