PARKMAN – A Maine Air National Guard refueling plane circled the skies over sections of Piscataquis County on Saturday, burning up fuel to allow it to land in Bangor.

The KC-135 was in a holding pattern after a refueling mission was aborted, leaving too much fuel in the large plane to land, officials with the Bangor-based 101st Air Refueling Wing said during the weekend.

The holding pattern covered an area roughly 10 miles by 15 miles, and the plane flew over Parkman where it piqued the curiosity of Bob Holcomb, who served 14 years in the military, including in the U.S. Air Force.

“This is not something that happens every day,” he said Sunday.

Holcomb said the plane circled about nine times in the one-hour time period.

Federal authorities have established holding patterns for such situations, and they can range from 20 miles to 100 miles away from Bangor International Airport, Capt. Mark Champagne, public affairs officer for the 101st Air Refueling Wing, said. The plane was flying at an altitude between 7,000 and 12,000 feet, he said.

The Bangor-based refueling wing performs about 500 refueling missions for military aircraft heading overseas and coming in from overseas.