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In-Flight Refueling

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lowtimedriver

Marmott Stalker
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Posts
4,224
How much practice does it take to become proficient at aerial refueling from the receiving end? What are the challenges?

Thanks
 
It depends on the aircraft you are refueling from. The KC-10 and S-3 seemed fairly easy while the KC-135 was a little more difficult.

If you can fly formation then tanking is actually not that hard. Most guys pick it up fairly quickly. Some struggle or have bad days. I found that NOT focusing so much on the basket, but more on flying formation and using peripheral vision to guide the basket stopped some of the pilot induced oscillations.

Challenges: Turbulence throwing the basket around. The hard basket and short hose of the KC-135, recieving probes in difficult positions, slipstreams that push the basket away from the probe.

Airforce guys use a different and easier boom system. With this system the boom operator can "fly" the boom to the recepticle on the aircraft. The Navy uses a hose a basket system because no carrier based aircraft can carry a boom. We must fly the probe into the basket.
 
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Airforce guys use a different and easier boom system. With this system the boom operator can "fly" the boom to the recepticle on the aircraft. The Navy uses a hose a basket system because no carrier based aircraft can carry a boom. We must fly the probe into the basket.

Not exactly. Most USAF aircraft can't see the boom where it fits into the receptacle. We've got a very small window to put the aircraft in a position for the boom operator to maneuver the boom into place. The limits on the boom are pretty tight, so saying the boomer can simply "fly" the boom into position is a misnomer.
 
In the Gunship, it's challenging because of performance. Almost every AR in country is a 300fpm toboggan at low altitude and sometimes a climb back up to altitude to complete the onload. Other than that, the actual hand flying portion isn't all that difficult.
 
We would routinely take on 90k lbs of fuel in the C-141...thats about 15-20 minutes straight on the boom. It can be very exhausting....I found it much harder to refuel behind a KC-135 than a KC-10. This is mainly bacause the boom on a KC-10 has a much larger "envelope".

Formation AR could also get pretty exciting. 6 C-141's getting ready to do an Airdrop mission coming up on 3 "stacked" KC-135's.....at night.....with marginal weather....in a turn..... you wanna talk about getting the leans.
 
Night 'consolidation' 10 on 10 over the AOR blacked-out ops with a 120k onload as a copilot!...now that was fun!
 
At night, in the weather, tanking off the Iron Maiden... is not for Air Force boom guys! :) In all seriousness, the basket is on the end of a 6' hose, so you have about a 2' box in which you need to keep your jet. We (Hornets) can only take about 1K #'s a minute too, so you can be in the basket upwards of 10 minutes. When the boom is moving, it's bumpy, the sun is in your eyes, etc... that 180 # metal basket can snap your probe right off. It can be a grueling 10 minutes, especially when you have to do it 3+ times/mission.

I've heard the pointy nose USAF guys can actually couple up to the tanker, and let the autopilot fly. Is that true?
 

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