DCS: F-14 Air to Air Refueling Tutorial

That's strange, I regularly sit there filling from 5k lbs up to 20k lbs no problems. You are supposed to drive fwd after contact a few feet anyway to start the fuel flowing IRL, but you don't want to be sitting back at full hose extension and hoping for the best, drive forward several meters and up slightly then hold position.

Yea that’s what I’ve been doing, but the hose still pops off every time. I’ve only been doing the AtoA fuel instant action. I’m gonna make a custom mission and try some more and see if maybe it’s just that particular instant action mission

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I have been finding that when refuelling behind KC135/KC130 and the S3B. All goes well... I connect to the basket. Not necessarily the first time! However, once in, I am nice and stable. This is when I find at least once during the refuel, the probe glitches out of the basket! It's very slow, but it just jumps to the side slightly... Once this has happened it is possible to glitch it back in, more often than not, it just extends to pre contact position! If this can be fixed to the level of the F18/AV8 I will be happy!

Also in multi player Jester goes nuts saying all of his quips, even though the probe is connecting! So distracting there is a need to turn Jester off... Meaning no fuel call outs!

I tried it with a custom mission, it was a bit easier but it still feels to me that the amount of play forward and back when connected is to tight. I get connected, pull forward nice and easy, but anymore then a foot or two it pops off. It looks like there’s still plenty of room in the tuck holding formation to remain connected. It appears that my probe goes through the refuel basket and out the other side.

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Do you rise up a commensurate mount with your FWD movement - ideally your trajectory would want to match the 'path or droop' of the hose. If you imagine just pulling fwd eventually the hose-to-basket angle would be too great maybe?

In any case I follow that line of thinking and can get up really close to the pod on the KC-130! GL.

Do you rise up a commensurate mount with your FWD movement - ideally your trajectory would want to match the 'path or droop' of the hose. If you imagine just pulling fwd eventually the hose-to-basket angle would be too great maybe?

In any case I follow that line of thinking and can get up really close to the pod on the KC-130! GL.

Honestly, I’m doing it the exact same way I do the hornet, I’ve had no issues with the hornet. That’s partly why I’m perplexed by it.

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Same happened to me. Plugged it in (finally), pushed forward, and the probe suddenly glitched out of the basket.

Happens all the time to me. I've become an expert at connecting, and an even bigger expert at spurious disconnections. I haven't yet managed a full refuel. Also the instant action KC13x is too fast. That may be part of the problem.

Happens all the time to me. I've become an expert at connecting, and an even bigger expert at spurious disconnections. I haven't yet managed a full refuel. Also the instant action KC13x is too fast. That may be part of the problem.

I thought that as well, so I created a mission and slowed every thing down and still experienced the same issue.

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I get connected, pull forward nice and easy, but anymore then a foot or two it pops off. It looks like there’s still plenty of room in the tuck holding formation to remain connected. It appears that my probe goes through the refuel basket and out the other side.

Same here.

I just had it happen three times today with the -135MPRS. I didn't even move forward, as I was keeping my eyes on the tanker after I connected. Connected at 1800lbs, got up to around 3400lbs and suddenly the basket glitched through the probe. Connected again, took on another 1000lbs or so, basket glitched out again. Connected a third time, taking on another 1000-1500lbs, basket glitched out and the tanker tells me to "return precontact position."

It's becoming frustrating because I can't stay connected, at no fault of my own. The basket physics just....stop suddenly.

strange, no problems here at all with the instant action mission. are you guys running any mods?

strange, no problems here at all with the instant action mission. are you guys running any mods?

Not me, pure install

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Are you guys running any mods?

Nope, pure install

Practiced more with the Hornet and F14, finally was able to take more fuel in a single connect with the F14, here’s my observation. You can move more forward with the F18, move the same distance with the F14 and the basket pops off. Once connected with the F14 I had to stay in the connection spot, I couldn’t move forward of that or it would pop off, seemed to have more play from the connection point and aft a bit, to hold it my formation was slightly further back and not what I would consider in proper formation position.

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Yes just not sure what is going on with your A-A tanking. I was flying again last night with the KC-130 and I can move right up close to the refuel pod once hooked up, like halving the hook-up distance - I get tucked right up in there lol.

So just saying I can't see how it could be a problem with the sim - maybe I am just lucky, every time I tank?

Is this behaviour with any particular tanker, or all of them? Have you tried it with the KC-130?

Yes just not sure what is going on with your A-A tanking. I was flying again last night with the KC-130 and I can move right up close to the refuel pod once hooked up, like halving the hook-up distance - I get tucked right up in there lol.

So just saying I can't see how it could be a problem with the sim - maybe I am just lucky, every time I tank?

Is this behaviour with any particular tanker, or all of them? Have you tried it with the KC-130?

Yep, both the KC and the SB3.

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I can connect and keep the connection without too many problems with the KC130, while I'm having lot of troubles even just connecting with the KC135 (and the few connections I've got, disconnected quite fast).

If the experts here says that the KC135 in the instact action mission is going too fast, my self-esteem can go back to stable while waiting to see what happens if I try it with a KC135 going slower (say 250-300)...

how do you align with basket? i couldn't even see the tanker kc-130 antill a second before crash it?

If the experts here says that the KC135 in the instact action mission is going too fast

what a load of rubbish

if you can hold formation at one speed there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to hold formation at any other speed

just learn how to handle your airplane

Now i made a night refueling with hornet and no problem at all, no auto pilot or auto throttle,. everytihng just manual. But tried 45 min with tomcat during the day time and only one contact which lasted 2 seconds.

Do you use any tools like a/p, dlc or something else? or just jerking with stick and throttle?

And other problem is same tanker releases the hose very very late to tomcat than it does to hornet. I was almost under its wing and didin't release the hose

if youre not flying very steadily then no the tankers not going to give you permission

keep practicing

use bomb sweep and trim your aircraft properly

there are no gimmicks to flying a steady formation, it's just proper throttle and stick management

Do you use any tools like a/p, dlc or something else? or just jerking with stick and throttle?

No, its done totally manual.

A lot of people make it harder for themselves by not trimming properly before trying to connect.... don't be one of these people.

Aim to trim the aircraft out 'perfectly' before trying for the basket. As I mention in the video, you should be confident enough to take your hand completely off the stick for a second or two and not have the aircraft wander off anywhere.

Doing this makes life much easier as you can put more of your focus in to tracking the basket in your peripheral vision rather than fighting the aircraft to keep it stable.

The more time you spend behind the basket trimming properly the easier it will be to make contact and stay connected.

Even if it takes you 5+ mins... take the time to properly trim... get the aircraft settled, then move forward for contact.

Wing sweep makes a hell of a difference. it helps with stability, possibly your curves if they are too twitch at fine control.

Ive done both with autopilot on and without. it helps with holding steady i feel like. either way, its nice to try to get a full tank. it does seem like forever before it gets filled up haha

knowing the speed of the tanker in relation to your airspeed indicator helps. nice to set up and ride parralel to get a figure on exact air speed, then when your about to hook up you know where you need to be to hold it

Trim only helps a little, though. One click NU trim, nothing. One more click NU trim, nothing. One more click NU trim, now I'm suddenly in jetwash. One click ND trim, nothing. One click ND trim, nothing. One click ND trim, now I'm 50' below the tanker. I have to trim "close enough" then do everything else manually. PIO city if I'm not relaxed.

no idea what you're talking about, trim graduation is fine and much better than in some other modules. as you're gassing up you periodically add one step of up trim as your aircraft gets heavier and requires that little extra bit of aoa to hold level

maybe you're being too impatient or maybe your throttlework is at fault