Fuel tankers and F15's

[CrazyB]

Ive got a couple of questions.

Over the Ely area you see quite a few fuel tankers flying around, also F15's. Where do these tankers go, sometimes you can see them flying around in circles for ages. Are they just training the same with the F15's, or do both aircraft have to train in mid air for refuelling.

Also where to the F15's train, normally if im around downham market or the west country you only see tornado's.

Last one, sorry.

how low can you fly in a fighter jet. Just wondering as a tornado flew over Woolpit this week, and seemed like tree top height. Very entertaining though.

Thanks

[movadinkampa747]

how low can you fly in a fighter jet. Just wondering as a tornado flew over Woolpit this week, and seemed like tree top height. Very entertaining though.

Thanks

Amazingly they can fly to within Millimeters of the ground. Just before they land.:ok:

[Avtur]

Or to about minus 2 meters if they don't.

[ehwatezedoing]

Then, it is called a CFIT not a landing.

[Farmer 1]

Good questions, CrazyB. I can't give you any definitive answers, but I'll do my best.

First of all, not that it's important, but how do you know the aircraft are tankers?

Except for the transport branches and ferry-type flights, virtually all military flying is training, unless there is a war going on, of course. The same applies to all branches of the armed services; they cannot be expected to go off to war without proper training and practice, although some governments might not understand that. So, often, practically all a service-person's life is spent training.

So, with your example of refuelling, it must be practised regularly by all those involved. And don't forget, tankers refuel tankers, and fighters may have the capability of refuelling other fighters. It must be quite a complex logistical operation on occasion. I believe there is an in-flight refuelling area over the North Sea.

I don't know where the F15s train, it would depend on what type of exercises they are doing on the day. There are several bombing and gunnery ranges on the east coast, but, with in-flight refuelling available, the world is pretty much their oyster.

How low can they fly? I imagine you mean legally. I'm out of date on that, but I think it might be 200ft - I wait to be corrected. That would be in special low-level areas or corridors over land, otherwise I think 500ft is the norm. You must realise the military are bound in part by different rules and laws from civil aviation. Civil aircraft are not permitted to be armed, for instance.

[gashman]

How it is. The UK airspace has designated areas available for air to air refueling, called towlines. The tankers trawl up and down these towlines at pre-arranged times to meet their trade (again pre-organised as in real Ops). Sometimes, a quick radio call can secure a bit of gas on a "bootleg" basis if you aren't planned to get onto a tanker. I believe the USAF use the same areas, although because of their refueling systems, the tankers are generally not of much use to RAF aircraft. Low flting in the UK is strickly regulated to keep the fine balance of necessary flying training and keeping the population of the UK happy. UK jets are generally allowed down to 250ft (with specially designated areas set aside where 100ft flying is allowed; these areas are extremely sparsely populated, to stop car crashes and the like). Foreign aircraft have to prove why they need to fly at low level to justify flying over our country. Even after this is granted, they can only fly down to 500ft, and where they fly is strickly monitored. Just as an example of how well regulated the flying is, Air Defence assets are not deemed to require continuous low level navigation traing, so crews can not plan and fly a low level route. Low level Ops for these crews are limited to the time spent engaging air to ground platforms for mutual training, and use of afterburner is not allowed at low level. Where possible, training is carried out over the sea, where we can use chaff and flares without killing sheep or setting fire to stuff.

Sorry about the PR style of reply, but our low flying system is the best in Europe and it should be guarded fiercely, and that includes keeping those who are not privaleged enough to use it, in the picture.:ok:

[CrazyB]

Good questions, CrazyB. I can't give you any definitive answers, but I'll do my best.

First of all, not that it's important, but how do you know the aircraft are tankers?


:ugh: Good question. The ones i normally see look like boeing 707's in the air, if not they are a 4 engined aircraft.