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KC-135 Tanker Q&A


Guest Slilock

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Real question: why do the -135 guys always have the lights cranked down so low in the AOR, while the -10 guys are lit up like Christmas trees?
Only a few times I was really nervous in the AOR, and most of the time it involved night AR w/ a -135...



Did you ask for them to turn the lights up?


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A little off topic, but this right here.

I’ll add that almost every ANG/AFRC -135 crewdog our there knows at least one -135 guy at every other ANG/AFRC squadron out there from our 10 years of rainbow deployments to the Died (and Guam to a lesser extent). We all flew missions, ate omelets, drank 3 beers and bitched about the same stuff over and over again. We all kept in touch and we all reach out to each other bro to bro when someone applies to our respective unit(s).

It’s amazing to me how some people don’t quite realize this.





Numerous deployments and a schoolhouse assignment results in less than 2 degrees of separation from just about every tanker crewdog. It really is a small world.


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On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 2:46 AM, Kenny Powers said:

Real question: why do the -135 guys always have the lights cranked down so low in the AOR...

So it's harder for bad guys to read their subdued SOAR nametags and patches.

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  • 1 year later...
On 3/19/2008 at 11:33 PM, Tone deaf said:

 

Bergman,

 

Believe me, your reaction was echoed at tanker squadrons everywhere. The AF is trying to save training $ and the generals look at the -135 training EPs in the jet when the other heavies do it in the sim and wanted to standardize. The PIQs will get an instrument qual checkride in the sim, which includes landings and EPs, and get a mission check in the jet, which includes refueling and tactics. Most folks are not pleased that we're moving in this direction, but the decisions have been made. I think it will take at least one or more serious mishaps where inadequate training is found as a causal factor to raise questions about this change, but you know as well as I that any f*ckups by a PIQ will likely be blamed on the AC for inadequate supervision and judgment, not the minimal experience they received during formal training.

Same in the MX world, new guys getting engine run qual go out to a jet on the line and just start one engine. Back in the day we had to go the sim once a year and have emer and jump chock procedures thrown at us for requal, that is all gone now. I'm one of the few still qualified to run the OC-135B , the last time I've been to a sim on that was 1988 at McClellan AFB in California. Yes it doesn't exist anymore. 

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  • 1 month later...
3 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:

Not a Strike Eagle guy but my assumption is they are at a relatively high gross weight and tanking at a higher altitude than they'd prefer.

Probably in and out of AB with one engine to stay on the boom, especially in a turn.

Sounds about right.  The B-1 puts two in min AB a lot when we're high gross weight, like deployed ops with a full weapons load and trying to top off the fuel 

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Sounds about right.  The B-1 puts two in min AB a lot when we're high gross weight, like deployed ops with a full weapons load and trying to top off the fuel 

Man I wish I could engage the afterprop when we’re at max gross weight in the summer trying to max bag it
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  • 6 months later...
  • 1 year later...

I bet it’s here to stay. Recently heard a story from a close friend about his autopilot doing an uncommanded climb.

I wouldn’t be surprised if B45 gets limited to non-critical phases of flight—including AR. Who wants George to pitch up/down when some other jet is on the boom?

Edited by StrikeOut312
fixed a typo
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I have never had an issue with B45, however, I can say that in typical AMC fasion, its implementation, training and SOP's have been pretty terrible. There is a very good chance these issues are crew error due to aforementioned reasons.

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I flew on B45 in 2015 in its infancy. Was there a software update that made it start being crazy?
No. Nothing that had anything to do with the autopilot so why all of a sudden now? There could very well be an issue with our hardware, but VVM and the understanding of the way the systems work should definitely be an SII.
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On 9/29/2019 at 10:35 PM, uhhello said:

image.png.4b67ef209819401bb96bb42964502b52.png

 

Can anyone shed some light on what would lead to this configuration?  

Had to tap burner occasionally with the RF-4C behind a ANG KC-97.  We were at high AOA because the AAR speed was so slow.KC-97.jpg?time=1624831254457

 

Edited by Springer
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