How much closer do you want me?

   / How much closer do you want me? #15  
Was he really that close or is it an affect of telephoto lens? Those two shots look like they are zoomed in. The video linked above never shows him that close.

As noted in the video the RAF refuels off C130's all that time. So does our USMC, I worked on F-4's and F-18's and punching a tanker was pretty routine stuff. The pilots said the hard part wasn't in getting close but in flying slow, c130 is a turbo prop, and staying steady so you didn't have your refuel nozzle slip out of the basket or worse, rip the hose and possibly have it go down one of your engine intakes.
 
   / How much closer do you want me?
  • Thread Starter
#16  
Was he really that close or is it an affect of telephoto lens? Those two shots look like they are zoomed in. The video linked above never shows him that close.

As noted in the video the RAF refuels off C130's all that time. So does our USMC, I worked on F-4's and F-18's and punching a tanker was pretty routine stuff. The pilots said the hard part wasn't in getting close but in flying slow, c130 is a turbo prop, and staying steady so you didn't have your refuel nozzle slip out of the basket or worse, rip the hose and possibly have it go down one of your engine intakes.

It's hard to say about how close the aircraft actually was. I know what you mean about the optical illusions one can get with cameras.

As far as the NAVY aircraft...the F-4's and F-18's, the F-4 was a brick below about 130 knots. A very fast aircraft for it's time, but couldn't fly slow at all. F-18 came in after I got out of the Navy. I was assigned to an F-4 outfit (VF-31) for about 4 years.
 
   / How much closer do you want me? #18  
IIRC, the video said they used a C130-J. That plane's speed was a surprise to me. Right up there with WWII fighter planes.

From:
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Performance

Maximum speed: 362 knots (417 mph, 671 km/h)
Cruise speed: 348 knots (400 mph, 643 km/h)

Which seems fast until you have to go very far in one. When I was stationed in the Los Angeles area we went to Puerto Rico for a deployment. About 7 hrs in a KC10 on the way down, two days in a C130 on the way back ;)
 
   / How much closer do you want me?
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Which seems fast until you have to go very far in one. When I was stationed in the Los Angeles area we went to Puerto Rico for a deployment. About 7 hrs in a KC10 on the way down, two days in a C130 on the way back ;)

I flew from NAS Oceana (Virginia Beach, VA) to Mayport FL on an old C-131. I remember looking out the window toward the ground and saw a small single engine private aircraft whizzing by us. I thought we were flying backwards for a minute.
Yep, them was the days...
 
   / How much closer do you want me? #20  
It seems to me that flameout is a real possibility when you get too close to a large airplane. Maybe the cameraman had a Bic lighter so he could reach out and give 'em a light.:D
 

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