So give us some more details about this specific mission!

A detail of the B-2 rudder pedal. Jeff Bolton

The instructor pilot, call sign "Wolf," and I, call sign "PITTA", flew on October 16, 2018 near Whiteman Air Force Base in a MOA (military operating area) named, fittingly, Truman. I flew right seat and became "Spirit 691" when we were wheels up. Strange to think that only 691 people have flown aboard the airplane since 1989 so that was a huge and humbling honor for me.

I was embedded with the Eighth Air Force 509th Bomb Wing's 13th Bomb Squadron, known as "The Devil's Own Grim Reapers." Our mission call sign was "Death 13," and our jet was the Spirit of Kitty Hawk, airframe number AV-19, Air Force number 93-1086. As you can see in the video and still photos, the airframe number 31086 is affixed in various places inside the cockpit and on the ACES II ejection seats.

We tanked on a KC-135 "Iron Maiden", call sign "Wylie 22," from the 190th Air Refueling Wing, aka the "Kansas Coyotes," based in Topeka, Kansas. In the video and still footage you can see the "Kansas Coyotes" script on the ruddervators of the 135 refueling boom. We briefed to have multiple plugs and separations with the 135 so Wolf could complete his required aerial refueling (AR) currency evolution. He also completed his formation and landing currency requirements on the mission.

As you can see in the video, Wolf makes an extraordinarily hard task look easy; tanking the B-2 is a bear at best and watching him complete such a difficult feat of airmanship was incredible. Note the fierce concentration on his face, the incredible number of stick and throttle inputs he has to make, and you'll begin to appreciate the skill it takes in the B-2 in the AR environment. Oh, and we had a sunny clear day and were well rested. Imagine tanking for the fourth time, in the clag, at night, 30 plus hours into a mission when you're exhausted and strung out. Varsity only.

At various points during the mission we were joined by two other B-2s: One that had launched earlier in the day and was returning from a training mission, and second one, "Death 11," that launched after we did. We were also joined by two Whiteman T-38 photo ships — one shooting stills and one shooting video of our tanking evolutions, aerial maneuvering and landing. Their callsigns were Reaper 14 and Reaper 15 and they were flown by B-2 pilots.

Of note, visibility looking out of the aircraft is limited, and Wolf was extremely busy both coordinating with, and de-conflicting from, all of the other aircraft in our airspace. He was also remarkably generous in allowing me to hand fly the airplane for significant portions of the flight so again, a huge and humbling honor for me to get serious stick time in the jet.

We flew for four plus hours in and around the Truman MOA, a pretty short day by B-2 standards. We debriefed in private after the flight with a senior B-2 crew. I passed. No downs for me and I was invited back. Big relief.