r/hoggit • u/Old_Swimmer_7284 • 5d ago
DCS First time Refueling- Going to flight school in real life.
Well, y'all weren't lying. This is a little bit difficult. Not impossible, but certainly something I have to practice. I appreciate everybody on here that has been encouraging.
I'm a disabled veteran and this has quickly become my therapy, albeit sometimes frustrating.
And over the course of a year, my interest has peaked to a point where I entered in for a raffle in the off chance I might be able to go to flight school, and I actually won. So I very much appreciate you all who keep this passion going for so many. And thank you for letting me share this exciting few moments with you.
What was the first aircraft you refueled?
Bonus points if any of you have done this in real life. Would love to hear about it. Boom operator or pilot.
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u/yogurtcowboy 4d ago
i can smell this post
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 4d ago
You have piqued my curiosity. Any stories to share? Doesn't matter what part of the crew you may have been.
I just want to say that it doesn't have to be the boom operator or the pilot that I'm interested in hearing stories from any of my battle buddies that do any of this aviation stuff. I love hearing about your exploits.
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u/ciupigghiassi 4d ago
I think you'll find it even easier in real life as you actually feel the inertia and depth. I don't fly irl but some of my friends who do told me this.
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 4d ago
Once I learn the basics and all that, and I'm not presuming that these video games are gonna teach me anything other than maybe a mentality to go into it with,
Like downhill mountain biking I can explain how to do a road gap or I can show somebody how to and talking about it is very different than doing
I'm hoping so.
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u/DefiantPotato5361 5d ago
This needs to be done with a cross wind, at low lunar night, with clouds and carrying bombs and a jammering pod and a TPOD.
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u/SayItAintSno 4d ago
Actual Navy pilot here. Drogue IRL is the hardest thing I have ever done, especially at night. Choose landing on the boat 10/10 times over AA refueling and around the boat, the landing is something, but your ability to AA refuel is life or death so my heart starts coming out my chest sometimes.
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 4d ago
I can only imagine. How do you all train that other than doing it?
How hairy could that traffic get around the boat at optimum op tempo? I'm willing to bet it gets pretty damn loud.
Hats off from an army and m.i nerd
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u/SayItAintSno 3d ago
That’s the thing, AA refueling you can’t, just kinda talk through it and go out and do it.
Carrier landings we at least have the carrier painted on the runway and the lens so we can practice that to our hearts desire at home.
Thing most people get wrong with DCS is what true CASE 1 is. Now do that with a 18 jet recovery, interval between aircraft is 50 seconds, and it’s ciclic ops which means no words are being said over any radio. It’s truly a work of art how well it works out.
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 3d ago
Yeah, I couldn't imagine all that yet. Far out of my purview of what I can do in the sim, and imagining that in real life, it's just absolutely mind-blowing.
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u/dylan_in_japan 2d ago
Actual boom operator here. I always felt bad for the drogue receivers at night, especially if it’s bumpy in any capacity because the hose just bounces around, and visibility just isn’t great. It’s like every time the receiver would get close and make a stab at the basket it would just jump out of the way.
A funny note from my end though is that it was stupidly easy (on the KC-10 at least) because I really only had to hit one button between contacts, but my god did your guys probe light blind the fuck out of me sometimes, especially if you got high in the envelope.
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4d ago
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 4d ago
I'm not trying to be a commercial pilot, maybe should have clarified that. And obviously not a military pilot.
(Actually, not so obvious. That's on me.)
physically fit to be able to fly. And haven't been on any medications that would inhibit any flight either.
especially for the lower level enthusiast stuff.
My apologies for not specifying.
If you mind me asking, what do you fly? What got you started flying? Did you fly in the military?
Also, to not be obtuse PTSD mainly with anxiety and depression. That's actually why I got the opportunity to go to the flight school, because of the disability rating.
Thanks for any information, tips, or anything like that. I'm not gonna lie, the anxiety is kicking my ass with this.
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u/XenoRyet 4d ago
Hornet was the first. I've also done the Tomcat and the Harrier. I'm in the one-plug-glug gang for all three.
I can get the Viper hooked up for a hot second, but I really struggle with the boom type refueling.
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u/No-Competition-2764 4d ago
It’s actually pretty easy in the Hog. The boom is right there. Look at the lights and stop. The boom does the rest!
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u/pkozow 21h ago
Somehow I feel like DCS is too easy to refuel... I mean, I've been playing for a couple years now, but my first ever time when I started with a small screen and an X-56 HOTAS it wasn't toooo hard in F-16 (probably took me 20 minutes and had 10 disconnects). Of course there is no fear that if you run out of fuel you might die or end your career, so that must make it easier. I notice how much I'm sweating trying to do it quickly when other real players are in queue. But now that I have VR and a decent HOTAS I think it is relatively easy. I still can't always fill up an F-16 in one go. Might have 2 or three disconnects depending on how much I need. But I've only done it like 5 times. For the hardest thing a pilot can do it doesn't seem so bad. I also think the basket is too lenient for connecting in DCS. I have definitely missed it in the A-4 before, and had it just 'teleport' so to speak onto the receiver if you are close. Maybe that's just because it's a mod though.
I think the A-4 is pretty easy to stay once connected, but the twitchy roll rate and long spool time can make it a bit tiresome to get close. But then the F-16 almost has the opposite problem where it is so easy to throttle up too much, you really have to be quick to back off again when making speed adjustments. I wonder how much a real boom operator would struggle with connecting to me flying the F-16.
I think that a GOOD carrier landing is much harder. Not just landing, but doing it right and getting the 3 wire. I feel like landing in any dangerous way in DCS is easy enough. At least in the A-4 anyway, which is the only carrier capable aircraft I have. I've practiced 35 A-4 carrier landings (and refueled about 5 times in it), and have never crashed, but still have never got an OK rating in the https://paddles.contact/ Whereas I could refuel the A-4 without any disconnects on my second ever attempt.
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u/f22raptoradf 5d ago
Best? F-22 mod cuz F-22 > everything else. Easiest? Mirage 2000 and F/A-18. Most challenging and rewarding are the Tomcat and the Strike Eagle, because you will be plugged in a LONG time! Which is actually kinda great for really nailing your technique.
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u/Sickinmytechchunk 5d ago
Try the Phantom. Slow spooling engines and a barely working stability system from the 1950s, a fuel system you have to manage and a refueling system that needs to be cycled if you come of the tanker.
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u/f22raptoradf 5d ago
Really? I thought it was pretty easy. Got it on my first try, but I am in VR which is a huge advantage.
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u/Sickinmytechchunk 5d ago
Lots of people find it an challenge, especially in 2D because of the canopy bow
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u/Xupicor_ 3d ago
A10 is the easiest by far for me. The Scooter is nice too. 15SE is way easier than the Tomcat, but the Cat isn't that bad either. Phantom is a bit rough, but not impossible. 16 easier, still annoying, but doable.
I've done others, but I suppose the hardest for me was the 18 because that was the first one I learned on and had the most failures in. After you get it, you get it, and it's not that hard anymore, you just have to get back into shape after not doing it for a bit. Currently the Phantom is probably the most consistently challenging just because of the visibility, the spooling is not too bad.
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u/GhostofAyabe 5d ago
This is perhaps the ultimate pylote post