F 15 refueling procedure

[GGTharos]

The lights are nice, but you should be keeping station by watching the tanker instead.

[Deezle]

Perhaps, easier said than done on a 2d screen. The lights tell me where I need to be, therefore I'll use them.

[GGTharos]

I would suggest more practice, it's just a habit that is difficult to acquire. :-)

[a1adin]

thanks for all the replies and youtube links.

watching someone else do it really helps.

I also increase the monitor contrast to see the lights more clearly.

 

@Deezle

yes, refueling in bms is easier since you can see the lights very clearly.

 

The lights are nice, but you should be keeping station by watching the tanker instead.

can you elaborate a bit?

if I can not see the lights, which parts of the tanker should I watch?

 

also I try to refuel with a-10a, and I find the boom really blocks my view,

can you give me some hints on how to do it?

[razo+r]

look at the marker of the boom and then adjust your position to get it to the green marking

[mvsgas]

Can you guys post some tracks so guys like me can take some pointers?

[razo+r]

do you mean, making a track to see how we do it?

 

I can, but only in A-10C, i never managed it to do with the eagle...

[mvsgas]

I think It would be helpful for anyone that can in flight refuel to post a track. F-15, A-10A/C, SU-33 and the Mirage 2000. Tracks are better that videos because we can see different angles, see the controls etc.

[Svend_Dellepude]

Have to agree with GG on this one.

Look at the tanker and not the lights, and then practice. This way I have no problems connecting and stay connected, bank or level.

[GGTharos]

Sure.

 

Some day, when you are refuelling in your normal manner and you find yourself in the contact position (ie. when the boom is attached and you receive the 'contact' notification), hit pause.

 

Now, sit how you'd normally sit through the refueling, same zoom etc (if you're zoomed in on the HuD you're doing it wrong :P Make sure you can see your canopy rail at least). Notice your canopy frame or other cockpit references, and how the tanker's various components intersect it or are positioned with respect to your cockpit: The engines, the wing roots, the boomie's window etc.

 

This is the picture you'll be fighting to keep. It is a very common formation flying technique - don't focus your eyes on just one stop, make sure you are moving your eyes to various spots on the tanker.

 

You can reference the lights, but this visual image of the contact position is what you are trying to maintain in all cases.

 

As you become more experienced, you'll be able to re-visualize your contact position with changing zoom or other circumstances, but to begin with just try to keep things as constant as you can.

 

And again, if you're zoomed into your hud, just staring out of your hud (zoomed or not) or staring at the PDLs, you're basically doing it wrong from the perspective of acquiring this formation flying technique :)

 

I'll add as an aside that your ability to control your aircraft - your stick setup etc, also plays a large role here. If you're not set up well, as in if you struggle to make fine corrections, this will be a very, very frustrating exercise for you and you will have trouble learning.

 

can you elaborate a bit?

if I can not see the lights, which parts of the tanker should I watch?

 

also I try to refuel with a-10a, and I find the boom really blocks my view,

can you give me some hints on how to do it?

[a1adin]

thanks GGTharos for the advices.

I will keep them in mind.

 

@mvsgas

here is my f-15 aar track.

it is far from perfect, I still need a lot of training,

but you can see what do I do and learn from it.

f-15 aar 1.trk

[mvsgas]

@mvsgas

here is my f-15 aar track.

it is far from perfect, I still need a lot of training,

but you can see what do I do and learn from it.

 

Thank you. It is not about being perfect. I about learning from each other. I used to be able to refuel full load but now I tend to blow up. If I get a full refuel I will post a track as well. I wish more of us would do this.

 

Edit;

Unfortunately, the track only shows you diving to the ground and crashing.

Edited December 8, 2016 by mvsgas

[mvsgas]

Recorded track on Open beta Ver 1.5.5.59744.197

You should see me start 2.5 NM from tanker at 15000/300 knots. I was a bit impatient and had a high closure rate (almost hit the tanker) I connected fine initially, but once disconnected, I back up to Pre-contact and tried again. But like always now, When I get to what I think is the right position I blow up in the game and jump about three feet in the air in RL.

[ATTACH]153021[/ATTACH]

[a1adin]

Unfortunately, the track only shows you diving to the ground and crashing.

 

Sorry, it must be because I am still using v1.2.16.

The game is in my home computer and I do not have fast internet connection currently.

 

Is there a way to update offline?

[SinusoidDelta]

Recorded track on Open beta Ver 1.5.5.59744.197

You should see me start 2.5 NM from tanker at 15000/300 knots. I was a bit impatient and had a high closure rate (almost hit the tanker) I connected fine initially, but once disconnected, I back up to Pre-contact and tried again. But like always now, When I get to what I think is the right position I blow up in the game and jump about three feet in the air in RL.

[ATTACH]153021[/ATTACH]

 

:lol:

 

I've had the same thing happen a few times. Everything seems to be going well and suddenly boom!

I watched your refueling track and the position reconnecting seems reasonable compared to the initial position. Just when it should make contact the boom slips toward the left wing root, slides over the edge and then slips under the left wing. Thats where the track ends. I assume this is where the explosion happens.

 

Night time tracks look absolutely horrendous on my PC. I took some screenshots FWIW. Can you post a daytime track?

 

Edit: I tweaked the image brightness/contrast a bit so hopefully you can see the aircraft instead of only the lights.

 

Position at inital contact

Position at reconnect

Boom slides off and under the wing

Edited December 9, 2016 by SinusoidDelta

[LJQCN101]

For many times, I held the plane at a perfect position for like 10 sec, all lights are in the middle, and I can even plug the refuelling door into the boom myself. And the boom operator just refuses to make a contact.

 

EDIT: Tried one just now. Here the track: LJQCN101 F15C refuel.trk. Took a long time to make a contact.

Edited December 10, 2016 by LJQCN101

[mvsgas]

... Can you post a daytime track?

Yes I can;

[ATTACH]153176[/ATTACH]

Used Open Beta version 1.5.5.59992.205. This new versions allowed the probe to go through the aircraft without killing us (both LJQCN101 and I needed that I think :D )with dynamic weather (using 5 systems IIRC) winter. I raised the altitude from 15k to 20k and made a big difference.

 

For many times, I held the plane at a perfect position for like 10 sec, all lights are in the middle, and I can even plug the refuelling door into the boom myself. And the boom operator just refuses to make a contact.

 

EDIT: Tried one just now. Here the track: [ATTACH]153153[/ATTACH]. Took a long time to make a contact.

Thanks for the track, I wish I could maintain the aircraft as stable as you do it. Good job, I want to be like you when I grow up. :thumbup:

[LJQCN101]

Thanks for the track, I wish I could maintain the aircraft as stable as you do it. Good job, I want to be like you when I grow up. :thumbup:

 

Cheers. Just my experience in a F15C. I think my stick helped me a lot since I'm using a 22-pound-force X65F and it's wonderful when making small corrections.

Edited March 29, 2017 by LJQCN101

[proletariat23]

Does anyone have any axis tuning tips for a complete noob? Using a thrustmaster 16000.Built a flight chair with a center joy and use an oculus.

 

I've got it right now looking like a mxr phase 45 but that's my experience! Jack! Just going to go with it for now. This is extremely difficult... makes my teeth chatter.

[Sweep]

Does anyone have any axis tuning tips for a complete noob? Using a thrustmaster 16000.Built a flight chair with a center joy and use an oculus.

 

I've got it right now looking like a mxr phase 45 but that's my experience! Jack! Just going to go with it for now. This is extremely difficult... makes my teeth chatter.

 

Side-mounted Warthog user here, I used something like a +15 or +20 curve in the axis config when I had a center-mounted stick. I also had sticktion problems then though.

 

I use a user-curve now. Try all of that. Maybe try something like a +10 curve on pitch/roll, too.

 

And make sure you know how to fly formation before attempting refueling. :)

[simo1000rr]

Does anyone have any axis tuning tips for a complete noob? Using a thrustmaster 16000.Built a flight chair with a center joy and use an oculus.

 

I've got it right now looking like a mxr phase 45 but that's my experience! Jack! Just going to go with it for now. This is extremely difficult... makes my teeth chatter.

 

It should be very easy for you since you are using RIFT , i do it in the Rift while sipping my Juice and while the Tanker in a turn.

 

I have +20 on the Roll axis and + 15 on the pitch axis with a wartthog joystick .

[proletariat23]

thanks for the guidance gentleman, I am enjoying this so much, really is amazing. Living in the future, f-15 in my office.

[proletariat23]

Difficult

[dhevans79]

very difficult, but on the upside, I now know about setting the axis curves, which has resulted in me being able to hover the Huey, and ALMOST refuel the F15 :D (almost)...

 

... but the inevitable temper tantrum at the end of a 20 minute attempt when I start to wildly oscillate vertically and then deliberately crash in to the tanker shows me I still have some practice ahead of me.

 

Luckily, there are a few videos on YouTube that show me that it's not easy for the real life guys either...

 

https://youtu.be/QiN9M0ahfmM

 

 

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

[proletariat23]

I'm right there's with you bud, literally just walked down stars for a smoke after following in slow motion for about 45 minutes. Just read a book too"I could never get on the boom, so I got nowhere"

 

Paraphrasing. I'm getting a complex for sure. Although here is the thing, it's just all too hanky, there needs to be some kind of dampening . Also, I think it's just physics. The f15 handles like mud at 200 knauts and angels 20.

 

I can catch the basket just fine. The boom over the shoulder with a full 3 tanks and arms is tough man. Plus in VR the reference points are whack and I don't know if it's just me but the lights on the tanker are not doing anything