Local brothers part of modern air refueling, aviation revolution birth

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Cameron Lindsey
  • 14th Student Squadron

With over 1,200 officers and Airmen, the 186th Air Refueling Wing in Meridian, Mississippi, is made of mostly traditional guardsmen who live and work throughout Mississippi and surrounding states.

The 186th’s unique story began with two brothers from Meridian, Mississippi, in the midst of the great depression, who set out to achieve what aviation experts at the time deemed impossible.

Al and Fred Key planned the unimaginable: a 27-day continuous endurance flight in their new Curtis-Robbin monoplane nicknamed the "Ole Miss." Desperate to save the new Meridian Municipal Airport they managed, they planned an historic flight that would break the current endurance record, save their struggling air field, and promote the aviation community they loved so much.

Before they could embark on their ground-breaking flight, they had several obstacles to overcome, with the most pertinent being air-to-air refueling. While there was already a method in place to refuel in the air, there was an issue with the nozzle disengaging from the aircraft. This often led to fuel spraying into the engine causing fires and several pilot deaths. Fortunately for the Key brothers and their upcoming record-breaking flight, local engineer and Meridian resident A.D. Hunter had invented the automatic shutoff valve which would prevent unintended fuel spillage, and asked the brothers to test his prototype during their mission.

Another obstacle the Keys faced was maintaining the aircraft’s engine for continuous use. They solved this problem by constructing a metal catwalk along the side of the plane, which allowed the pilot to step out and service the engine while the plane was flying. These catwalks were so handy that thousands of planes followed suit and had them installed, including some future World War II aircraft.

The Key Brothers took off in the “Ole Miss” June 4, 1935, and stayed in the air for 27 consecutive days, breaking the previous record by four days. The brothers’ wives and families stayed at the Meridian Airport during the flight to monitor their progress. Every day they would cook the brothers’ meals and have them taken up via the refueling plane.

When they finally landed July 1, enormous crowds greeted them, including press from all over the nation. Their flight made them local heroes. Estimates showed the plane flew 52,320 miles; a distance that would have circled the Earth twice. The Meridian Municipal Airport was later renamed Key Field in their honor. Al and Fred are credited with not only the longest-ever continuous flight, a record that still stands to this day, but also the first-ever flight with an automatic shutoff valve, leading to the revolution of modern aerial refueling.

Today, Key Field is the headquarters of the Mississippi Air National Guard, 186th ARW. The Wing has been dedicated to refueling aircraft during flight for over 20 years, a duty made possible by a pair of outstanding aviators and their innovative engineer partner from Meridian over 76 years ago.