AAR with KC135 tip - seat height

[GunSlingerAUS]

I've been practicing AAR with the KC135 in the F-14 instant action mission, and had no luck for hours. Then I did two things which saw me hook up and make a successful AAR straight away.

 

1.) I lowered my seat height so that I could see the fuel pod at all times. Without doing this, if I was looking forward all I had for reference was the fuel line, which is a nightmare to stay in formation with once joined. I bound seat height to a throttle hat-switch.

2.) I tweaked my joystick curves to have +10 for both X and Y (Virpil MongoosT with 200mm extension).

 

I wish I'd tried these tweaks earlier, as it made refuelling SO much easier. Oh yeah, I also used Bailey's awesome voice attack profile for the Tomcat so that I could communicate with the tanker hands-free.

 

Hope this helps, as the seat height, for me, was the key to staying connected.

[RaisedByWolves]

You can adjust seat height? When did that become functional?

[draconus]

You can adjust seat height? When did that become functional?

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4343867&postcount=18

 

I don't think pilots did that during the flight :)

 

@GunSlingerAUS: With TIR5/VR you have 6DOF so how did you end up not able to see the tanker?

[GunSlingerAUS]

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4343867&postcount=18

 

I don't think pilots did that during the flight :)

 

@GunSlingerAUS: With TIR5/VR you have 6DOF so how did you end up not able to see the tanker?

 

pretty easy really - to lower my view I have get in an uncomfy real world position. It's vastly easier to just drop the seat, refuel, then return it to normal.

[Wali763]

Still using TrackIR I did this for a long time. Before refuling I raised my head by 15cm, then recentered TrackIR (F12) and sat down again. That way, I was way lower in the cockpit and it was much more comfy for me looking at the tanker.

 

I then let go of this habit, except for the S3-tanker. But somewhere along the way, I also stopped doing it there.

 

But I guess, if one still still not used to doing AAR, the lower position can mean some relief for the anyway stressed shoulders/neck…..

 

With the VR-Headsets I owned briefly it was not such a problem, since of the much higher spacial awareness of VR. But doing a recenter to lower the seatposition also helped.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Wali763

[VampireNZ]

Another benefit to AAR with wings in Bomb mode as it trims a fair way nose-up for better vis.

[Gibo]

I do lower the seat height for every refuel. The important thing for me to connect and manain connection is the ability to see the fuel pod. If you can see the fuel pod you may see every little variation in its position relate to you and make instant correction to mantain the connection with the tanker.

[Home Fries]

I can't imagine refueling without adjusting the seat height; it's the only way I can maintain sight picture on the tanker pod.

 

What I like to do is put the HUD in cruise mode, then move the seat down so the heading tape is level with the metal sticking out on the right "prison bar." This gives me a sight picture where I can keep the pod in the forward glass and the canopy rail just touching the tanker's wing root.

 

The graphic below is mainly to show you where I adjust the seat (i.e. where I match the heading tape with the right prison bar). This isn't a great sight picture (I'm high and behind) because I had to take my hands of the controls to do an ALT+PrintScreen.

Edited September 5, 2020 by Home Fries

[Shahriar0]

Every little thing helps, including retrimming the rudder after boom is extended. In the picture posted above, you can see the ball is not centered.

[Home Fries]

In the picture above, I was using hands for alt-printscreen, so my station keeping was not good. I also use little rudder inputs to maintain position without using roll inputs, so that could explain the off-center ball.

[Shahriar0]

What I was merely trying to point out was the fact that extending the boom will make the plane fly uncoordinated. I use rudder trim to center the ball so I don't have to worry about the effect of flying uncoordinated and the slight rolling tendency as a result of it.

[Home Fries]

Ok, roger that! Good point.