 Boom operator (US military)

In the U.S. Air Force (USAF), a boom operator is an aircrew member aboard tanker aircraft who is responsible for safely and effectively transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft to another during flight (known as "aerial refueling", "air refueling", "in-flight refueling", "air-to-air refueling", and "tanking").The name boom operator implies that one "operates a boom" (the "flying boom"), which is a long, extendable metal arm attached to the rear underside of the "tanker" that the boom operator connects to the fuel receptacle of a receiving aircraft (the "receiver").