The History of Aerial Refueling

99 years ago, on 25 October 1923, the first aerial refueling was conducted. First Lieutenant Lowell Herbert Smith and First Lieutenant John P. Richter, Air Service, United States Army, flew a DH-4B from Sumas, Washington, to Tijuana, Mexico, non-stop. The 1,280 mile (2,060 kilometer) flight was made possible by two air-to-air refuelings from tanker airplanes pre-positioned over Eugene, Oregon, and Sacramento, California. During World War II, the Army Air Forces modified B-24 Liberators to become...