184th makes last flight before change

? After 66 years of flying observation planes, fighters, bombers and tankers, the Kansas Air National Guard’s 184th Refueling Wing, the “Flying Jayhawks,” will fly no more.

The last flight of the 184th was scheduled for Sunday, when Kansas Air National Guard pilot Brad Link was to fly a KC-135 from the 184th Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base to Forbes Field in Topeka.

After that, an era ends. By October, the 184th is expected to become an intelligence wing, specializing in computer systems security and satellite surveillance monitoring.

The mission change has been in the works for almost three years, bringing new facilities and the retraining or transfer of hundreds of guardsmen. The unit will begin recruiting scores of new airmen skilled in computer technology, deciding how to allocate space previously occupied by airplanes and maintenance shops, and making other changes.