The first in-flight refueling test took place on November 21, 1921, when Frank Hawks flew his Lincoln Standard biplane over Long Beach, California. Wesley May crawled up onto the top wing with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back, May walked to the edge of the right wing while Earl Daugherty eased his Curtiss Jenny just above the Lincoln. When Daugherty got his lower left wing within range, May reached up and grabbed a loop on its lower edge. Then Daugherty eased away, with May and his gas can hanging below. May climbed up onto the lower wing and eventually poured the gasoline into Daugherty’s tank.
Credit: Courtesy The Museum of Flight
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A USAF KB-50K hose and drogue tanker provides three refueling points for a Marine Corps F8U Crusader and a pair of Marine FJ Fury fighters in a 1962 photo. Credit: Courtesy of The Boeing Co.
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