Constant fixes life of engineering

Hidden in this report:
http://aviationweek.com/defense/softwar ... ata-fusion
(Of Corse linked by SPAZ in Another thread) is a Little pass about the normal life of engineering: Fixes.

Even though the F-35 is designed in the state-of-the art computer systems with the sharpest engineers that the wild west can provide, there are still some things that needs to be fixed... Oooups moment or whatever you call it.

This is the normal thing for the development of any airplane, so it's no idea to cry Death spiral or crappy design or whatever... Too bad it is hidden in a report about something as boring as SW... (my opinion, nothing else)

A new light for the F-35’s refueling system—redesigned to reduce glare for KC-135 boom operators— is installed on the red extender arm bracing the refueling probe of this test aircraft (inset). F-35 AF-1 conducts asymmetric load testing, including the use of external weapons stores, during recent flights using newly installed 3F software.

Regards

Heheh. So much for my SPEED READING of that ARTICKLE. I wondered about the graphic seen above but did not REread to find that GEM. Thanks for that. I'll give my SpeedReedin' TUTOR a SpeedyEARful! My eyes get tired reading screen after screen (of crap mostly) so sometimes I MISS THE GOLD!

Something that strikes me as odd.... This is the B and C probe.... where the pilot jacks the probe in to the basket... and even though they sometimes put a basket on the boom... it is not the boom operator that is responsible for contact. (or?)

This incident is really far down the chain of event... could as well have gone trough unnoticed I guess.

Regards

Probably we would need better graphics - film at night - and other stuff; however if I follow the directions:

"...A new light for the F-35’s refueling system—redesigned to reduce glare for KC-135 boom operators— is installed on the red extender arm bracing the refueling probe of this test aircraft..."

We have to know (I can only guess) that the KC-135 boom operator is looking out of their window at the 'IRON MAIDEN' hose/drogue combo hanging off the end of the boom? When the F-35B/C probe extends or otherwise extended gets close to the operator then that person is blinded by the light (song on request). This pic shows the problem perhaps (in daytime): http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... refuel.jpg

"“On 20 August a Lockheed Martin F-35C carrier model aircraft refueled from a US Air Force KC-135 for the first time. The jet, CF-1, was flown by Lt Col Patrick Moran.” http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-d ... om-kc-135/

ZOOMED new probe light shows location I'll guess (although details a little fuzzy). At night the B/C pilot has to be able to see the tip of aircraft own probe whilst the hose/drogue basket will have small lights around it to show where to go. It probably is not as easy as allowing the boom operator to do the thing with the F-35A. http://aviationweek.com/site-files/avia ... ynolds.jpg

NOT sure if this PDF about probe/drogue has been referenced here before. I guess I could look but whatever:

The Sargent - Fletcher Pod
Gas ‘n’ Go Keep Going PaxRiver Museum Mag'n
Winter 2013 The Kneeboard

"...The British were the first to develop a really practical aerial refueling system. It was called the probe and drogue method and it’s used by US Navy aircraft as well as nearly all the aircraft of other countries. The probe is carried on the aircraft to be refueled. On high-speed aircraft, the probe retracts for streamlining. On slower aircraft the probe is fixed in place on the outside of the wing or fuselage.

The drogue (or paradrogue) is the collapsible basket and fuel valve assembly at the end of the fuel hose trailing behind the tanker aircraft. The pilot of the fuel-hungry aircraft carefully guides its probe into the basket, where a latching mechanism holds it in place. (See the illustrations below.) Once enough gas has been passed, the receiving aircraft backs off to break contact with the drogue. Because of turbulence close to the aircraft, this maneuver is not as easy to do as it sounds."

Source: http://api.ning.com/files/HmsNCuI4-iDeF ... wcopy2.pdf (1.2Mb)

GOOD ARF VIDEO part starts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ-L1wxx554&t=72

OTHERWISE with catshot etc. Getting into the basket is more difficult in turbulent air at low level (depending).

A Night Sight Picture for dem Hornets: KC 707/ KDC-10 green status light seen on fuselage (probe is in drogue):

Omega Tanker (K-707) (KDC-10) Air Refueling Procedures Brief

http://www.omegaairrefueling.com/vms/im ... brief1.ppt (2Mb)

PDF of the 25 pages now attached below.

I can search the internet for the sentence about the probe light and it appears here and 'supposedly - according to google at the URL - however it is no longer there - edited out I'll guess by AvWeak. No wonder I never saw it there. Still and all, good to know why the odd photo was there and to have an explanation for why etc.

Please forgive me - no do not - F-35A testing GREEN laser during ARF - so easy to multi-task in this aircraft, must be BillieFlynn https://cencio4.files.wordpress.com/201 ... ht-aar.jpg

We can see how the 'too bright' probe light on this F-35B might blind the smooth operator in refueller in this video:

F-35B Night Air Refuel Probe Light on Drogue

Doodesses & Doods here ya go for 'BLINDED BY THE LIGHT' stuff. BEST to READ at SOURCE because there are more PHOTOs and text DETAIL.

F-35 Aerial Refueling Tests
09 Apr 2015 Eric Hehs CODE 1

"...This particular series of refueling missions in near-dark conditions, which began in late 2014, was to flight test a new prototype refueling probe light. The white prototype light can be seen immediately to the right of the drogue basket in the head-on photo. The twilight conditions were part of a buildup of tests to certify the aircraft for full night flight clearance. During the tests, the boom operator in the refueling aircraft monitored the F-35’s proximity to the boom, the connection with the F-35’s refueling probe to the drogue, and the transfer of fuel once the connection was made.

During the refueling process on the KC-135, the pilot had to fly the F-35 to within five feet of the rigid boom and maintain a close proximity while dealing with the motion of the tanker relative to the F-35...."

CAPTION: "A ninety-degree bend in the knuckle immediately trailing the basket indicates that the F-35 has connected to the basket and is in the fuel transfer zone." Photo by Chad Bellay
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/images/m ... 7_4323.jpg

CAPTION: "F-35B test aircraft BF-17 was flown over Edwards AFB, California, during several recent aerial refueling missions behind KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender tankers. Photo by Tom Reynolds"
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/images/m ... 7_4356.jpg

Source: http://www.codeonemagazine.com/article.html?item_id=162

At the start of this thread 'linkomart' has the idea 'constant changes' and here is some evidence of that:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... ts-414341/

F-35B/C FMS Probe Drogue Air Refuel

F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER Development Is Nearly Complete, but Deficiencies Found in Testing Need to Be Resolved
Jun 2018 GAO

"...Aerial refueling probes:
The F-35B and F-35C variants use a “hose and drogue” system where an aerial refueling tanker aircraft extends a long, flexible refueling hose and a parachute-like metal basket that provides stability, and the receiving aircraft then connects to the drogue basket with its extendable refueling probe, as shown in figure 10. From April 2014 to August 2017, 21 incidents have occurred where the F-35’s aerial refueling probes broke off while conducting aerial refueling, leading to a restriction of aerial refueling operations. [I wonder how many contacts overall were made in this time?] The Navy and Air Force are investigating the issue and implementing improvements to reduce these incidents:

1. Pilot training improvements have been completed.

2. Improved inspection of KC-10 aerial refueling equipment has been implemented.

3. Software improvements to reduce the pilot’s workload during refueling are planned to enter flight testing in May 2018.
4. A stronger refueling probe is in development. [ tank goodness ]

[PDF referenced by 'marauder2048' here earlier: viewtopic.php?f=58&t=12237&p=395599&hilit=Resolved#p395599 ]

Source: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/692307.pdf (4.1Mb)

Yeah it was in the DOT&E report.

There's an intentional weak-link between the mast and the nozzle that's designed
to break in an overload condition. (It's the purple region in the photo from The Register).

Thanks for info & pic 'marauder2048'. Do you have a link please? I'm looking at THE REGISTER now.... FOUND IT!

We're cutting F-35 costs, honest, insists jet-builder Lockheed Martin
23 Jan 2018 Gareth Corfield

"...Cobham, which makes the critical ball joint used in the F-35B's air-to-air refuelling probe. As the firm explained to El Reg, anyone can make a pipe and bolt it to an aircraft – but their unique weak link is designed to shear and cut off fuel flow only "under very specific loads", such as a pilot in an emergency needing to pull away from the tanker ASAP....

Photo: "An air-to-air refuelling probe for the F-35. Cobham makes the purple knobbly bit, which is the weak link that breaks in emergencies" https://regmedia.co.uk/2018/01/22/cobha ... _probe.jpg
&
"The Honeywell OBOGS" https://regmedia.co.uk/2018/01/22/honeywell_obogs.jpg

Source: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/2 ... aims_exec/