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Q'ns about retired airframe

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Deleted member 67144 scul

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Hahaha. I like your sense of humor. I'll be sure not to mention "that guy" aka Griz882. We wouldn't want that cigarette being put out in your beer, especially if you're having a quality Sculpin. That would undoubtedly be an exceptional calamity. Speaking of Sculpins...
 
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Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
P-3Cs still do although smoking hasn't been officially allowed for quite some time now.

God bless MPRA;)

All Tu-95/142 Bears have no WCs so crews were provided with personal "urinals", looked like kinda metal thermos flask. Thus each crewmember had his own personal portable ashtray. Tupolev's designers evidently hated pilots: strategic bomber with no toilet...
 

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
I started flying the SLUF in 1977

What about Corsair II: evidently as airplane had no underbelly hardpoint but used to be mission tanker, its 704 buddy-store were hanging on the wing pylons only, right? I saw the pictures where the 704 was under the left wing. What if the thirsty airplane had left-side probe, just like A-5/RA-5? Is it possible to get into the drouge being in a jet blast slipstream?
 

zipmartin

Never been better
pilot
Contributor
What about Corsair II: evidently as airplane had no underbelly hardpoint but used to be mission tanker, its 704 buddy-store were hanging on the wing pylons only, right? I saw the pictures where the 704 was under the left wing. What if the thirsty airplane had left-side probe, just like A-5/RA-5? Is it possible to get into the drouge being in a jet blast slipstream?

I don't remember that being a problem, or at least never heard of anyone complaining. Each of the two A-7 squadrons in the airwing had one a/c configurred as a tanker and the D-704 was always hung on the left outboard pylon. My first cruise, we had RA-5C's and my second cruise had RF-8's. Once they got plugged in they could always slide a little to the left and down to keep their tail out of the slipstream if they needed to.

Image1.jpg
 

zipmartin

Never been better
pilot
Contributor
This thread got me thinking back to the various aircraft I tanked off of through the years. Going through the A-7 RAG, I did my initial plugs on an A-4 from VA-45. Flying A-7's in the fleet I tanked off of A-7's, A-6's, KA-6's, KC-130's, KC-135's, and even a British Handley Page Victor configured as a tanker during a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic. Flying A-4's as a TAR, I tanked off of KA-3's, KC-130's, and the Navy's only Convair 880 while flying a photo chase plane during Tomahawk cruise missile testing.

10-6-2009_001-1.jpg 10-6-2009_004-1.jpg dn-sc-86-11792.jpg
 

brownshoe

Well-Known Member
Contributor
This thread got me thinking back to the various aircraft I tanked off of through the years. Going through the A-7 RAG, I did my initial plugs on an A-4 from VA-45. Flying A-7's in the fleet I tanked off of A-7's, A-6's, KA-6's, KC-130's, KC-135's, and even a British Handley Page Victor configured as a tanker during a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic. Flying A-4's as a TAR, I tanked off of KA-3's, KC-130's, and the Navy's only Convair 880 while flying a photo chase plane during Tomahawk cruise missile testing.

View attachment 19949 View attachment 19950 View attachment 19951

You went through 174? Man I miss Cecil! Good bars and good times!
 

zipmartin

Never been better
pilot
Contributor
So were Whales any better recovery tankers than KA-6s?

The KA-3's I tanked from were reserve squadron assets and we were on a CAG 20 ACDUTRA evolution at Fallon. I was in a reserve adversary A-4 squadron providing bogey services, and at that time, the reserves didn't deploy to the boat.
 

ea6bflyr

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Tanking aircraft are typically rated from 1 through 5 on the Simpson-Saffir scale - the Whale being rated at 2 and the KA-6 as a 3. Rhinos are rated 3.6
I must be behind in my reading, because the last time I checked, KA-6 tankers were ranked higher than the KFA-18E/F on the Simpson-Saffir scale. With the KS-3B being between the KA-6 and KFA-18E/F.;)
 

Rockriver

Well-Known Member
pilot
So were Whales any better recovery tankers than KA-6s?
Better in what respect? Gas available to be passed? Loiter time? Deck space eaten up when the big bird is hard down? Ease of tanking from the perspective of one getting gas?

I only tanked off an A-3 a couple of times, but it probably was easier than an A-6, just as an A-6 was easier than an A-7. Not sure about any Simpson-Saffir scale here, but the turbulence/slipstream/Bernoullis were more pronounced behind and under the left wing of a Corsair. You never bothered trimming the airplane out while in position - you just dealt with cross controls - because the disturbed airflow you were flying in changed when you moved around a foot or two. (I knew of one pilot whose call sign was Zorro based on his plugging skills.)

I have fond memories of heard other pilots talk of relaxing late at night, downwind in the bolter pattern, in and out of clouds, lots of turbulence, trying to hit that black, greasy basket that supposedly was originally white and had lights on it, and finding that event to be more stressful than actually landing aboard a carrier at night.
 

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
I have fond memories of heard other pilots talk of relaxing late at night, downwind in the bolter pattern, in and out of clouds, lots of turbulence, trying to hit that black, greasy basket that supposedly was originally white and had lights on it, and finding that event to be more stressful than actually landing aboard a carrier at night.


Thanks a lot. I have read that the most unpleasing basket belongs to KC-135. Is it 5.0 Simpson-Saffir? Does USAF Big Brother Wing tanker community really neglect NAVAIR and friendly tanking? If it doesn't, the basket could have been not so hard to deal with, I suppose
 

Max the Mad Russian

Hands off Ukraine! Feet too
Better in what respect? Gas available to be passed? Loiter time? Deck space eaten up when the big bird is hard down? Ease of tanking from the perspective of one getting gas?

The last one is what I meant. Imagine CAG (or shore AOC) can choose what to send to tank the legasy Hornet rookie pilot who's bingo'ing in a harsh weather. Is that possible to rank the known tankers this way? Evidently the A-7 would be the last bird to think of, right?
 

ea6bflyr

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Thanks a lot. I have read that the most unpleasing basket belongs to KC-135. Is it 5.0 Simpson-Saffir?

Every scary tanking story involves jousting with the HARD/unforgiving basket on the KC-135 Iron Maiden. My favorite tanker was the (now retired - 2013) RAF VC-10 with forgiving SOFT baskets, lots of fuel to give, easy turns, and friendly pilots willing to drag you toward your destination. (AF guys would never budge from their AR tanking track).

Loudest tanking has to be behind an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
 
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