Regarding the SAC B-52 mission, see; Runyon, Bradford, Jr., 2005. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 25 February (Sign Oral History Project), 4-8.  When not on alert status, the B-52 crews routinely flew ten-hour Combat Crew training missions over the continental U.S., involving: airborne refueling, navigational legs, simulated bombing runs, low-level flying, and overall crew proficiency exercises to maintain ratings. Regarding this particular mission, there was an additional pilot onboard from another B-52 crew, Major James Partin, being evaluated by the Aircraft Commander and Instructor Pilot (IP) Captain Don Cagle. This B-52 crew was certified an S-crew (Standards and Evaluation Board, or STANEVAL, and Stanboard), and all crewmembers were rated instructors in their respective positions. As one of the top crews, they were also responsible for instructing and evaluating other crews. See also: Goduto, Thomas, 2001. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 20 February (Sign Oral History Project), 4-7; and Judd, Arlie, 2001. Transcript of interview by Thomas Tulien, 27 February (Sign Oral History Project), 7-8.