Hello All,

Quick question - when refueling in a bank - how is that coordinated? I.e. does the tanker advise of when the banks are going to initiated to allow the receiving aircraft to sync their movement with the tanker? Also how difficult is it to maintain contact with the tanker when maneuvering or does that depend on the type of aircraft taking on fuel?

Thanks!

TDAero777 wrote:

Hello All,

Quick question - when refueling in a bank - how is that coordinated? I.e. does the tanker advise of when the banks are going to initiated to allow the receiving aircraft to sync their movement with the tanker? Also how difficult is it to maintain contact with the tanker when maneuvering or does that depend on the type of aircraft taking on fuel?

Thanks!

46 boom, so I see it from both sides.

It's usually coordinated, either over radio or boom interphone (if equipped), but not really necessary. A heads-up isn't as important as the tanker simply being a smooth, steady, and predictable platform. There are three things necessary for air refueling: 1. Be smooth. 2. Be smooth. And 3. Be smooth. So long as you're smooth with the controls and the power air refueling is the same at zero degrees bank as it is from 75 degrees.

LyleLanley wrote:

TDAero777 wrote:

Hello All,

Quick question - when refueling in a bank - how is that coordinated? I.e. does the tanker advise of when the banks are going to initiated to allow the receiving aircraft to sync their movement with the tanker? Also how difficult is it to maintain contact with the tanker when maneuvering or does that depend on the type of aircraft taking on fuel?

Thanks!

46 boom, so I see it from both sides.

It's usually coordinated, either over radio or boom interphone (if equipped), but not really necessary. A heads-up isn't as important as the tanker simply being a smooth, steady, and predictable platform. There are three things necessary for air refueling: 1. Be smooth. 2. Be smooth. And 3. Be smooth. So long as you're smooth with the controls and the power air refueling is the same at zero degrees bank as it is from 75 degrees.

All true from a former receiver’s perspective. We did not expect any announcement of turns unless something unexpected was happening. Anchor tracks are large holding patterns so turning every 5-10 minutes is expected. Enroute (ALTRV) or normal tracks, not a lot, as in nearly zero, turns. BUFF IP upgrade used to insane lazy 8s at very high bank angles. The trickier problem was doing a toboggan in fighters. Again, the transition to a descent needed to be smooth or the boomer and the receiver got a different view of each other. Turns, I’d prefer not to know, because then you would start anticipating it, better just to stay in formation. Refueling is formation work in a small 3D box.

I’ll add a fourth requirement: SMOOTH. Fifth: PATIENCE, rush things as the receiver, unpleasant or really bad things happen. More rushed, the faster they happen.

Thanks for the replies learned quite a bit!

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

Fifth: PATIENCE, rush things as the receiver, unpleasant or really bad things happen. More rushed, the faster they happen.

Truer words are rarely spoken. Slow is fast. Fast is slow.

I recommend looking up the old whifferdill turn photos. Crazy stuff there.

Also drives home the point that as long as both crews are honed in together and paying attention, interesting things can be done seamlessly

FGITD wrote:

I recommend looking up the old whifferdill turn photos. Crazy stuff there.

Also drives home the point that as long as both crews are honed in together and paying attention, interesting things can be done seamlessly

That was exactly the purpose of that training event: to instill that mindset, because there’s knowing it and there’s seeing it. Tbh, the best thing the AF could’ve done would’ve been to add receptacles to all KC-135s. I think it would’ve made them far better tanker drivers to know what it’s like to be on the other end.

Looking at some of those pics, it’s weird to think those 135 booms don’t even have a seat belt!

LyleLanley wrote:

FGITD wrote:

I recommend looking up the old whifferdill turn photos. Crazy stuff there.

Also drives home the point that as long as both crews are honed in together and paying attention, interesting things can be done seamlessly

That was exactly the purpose of that training event: to instill that mindset, because there’s knowing it and there’s seeing it. Tbh, the best thing the AF could’ve done would’ve been to add receptacles to all KC-135s. I think it would’ve made them far better tanker drivers to know what it’s like to be on the other end.

Looking at some of those pics, it’s weird to think those 135 booms don’t even have a seat belt!

Those 12(?) ARR jets are like national treasure... always had priority. Reduced headroom in the cockpit though, from what I remember, between the boom seat and the Nav table.

LordTarkin wrote:

Those 12(?) ARR jets are like national treasure...

There were 8 of them, all had started life or spent time as something else (EC/RC) but were converted back to tankers when those roles ended, keeping the receiver refueling gear. One went to be the R-model conversion test bed, the other 7 were based at Grissom AFB. I flew all 7 back then, we often referred to them as RT-135s. They eventually were upgraded to R-models and live at McConnell AFB these days.

FGITD wrote:

I recommend looking up the old whifferdill turn photos. Crazy stuff there.

Also drives home the point that as long as both crews are honed in together and paying attention, interesting things can be done seamlessly

Had to look it up...and I'm glad I did. A B-52 nearly on its side while refueling is definitely a sight to see!

So how much travel does the boom allow when connected? A couple of feet from minimum to maximum with it centering at the mid point? Mechanical spring, air, or hydraulic? What is the break away force - 2,000 pounds? I assume the tanker 'leads' as in setting course and speed, the receiver matches to it. Are there signal lights, indicators, or other guidance provided between the two aircraft?

In air refueling, like carrier ops, there are many things that look simple at first glance but have taken decades in real life to get right. Just the thought of angular rotation of the tanker with the offset radius, means holding parallel tracks would be a real challenge. Refueling seems high risk, but striving for perfection may keep the incidents quite low.

In the photo above, see the two black tracks near the boom end on the fuselage? Those are director lights-up/down, in/out. You get two green lights in the center of the envelope. There are limit switches which disconnect as you approach the boom limits. Can’t say how big the envelope is, but on a bad day, it seems pretty small.

Tankers does all the navigating and communicating during refueling. Arranges the hand off back to ATC. Remember the tankers are usually in a cell of two or three. C-5s would refuel off both tankers for a full load.

GalaxyFlyer wrote:

In the photo above, see the two black tracks near the boom end on the fuselage? Those are director lights-up/down, in/out. You get two green lights in the center of the envelope. There are limit switches which disconnect as you approach the boom limits. Can’t say how big the envelope is, but on a bad day, it seems pretty small.

So I assume they're similar to PAPI lights/meatball (on aircraft carriers)? Would they also be specific to the type of aircraft being refuelled? The Vipers have their IFR receptacle way back, the Eagles on the side and the Warthog at the front...

Yes, but the reference is the center of the boom, regardless of type. The idea being in the heart of the boom’s envelope, so it didn’t change with receiver. In the A-10, we didn’t use the lights much, just look at the boom at a glance. But in the C-5 you could t see the boom, so the lights were used all the time. The A-10 receptacle was right in front, the C-5 was over rear of the FE panel

In the C-5, you could hear the boom approaching the receptacle, it’d shriek increasing noise, then silence when connected.

JayinKitsap wrote:

So how much travel does the boom allow when connected? A couple of feet from minimum to maximum with it centering at the mid point? Mechanical spring, air, or hydraulic? What is the break away force - 2,000 pounds? I assume the tanker 'leads' as in setting course and speed, the receiver matches to it. Are there signal lights, indicators, or other guidance provided between the two aircraft?

With a maximum of 25 degrees left or right roll limitation on the KC-10, I believe the range-of-travel is something like 20 feet either side of centerline. The airflow off the KC-10's wings also apparently helps the receiver stay close to centerline, at least when refueling other KC-10s. The KC-135's maximum of 10 degrees azimuth obviously offers a much smaller envelope.

JayinKitsap wrote:

...striving for perfection may keep the incidents quite low.

Just like all of aviation