Timeline for What do the colors indicate on this KC135 tanker boom?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2022 at 14:13 | comment | added | Darrel Hoffman | The boom itself flies, almost like a separate aircraft in itself, hence the built in flight-surfaces on it. The boom operator is sometimes even referred to as a pilot, and they can move the boom relative to the tanker as needed to try and keep up with the other plane. | |
| Oct 13, 2022 at 2:47 | comment | added | Jerry Coffin | "...if the receiving aircraft speeds up and gets closer to the tanker..." Note this isn't always a matter of speed, as such--the boom is at an angle, so (especially if you go through some turbulence) it can deal with up and down motion (particularly common when refueling A-10's, since you have to do so at relatively low altitude). | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 16:51 | comment | added | Ralph J♦ | Getting too far away, you might rip off the boom -- it has happened -- but if the system works as designed, the receptacle on the receiver should disconnect when the extension reaches a limit short of the physical limit. The boom itself will sense the extension, and sends a signal telling the receptacle to, in essence, "let go of me!" Works the same, as I recall, as the boom operator commanding a disconnect (which he'd probably also do, to avoid damage to the boom). Of course, electrons don't always go where they're wanted, so things sometimes go wrong... | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 0:13 | vote | accept | Boeing787 | ||
| Oct 11, 2022 at 0:09 | history | answered | Jörg W Mittag | CC BY-SA 4.0 |