Return to Hawaii: From the Boom Box

18 June 1985

I’m sure there is a real name for the small space in the tail of the KC-135 that the boom operator uses to refuel aircraft in flight.  I don’t know what it is, so to me it will forever be the “boom box.”  Let me tell you — it’s a tight fit in that small bay.  Hopefully the re-fueling operation doesn’t take long, or it could get quite claustrophobic down there.

The photo above was taken well after we were flying across the Pacific.  Mui didn’t wait that long to check out the boom bay — he jumped down into the space as soon as we were in the air so he could grab some aerial shots of Oahu.

The arrow points to the Ala Wai Canal, which was created in 1928 for the
purpose of draining the rice paddies and swamps that would eventually become
the tourist resort area of Waikiki (the area to the left of the canal).
Diamond Head Crater is framed by the clouds.

L to R: Hanauma Bay, Koko Crater, and Koko Head (the land that juts out into the ocean).
(you’ll have to forgive our early attempts at stitching photos.)

So far we’ve flown twice to Hawaii; both times on an aircraft designed to refuel other aircraft.  Maybe someday we’ll actually fly there on a passenger jet!