One of those cases when it really is better to receive, than it is to give.
Trust me, it looks a whole lot more controlled from the other end.
Of course, most of the airplane is behind you, so you don’t really pay much attention to it…
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« Hostages Hornet ARBy lex, on January 26th, 2012
22 comments to Hornet AR |
Targets of Opportunityblog advertising is good for you Credo"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones "Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra" "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche "A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier "Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas "Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex Amazon AssociateFor the Effort!Winnar! Subscribe CategoriesPagesTagsacademy
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Having given as much as I’ve received, let me note that kids, this is how the adults do it. Im presuming that’s from the refueler’s station in a Toad. (KC-10) I note the two different configurations of the Legacy Hornets in the video, so I’m guessing they’re different Lots.
I will save my share of tanker tales for a meet-up and subsequent lubrication.
What are those five ridges in front of the cockpit on the first Hornet?
IFF, I think. Late-model F-16s have the same sort of antennas.
Thanks guys.
IFF Interogator antennas. Not necessarily different lot jets – some have the mod, some don’t.
Raz, was that just an AFC, then? Thought that was a Lot change, BWTFDIK, I’m not a Bug kinda guy.
My squadron got the first set of Hornets to have the CIT (Combined Interogator-Transponder) equipped in the late 90s. They were Lot 20s. The Lot 19s we got at the same time did not have the mod.
NAVAIR has a press release on the hardware/software for the X-47 being installed on a Learjet and tanking from a Omega K-707. With a safety pilot on board of course.
“The Learjet successfully completed multiple air-refueling test points autonomously while commanded by a ground operator.
The AAR segment of the UCAS-D program is designed to assess the initial functionality of the X-47B AAR systems and navigation performance, as well as to test the government tanker refueling interface systems. The AAR program is using similar command and control, and navigation processes being demonstrated by the UCAS team aboard the aircraft carrier.”
Read more: http://defensetech.org/2012/01/26/navy-getting-very-close-to-uav-aerial-refueling/#ixzz1kfph0sqR
Defense.org
When did sanity finally prevail and cross-service air refuelings become a reality?
Back when I was doing that (in the 1960s), there was only one USAF/USN air refueling that took place. That was between a KC-135 and two A-3Ds that were low on fuel (one had trapped fuel). The A-3Ds, in turn, were simultaneously refueling some F-8s that were low on fuel. That was the summer of 1967 and it was only by chance that a properly configured KC-135 was even in the area when the USN needed some immediate help. As it was, the KC-135 pilot was in some hot water for refueling Navy aircraft. When it became clear that the pilot’s actions saved several lives and several aircraft, he went from being in deep kimchee to winning the McKay Trophy for 1967. Still, it became a standard briefing item that you don’t refuel Navy aircraft unless there is a dire emergency. I never did understand the logic of that. It wasn’t like the USN even cared much about mooching a couple of thousand pounds from a USAF tanker.
GP, from my experience, while it was occasional in the 70′s, mainly for cross-qual check-offs, it became much more common in the 80′s and since, especially once the USAF got the KC-10, with it’s built-in drogue, on-line. Very much routine as the Navy gradually went to buddy-stores only and kept winnowing useful aircraft off the flight decks. Pretty much SOP these days.
Thanks. I guess that proves that progress can be made, although it took a long time to do the obvious. Back in the olden days of Military Air Tranport Service, both USAF and USN transports were involved. I suspect when MATS becam MAC the USAF/USN coordination ceased to exist. Turf wars, I assume. I still see USN transports coming and going from Offutt AFB on occasion. The E-6B also flies out of there.
Again, back in the olden days, the EC-130Qs did part of the job the E-6B does now. In the North Atlantic, at least, they flew what they called Due Regard missions. Essentially, they would take off from Norfolk (I think) without a flight plan and fly VFR over to the UK. Once within UK airspace they would check in and head for RAF Mildenhall; I guess they used Mildenhall because NAF Mildenhall was there too. Sometimes the UK air traffic controllers would get a little miffed at that and we’d have to educate them on what was going on.
GP: Back in the olden days we flew the EC-130 out of Pax River and RO3N’d at NAF Mildenhall. Take the train to London town. The USAF was not Navy friendly there either, there was never a room at the Douglas House when we were in town. But always had a fun time.
Yer right. Right after I hit the send button I thought Pax River. Yep. London was more interesting than out there in the farm country of East Anglia. However, I can’t ever recall finding a room in a military hotel in London either. I think you had to be of a special class. Don’t know when you were flying TACAMO, but I vaguely recall an incident, circa 1980, in the Mildenhall NCO club were either a TACAMO crew or a Marine KC-130 crew got into it. Our general send a message to their admiral (or general, if it was the USMC) saying that they were persona non grata @ Mildenhall. In any case, ammends were made and everyone went back to doing whatever it was they did.
The Canadians liked to stay in Cambridge. But then there was this US/UK liaison who worked at Mildenhall who always showed them a good time in Cambridge. She liked Candians.
VQ-4 mid 70 to late 73 flew as a reel operator (long story). IRT the incident at the NCO club it must have been Marines, can’t recall the Navy ever having a to-do at an AF club. Stayed at Cambridge a few times when on RO2Ns, another nice city, great people and beautiful country side. Don’t remember it ever raining when in England. First trip to London town was by train from Rota, SP. Different VQ. Went to see a movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059903/.
Whose bright idea was it in the first place to say “Hey, let’s set up a way to refuel airplanes in mid-flight”? I imagine there was many a slip twixt the cup and the lip before they got this worked out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Keys
My children and I were privileged to watch this process from inside a KC-135 on our way from Hickam AFB to Travis AFB a few years ago. We were escorted by a group of Hornets and the refuelers let us into the refueling bay to watch the show. Best. Flight. EVER.
They’re still hauling PAX on air refueling missions? Good.
Lex: Can you comment on why one of the F-18′s has several “fins” on the nose forward of the canopy while the other jet is smooth up there??
Now try it in an aircraft with a 160′ wingspan and a roll rate measured on a calendar. Oh yeah, and requiring something between 25 to 45 minutes per fill-up.
Check out the Flying Keys brothers. They really refined the air to air thing. Food, maintenance, parts, and…oh yeah..fuel.
Stayed aloft for 27 days. Not a typo. 27 days. Met one of the Key bros in church in the early 70′s, had no idea what the man had done for aviation.
How long does it take to top off the tanks for a jet that is way low on gas?, and can you top off the external(s)?