Questions tagged [tanker]

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23 votes
3 answers
5k views

What does the term "tanker" mean when used in regards to a passenger airliner?

In a comment on this answer: Airlines will tanker fuel if it's substantially cheaper at another airport I've wondered what that term meant before, and now this comment leads me to think that ...
Steve's user avatar
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20 votes
1 answer
9k views

Do tanker aircraft distribute their own fuel?

Do tanker aircraft, (such as the KC-135, KC-10, S-3B, etc), distribute fuel from their own fuel tanks, or is it strictly from a separate cargo tank? Obviously, some cargo tanks are going to be ...
Bassinator's user avatar
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14 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why are flying-boom tankers restricted to a single boom?

Tanker aircraft can use one or both of two refuelling systems: Flying boom: A rigid boom is lowered from the tanker and inserted into a receptacle on the roof of the recipient aircraft. Probe\drogue: ...
Vikki's user avatar
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12 votes
4 answers
3k views

Are aerial tankers converted aircraft or their own designs?

For instance, this KC-46. Is this a converted Boeing 767? Or its own design? Same with this Rivet Joint.
Boeing787's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
732 views

Russian-built and NATO (USN, European) probe-and-drogue -- are they interoperable?

Considering the current diversity of coalition air fleets in some parts of the world (the Horn of Africa situation comes to mind), can Russian-built tankers refuel NATO probe-and-drogue receivers, and ...
UnrecognizedFallingObject's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the stall speed of the KC130?

Saw the video of the helicopter chopping off its own refueling probe. That made me wonder what the stall speed of the tanker is, and how difficult it is to fly slow enough for the helis to keep up.
FreeMan's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
513 views

Stress on wing/fuselage-joint of aerial water tanker aircraft - and possible mitigating measures

Following the unfortunate crash of a C-130 aerial water tanker aircraft in Australia, a friend brought to my attention a 2002 C-130 tanker crash in the US. As can also be seen in this video, the wings ...
Bram's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
348 views

Can (part of) the fuel in your tanks be considered "property carried for compensation or hire"?

This question brings up that an experimental category aircraft cannot carry "persons or property for compensation or hire". However, this raises a question regarding civil-registry refueling tankers (...
UnrecognizedFallingObject's user avatar
5 votes
7 answers
3k views

Why don't tanker aircraft have ejection seats?

Apparently, the KC-135 has no ejection seats (they used to have parachutes to allow the crew to manually bail out, but those were removed in 2008 to save money), and, according to this Quora ...
Vikki's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
475 views

Why don’t flying-boom tankers have collapsible/frangible/breakaway refuelling booms?

There are two main types of aerial-refuelling systems in use today: Probe-and-drogue systems reel out a hose behind the tanker, terminating with a soft conical canvas bucket; the pilot of the ...
Vikki's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
116 views

What type of engines are used on the RNLAF KDC-10 and KC-10's?

Does anyone know what type of engines are used on the Royal Netherlands Air Force's KC-10's/KDC-10's? I did some research and found out that they are GE CF6-50 engines, but what comes after the "50"? ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

What are these small propellers in the A330 MRTT's wings?

In actual flight there are small propellers rotating at the front of these "pillars". What are they? They are visible in this video.
gsamaras's user avatar
  • 1,767
2 votes
1 answer
757 views

Can you identify this unusual plane by its description? [closed]

I saw this plane many years ago: Same shape and size as an commercial airliner. No windows along the fuselage Painted flat gray (like a naval ship) Had a blue circle on its "nose" (Blue painted ...
Teddy's user avatar
  • 21
2 votes
1 answer
712 views

How far could a KC-10 tanker fly if it consumed all of its internal fuel tanks?

I have read that the KC-10 tanker aircraft carries a maximum load of 356,000 lbs of fuel. It also consumes the same fuel that it carries for refueling other aircraft. So naturally, I am wondering: If ...
Neal's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
0 answers
785 views

Why does the KC-46 use an MCAS?

The KC-46 tanker aircraft (the U.S. military's designation for the 767s it uses as tankers, and which every other country calls the KC-767) uses an early version of an MCAS.1 This was ostensibly ...
Vikki's user avatar
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