The Aircraft
With the newly pushed update aerial refueling is now possible for the aircraft listed below:
- F14 (Tomcat)
- F16 (Falcon)
- F22 (Raptor)
- C130 (Hercules)
- C17 (Globemaster)
- VC25 (Air Force One)
- KC10 (Extender)
- A10 (Warthog)
- F/A-18E (Rhino)
Tips for the Aircraft being Refueled:
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If you are hand flying the refueling process, try to keep control movements to a minimum. Autopilot will give you best precision when refueling
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Coordinate with the tanker the plan of action. Ensure you have the flight plan, altitude, and speed at which the tanker will be flying.
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Fly 50ft below the tankerâs altitude. In Infinite Flight we are unable to select a 50ft interval altitude. We are only able to select an altitude in 100ft intervals. (You can technically refuel at the same altitude as the tanker, but for realism sakeâŚ) To fly at an altitude other than that 100ft interval try following these steps:
1. Start out at the same altitude as the tanker.
2. Once you get close (1nm or less) set your cruise altitude 100ft below the tanker.
3. When you do this the default VS is -250fpm. However, what you should do is change this to -100fpm once the descent begins.
4. As youâre about 50ft below the tanker, swipe the VS to 0. Youâll want to lead this by a few feet, and itâll hold you at whatever altitude you had displayed when you switched the VS to 0. Essentially you could cruise at 25,457ft and hold that altitude if the tanker is flying at 25,500ft
Disclaimer:
Keep in mind that this will not hold you at that altitude forever. It should hold you at that altitude long enough for you to refuel your aircraft.
May sound a bit confusing but itâs just a little something that I found that worked to hold a ânon-100ftâ altitude.
Tips for the Tanker:
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Create a flight plan that will have a straightly distance of at least 100nm. Anything shorter of 100nm can be a bit of a struggle for the aircraft being refueled to make contact and to fuel up.
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Coordinate with the aircraft being refueled your plan of action. Ensure you have the flight plan loaded and of reasonable length legs, an appropriate altitude, and speed at which you will be flying. Communication is key to ensuring that both you and the aircraft being refueled are on the same page
Suggested Refueling Speeds/Altitude:
Plane Altitude Speed (KIAS)
F22 28,000-30,000 M.82
F18E 28,000-30,000 M.82
C/AC 130 8,000 210 kts
F14 28,000-30,000 M.82
F16 28,000-30,000 M.82
VC25 (Air Force One) 25,000 275 kts
KC10 25,000 290 kts
Helpful Information:
As made known to the community in a response from Tyler, the aircraft being refueled âmay only accept the amount of fuel equal to three (3) full tanksâ. Sourced here đđź
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What does this mean? If your aircraft can carry 10,000lbs (4500kgs) of fuel, you may only refuel 30,000lbs (13,600kgs) in that session before you are unable to aerial refuel. You should be able to refuel upon landing at the nearest airport of your choice.
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(Optional) Once you have topped off, pull along side your tanker and get some sweet pictures of your refueling experience. đ
If you have any questions, feel free to drop them below. I hope this was of assistance to you and I hope that this can further your Infinite Flight experience.
Official Infinite Flight Tutorial: If you are looking for a video on how Aerial Refueling is conducted, please see the attached link below for more information. Mark has done an amazing job on explaining how to successfully fuel from a KC10 tanker in the video.
