Now the spool time is fixed, any tricks to AAR?

[Ogata_Rina]

It was trivially easy to AAR before the update, as the engine used to spool faster than a F404. Now it spools much slower, and it's pretty easy to overshoot the boom, especially under light load. I can finish refueling only after few disconnects, which is suboptimal. Any tips and tricks to refuel this thing? Can I put a bit of speedbrake to make it more responsive? Thanks in advance.

Edited July 19, 2024 by goAdA

[Kalasnkova74]

Interesting. I find AAR easier now with the slower spool time.

[Tmi]

I have the same issue. I managed to get fairly good at AAR before the spool time fix and now i'm just rubber banding all over the place when trying to stay connected.

What kind of throttles do you guys use and where have you set your AB detent? I'm wondering how much does the available MIL power range affect the spooling of the engines. With the WinWing Super Taurus it feels like setting the AB detent at a lower value actually helps with the engine control.

[SgtPappy]

11 hours ago, goAdA said:

It was trivially easy to AAR before the update, as the engine used to spool faster than a F404. Now it spools much slower, and it's pretty easy to overshoot the boom, especially under light load. I can finish refueling only after few disconnects, which is suboptimal. Any tips and tricks to refuel this thing? Can I put a bit of speedbrake to make it more responsive? Thanks in advance.

 

I usually do AAR with the F-4 with a tanker at ~400 kn and am constantly making throttle corrections.

For a super slow tanker, I've dabbled with popping the speed brakes a bit in the F-14A so that my engines are at a higher RPM for a given airspeed and therefore take less time to spool up.

Edited July 19, 2024 by SgtPappy

[Ogata_Rina]

5 hours ago, Tmi said:

I have the same issue. I managed to get fairly good at AAR before the spool time fix and now i'm just rubber banding all over the place when trying to stay connected.

What kind of throttles do you guys use and where have you set your AB detent? I'm wondering how much does the available MIL power range affect the spooling of the engines. With the WinWing Super Taurus it feels like setting the AB detent at a lower value actually helps with the engine control.

I had some practice in the "Kadena to Guam" mission. I'm using the winwing orion throttle and it's getting a bit notchy after 3 years, but I loosened the friction a bit and it helped a lot. The biggest trick I found is to catch the drift before it develops beyond correction. I do not recommend AB unless your tanker is absolutely hauling ass, and it shouldn't be. Once I tap AB it instantly overshoots over the indicator light, even with 3 tanks. I still get some disconnects every now and then though, mildly annoying.

[Omega417]

12 hours ago, goAdA said:

.... Can I put a bit of speedbrake to make it more responsive? Thanks in advance.

 

Ive read accounts somewhere that some pilots did just that. It makes landing the A4 much easier so i dont see why it wouldnt work on the Phantom.

I also read somewhere that some pilots would put one engine in burner and use a bunch of rudder. But i doubt that was common or recommended.

[ricktoberfest]

5 hours ago, Omega417 said:

I also read somewhere that some pilots would put one engine in burner and use a bunch of rudder. But i doubt that was common or recommended.

You don’t need a bunch of rudder as the engines are pretty close together so not much yaw. The afterburner trick was common but mainly for very heavy loadouts. 

[450Devil]

While only average at AAR, I have found that once I match speed with the tanker in the Ready position that I get the best results by leaving my port throttle untouched and only changing speed using the right throttle. 

[wjmzwx]

Try to use the left wing or right wing if u like of tanker as reference since the PDl lights are not very good at telling u your rate of forward or backward， it can only tell u the position. U may over or under react on the position changing. But wings on the other hand can give u very good visual signal of rate changing. 

When I use PDL maybe 10 contacts a full tank， but when I use Wing I always one time top off.

 

I think IRL PDL is good because you can feel the movement rate by your ass or back， but in the 2D sim，my body tells me nothing only eyes. PDL alone is not a very useful visual refernece. Just like chasing papi lights without checking the descent rate，all of a sudden u overshoot.

Edited August 15, 2024 by wjmzwx