Page 12 - Volume 19 Number 11

military operations are going on and how to stay away from them. Most GA pilots assume that we, particularly fighter aircraft, are all-knowing and that is not the case. For example, many pilots I talk to say ‘well, you have radar so you know where everyone is and can avoid us’ and that’s wrong on many levels. First, that would require that I’m actively working on my radar screen, which is only a fraction of the time, and often not at all in air-to- ground training missions. Second, little, slow airplanes (particularly ones that don’t reflect much radar energy) are difficult to pick up until very close. Third, and most importantly, we cover a lot of ground/altitude in little time... There are often 6-8 aircraft, using every corner of the MOA, and they‘re in an air-to-air fight, traveling 500 knots... even worse, we may change altitude from 45,000 to 500’ in seconds, during which the radar is useless and although we are looking outside it would be difficult to pick up a little airplane.” I was also told that what may appear to be a benign penetration can inadvertently disrupt what is always a very-expensive complex training exercise.Once anchored, it was game on. F-16Cs, initially invisible, suddenly appeared; one on the port side and the other edging up from below and behind. It’s time to fill’r-up. I was fortunate enough to be stationed next to the boom operator. The two observers and boom operatorlay prone, facing rearward toward the boom controls and the receiving aircraft. This gives the operator an excellent view of receiver aircraft and surroundings, the best in the house!The system used to deliver the fuel consists of a boom that carries a long hollow telescoping rod and complex nozzle that connects with the receiver aircraft. The boom extends from the rear belly of the KC-135, raised and lowered using a hydraulically-operated hoist. Two hydraulically-powered joystick-controlled ruddervators, mounted toward the boom’s end, are used to make the boom fly. “It’s a little like flying your own little airplane (in for a landing) and it’s challenging”, according to one boomer.Part of the challenge is dealing with a multitude of different receiver aircraft. KC-135 customers include B-52 bombers, super-secret drone aircraft, and everything in between. Bigger airplanes, like the C-5, produce a large bow wave that tends to disturb the air around the boom, making it much more difficult to establish correct elevation. Smaller fighter aircraft like the F-22 require a special kind of TLC; even a slight scratch to that fragile stealthy paint can render the airplane tactically useless. The F-16 is particularly tough because the boom has to be flown around the canopy and a nine-inch antenna that is eighteen inches in front of the receptacle. Tricky!Theory R Properties Half Page4/C Ad10 • TWIN & TURBINENOVEMBER 2015