A pilot with the 442nd Fighter Wing sits on the ramp in his A-10 Thunderbolt II while crew chiefs perform a hot pit refuel for his aircraft at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., on Dec. 8, 2010. Hot pit refueling is a procedure usually performed in a combat situation to rapidly refuel aircraft while engines are running to thrust pilots back into the fight. The technicians with the 442nd Fighter Wing are practicing this procedure to keep their skills sharp.