B52 Air refueling
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Right here (right now)
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Here's another pic of the same manuever...
A KC-135 pilot stated that...
A BUFF driver from Barksdale adds...
I am sure there are still some doubters out there, the same folks that believe the world is flat...
Cheers! M2
A KC-135 pilot stated that...
CFIC still exists, and there are still CFIC-only maneuvers, but this one is no longer one of them. The maneuver was to teach the Buff pilots to trust the visual references of the KC-135 as an ADI in the sky, and to not worry about the bank. Simply keep the aircraft in position behind the tanker using proper control and throttle inputs, and it will all work itself out. I'm sure it taught the tanker crews how to anticipate pitch and power changes during the maneuver, kind of like the old Vertical S at UPT, but that's merely speculation.
There are photos of the 90-degree refueling all over the squadrons here (Barksdale), particularly in the FTU. The maneuver existed for the same reason as 90-degree wingwork does in UPT. It was a confidence building maneuver as well as a demonstration that whatever forces are acting on the tanker are also acting on the reciever.
Cheers! M2
