What’s the hardest aircraft to air refuel in?

[CBenson89]

I just started doing air refueling in the last two weeks. I started in the tomcat and am pretty good at it now. I’ve also done the hornet, harrier, eagle, and viper. The tomcat was super difficult for me to learn but after doing the tomcat i found the hornet to be super easy. The harrier was hard just because of the probe location but once I made contact I found the harrier to be the easiest aircraft to control in terms of throttle manipulation. The eagle and the viper were both super difficult and I probably disconnected a dozen times trying to get one tank of gas.

 

 

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[SVgamer72]

The one I am currently flying...

 

 

I agree with you that once mastering the Tomcat (with auto wing sweep enabled), all the rest are much easier. Overall I am much better with a boom than a basket.

[SilverHawk94]

I just started doing air refueling in the last two weeks. I started in the tomcat and am pretty good at it now. I’ve also done the hornet, harrier, eagle, and viper. The tomcat was super difficult for me to learn but after doing the tomcat i found the hornet to be super easy. The harrier was hard just because of the probe location but once I made contact I found the harrier to be the easiest aircraft to control in terms of throttle manipulation. The eagle and the viper were both super difficult and I probably disconnected a dozen times trying to get one tank of gas.

 

 

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Wow :thumbup: Good job. Im still struggling to get AAR down right.

Ive been play DCS for years and Ive ran out of patience. I have all the planes that you mentioned but Ive been flying the hornet and tomcat the most.

Im still tinkering around with my axis on my thrustmaster T-16000 because I cant get the aircraft to be stable once in position. As soon a I get close to the tanker I either get caught up in the turbulence and have re-adjust or my plane starts drifting to the right or left. It seems like Im on ice when I get real close in formation. Ive tried numerous of tutorials. No luck. sorry if I didnt answer your question

[CBenson89]

No worries! Honestly I setup my hotas with the curves and deadzones in chucks guides. I struggled a ton at first but I set my deadzones to 4 for pitch and roll and it helped immensely in the tomcat. I’m still all over the place once I get hooked up but I’m confident enough that I feel like I can always get gas from the tanker now even if it looks ugly.

 

 

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[BuzzU]

Any plane that's not FBW can be a bit of a challenge.

[Oceandar]

Yes, I find the Cat is the hardest. Connect..... disconnect..... connect...... disconnect lol

[MAXsenna]

Interesting thread. Why would you have deadzones, unless you've got spiking pots?

 

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[Greyman]

I struggle the most with the A10c.

 

I fly in VR and I think it's the location of the refueling port that almost makes me go cross-eyed, when i get in close. Nah, it's probably just crap throttle control if I'm being honest. :)

[CBenson89]

I have deadzones just because that’s what chucks guide says to do. I’m still super super new at DCS so it helps me out.

 

 

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[Feuerfalke]

Interesting thread. Why would you have deadzones, unless you've got spiking pots?

 

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If your stick has a loose center or bad calibration, a deadzone will make your life a lot easier.

[BuzzU]

I struggle the most with the A10c.

 

I fly in VR and I think it's the location of the refueling port that almost makes me go cross-eyed, when i get in close. Nah, it's probably just crap throttle control if I'm being honest. :)

 

You must do long missions. The Hog flies forever on full tanks.

[pimp]

Any aircraft that uses the boom are the most difficult, but VR makes it easier though.

[MAXsenna]

If your stick has a loose center or bad calibration, a deadzone will make your life a lot easier.

Yyp, like I asked. Only for hardware errors then. Thanks, I was wondering if there was any other reason.

Cheers!

 

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[Bearfoot]

Flying the Tomcat exclusively for the last .... I dunno, ever since it came out.

 

The Tomcat is the only one I've loved enough to keep trying AAR till I got it.

 

First time I connected and stayed plugged in for even halfway, I could not wipe the smile off my face for a week.

 

Anyway, I think the tanker makes a difference. The KC-130 is the easiest. The KC-135 is more challenging for a number of reasons --- the "box" is much smaller, the dihedral of the wing as opposed to the straight of the 130 is disorienting, the fact that the pod is so far out leaves much less in your visual field to glom onto for your stationkeeping, etc. The Viking is incredibly difficult for its smaller size. All of this straight and level with no turns. Have not figured out the whole turning thing yet.

[Greyman]

You must do long missions. The Hog flies forever on full tanks.

 

You're right. I've never needed to refuel for a mission and probably never will. I must just have some sort of a masochistic streak that makes me want to try. :)

[STe79ITA]

Hi all, with f14 part of the procedure for aar is actually to close the wings so the bird doesnt change pitch during refuel and also, you will flight a higher aoa that will keep the bird away from the turbulence.

 

I got no problem at all refuelling with the probe and drogue, i have little hard time with boom in f16 but it is soo much faster procedure.

[=4c=Nikola]

A-10C is the hardest.

[ebabil]

for me

Hornet = easiest

Viper = hard, especially during night. But can be done with some disconnects

Tomcat = near impossible

[Hog_No32]

A-10C is the hardest.

 

Agree, at least it is much harder than the only other types I ever attempted to refuel in the air: the Mirage and the Hornet. As BuzzU pointed out already, thankfully the loiter time of the Hog on full tanks never really meant I had to air refuel. By the time I ran out of gas I was usually also Winchester, so back to base anyway.

 

With the really short legs of the Hornet this is a different story. For the first time I felt really limited in mission design without AAR so the Hornet became the first bird I‘ve forced myself to train AAR with. I struggled with it a lot in the beginning but training, training, training made it work for me in the end. I now refuel rather happily in it, get in on the first or second „stab“

ans usually stay in till tanks full.

 

Needless to say, I find nighttime AAR still much more difficult than in daytime.

[Outlaw24]

For me it's the A-10.

[Eldur]

The easiest is the one you fly in VR.

 

You're right. I've never needed to refuel for a mission and probably never will. I must just have some sort of a masochistic streak that makes me want to try.

 

I never take more than 50% fuel in the Hog and my only refuels ever in that one have been training units. Even with half fuel, you can stay up for like 3 hours easily if you don't keep your throttles firewalled all the time just because she's slow. So that's probably the absolutely easiest to refuel since you simply don't have to.

 

Of course the Hornet is easier than let's say the Tomcat or Harrier since you don't have the probe to your side. IMHO the hardest are the boom operated ones. I never tried the F-15, probably even more impossible than the F-16 in which I'm literally unable to see the guidance lights on the tanker. Haven't tried that in pancake mode though, but as opposed to flying in VR, formation flying will become rather impossible there so that's either pest or cholera.

[Heavydriver]

People Forget about the harrier, It’s not easy either mainly because the probe is behind you.

[Gierasimov]

Hog

 

I just started doing air refueling in the last two weeks. I started in the tomcat and am pretty good at it now. I’ve also done the hornet, harrier, eagle, and viper. The tomcat was super difficult for me to learn but after doing the tomcat i found the hornet to be super easy. The harrier was hard just because of the probe location but once I made contact I found the harrier to be the easiest aircraft to control in terms of throttle manipulation. The eagle and the viper were both super difficult and I probably disconnected a dozen times trying to get one tank of gas.

 

 

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I find AAR from the basket a piece of cake in Hornet, I find it difficult in Viper, although now, much fewer disconnects/attempts, while I just can't really do it in the Hog.

[CBenson89]

I’ve yet to try it in the A-10C. I spent all weekend bragging about how good I have gotten with the tomcat only to have difficulty doing it when we all played together. It took me forever to get connected the first time. With the harrier I find that it’s hard to get connected but I find the throttle management really easy. I’ll have to try the warthog!

 

 

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[JackHammer89]

The tomcat I feel that the power setting is never quite right, also it takes ages to spool up/down so you have to juggle the throttle more than usual and really be mentally ahead of the plane.

 

Harrier is hard cos you cant see the basket. Once you learn the reference points that work for you it's easier, and I imagine it would be easier if we had peripheral vision. If you've got bombs and bags on you'll need to trim a lot and add a decent amount of power.

 

I havent tried the f16 since release (when it didin't work lol).

 

Hornet's a piece of cake. The FCS stops you from doing anything too stupid and more or less sorts out your trim.

 

Mirage is a bit harder depending on the speed of the tanker.

 

Su33 i hate the "autopilot" refuel mechanic.

 

A10 never refuelled, nor the f15.

 

I know everyone says it, but the more relaxed you about it the easier it gets, and practice by flying formation with the tanker. At least he tells you his speed now, I remember having to play guess the tankers speed and try and refuel. Now if he'd just pre-warn you he was turning that'd be great.