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jet-planes-refuelling-in-the-sky-force Video shows aircraft refueling mid-air, netizens say 'outstanding precision'

Aerial refuelingalso referred to as air refuelingin-flight refueling IFRair-to-air refueling AARand tankingis the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft the tanker to another the receiver during flight.

The procedure allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range or loiter time on station. A series of air refuelings can give jet planes refuelling in the sky force limited only by crew fatigue and engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. Because the receiver aircraft can be topped up with extra fuel in the air, air refueling can allow a takeoff with a greater payload which could be weapons, cargo, or personnel: the maximum takeoff weight is jet planes refuelling in the sky force by carrying less fuel and topping up once airborne.

Alternatively, a shorter take-off roll can be achieved because take-off can be at a lighter weight before refueling once airborne. Aerial refueling has also been considered as a means to reduce fuel consumption on long-distance flights greater than 3, nautical miles 5, km; 3, mi.

Usually, the aircraft providing the fuel is specially designed for the task, although refueling pods can be fitted to existing aircraft designs if the "probe-and-drogue" system is to be used.

The cost of the refueling equipment on both tanker and receiver aircraft and the specialized aircraft handling of the aircraft to be refueled very close "line astern" formation flying has resulted in the activity jet planes refuelling in the sky force being used in military operations.

There is no known regular civilian in-flight refueling activity. Originally employed shortly before World War II on a very limited scale to extend jet planes refuelling in the sky force range of British civilian transatlantic flying boatsand then after World War II on a large scale to extend the range of strategic bombersaerial refueling since jet planes refuelling in the sky force Vietnam War has been extensively used in large-scale military operations.

Some of the earliest experiments in aerial refueling took place in the s; two slow-flying aircraft flew in formation, with a hose run down from a hand-held fuel tank on one aircraft and placed into the usual fuel filler of the other. The first mid-air refueling, based on the development of Alexander P. An endurance record was set by three DH-4Bs a receiver and two tankers on August 27—28,in which the receiver airplane remained aloft for more than 37 hours using nine mid-air refuelings to transfer US gallons 2, L of aviation gasoline and 38 US gallons L of engine oil.

As the s progressed, greater numbers of aviation enthusiasts vied to set new aerial jet planes refuelling in the sky force records, using inflight air refueling. One such enthusiast, who would revolutionize aerial refueling was Sir Alan Cobhammember of the Royal Flying Corps in World War Iand a pioneer of long-distance aviation.

During the s, he made long-distance flights to places as far afield as Africa and Australia and he began experimenting with the possibilities of in-flight refueling to extend the range of flight. Cobham was one of the founding directors of Airspeed Limitedan aircraft manufacturing company which went on to produce a specially adapted Airspeed Courier that Cobham used for his Jet Planes Refuelling In The Sky 8th early experiments with in-flight refueling.

This craft was eventually modified by Airspeed to Cobham's specification, for a non-stop flight from London to Indiausing in-flight refueling to extend the plane's flight duration.

Meanwhile, ina group of U. Aerial refueling remained a very dangerous process untilwhen brothers Fred and Al Key demonstrated a spill-free refueling nozzle, designed by A.

The US was mainly concerned about transatlantic flights for faster postal service between Europe and America. In W. Irving Glover, the second assistant postmaster, wrote an extensive article for Popular Mechanics concerning jet planes refuelling in the sky force challenges and the need for such a jet planes refuelling in the sky force service.

In his article he even mentioned the use of aerial refueling after takeoff as a possible solution. By they had demonstrated refueling between two Vickers Virginiaswith fuel flow controlled by an automatic valve on the hose which would cut off if contact was lost. Royal Air Force officer Richard Atcherley had observed the dangerous aerial-refueling techniques in use at barnstorming events in the US and determined to create a workable system.

Atcherly's system was bought up by Cobham's company, and with some refinement and continuous improvement through the late '30s, it became the first practical refueling system.

Sir Alan Cobham 's grappled-line looped-hose air-to-air refueling system borrowed from techniques patented by David Nicolson and John Lord, and was publicly demonstrated for the first time in In the system the receiver aircraft, at one time an Airspeed Couriertrailed a steel cable which was then grappled by a line shot from the tanker, a Handley Page Type W The line was then drawn back into the tanker where the receiver's cable was connected to the refueling hose.

The receiver could then haul back in its cable bringing the hose to it. Once the hose was connected, the tanker climbed sufficiently above the receiver aircraft to allow the fuel to flow under gravity.

When Cobham was developing his system, he saw the need as purely for long-range transoceanic commercial aircraft flights, [13] but today aerial refueling is used exclusively by military aircraft.

From August 5 to October 1,sixteen crossings of the Atlantic were made by Empire flying boats, with fifteen crossings using FRL's aerial refueling system. During the closing months of World War II, it had been intended that Tiger Force 's Lancaster and Lincoln bombers would be in-flight refueled by converted Halifax tanker aircraft, fitted with the FRL's looped-hose units, in operations against the Japanese homelandsbut the war ended before jet planes refuelling in the sky force aircraft could be deployed.

The USAF version had auto-coupling of the refueling nozzle, where the leader line with the refueling hose is pulled to the receiver aircraft and a refueling receptacle on the belly of the aircraft, allowing high-altitude air-to-air refueling and doing away with the aircraft having to fly to a lower altitude to be depressurized so a crew member could manually do the coupling. This air-to-air refueling system was used by the B Superfortress Lucky Lady II of the 43rd Bomb Wing to make its famous first non-stop around-the-world flight in Before the mission, crews of the 43rd had experienced only a single operational air refueling contact.

This first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe proved that, because of aerial refueling, vast distances and geographical barriers were no longer an obstacle to military air power.

Cobham's company FRL soon realized that their looped-hose system left much to be desired and began work on an improved system that is now commonly called the probe-and-drogue air-to-air refueling system and today is one of the two systems chosen by air forces for air-to-air refueling, the other being the flying-boom system.

In post-war trials the RAF used a modified Lancaster tanker employing the much improved probe-and-drogue system, with a modified Gloster Meteor F.

Hornidge flew an overall distance of 3, mi 5, kmachieving a new jet endurance record. Modern specialized tanker aircraft have equipment specially designed for the task of offloading fuel to the receiver aircraft, based on drogue and probe, even at the higher speeds modern jet aircraft typically need to remain airborne.

FRL also provided a year of technical assistance. The sets were immediately installed in two Boeing B Superfortresseswith plans to equip 80 Bs. Flight testing began in May at Wright-Patterson Air Force BaseOhioand was so successful that in June orders went out to equip all new Jet planes refuelling in the sky force and subsequent bombers with receiving equipment.

The first ARS aircraft used FRL's looped-hose refueling system, but testing with a boom system followed quickly in the autumn of The first use of aerial refueling in combat took place during the Korean War, involving F fighter-bombers flying missions from Japanese airfields, due to Chinese-North Korean forces jet planes refuelling in the sky force many of the bases for jet aircraft in South Korea, refueling from converted Bs using the drogue-and-probe jet planes refuelling in the sky force refueling system with the probe located in one of the F's wing-tip fuel tanks.

The flying boom is a rigid, telescoping tube with movable flight control surfaces that a boom operator on the tanker aircraft extends and inserts into a receptacle on the receiving aircraft. All boom-equipped tankers e.

In the late s, General Curtis LeMaycommander of the Strategic Air Command SACasked Boeing to Jet Planes Refuelling In The Sky Piano develop a refueling system that could transfer fuel at a higher rate than had been possible with earlier systems using flexible hoses, resulting in the flying boom system.

The B was the first to employ the boom, and between andoriginal Bs, designated KBPs, were converted at the Boeing plant at Renton, Washington. Boeing went on to develop the world's first production aerial tanker, the KC Stratofreightera piston-engined Boeing Stratocruiser USAF designation C Stratofreighter with a Boeing-developed flying boom and extra kerosene jet fuel tanks feeding the boom. The result was the Boeing KC Stratotankerof which were built.

The flying boom is attached to the rear of the tanker aircraft. The attachment is gimballedallowing the boom to move with the receiver aircraft.

The boom contains a rigid pipe to transfer fuel. The fuel pipe ends in a nozzle with a flexible ball joint. The nozzle mates to the "receptacle" in the receiver aircraft during fuel transfer.

A poppet valve in the end of the nozzle prevents fuel from exiting the tube until the nozzle properly mates with the receiver's refueling receptacle. Once properly mated, toggles in the receptacle engage the nozzle, holding it locked during fuel transfer.

The "flying" boom is so named because flight control surfacessmall movable airfoils that jet planes refuelling in the sky force often in a V-tail configuration, are used to move the boom by creating aerodynamic forces. They are actuated hydraulically and controlled by the boom operator using a control stick.

The boom operator also telescopes the boom to make the connection with the receiver's receptacle. To complete an aerial refueling, the tanker and receiver aircraft rendezvous, flying in formation.

The receiver moves to a position behind the tanker, within safe limits of travel for the boom, aided by director lights or directions radioed by the boom operator.

Once in position, the operator extends the boom to make contact with the receiver aircraft. Once in contact, fuel is pumped through the boom into the receiver aircraft. While in contact, the receiver pilot must continue to fly within the "air refueling envelope", the area in which contact with the boom is safe.

Moving outside of this envelope can damage the boom or lead to mid-air collision, for example the Palomares B crash.

If the receiving aircraft approaches the outer limits of the envelope, the boom operator will command the receiver pilot to correct his position and disconnect the boom if necessary.

When the desired amount of fuel has been transferred, the two aircraft disconnect and the receiver aircraft departs the formation.

When not in use, the boom is stored flush with the bottom of the tanker's fuselage to minimize drag. The US Air Force fixed-wing aircraft use the flying boom system, along with countries operating F or F variants. The probe-and-drogue refueling method employs a flexible hose that trails from the tanker aircraft. The drogue or para-droguesometimes called a basketis a fitting resembling a shuttlecockattached at its narrow end like the "cork" nose of a shuttlecock with a valve to a flexible hose.

The drogue stabilizes the hose in flight and provides a funnel to aid insertion of the receiver aircraft probe into the hose. The receiver has a probewhich is a rigid, protruding or pivoted retractable arm placed on the aircraft's nose or fuselage to make the connection. Most modern versions of the probe are usually designed to be retractable, and are retracted when not in use, particularly on high speed aircraft.

At the end of the probe is a valve that is closed until it mates with the drogue's forward internal receptacle, after which it opens and allows fuel to pass from tanker to receiver. The valves in the probe and drogue that are most commonly used are to a NATO standard and were originally developed by the company Flight Refuelling Limited in the UK and deployed in the late s and s.

The NATO standard probe system incorporates shear rivets that attach the refueling valve to the end of the probe. A so-called "broken probe" actually a broken fuel valve, as described above may happen if poor flying technique is used by the receiver pilot, or in turbulence.

Sometimes the valve is retained in the tanker drogue and prevents further refueling from that drogue until removed during ground jet planes refuelling in the sky force. A "buddy store" or "buddy pod" is an external pod loaded on an aircraft hardpoint that contains a hose and drogue system HDU.

In other cases, using the buddy store method allows a carrier -based aircraft to take-off with a heavier than usual load, the aircraft then being topped-up with fuel from an HDU-equipped "buddy" tanker, a method previously used by the Royal Navy in operating its Supermarine Scimitarde Havilland Sea Vixen and Blackburn Buccaneersin the Buccaneer's case using a bomb-bay-mounted tank and HDU. The pilot of the receiver aircraft extends the probe if required and uses normal flight controls to "fly" the refueling probe directly into the basket.

Too little closure will cause an incomplete connection and no fuel flow or occasionally leaking fuel. Too much closure is dangerous because it can jet planes refuelling in the sky force a strong transverse oscillation in the hose, severing the probe tip. Another significant danger is that the drogue may hit the recipient aircraft and damage it—instances have occurred in which the drogue has shattered the canopy of a fighter aircraft, causing great danger to its pilot.

The optimal approach is from behind and below not level with the drogue. Because the drogue is relatively light typically soft canvas webbing and subject to aerodynamic forces, it can be pushed around by the bow wave of approaching aircraft, exacerbating engagement even in smooth air. After initial contact, the hose and drogue is pushed forward by the receiver a certain distance typically, a few feetand the hose is reeled slowly back onto its drum in the HDU.

This opens the tanker's main refueling valve allowing fuel to flow to the drogue under the appropriate pressure assuming the tanker crew has energized the jet planes refuelling in the sky force. Tension on the hose is aerodynamically 'balanced' by a motor in the HDU so that as the receiver aircraft moves fore and aft, the hose retracts and extends, thus preventing bends in the hose that would cause undue side loads on the probe.

Fuel flow is typically indicated by illumination of a green light near the HDU. If the hose is pushed in too far or not far enough, a cutoff switch will inhibit fuel flow, which is typically accompanied by an amber light.

Disengagement is commanded by the tanker pilot with a red light. The U.

Sep 08,  · Mid-air refueling is essential for the aircraft to be able to play its part in the “continuity of government” mission – which you can read about in depth here – and operate in the most demanding. Aircraft Find out about the RAF's active aircraft and where and how we use them. Choose a category: Show all Air refuelling Combat Future Heritage ISTAR Multi-role helicopter Support helicopter Training Training helicopter Transport. Feb 01,  · 5 Longest Serving Military Aircraft in the U.S. Air Force. The first C aircraft was delivered to the United States Air Force in late , and in total twenty-three hundred of all variants.

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