Smart tanker boom operator

For upcoming F-16C module, we require a cooperating tanker boom operator-Ai (also, F-15C refueling is affected aswell). See TheBigTatanka's post below, on this page, for reasons.

Where did you get your info thinking A2A refueling is easy in real life? Besides a night carrier landing A2A refueling is the hardest thing a fighter pilot will do during his flight in real life.

You need to study how to videos and practice not complain on forums to have it dumbed down!

Ah ok, I didn't expect for the lights on the tanker to actually work. Very interesting.

I love how average flight simmer thinks that more difficult gameplay is, the more realistic the game is.

Sometimes that is the case. But sometimes not.

I know that air to air refueling may SOMETIMES start to become a bit "routine" for very experienced pilots in certain airframes taking fuel from certain tankers... but generally most seem to find it a challenge in most airframes from most tankers.

There are lots of little things that cause extra stress and complications with certain combinations.

C-5 Galaxy pilots have a steep learning curve when tanking, because their jet creates such a "bow-wave" that it interferes with the tanker! Oh, they do it all the time, but it's not exactly "easy" either.

On some KC-135's they have sometimes put a short 10 foot hose/basket drogue onto the end of the boom, so that Navy and Marine jets can fuel from USAF booms. Sounds good right? Extra mission flexibility! But the Marines and Naval people hate this apparently. Why? Because the hose is so short, you are at just as much stress during fuel transfer as when trying to get the basket... because that boom is just 7 feet away from you... normally a basket hose can be pushed forward or to the sides a bit with no appreciable risk, but with a boom not moving, and yet they have to make sure the basket is secure onto probe... well it's super intense for them for the entire fuel transfer. It's different when they have a long hose situation: not easy to hit the basket, but once in, they can relax a LITTLE bit and not worry about collision.

Boom refueling, well another animal... it works for large aircraft, but you are getting awfully close to the tanker, and you are kind of at the mercy of the tanker pilot and boom operator.

The point being, it's not really easy. And despite it being done a lot by professionals with few accidents, the fact is, there is significant risk there just the same. Saw a TV show where a military contractor (Omega tankers??) was supporting some Marine Hornets doing field exercises with JTAC trainees to do CAS runs. The tanker was to increase time on station for the Hornets. One of the Hornet pilots was really struggling to get the basket, tried several times until he finally got it. He got very close to the point where he was going to have to RTB due to fuel consumption while attempting to tank. Fortunately for him he did get the basket, got fuel and continued his assigned tasking of training JTAC's!

Sometimes when we get good at something, after a while we sometimes tend to think "bah, that was easy", when really it wasn't, we just learned from experience, built upon it until it seemed routine, and kept our skills sharp. Doesn't mean it was easy, we just got better at it.

I am so happy someone brought this up. The origional post seems to be gone, but there is tremendous need for a smarter boom in DCS. THIS is probably my biggest complaint with the sim, and I hope it gets some attention before the Viper comes out.

The boom is very very sluggish in the sim, and does not start moving to plug you until you are perfectly stable and in a box much smaller than indicated by the lights as correct. I just want a more aggressive boom that reaches out to grab you, and latches on to you. It is sooooo easy to disconnect in DCS, where in real life the boom can latch onto the fighter and hold it better.

DCS is much harder to AR than real life, and I wish they would do something about it.

As far as being able to speak to this, I am a 2k hour pilot, with 500 hours in the KC-135, and I've watched a lot of refueling from the boom pod. My dad (also a DCS simmer) was a 6k hour fighter guy, and we've talked about this at length. Refueling can be challenging at night and in the weather..... But on a smooth day it is normal and just as easy as flying formation. In DCS it is a miracle of airmanship to hold the contact.

ED Please send the boom opperators back to Altus AFB to learn how to be more aggressive. Please do this before we have a few thousand virtual viper pilots lined up waiting for gas.

Thanks for the great Sim, you've done an amazing job modeling this world of flight, and I hope you realize what a true accomplishment it is. But please.... Smarter Booms.

The Big Tatanka

ED Please send the boom operators back to Altus AFB

:D great idea! xD

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Tanker pilots' behaviors (instant speed and alt changes make it hard), Boom operator behaviors need to be improved

Also tanker opeartor needs to talk more. Speed, aligning etc

And deploying and retracting boom or hose is not normal. they deploy it late and retract it for no reason