Mooch's DCS Hacks: F-14 Inflight Refueling

Ward reviews techniques for inflight refueling while flying the F-14 in DCS.
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[@marcourban899]

You can literally hear, how Mooch is still taking body tension on the cat shot. It´s so deep in his mind that even a computer game triggers his body what he learned in so many years. I love it.

[@Scoobydcs]

iv noticed that before lol

[@mcelravys]

Serious muscle memory

[@thert.hon.thelordnicholson7261]

@@Scoobydcs I saw another ex fighter guy playing DCS in VR, with a camera filming him playing, vid is on KZbin somewhere - he was tensing up before pulling "Gs" in the sim, doing his G manoeuvres instinctively in anticipation :D

[@osakanone]

His body remembers. That's really wild.

[@matrinezkevin11492]

@The Rt. Hon. The Lord Nicholson of Arnage might have been Mover's video in a Hornet I believe lol. He was tensing up and pushing his head back into the seat when going hard into a vertical.

[@Rodneythor]

I count this as something I’ll never be able to do. I’m 70 years old. I enjoy seeing and in a partial sense, living this experience through your content creation and your very kind commentary. I appreciate your life. Your service. And your devotion to your wife. You’re a good man.

[@dannyd7714]

You can. In my group we have a gentleman well in his 80's, and flies a Hornet. Cat shots, landings, bomb runs, does it all.

[@milesallen7339]

You can, I believe with the right setup you can!

[@pi.actual]

DCS - the most expensive free game in the world!

[@PhycoKrusk]

Honestly, one of the best things said in this video is the admission that, "This is hard... This is as hard as flying the ball and getting the airplane aboard the boat." It tells people who are struggling with it that they're _supposed_ to be struggling with it

[@maxjpind]

These are incredibly helpful Ward. Refueling is the BANE of my existence in DCS. Many thanks for taking the time to do these. Keep ‘em coming!

[@WardCarroll]

Practice, Max! You'll get it.

[@Jacobruxo]

Hey, I felt the same, until my X52 broke after 9 years of simming... so I bought a T160000M HOTAS and it's way more precise, the joystick is the same sensors as the Warthog. Now I can AAR much easily. So just a heads up, your joystick/throttle may be making it more difficult than it is.

[@sleat]

Tanking the harrier from a KC130 at night has reduced me to tears once or twice, but as Ward points out, practice makes perfect! It's easier with the 135 as the Harrier doesn't like to fly slow unless configured. Also, the probe isn't as conveniently placed as it is on the 14 and 18, so no temptation to look at it, as you can't really see it.

[@leewalton7403]

just commit to refueling at leadt once every flight, even if you fail your building muscle memory to make it easyre the next time. Don't commit to constant practice it will drive you mad, give it 1 good go every session.

[@Creech709]

@@leewalton7403 this! Everytime i fly I hit the tanker at least once. Also any missions I build will be tanking required

[@alexlohan2988]

Ward, your content is always top-tier! Hope your enjoying your DCS fam sorties. When you feel ready we would LOVE to see you RIO for another DCS F-14 pilot to watch the pros at work. Thanks as always!

[@WardCarroll]

Stay tuned!

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

Good lesson, and very satisfying when you can get it plugged, especially when the tanker is in turn. For those new to DCS: note Ward's low fuel state for the recovery, all the instant action recovery missions in DCS give you about 6K lbs of fuel. Other missions are pretty generous with max gas loads, so plan to burn some gas or dump it prior, or the big 'Cat will be unwieldy around the boat.

[@WardCarroll]

Max trap in the F-14B is 54K pounds, so that means your max gas on the ball is 10K pounds minus weight of whatever missiles you're carrying. (AIM-54=1K pounds each; AIM-7=500 pounds each; AIM-9=250 pounds each.)

[@Pricklyhedgehog72]

@@WardCarroll thanks, Mooch!

[@reggiekoestoer1511]

@@WardCarroll this tip right here is gold, thanks!

[@wraith444]

@@WardCarroll I need to put that on my kneeboard...

[@DSherman911]

Writing this shit down….

[@jimz68]

I’m not a “gamer”, but I find these DCS episodes highly interesting. Thanks, Mooch!.

[@simtaylor61]

It always amazed me how an expert can make a difficult task almost effortless

[@johnbrewer1893]

mooch….old marine f4 rio here…one afternoon off Nimitz we met our A7 tanker….lined up and hit the basket deadcenter..takeup didnt have time to react..the hose did a python and came back so quickly didnt have time to disengage…snapped the basket off at yhe collar….uneventful recovery w/ probe extended and basket still attached….got a jp4 washdown, but ended well…..Cool sends

[@butterfliesandtape]

I know zero about DCS and a little more about flight principles and this video blew my mind. Engines to idle with a bank angle like that and such tight margins on the approach to landing. You made it look routine, and as a baker, I understand the principle of repetition making one better at the task at hand. Great vid Ward!

[@benjaminperez7328]

“Repetition, repetition, repetition, until it becomes habit, habit, habit.” - Bobby Bowden

[@usaturnuranus]

I'm in exactly the same place. I can fly RC planes pretty well, so I know a thing or two about the basics of aircraft behavior and handling, but almost nothing about flying modern combat aircraft or anything about DCS. Just recently discovered Ward's video missions and I think it makes all the difference to have a guy like him taking us through it. I'm old enough to remember well the days of four color monitors (CMYW or RGBK, your choice!) and MS Flight Sim 1.x with the line drawings, the tiny flight area bounded by 2 dimensional flat mountains and the "stop-motion animation" game play experience (lol), but man these days really make me want to pony up the serious $$$ for a decent gaming system.

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Awesome. I cannot count how many lessons I learned. Thanks Ward.

[@boydgrandy5769]

My uncle, MSGT Jimmy Logue, flew the boom on KC-135s from Fairchild AFB in Spokane Washington until the mid 1970s, when he retired to his nearby potato farm. More than one of the planes in his squadron ran into Mount Spokane on approach during inclement and fogged in weather. He used to make flights to Alaska, to service the orbiting BUFFs there, several times per month. On every flight in the fall, he took a load of potatoes on board and sold them to the local BX/PX, as that was just about the only way they got any produce from the lower 48. The exec of his squadron, a major, tried to extort money from Uncle Jimmy over the potato cargo, so my uncle brought the whole thing up to command. He got reprimanded, of course, and forbidden from carrying any contraband cargo in the future. The major got cashiered for conduct unbecoming. The potatoes from Jimmy's farm still made it to Alaska, only now by commercial carrier, the cost of which was passed on to the Air Force when they bought them for their base PX.

[@bleeckertb]

you are really good at teaching, this was so easy to follow along and understand

[@benjaminperez7328]

Mooch was a RAG Instructor AND a Professor at USNA. He has the gift. 👍🏼

[@oldgoat142]

Wow, even down to the "cow patties" on the primary display, which is what we would be looking for as part of the maintenance routine in the VAST shop I worked in aboard USS Eisenhower. Very cool. Love the video.

[@Blade4952]

As someone who JUST started learning tanking two days ago on the Tomcat, I cannot thank you enough. Great info!

[@atxemtp]

1st DCS episode I've ever watched

[@Reddimus82]

I love these clips. Seeing the pro at work in DCS is a joy to watch.

[@samuraijaydee]

I Love these videos Mooch. It's really fun to get these practical lesson/walk throughs with you.

[@brianpercival1829]

Best instructor ever. Thanks for the tips.

[@juan080876]

Thank you, Mr. Carroll. I can watch your knowledge base DCS videos all day long. It always takes me back to my time aboard CV-62. Please keep them coming.

[@dutchholland6928]

This has always been a strong area for me in real-life (former MC-130J driver) and DCS, but the Tomcat was giving me fits in this arena… thanks Mooch, your tips pushed me over the edge and refueling the DCS Tomcat with ease now.

[@randyogburn2498]

I know I won't have a DCS anytime soon if ever but somehow while watching this I imagined just a hint of how real rookie pilots might feel with a calm voice in your ear giving you hints to be successful in what to do.

[@roberthohlt469]

I enjoy watching professionals.

[@treykearns4867]

Thought yall would appreciate this, i live under the west end of lindbergh field flight path, ive got a10 t-bolts screaming at a few hundred feet above my roof. Nice show.

[@Stormrider-Flight]

I´m darn good with AAR in the Viper and the Hornet but just couldn´t do it consistantly in the Tomcat. I always found her pulling UP just some feet before the drogue - never knew why since it was trimmed perfectly. I now realized i never had my wings swept accordingly, seemingly having lots of vortexes caught by my own wingtips. Using bomb mode now, working flawless and making another pilot very happy :)

[@darrenabbott4047]

Great video! I have struggled with AAR in the F-14 for a long time. Almost gave up with it as consider AAR a key skill for any module. Before watching your video I struggled to plug with the tanker but now can refuel with relative ease. I think the key point for me is the 55 degree wing sweep. Made all the difference from a stability point of view. Thanks again and keep up this great content it is very much appreciated.

[@garethroberts9223]

Nailed it! Loving this...

[@Bender_94]

This was exactly what I needed; had been practicing for a few hours in VR, but plugged first time after watching this. Many thanks Ward.

[@miked5562]

Awesome video, sir! You make it look easy, for sure. Love tanking in the Tomcat, especially the A model with the respectable amount of lag time between throttle inputs and engine response. I always leave the wings in Auto - I dunno, it just seemed easier to me that way, especially tanking off the Viking going really slow around the boat. I think that's just a DCS thing? The Viking orbits at like 200kts, sometimes 180kts. Hard to have correct lift with the wings back to 50 degrees.

[@bobwampler3387]

Very cool. You get some perception of how critical precision is in routine maneuvers like refueling.

[@IRONIC1688]

Thanks for this! Used to think the tomcat was impossible to refuel, now I do it every other day, in DCS off course...

[@jiceBERG]

Thanks for reeling this back and posting some Tomcat content. I would love to hear you do a video on the TF-30s vs the F110s with some in depth material

[@TheDoof1]

I loved watching Tomcats land on the Big E in the Gulf. We rode shotgun to the carrier in the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53). Good times were had by most. Keep these videos coming!

[@paultemple5042]

Now I can fly an F-14... on DCS ...heh. Great Post Mr Carroll thanks for taking the time to teach us. 😊❤️✌️

[@cockatoo010]

i mean... unless you are iranian, sims are the only places you'll be able to fly a tomcat

[@jamesa.7604]

Way To Go, Sir! You instruct very well. Wish I had you coaching when I tried my first simm carrier landing back in the F-18 game I had in 2004.

[@CrpMag]

Thanks for the help Sir. Just nailed two refuelings in a row because of your help.

[@WardCarroll]

Excellent!

[@MusicByNemo1]

I SAID I WANTED TO SEE YOU PLAY DCS AND HERE WE ARE

[@-nixwite-]

I am in absolute awe of how well this is done! Love the Content!

[@thomasuglyasfuck]

You really gain an appreciation for the size of the Tomcat when you see it refueling from the tanker, from some angles they seem nearly the same size!

[@ohrazda1956]

Smooth approach. Easy on the controls.

[@starfleetau]

Really nice video Ward, I loved the quip at jester i honestly at times want to eject him (instead I just shut him up) when refueling find him more a distraction then a help, were as a human rio normally will give things like 'little right and a touch up' and just go quite letting you do the work. It's also nice to see that others pick a ref point and just fly off that, was how an ex Hawk/F111 pilot taught me to tank, 'pick a point and use that don't chase the drouge you'll just PIO all day'.

[@OGDanielF]

Great graphics. You probably miss those days. At least you got to experience it. Please explain all jargon and keep it simple, so that we amateur enthusiasts can learn. Enjoying your channel from South Africa.

[@WardCarroll]

Hello, South Africa! Thanks!

[@jamesparker337]

Thanks!

[@dreaminknight]

Thank you for your tutorial!! Also very great and interesting to hear all these details based on your real life experience Sir!

[@caryladd863]

Mooch that was great. Never knew how much our pilots had to do to land. That was really super

[@WhoWouldWantThisName]

He has another video on just the landing, including the entire approach sequence, on his channel. It goes further into it than what you see here.

[@traildogisla]

Got lots of photos from my father of tomcats taking fuel from RAF VC10's 😎 my grandfather helped develop modern probe and drogue refueling

[@kinch613]

Not bad at all for a RIO Sir! Well done!

[@RocketToTheMoose]

My DCS F-14 tanker tips pretty much align with this, with a few small difference: 1. Adjust your seat down. I do this to keep both the fuel pod and it's pylon visible at the top of the canopy throughout. My sight picture is based on how much of the side of the pylon I can see. 2. I use bomb mode, though I'll have to try 50 degrees. 3. I set my trim to nose down a bit so that I am always pulling just a bit of aft stick. This means that I'm never crossing the neutral point for elevator...I'm just varying the back pressure on the stick (I'm still flying with the stick rather than trim). 4. Finally, maintaining contact can be as difficult as getting contact in the first place, so be patient. This is especially try on the S-3, where the hose is shorter and you are much closer to the tanker. I find myself almost constantly adjusting the throttle to maintain contact, rather than finding anyone setting.

[@WardCarroll]

Good stuff, Brett. Thanks.

[@RocketToTheMoose]

@@WardCarroll Thanks! Looking forward to more DCS stuff.

[@kasmiller9289]

Thanks mooch. This was great

[@apocalypticweasel9078]

One of the first things i learn to do in any DCS aircraft is tank you are combat ineffective if you can't tank, doing this has made me proficient day and night in all DCS aircraft and its so rewarding to do.

[@jmount7661]

As a retired boom I really enjoyed this. Our unit did not have the wing mounted drogue system. Interesting to see that system, did not understand what you line up on. Thanks Again, Jack

[@BruceMusto]

Noticed there was a FFG-7 class at plane guard. I can tell you from experience that's definitely realistic. :)

[@rybuds47]

So good! You are a great teacher.

[@WardCarroll]

Thank you! 😃

[@WhoWouldWantThisName]

I am so happy that Mooch finally gets to do all this from the front seat. Thanks for all the tips and input on how you do these things real world vs what you can get away with in DCS. I'm not flying DCS yet but when I do I intend to do my best to replicate the real world experience (ie: SOPs and such of you real guys). For most of us it's really living out a different life we didn't get to. If they had a simulator of the whole RAG experience I'd probably do all that, lol.

[@sillyrunner1]

Loving these videos!

[@enigma6482]

You and Growling Sidewinder need to have an F-14 dogfight on DCS.

[@beaclaster]

don't put LongShot on the F-14 with GS

[@bradleysilfies1350]

Agreed

[@exploatores]

@@beaclaster let GS only have Sidwinders and let Carroll have AIM-54 and hope he remembers that it sould be a dogfight :)

[@benjaminperez7328]

@@exploatores Negative. GUNS ONLY.

[@exploatores]

the other guy can have a F-35. after all shouldn´t that be the best fighter ever or something.

[@jeeperjeff70]

Approaching the heavy tanker you had the opportunity to say, “You’ve got two thirsty TomCats. Fill ‘er up with the hard stuff.” I’ll get over it…. Eventually.

[@flyingbarbarian1]

Great flying.

[@timsparks7049]

Comments: -Get gear up faster after catshot -500' Below tanker altitude until visual -Tacnote for tanking used to be 250 but maybe they bumped it up to 270 for the FAG's -First plug closure too fast -Second plug much better control of closure but lit looked like it was going to be a rim shot -I saw only a few 135 Tankers with a pod. I don't think the POD was that far out on the wing. -We called the boom basket the Iron Maiden. -Long in the grove Looked like you where having fun. Sparky 😀

[@WardCarroll]

Fishing for button that moves gear handle is harder than moving the real handle (while trying not to fly into the water). Not sure why Viking is flying around at 270 knots. Kinda random.

[@jyellowhammer]

Thanks Mooch! Big help sir!

[@BK-os9hz]

Hi Ward! Great video as always. After your air to air refuelling I had to try it out and voilá it worked, even 3 times in a row, never occured to me i could only use the trim :)

[@WardCarroll]

Great to hear!

[@lonnieholcomb2078]

Thanks some day I'll join you online

[@terencewhite363]

You make this look so easy.

[@Maverick626]

these are great also for the tomcat model in MS flight sim

[@cinnamontoast9999]

This is so cool

[@stephenmahony4089]

Not sure about DCS, but in real life you would place the basket in the right half of the center wind screen and as you approached the basket, the bow wave would push the basket to the right and into the probe. In the F-14, out of the corner of your eye, you can actually see the probe go into the basket. If you looked directly at it, you would miss. In the F-4 the probe was further back and you really had to concentrate on flying a position off of the tanker. Learning to refuel this way reminded me of riding a bike, at first it seemed impossible, but once you hit it a few times and didn’t look at the probe, something clicked and it wasn’t that bad. At night, or in/out of the clouds, you could get vertigo and you really had to trust your instruments (and if you were lucky enough to have a RIO) he could tell you your attitude, “30° left wing down, level, 250kts”.

[@CastawayHikes]

Do you think that you could find a WWII, Korea or Vietnam Era pilot who never flew fighters after their career and do a video of them getting to relive their glory days in your magnificent simulator? It always stuck me as tragic that guys flew P-51s, F-86s and F4s only to be lucky to fly airlines after that. I would love to see tears of joy from an old ace getting to fly his true love again

[@WardCarroll]

Cool idea.

[@MrAwsomenoob]

So my great uncle and I were talking and I asked him "what did you do in the airforce?" His response "I layed on my stomach and passed gas"

[@SuperDiablo101]

Mooch is probably very very happy to relive his tomcat days

[@Paul1970]

Very cool

[@BillBSET]

People do not realize how incredibly dangerous this activity is. There was one bad day we never talk about the bad days by the way. We had one bad day an A7 had been refueling I'm not sure about the long and short, but we were looking for his tail beacon as he clipped the tanker or something during refueling or after. We find the beacon, it's getting weak, debris scattered across the surface of the ocean. Not going to mention the parts about the pilot's helmet… It was a bad day

[@belgeode]

Incredibly useful info. Thank you very much!!

[@abricio]

Awesome, as always.

[@tabascoindy5005]

Good refuelling

[@davidmicalizio824]

Love your channel!

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, David!

[@lambdacalculus8316]

You made tanking look easy! Please show the stick rudder throttle mini window on the corner if possible. Tanking is the most difficult stumble block in DCS. Would you draw on the screen to show your mind picture?

[@toxickilljoy9037]

I live for the little tips like staying in CCRP so you don't inadvertantly drop a bomb and the left engine air while tanking

[@TherealMandingo]

That's awesome your so lucky been able to fly a f14 . That was the most iconic aircraft

[@benvarnell3441]

Last year I was refueling F18s over Afghanistan on a KC10 and while refueling one of them hose whip occurred causing the basket to rip off. Fortunately the F18 was able to disconnect before it happened. Luckily there was another tanker in the area they could refuel off of because this was after we pulled out of Bagram so they didn’t have many places to divert.

[@baremetalmafia]

As a former KC135 crew chief, I cringe at this and how a young officer can cause so much damage and not take a career hit. It happened ALOT.

[@benvarnell3441]

@@baremetalmafia they found out it was a fault in the reel response system, it completely destroyed the system… however the maintenance guys got it completely replaced and we flew the same tail the very next day. Gotta give them props for their work

[@scottjustscott3730]

Shyaaadaap jester!

[@kennethwood4501]

Aloha Shipmate! I was on that Cruise with you.

[@Laodell]

I love that you do this, Thank you. :)

[@gloveside]

Great video. Love to hear tips and experiences in DCS from folks like you who have actually been through it IRL. Have you tried DCS in VR?

[@alansalacain2193]

I believe he mentioned his experiences with it in his DCS setup video

[@gloveside]

Thanks. Just checked that vid out. Here’s hoping for better resolution in VR soon. I ‘fly’ exclusively in VR as I value the immersion more than the resolution (it’s good enough for me) especially when flying helo’s. I find I can ‘feel’ the aircraft better in VR.

[@alansalacain2193]

Same here though I only fly the tomcat, though I find it really immersive its a shame it runs the way it does. Heres to hoping some optimizations will allow it to be better in the future.

[@growserpilot5332]

Ward consider doing a video on Air Craft Carrier safety and the evolution of flight ops safety. There's lots of hand signals, colored uniforms, and people walking about and they keep things safe but as you well know carriers can be a dangerous place and much thought and procedural development has gone in to keeping sailors safe and accomplishing the mission.😀 Reply

[@doggie108]

You the Man !!

[@jasonforsyth5015]

"Just gonna gently put my probe in, giggidy"

[@adriangroarke2460]

Not bad sir.

[@Ventura60kts]

Awesome

[@BackboneOne]

dont look at the basket, trim-trim-trim, breath

[@white-dragon4424]

It's amazing how realistic the graphics have become. It's not quite there, but almost. How authentic does it seem for you whilst flying the sim?

[@WardCarroll]

Very.

[@mikethemaniac1]

Hey mooch, can you perhaps make a video detailing Case III departure procedures?

[@GerryLP1111]

I still remember testing the in flight refueling probes on A-4F Skyhawks at Mag-42, Alameda. (Was it 25 lbs pressure in the latches? 😉)

[@Bismarck9771]

Hey Ward love your channel! I was wondering if maybe one day you can do a video with Growling Sidewinder he’s a DCS KZbinr and I find him enjoyable to watch.

[@maxvonnitten4213]

USMC's 247th Birthday message dropped! Take a look at it, it's awesome.

[@stevendaugherty7590]

Ward, for a non-aviator, what is a "Buddy Store?" Great video! Helps us non-aviators understand the difficulty & technicalities of in-flight refueling!

[@CaptHog]

Hi, incase Mooch doesn't reply, the Buddy Store is a refueling pod carried on the wings or belly. In DCS, it is carried by the S-3, KC-130, and KC-135MPRS.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks!

[@stevendaugherty7590]

@@CaptHog Thanks for the explanation; much appreciated! I enjoy learning new things about areas of the military that I know little about, but the technical jargon & acronyms sometimes makes that a more difficult task.

[@CaptHog]

@@stevendaugherty7590 Not a problem! That's why we're all here ;)

[@stevendaugherty7590]

@@CaptHog Thanks! I appreciate your attitude & patience with us folks less knowledgeable about aviation, but willing to learn. One of my uncles was a F86 Sabre pilot during the Korean war & retired from the USAF Reserves as a colonel. I wish I had talked to him more about his aviation career when he was still alive.

[@draleigh8881]

TOMCATS!!!

[@chapanation856]

Great videos Ward love your channel and the added DCs! Hey can you show us what it's like if you don't switch to left air intake during refuel?

[@MajSolo]

DCS / Flanker series stand alone, Eagle Dynamics have decades of experience Even if I do not play anymore I am happy people do and keep them afloat

[@travelgreg48]

Ward, I have watched a bunch of your stuff but this is the first sim flight I have seen. I don't know where to look or I would to answer the question: what sim program are you using? I fly X-Plane. p.s. your videos are fantastic! I am a 74 yr. old student pilot who just soloed on Oct 4.

[@WardCarroll]

DCS

[@razor75250]

Were you as annoying as jester during IFR???....LMAO!!1🤣🤣

[@WardCarroll]

I hope not.