F 15 refueling procedure

[fighter1976]

Hi!

 

Just purchased the F 15 module, installed in DCS world and started to play.Very nice, except the refueling missions( cannot attach to the tanker's refueling probe) Can anyone tell me step by step what I have to do for a sucessful refueling?

Thanks!

[Exorcet]

All tanker boom operators are drunk and won't refuel you unless you fly flawlessly lined up with the tanker.

 

To attempt refuel, contact the tanker on the radio (\ key), open your refueling door ( LCtrl + R ?) and get close to the tanker. Wait for the boom operator to announce "contact".

[Aginor]

An don't be sad if you fail the first few times. Aerial refueling is one of the hardest things to learn in DCS. :)

[HiJack]

Refueling videos in my Twitch and Youtube channels. Subscribe :D

http://www.twitch.tv/livesim/profile

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuOwOSWydbBIdhv9soh9ycQ

http://livesimblog.wordpress.com/

Edited August 8, 2014 by HiJack

[GGTharos]

1. Contact tanker on radio with intent to refuel

2. Intercept the tanker and get in tanker trail 1-2nm behind 1000' above or below (Safety procedure) ... 2 can come before 1 sometimes.

3. Move into right observation if there are others on the boom - ie. fly formation on the right wing.

4. Move into pre-contact position. This is 50' aft and 50' below the boom.

5. Declare 'ready pre-contact' on the radio

6. NOW open the refueling door, NEVER before (because it shuts off fuel flow to the feed tanks, and if the feed tanks run dry, your engines stop ;) ) -- The READY light on your canopy bow will come on.

7. Move into position to get refueled slowly and smoothly. The trick to this one is to get into position and memorize the sight - don't just use the PDL lights. They're helpful to show you position, but they primary means of flying formation, which IS what you are doing, is to maintain the correct visual references on the tanker. The entire tanker. Don't look at the boom, that's going to be behind you somewhere. Once the boom plug in, the READY light on your canopy bow will turn off (And on again if you disconnect)

8. Stay in formation. Practice. :P Small changes/deflections is all you need. Be patient, avoid over-correcting or you're going to PIO and disconnect/hit the tanker/lose sleep/hair/etc.

9. When refueling is done, smoothly pull the throttle back JUST A LITTLE to back away from the boom, and slightly reduce altitude - again to move away from the boom.

10. CLOSE REFUELING DOOR! If you forget it, your feed tanks will run dry - they only store about 2500lbs of fuel between them.

11. Smoothly fly to observation left - get into formation on the left wing of the tanker. (safety/procedure)

12. Smoothly leave tanker formation by ascending or descending 2000' from tanker altitude. Do not fly in front of tanker 3-9line, always stay behind it. (safety/procedure)

13. Head off into sunset. Or hail of missiles. Or MiGs. Whatever suits your fancy :D

 

 

Fuel flow is about 3000lbs/min IIRC, and your tank holds 13500lbs. If you have externals, add about 1.3 min per external tank, so if you were almost dry (Feed tanks full, but only feed tanks) and had 3 tanks (don't fly with 3tanks BTW ... nasty habit) you would have to stay on the boom for 7 min or so.

 

Hi!

 

Just purchased the F 15 module, installed in DCS world and started to play.Very nice, except the refueling missions( cannot attach to the tanker's refueling probe) Can anyone tell me step by step what I have to do for a sucessful refueling?

Thanks!

Edited August 8, 2014 by GGTharos

[SgtPappy]

Has anyone figured out yet why some of us can only refuel up to about 11,600 lbs?

 

I've finally managed to fly in formation well past 5 minutes and when I look at my fuel quantity gauge, it just does not surpass around 80%. The needle gets stuck.

 

And as for the actual flying, fighter1976, remember to adjust the curvature of your Y-Axis using axis tune to something like 30 while in the controls menu. This will make the stick easier to handle at low deflections where tiny adjustments are needed.

Edited September 7, 2014 by SgtPappy

[Kayos]

They should add auto-pilot refueling so new people can refuel while learning.

[Wolf Rider]

nah... not really. some planes have an autopilot kick in once connection made already

[Why485]

Has anyone figured out yet why some of us can only refuel up to about 11,600 lbs?

 

I registered to ask that specific question.

 

I've been learning air to air refueling in the F-15C and I can't get the fuel meter to show more than 10k lbs in the mission I've set up where I start with ~30% fuel. At first I thought I needed to switch tanks to feed into somehow, but I can't find any buttons to do that. All I could find was the fuel gauge selector which I'm pretty sure selects what you're looking at, not any actual flow mechanics.

 

Something else I'm wondering is if this is easier in real life. For one, I'm surprised the trim is actually too sensitive to be of any use in refueling, and second, does the F-15C really not have any altitude or airspeed autopilot? Those two, and being able to adjust those two while activated, would make this a whole lot easier.

 

I've heard DCS refueling is scripted, but is that true anymore? I saw an old tutorial video where the guy said to let go of the controls after connection but that seems silly and wrong in my experience now in FC3.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Why485

[SharpeXB]

does the F-15C really not have any altitude or airspeed autopilot? Those two, and being able to adjust those two while activated, would make this a whole lot easier.

In the A-10C opening the refueling port disengages the autopilot. I'm not sure an autopilot could provide enough control for AAR, maybe that why, for safety reasons.

I just mastered AAR in the A-10C and it took about two weeks of practice.

It's not easy! :joystick:

[SgtPappy]

I registered to ask that specific question.

 

I've been learning air to air refueling in the F-15C and I can't get the fuel meter to show more than 10k lbs in the mission I've set up where I start with ~30% fuel. At first I thought I needed to switch tanks to feed into somehow, but I can't find any buttons to do that. All I could find was the fuel gauge selector which I'm pretty sure selects what you're looking at, not any actual flow mechanics.

 

Something else I'm wondering is if this is easier in real life. For one, I'm surprised the trim is actually too sensitive to be of any use in refueling, and second, does the F-15C really not have any altitude or airspeed autopilot? Those two, and being able to adjust those two while activated, would make this a whole lot easier.

 

I've heard DCS refueling is scripted, but is that true anymore? I saw an old tutorial video where the guy said to let go of the controls after connection but that seems silly and wrong in my experience now in FC3.

 

It used to be scripted in FC2, but with FC3, now it's all manual. Nothing changes in the flight model when you contact the boom. It might be easier in real life because of the precise stick, peripheral vision and the feeling of acceleration in different directions. Either way, it becomes easier to scale your stick and fly formation practise. Like GG said, it's all about paying attention to the entire tanker and knowing if you're moving away or toward it.

 

Now hopefully they'll fix the fuel tanks to fill entirely.

[GGTharos]

I've been learning air to air refueling in the F-15C and I can't get the fuel meter to show more than 10k lbs in the mission I've set up where I start with ~30% fuel. At first I thought I needed to switch tanks to feed into somehow, but I can't find any buttons to do that. All I could find was the fuel gauge selector which I'm pretty sure selects what you're looking at, not any actual flow mechanics.

 

Your fuel totalizer is not showing more that 10000lbs? Are you hooked up and taking fuel? (The tanker will tell you, and you should hear the refueling sound playing).

 

You might be experiencing some sort of a bug, assuming you're actually connected and pumping.

 

second, does the F-15C really not have any altitude or airspeed autopilot? Those two, and being able to adjust those two while activated, would make this a whole lot easier.

 

Yes, it has an attitude and altitude autopilot ... and they're never used for refueling.

[SgtPappy]

Your fuel totalizer is not showing more that 10000lbs? Are you hooked up and taking fuel? (The tanker will tell you, and you should hear the refueling sound playing).

 

You might be experiencing some sort of a bug, assuming you're actually connected and pumping.

 

I know that I personally am connected. I get the "contact" and "You're taking fuel" messages and I hear the fuel going through. I keep the lights green at all times, even though they move between the different green positions.

 

Last night I connected with 50% fuel, kept it the lights in the green and after 4 mins, I still wasn't totally refueled. I forgot to save that track, but I have plenty of others which I can attach when I get home. One time I connected for over 10 minutes and still wasn't full. Never heard the "refueling complete" message, and looking at the track, the fuel indicator needle actually stops moving before the tanks are full.

[GGTharos]

Ok ... I think that's actually a known bug.

[SgtPappy]

Ok, that's good. As long as it is known. I miss having the tanker available on the 104th server.

[Nascar]

Anybody read Thud Ridge? I read it about 25yrs ago. I remember where an F-105 pilot ran out of gas just as he was hooking up but once you get hooked up the pressure can pull you along. Something like that anyway. My point is, maybe once you are attached it should be a bit easier?

[dartuil]

Hello, did someone have a mission with refuel for F-15c or su-27?

Thanks.

[311Gryphon]

and had 3 tanks (don't fly with 3tanks BTW ... nasty habit)

 

I'm guessing this should be obvious....but why is this?

 

Thanks.

[GGTharos]

Loads of drag. People like to fly around in AB because they have 3 tanks, but they NEED to be in AB BECAUSE they have 3 tanks. Waste of fuel, doesn't really get you there faster.

[311Gryphon]

Loads of drag. People like to fly around in AB because they have 3 tanks, but they NEED to be in AB BECAUSE they have 3 tanks. Waste of fuel, doesn't really get you there faster.

 

Makes sense. Thanks!

 

I like to fly around in AB because I have the option and I've been waiting for the chance to fly something in the sim that can get me over Mach 1 without a steep dive. But when I'm trying to fly seriously fuel conservation is a bit more important. The first time I got a "bingo fuel" warning and then a minute and a half later my engines shut off was a wake up call. I wish we could adjust the fuel quantity that we get the warning at, but at the same time keeping an eye on it and understanding that you don't have to be in AB all the time helps a ton.

[VTJS17_Fire]

Hi,

 

the thread isn't the latest one, but I think it fits very well and I don't want to create a second one with the same topic.

 

 

Hope you enjoy it, please leave your feedback and/ or comments.

 

 

Kind regards,

Fire

[sslechta]

I saw an old tutorial video where the guy said to let go of the controls after connection but that seems silly and wrong in my experience now in FC3.

 

 

This was the case back when the F15 was a Simple Flight Model (SFM). The autopilot would take over and you could sit there, arms crossed until "Refueling Complete".

 

Once the Advanced Flight Model (AFM) came out, that option was taken away.

 

That's the best I can remember it. Someone else chime in if the details aren't correct.

[Chipwich]

This is a great thread, because the procedure doesn't seem to be documented in neither the F-15C nor Flaming Cliffs manual. A couple of questions please.

 

1. Is there a description of the KC135's light system somewhere?

 

2. When building missions, what altitiude and airspeed do you use and what should the tanker's track look like? I built a mission with the tanker's default 270 knts @ angels 20, but the Eagle seemed a little mushy for precision work. I think that I'll try 300 knts at 15,000 and see how that goes.

 

Thanks.

[Snoopy]

1. Is there a description of the KC135's light system somewhere?

 

[Chipwich]

Thanks Snoopy. Any idea of how to interpret them?