ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The arrival of the KC-46 Pegasus refueling aircraft will begin a new wave of in-flight refueling capability and a new chapter in Altus Air Force Base history.
For one of the KC-46 instructor pilots, this new era is a welcome return to the old.
U.S. Air Force Capt. Ryan Stanfill, 97th Operations Support Squadron flight commander, returned in March 2015, to the place where he spent his high school career. “My dad was a KC-135 instructor here back when there was the 55th Air Refueling Squadron,” said Stanfill. “Now that I’m here I’m kind of following in his footsteps; so I’m a second generation tanker pilot, which is pretty cool.”
For teenage Stanfill, being able to spend more than four years in one town was a bit of a rarity, but not a coincidence.
“When I was growing up, we lived all over the country, but we got to Altus and I discovered I really liked it and out of all the places I lived, it just felt like home,” said Stanfill. “After liking Altus so much I really didn’t want to move and I went to my dad and asked if there was a way to stay here through high school. He pulled some strings and that helped drive home the importance of family to me.”
After being able to complete his high school years in Altus, Stanfill moved on.
He spent two years in junior college in New Mexico and then finished his degree at the University of Kansas. “Now that I’m older, I’ve been to college and it was pretty easy to get used to the city life, so coming back here was at first a little bitter sweet,” he said.
Stanfill was excited to be an instructor at Altus and as a newlywed, he re-discovered the family benefits Altus has.
“I knew this would be a good way to have more of a leadership role rather than just flying and the nice thing about Altus is that it’s a training base which means I’m home every night,” said Stanfill. “At other bases you don’t have that luxury. As a newlywed, it’s been great getting that stability. We just have to be a little bit more creative with what we do for fun.”
Not only has Stanfill been able to gain experience instructing pilots of the U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, he also will soon be teaching in the KC-46.
“I’m very excited about transitioning to the KC-46. I’ve had my eye set on it for a while and when the opportunity came, I jumped on it,” said Stanfill. “I’m really humbled and blessed to be part of the first 15 instructors. You don’t get a lot of chances to be the first part of something in the Air Force.”
As one of the first instructors, Stanfill will have his work cut out for him.
“We’re basically going to be writing the book on the new plane. As a tanker pilot, the level of capability it has and the things it can do in the battlespace is extraordinary,” said Stanfill. “It’s very rewarding being able to create something that will be carried on to the students; there’s a lot of job satisfaction and personal satisfaction with this new plane.”
As Stanfill spends the next few years in Altus teaching others to fly a new aircraft, he will have plenty of time to enjoy the town he grew up in and leave his mark.
“It’s an honor to be in this little part of history,” said Stanfill. “I never thought I’d be back in Altus, flying a new plane. You can’t script that.”