Aerial refueling is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one military aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) during flight. The procedure allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, extending its range or loiter time on station. A series of air refuelings can give range limited only by crew fatigue and engineering factors such as engine oil consumption. Because the receiver aircraft can be topped up with extra fuel in the air, air refueling can allow a takeoff with a greater payload which could be weapons, cargo, or personnel: the maximum takeoff weight is maintained by carrying less fuel and topping up once airborne. Alternatively, a shorter take-off roll can be achieved because take-off can be at a lighter weight before refueling once airborne.
Our mission is simple, to provide mid-flight refueling services to our beloved pilots.
Why join IFTS?
Sure, you can fire up the tanker any time and refuel whomever you prefer. But we offer a fun atmosphere where flights can be logged. Our simple to use website is coded from the ground up for IFTS. Sign up, fly, log your flights online. No worrying about fake money, points, or special rank stickers.
Where can I fly?
The whole world is available but we try to stick to flights between the US bases around the world.
We ask that you be at least grade 3 with access to the expert server. Since our mission is to give back to the pilots, you should also give back as a community member. We ask that you be in good standing in the online community.
Look around for a bit, and then under the pilots menu select “Become a Pilot”.
Fill out the application and it will be reviewed.
You will receive an email when your application as been approved.
There doesn't seem much to the VO, anything else?
As a VO we opted to go for a simpler model. We are just a group of pilots that like flying tankers!
For more information or to look around, please visit IFTSVO.com. We look forward to you joining our team. But hey, if it’s not for you maybe we can top off your tank every now and then.
Originally the tankers would fly routes and pilots could hook up whenever. I wanted to see how things shook out and if we need to add a request form we can do that. But keep in mind it takes time to get to your location and we cant take off at every airport along the way. In real live these events are planned before hand.
@Chris_S. MaxSez… Chris, note a separate “Refueling Request Thread” Topic this date. Is this a coordinated effort or stand alone? , If stand alone suggest combine effort to resolve inevitable conflict. Additionally, Will a Standard Fueling Track/Procedure Be established/published with Altitude/Speed/Lineup/Brake-off procedures etc? Do Good Work, BZ
