F-16.net

An Q for the RL Viper drivers and maintenance:
Flying a 4-ship formation and all need gaz. The positions before and after loading is briefed. Before lead goes to to connection position is there an echelon left fmn and starts on port side of the tanker or echelon right and starts on starboard?

What is the reason to start port or starboards site of the tanker? The tankermodel? The position lights of the tanker? The turning point of the tanker in the pattern?

With regards,

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The new NATO refueling procedures are what drive the formation positions. It is now standard to rejoin to the left wing and flow to the right wing after taking your gas. Tanker type is irrelevant as is any turning point. My preferred technique for getting a four ship to the tanker is to have #2 on my wing with 3 and 4 in 1 mile trail. As we approach the tanker I clear 2/3/4 to the left wing per the regulation and I go to the boom.

What happened to the old if in a 4 ship together #1 goes to the boom #2 to the left wing, 3&4 to the right.......#1 finishes goes to the outside of the left wing (now #2 is on the inside) # 3 refuels next and goes to the outside of the right wing (#4 is on the inside of the right wing) #2 refuels as next as #1 moves to the inside of the left wing, then #2 goes to the outside of the left wing as #4 refuels and then goes to the outside of the right wing......so now you have #1 on the inside, #2 on the outside of the left wing, #3 is on the inside of the right wing with #4 on the outside so as you come off (sts) the tanker you have the formation just like it was getting to the tanker...??
All things being equal I too would generally have 3&4 in trail on the way to the rejoin with the tanker and I'd go directly to the boom, with #2 going to the left and 3&4 to the right wing...??? Maybe I'm showing my age but if you remember the rejoins if you were all together it's waaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier for 3&4 to slide to the outside of a turning rejoin to the right wing..?? You know the Tanker toads were always in a turn for some reason or at a minimum in the "Freaking" clouds..!!! Radar is soooooooooooooo nice..!!!!

Maddog, things changed several months back when the USAF decided to adopt the NATO AAR reg (I guess because NATO operates the majority of the world's tankers?????). Technically, pre-contact is "cleared astern" along with some other "interesting" changes. So far the boomers have been pretty cool with allowing us with a less steep learning curve to get away with the old stuff.

The new procedures also more closely what the Navy has always done. It's amazing that even in the heat of combat the Navy boys will still all form up on the left wing and then #2 will slide over and get his gas. Over Iraq I would constantly clear Navy guys directly to contact, but they just would not do it, they had to form up on the left then slide over to the basket. It takes alot of extra time to do it that way, and sucked when you had 6 or 8 guys waiting to get their gas. As far as the new terminology goes, none of us booms are any more comfortable with it than are the reciever pilots. I will usually start off by using the new terms, but if the reciever reverts back to the old terms I will finish the AR using what ever terminology seems to be most comforatable to the reciever pilot.

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Forum: F-16 Procedures

Procedure 4-ship fmn by midair refuelling