Forum: F-16 Procedures

Anyone knows why the lights at tanker belly are installed at opposing sides?

I mean, why the lights refer to throttle (FWD-AFT) are on the right and lights refer to Stick (UP-DOWN) are on the left?

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The story I heard was that because the KC-135 was originally designed to refuel the B-52, the light positions corresponded to the column and throttles in the BUFF cockpit. Since the left-seater was usually the one flyin' during the connect, he'd have his left hand on the column and his right on the throttles. So the up/down lights on the left told him how to move the column and the fore/aft light on the right told him how to move throttles.

For the fighter guys-n-gals it's obviously reversed. But hey....they're smart....they know how to do a little mental jugglin' to make it work. Wink

I never even thought about (or recognized) that the lights were "backwards" from my hands... Maybe it's good that we are "not smart" enough to see that...!?

Cylon

Not being smart is sometimes a good thing... Smile

But what if you are?

Anyway, i was just wondering...

Nice story SimDude...

Lights..?? What lights..?? I thought that's why they had a "Boom" operator...to tell you where you're suppose to be and how far back and down to go...LOL

I didn't know that any fighter pilots even payed any attention to the lights. I have had heavy drivers tell me to either turn the lights up or down, or that a light is not working, but in 14 years I have never had a fighter guy even make mention of the PDI lights.

Elliboom wrote:

I didn't know that any fighter pilots even payed any attention to the lights. I have had heavy drivers tell me to either turn the lights up or down, or that a light is not working, but in 14 years I have never had a fighter guy even make mention of the PDI lights.

I can't think any other way to keep you in position... especially at night!

Say don't those lights (DFUA) stand for Don't F*ck Up A**hole

Fighter Pilots don't need no stinking lights...we're always in position..!!!

MaddogF16 wrote:

Fighter Pilots don't need no stinking lights...we're always in position..!!!

yeah, ok... Applause

MaddogF16 wrote:

Fighter Pilots don't need no stinking lights...we're always in position..!!!

As much as I hate to feed into the Fighter pilot ego, I rarely have a fighter be in a bad position on the boom. However when I do he usually gets more crap from his flight mates then I could ever give him. Plus I figure everyone can have an off day, and everyone was new at the AR thing at one time, so I tend to give people alot of slack when it comes to being stable, or in a good position. Mr. Boeing gave me limits on the boom for a reason, so as long as you are in that envelpoe and stable I could really care less where you are at.

As much as I'd like to think that I was always in position I know there were times I "pushed" the envelope....usually that was at night in the weather though....and I think the tanker was flying upside down at the time...LOL

You don't need the lights but it really helps. The block 40 -135's have a longer TCN antenna which completer FUBAR'd the TACAN T we all used to know and love. Now you have to drive till the belly is X much over the HUD and the engines are each X degrees angle off. You can also use the buffet from the inboards as a good cue when you are just about the right position as the jet will sway a little right and left from the buffeting. I actually think its easier from the back seat since there is more than just the HUD to compare from. I've refueled without lights at night... once. Not a pleasent experience. No Viper drive would ever seriously boast about being in postion. I sat thru a E-3 refueling for kicks once... they had to remove both pilots seat cusions with the help of a borescope. They were REALLY working hard.

Cheers!

Forum: F-16 Procedures

Tanker refueling lights