@ Honolulu, HI
December 2019
A window seat certainly paid off on a flight into Honolulu. The golden hour light bathes this RAAF aerial refuelling tanker aircraft visiting Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam as we taxi by. This base neighbors Honolulu International Airport and shares runways with the airport for military traffic. Based on the civilian Airbus A330, the MRTT is currently in service with the Air Forces of the UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Eight additional nations have ordered this aircraft, of which 33 have been delivered so far. This versatile aircraft carries 245,000 lbs of fuel along with capability of cargo or 380 passengers. A version of this aircraft, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was proposed to the United States Air Force and eventually lost to the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus. Fuji XE-2s w/18-135mm.
