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**DownloadADOBEsoftware** · 07-31-2012, 05:52 PM

How do the pilots manage to not 'topple' or roll during mid air refuelling? surely the force of the fuel has an effect on the planes.

when the two planes connect, is there some sort of common system that 'runs' both planes simultaneously or is it all done by pilot?

Just keep working the controls to keep the aeroplane being filled within a certain 3D space. That space is defined by a series of lights on the refueller plane so the one being filled knows if they are too close or far, too far left or right, and too high or low.
As the plane gets heavier the pilot has to add more power but this happens gradually so it's no big deal.
One plane were it is (was) a big deal though was the SR-71. They'd almost always take off with low fuel and then refuel to start the high-speed cruise, and that was to make the take off's safer. They'd always refuel as much as possible and the problem with that was they didn't quite have enough power without using the afterburners to keep up with the tanker plane. So when they got to max dry thrust (full power without the burners) they'd have to take a deep breath then engage just one burner at minimum power. Because of the asymmetric thrust they'd have to work the controls pretty quickly to keep it in the box.

Now with all that said, there's usually two systems of refuelling - One with a solid boom that comes out from under the back of the tanker plane and the other where it's just a flexible hose that is unrolled. The solid boom type has the boom so it can be flown up & down by the operator and it also can extend & retract to accommodate the plane being refuelled moving back & forth.
The flexible tube one just wobbles around and has a big cone-shaped basket on the end for the other plane to hook its probe into.

07-31-2012, 05:52 PM	#4
DownloadADOBEsoftware Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 450 Senior Member	How do the pilots manage to not 'topple' or roll during mid air refuelling? surely the force of the fuel has an effect on the planes. when the two planes connect, is there some sort of common system that 'runs' both planes simultaneously or is it all done by pilot? Just keep working the controls to keep the aeroplane being filled within a certain 3D space. That space is defined by a series of lights on the refueller plane so the one being filled knows if they are too close or far, too far left or right, and too high or low. As the plane gets heavier the pilot has to add more power but this happens gradually so it's no big deal. One plane were it is (was) a big deal though was the SR-71. They'd almost always take off with low fuel and then refuel to start the high-speed cruise, and that was to make the take off's safer. They'd always refuel as much as possible and the problem with that was they didn't quite have enough power without using the afterburners to keep up with the tanker plane. So when they got to max dry thrust (full power without the burners) they'd have to take a deep breath then engage just one burner at minimum power. Because of the asymmetric thrust they'd have to work the controls pretty quickly to keep it in the box. Now with all that said, there's usually two systems of refuelling - One with a solid boom that comes out from under the back of the tanker plane and the other where it's just a flexible hose that is unrolled. The solid boom type has the boom so it can be flown up & down by the operator and it also can extend & retract to accommodate the plane being refuelled moving back & forth. The flexible tube one just wobbles around and has a big cone-shaped basket on the end for the other plane to hook its probe into.
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