AAR

[Eddie]

Lower the tanker to an unrealistic 12K alt

12,000 ft is right in the optimum range for air refuelling in the A-10, and it should be done at 220 knots (IAS).

24,000 ft is an utterly crazy, and totally unrealistic, altitude to perform AAR in the Hog.

[Baxter]

Ummm......

Right.....well what Nu (Energy, sorry Ill never get used to it) said is really what you should be practicing. Don't even worry about getting behind the tanker until you completely solid on his left wing. Get your trim and throttle adjusted and to a point that you sit very close to his wing and focus on getting his left red nav light lined up with the solitary window on the side of the fuselage. Once can hold that position with little or no fuss within a wingspan of that left wing then you can move behind the tanker.

Tanking is no different than sitting out on that left wing. The problem most people have is they chase the boom and they focus too much on what it's doing. Your goal is to hunker into a region of space down and behind the tanker so the boomer can connect. It's not like the navy where it's up to you to get it done. So your focus should just be on the tanker itself. Find visual cues that work for you just like the nav light and window on the left wing and correct to those visual cues. When I was practicing I found if I put the tankers engines near the 2 gauges on either side of the HUD (accelerometer and for the life of me I can't remember what the other one is..a clock?) and then put the tankers wing about halfway between the top of the HUD collimator glass and top of the forward window it worked pretty good as a reference. You will have to find what works for you. But once you find the visual cues that work for you behind the tanker you just watch those cues and nothing else. Just like that nav light in the window, fight to stay in position and try and catch mistakes early. That's all formation flying is, fly the mistakes.

Oh and watch out for rogue F15s!!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2NRoRGTtCtI

Sorry Roto it's just such a classic!

[Energy]

(accelerometer and for the life of me I can't remember what the other one is..a clock?)

A compass, FFS. I bet you saw this one coming

Mumbling in my head: Many times it was the only thing working that I was able to navigate by

[Baxter]

Lol that's right it's the whiskey compass! Thanks Nu I knew it wouldn't take long to get the answer!

[Stuka]

Also, watch out with making the tanker go slower. Refuelling will be more difficult (at least, of me it is).
like Eddie said, 220 IAS is what you need.

If you're getting better, you'll become like a few of us, who actually think it's easier to do it in the turn

[Spokejocky]

It's funny, any time I needed that compass, the plane couldn't fly level enough to use..ahahahaha

[Ashy]

This thread is popular.....

[Ski]

My new mantra..."there is no boom!" Thank you to all of the helpful advice on what to do, and what not to do. Hooked up tonight for about a 20 second transfer. It was AWESOME! Practice! Practice! Practise! Fuckin A Bubba!

[Hobo]

Not to scare you as it sounds like you are well on your way.. but this is something to work toward..

[Baxter]

Try it without goggles