Secrets of the F-14 Tomcat: Inflight Refueling

Ward reviews the details of inflight refueling in the F-14 including the difference between mobility tanking and mission tanking within the carrier air wing. He also goes over the flow of Operation Southern Watch missions, the patrolling of the no-fly zone over Southern Iraq and how Air Force tankers made double and triple cycle sorties possible.
He also talks about how pilots preferred tanking off of the KC-10 over the KC-135 because the 135's hose and drogue lacked a take-up reel and therefore was much less forgiving for the receiving aircraft. It wasn't unusual to damage a probe tip or even have the entire probe come off if a pilot deviated beyond the limits of the hose.
Finally, Ward explores the "brave new world" of the MQ-25 "Stingray," the unmanned tanker that will be introduced to carrier air wings in a few years.
(Tomcat behind the Tristar and RIO totalizer footage courtesy of • F 14 Combat Refueling ... )

[@jameswest411]

Ward, I was a KC-135 boom operator and anticipated in several Bosnian air campaigns and had the opportunity to see the F14 up close. It's a beautiful machine. I enjoy your presentations.

[@patioprimate4740]

do you mean participated?

[@xodiaq]

“You get more confident. It never gets any EASIER” I love this candor. From the outside (I’ve never served), you get this impression that these guys can do anything with these aircraft, but to know it’s actually as hard as it looks, and our pilots are just that good, that’s cool as hell.

[@BobSmith-uu5kj]

I didn’t know that hell was cool, sign of impressive vocabulary.

[@JackWaldbewohner]

Ward, I wrote a great Op-Ed this morning about carrier pilots and RIOs. Anyone who takes the written test for naval aviation, you included has a high failure rate. Only 10% pass the test. As an Academy graduate, you skipped Aviation Officer Candidate School. You went direct to NAS Pensacola. 70% survived and made it to advanced training in places like NAS Corpus Christi. You arrive at a carrier with your gold wings. Tom Wolfe of "The Right Stuff" pointed out that if 100 USN and USMC young officers reported to the carrier, only 80 would be alive after twenty years of service to retire. The other twenty would have died. Add in war situations and more deaths come. Ward, you are a survivor! In my 73 years of life, I have learned that real heroes who live in a dangerous situation are always quiet and modest people, Ward, you have earned my profound respect and admiration!!

[@edwardtyson4746]

Ward, thanks again for a great video! I'll once again share one of my favorite Okie Nance quotes. When asked if autopilot can be used to stabilize the F-14 while refueling, Okie responded "If you try to use your autopilot while tanking you will immediately own the ass end of a KC-135". Gotta love it.

[@WardCarroll]

That definitely sounds like Okie.

[@Andrew-ep4kw]

There was a PBS documentary about 10 years ago called Carrier that followed the Nimitz on a 6 month deployment from San Diego to the Persian Gulf. One episode covered the path of a nub pilot that could not successfully tank his F-18 and would up landing in Baghdad because he had insufficient fuel to return to the Nimitz. This video helped me understand why it was so difficult for a relatively inexperienced Navy pilot to tank off an Air Force tanker.

[@zohrab22]

I remember that. Wasn't he taken off flight status for a while after getting back to the ship? That documentary series - particularly the pitching deck episode - was incredible.

[@Andrew-ep4kw]

@@zohrab22 Yeah I remember the pitching deck episode, pretty intense. If I remember correctly, the reason the pilot was grounded after that had more to do with his fuel management than his failure to tank. He allowed himself to get into a situation where he had to successfully tank in order to make it back to the ship.

[@rodc7]

That was filmed 16 years ago! Tomcats were still in service then. Do you feel old now?

[@100PercentAllAmericanMan]

Ugh...I was there in the Weapons Dept. Loved the film crew but had my reservations about a couple of the film participants. We played softball with the Icon Film Team in Guam. Good times.

[@charleslacombe359]

@@100PercentAllAmericanMan you mean the "Host's" of the production !? Or participant's of the Navy ? I guess what I'm getting at is do you mean the Host's are "pompous" A-holes like i would assume they are ?

[@take5th]

I worked on the f14 program in the early 1980s. One task I received was to reconfigure the inflight refueling probe doors so that the door attached to the probe was shorter, stopping aft of the bend toward forward, and lengthen the fuselage mounted door and resequence. Idea being would make less likely basket would snag on probe mounted door panel if missed probe, breaking it. Don’t recall if that design change was truly helpful and if ever issued to the fleet.

[@sukhoifockewulf]

Super interesting to think of all the seemingly small concepts that are thought up and either implemented or just set aside and never used, I'm sure one could fall down one deep rabbit hole on that subject, haha.

[@mitubes]

Thank you for not including intros in your videos! I love that all of them begin with you getting straight to the point!

[@buckshot704]

Fascinating content. What really caught my eye, was the name of the pilot on the canopy of the Tomcat missing its aerial refueling probe door: this man was my boss when I served as Plane Captain/Operations Yeoman with VF-74 during the mid-1980’s; then LTC Chuck Wyatt, callsign CUDDLES. Mr Wyatt was a class-act; excellent Tomcat driver. 😎👍

[@WardCarroll]

Know Cuds well. Wound up flying for Southwest after he retired. Now retired retired.

[@benhudman7911]

Sitting in the back end of a C5 getting fuel was an experience. We were on a bird with limitations so we got to enjoy several encounters with tankers. Glory days. Glad I was young and invincible.

[@RickBeato]

I always wondered how they did this. Fascinating!

[@WardCarroll]

Thx, Rick!

[@TheJacobshapiro]

Never thought I’d see Rick Beato on an airplane vid. Big fan, Rick!

[@headkickko609]

@@TheJacobshapiro I bet Rick is a Top Gun fan

[@mikez4132]

@@TheJacobshapiro I had to look twice also. I was like no sh*t...

[@roberthindla247]

I'm sure everyone saw the Beatles stuff on the wall.

[@mykalbee]

Back In the early 90's I started my naval career stationed in Coronado. I was dating a girl who lived in Mira Mesa. Often while going to her place I would exit the 163 at Kearney Villa Rd right there at the end of the runway at Miramar. What a sight it was to see the Tomcats fly right over the car going in for a touch and go. Ya I'll admit in the back of my mind I heard the movie anthem...everytime. what an experience.

[@JamesW81]

That sounds amazing!

[@67tomcat]

Should never have retired the awesome S-3 Viking. Very interesting as always!

[@christophercao7027]

They've got the refueling drone now, but we should have waited until it was up before putting everything on the Super Hornet's back.

[@jeffgriffith2868]

Came here to mine for DCS tips on refueling in the Tomcat (noticed that image of the fuel gauge from the HeatBlur manual!) and I think I got a couple. My experience in the game is like you mentioned of real-life: all about repetition. Liking the videos. Lots of good information.

[@TheRuakar]

Exact same. Haha. Thanks Ward!

[@wingsofwar13]

Same! Except I’m only flying the Hornet currently. I’ve yet to successfully tank in game. So frustrating!

[@100PercentAllAmericanMan]

So cool. I can tank in Harrier but I fight it. I was off the rudders but now it is more manageable thanks to Mr. Carroll. Love the fuel gauge reference pics from DCS as well!

[@axialmount5571]

the tips that helped me is to have really good trim, have the wings sweep around 40-55° and do small movements and corrections in anticipation as not to start oscilating. And remember also to fly formation with the tanker, not the basket

[@MongooseTacticool]

@@axialmount5571 Yes, I set wings to bomb and trim the nose up. I've done it on auto but its a lot harder because the AoA changes a lot.

[@CallsignEskimo-l3o]

In the RCAF based series Jet Stream, one pilot who broke the probe off got the callsign Bobbitt.

[@JamesW81]

Lol! Underrated!

[@Nos2113]

Holy fuck that's hilarious

[@mikeburch2998]

Yep, broke off but after quite a bit of maintenance it was kind of working again. There's a video to prove it. :-)

[@jamespollock3942]

Great explanation of passing gas. My second det was with VQ-2 in 1984 (enlisted aircrew) on the Independence, CV-62. Picked the Ship up in Palma. We shared a ready room with a Tomcat squadron, but can’t remember which which one. We hit the Texico basket so hard on anA-6, it malfunctioned and they couldn’t retract the hose. That when we found out later that the buddy stores had a “guillotine” to cut off the hose if needed, which make sense. Hard to trap with a hose trailing behind you.

[@WardCarroll]

That was my first deployment, James. (I was a nugget in VF-32.)

[@Tazato]

I was a KC-135 boom operator from 2014 to 2019. Probe and drogue with the BDA (boom drogue adapter) was very boring and we knew that we weren't liked by the navy guys. I was also MPRS qualified, and those were my favorite missions ( I was a weirdo for thinking that ). With MPRS the usual 10 hour jaunts into Iraq became 6 ish hours and all your gas was guaranteed to be gone.

[@Ljandy121]

Hey Ward, I was 3rd ECMO in an EA-6B which we caught a "bath" from a KC!!! Exciting and crazy stomach cramping. During refill bad clear air turbulence broke us loose and snapped a hose. We bingo'ed back home and the bird was down for 2 days for repairs and a bath!!! Early 1975 West Pac... Note: VF-1 and VF-2 were aboard😊

[@reggierico]

Hi Ward, Nice post on AR procedures, especially with the Air Force. When we deployed at the start of Desert Shield, that August of 1990, we flew a five ship formation from Hurlburt Field to Woodbridge, England. Because we were unpressurized, we had five AR's scheduled for that first night which was about 16.5 hours at 10,000 ft. It was a hell of a flight, a lot of IMC flying, in a blizzard over Gander, where I was amazed that we all got our gas, about 35K lbs. per aircraft. As we finally lumbered into UK airspace, I was pleasantly surprised at the skill and ability of the controller working our five ship into line in trail with five mile spacing. He was a great controller. The second night, we took off on our last leg to Saudi, with two scheduled AR's. As I hooked up on the first tanker, somewhere south of Sicily, we began tobogganing due to weight/performance limitations. Well, we took the tanker all the way down to 2,000' above the water. The weather was perfect as we punched off and started our climb back to the formation, which was utilizing another 135. As we climbed up, our flight deck suddenly went black, all/most instrument lights out, CBs popping all over the place. My instructor looked back at the engineer, who replied, 'We just lost the Essential AC Bus and the K relays did not transfer the load. After resetting some of the breakers, we decided to abort the formation, dump our gas and divert into Sigonella Air Base in southern Sicily. As we bid the other guys good luck, they said, 'Don't eat too much pasta!' We were there for five days waiting for parts.The next two months were spent in 110 F heat of King Fahd Airport in Daharan Saudi Arabia.

[@ndavis2839]

Hey Ward, just want to say how much I’ve been enjoying your channel. As a retired CPO, long time guitarist and recovering republican, you’re hitting all the bases for me. Bravo Zulu

[@WardCarroll]

Great to hear, Chief. Thx, shipmate.

[@ashokiimc]

whatever state youre in, keep it red sir. Love and respect from all the way across the world.

[@WardCarroll]

@@ashokiimc Keeping it going, Ashok. Thx for the love and respect.

[@kayakutah]

God Bless the CPO's of the world! And, I got an occasional invite to eat with you guys....holy sh*t your food was good!

[@richardmarshall6751]

"Recovering Republican"? WTF does that mean? Does this imply that you switched over to the RACE/GENDER/CLASS woke crowd? America's new Communist Party, i.e. Democrats? Funny that we sacrificed so much blood and treasure, understanding the evil twins; socialism and communism; and now we have a generation of young people, many in our military, that lean socialist, vs. capitalist, when polled. Good grief, do you people learn nothing fighting the cold war? I went into the Nuclear Navy as a long haired, Democrat-family, "ban the bomb" college grad, who thought I understood world issues and politics, but learned quickly how my background and knowledge was completely co-opted by the liberal media and university system. Anyone that is 30+, served in the military and still votes "Democrat" is not a critical, logical thinker. Period. Doesn't mean you have to be a Republican, Libertarian works for me, but Democrat, Comrade? Hell No!

[@frtknokr583]

Ward, you're the best!!!!! As a Marine Avionics Technician, I could never imagine refueling from my KC -130. I repaired all of the electrical /electronics but I couldn't imagine piloting an aircraft to obtain fuel from my bird.

[@MrRideabighorse]

Ward, I just discovered your chanel and really enjoy your presentations. I flew KC-135s so I appreciate the difficulty of the drogue. I retired in 1988 so I missed al the Gulf War stuff. Don't recall ever refuelling F14s, but I did take a flight of A6s across the Pacific.

[@scottharris5714]

Very informative description of mission/refueling planning. Thank you sir! I’ve read the punk trilogy twice. I remember Muddy’s concern and Punk’s leadership on helping her. Great reads.

[@roberthawxhurst3717]

Out of over 7,000 likes, there is 25 hitting thumbs down on this awesome video ...............It's not like they are forced to watch.

[@corrioliseffect]

Very enjoyable channel, Ward. The Tomcat has always been my favorite since the first ‘Top Gun’ film. I’m a plastic model kit builder when I’m not too busy with other things. 1/48 scale Tomcats, Phantoms and Superhornets are my favorite. Keep these great presentations coming, and thank you for your service. 👍 🇺🇸

[@Satchmoeddie]

Probe & drogue? I had a friend who passed away recently at the age of 101. He flew 115/145 octane av gas over "The Hump" and "The Small Hump" during WWII then stayed with the USAAF & later USAF developing mid-air refueling systems as a test pilot. The most fascinating stuff was flying The Hump navigating with a compass and a chronograph (a wrist watch and a magnetic compass). He gave all the credit (110%) to his ground crews. No radio beacons! Just time, using dead reckoning and compass bearings to make course changes, over jungles and then The Himalayan Mountains in really bad weather.

[@Satchmoeddie]

He flew the C46 Commando in WWII, over "The Hump", with basically nothing but dead reckoning for navigation. Eventually there were AM radio station beacons to use on the Chinese side.

[@davidvogel6359]

@@Satchmoeddie that duty was not conducive for a long life. Very dangerous.

[@JW-ot5zq]

Powerful video here. While watching i found myself pausing it a few times just staring at the screen and shaking my head while my mind just explodes. The way you describe these scenarios so well, i get an exhilarating and vivid feeling without even being there! Im so incredibly fascinated by what Naval pilots were capable of doing out there. Operating very fast, large, and expensive weaponized aircrafts with great success. Very few humans get to experience stuff like this. Hats off to you Mr. Carroll and thank you for your service.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, JW!

[@_baller]

Not gonna lie that attic looks like an awesome man cave

[@ThomasTT496Vega]

Hey Ward! You picked two Great airplanes, I was in VX4 on Tomcats and now have built 777s for 22 plus years. Thank you for the excellent explanations!

[@donaldanderson4203]

Hi Ward, I really liked this video about air refueling. I was a Plain Captain, VA-75 Sunday Punchers, ADJ. I was allowed to go on a KA-6D flight from the Saratoga deck. I was hung from the ceiling in the ready room and got a briefing on the ejection seat and refueling. We went off cat 1, got to altitude and refueled A-7’s, F-4’s and A-6’s. What an amazing day. GO NAVY

[@nlopitziii]

Mr. Carroll, I must say that I love listening to you talk about my favorite fighter jet, the F-14. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and stories Sir.

[@kraxmel]

Great video! When I was in college, I was able given the opportunity to ride on a KC-135 while it refueled a number of planes (I can't remember what they were). It was amazing! It's even more so when you really think about what is happening right in front of your eyes. It's a story I still tell people about almost 30 years later. Thanks for giving us some insight into the pilot and RIO's perspective.

[@Mr.Scootini]

That Little tip on right rudder and left wing down is a gem. As a wanna be fighter pilot who plays dcs and is a total noob that tip was awesome

[@JBHRN]

It sounds a little like trying to put my rescue swimmer on fishing boat. You sort fly formation off the boat and listen to the flight mech... forward right 20, 10, 5, easy forward right, hold position etc... Helicopter inflight refueling was a lot easier too... hover off the boat and hoist the hose. Thanks ward, I enjoy your in sight.

[@joseph.lopresti]

Great gouge on refueling. By far, the most challenging to master in DCS. Much respect for you and the intrepid Pilots and RIOs who flew those night missions, contemplating not only the mission objectives, but the challenges of inflight refueling and getting back aboard the boat. From one Tomcat alum to another, thanks for keeping the F-14 alive, Ward. We are better for people like you who proudly flew her in the world's finest Navy. Joe - (E-6, VF-21, from 83-86).

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, Joe!

[@mofo7689]

WITHOUT advertisement, it is very easy to understand the pilot's skills are both a science and an art.

[@hugocorona4908]

I was part of southern watch. You made me feel important. Thank you sir.

[@Blade4952]

Only a DCS wannabe, but even in a sim I dread tanking in the Tomcat. Cannot imagine how stressful that would be in real operation, and after hours of flying to boot. Also, making my way through the Punk books and loving them!

[@kcsthebetterway]

Was fortunate during my 135 days to have refueled Tom's during the Lincoln's shack down off Puerto Rico!! With no souvenirs going back to the carrier!!

[@skyhager5953]

Sitting here working graveyard alone at the FBO and I got this recommended to me. You're now one of the two channels I have notifications turned on for.

[@WardCarroll]

Great to hear, Sky! Welcome aboard!

[@skyhager5953]

@@WardCarroll Thank you, I'm looking forward to seeing more!

[@WardCarroll]

@@skyhager5953 New one coming today.

[@luacreskid]

As an (now) 81 year old black shoe carrier Engineering Dept. JO I enjoyed the Airedales wardroom tales about their exploits. Mountains of respect for them. In exchange for letting me ask questions I would give them tours of the plant as some were interested in being OODs someday. Good memories...and BZ to you for your channel.

[@watchandjewelryloft4713]

ex-navy ATC here. First time.seeing your channel. I knew this couldn't have been as easy as you guys make it look. Wow. Will be checking out more of your videos! 👍

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, ATC!

[@OldGlaseye-gf7si]

Probe out, little left rudder trim and wings manual aft a ‘little’ to squat the jet a bit. Seat down also. Move in slow, get close, stabilize with basket abeam nose, move in slow, don’t peak. Tanked off just about everything including Brit Victor tankers and KA-3s, which were a luxury. F-4 and F-14...when in VF151, F-4, CO Fox Farrell, we slapped wing tanks on and a buddy store on the CL..and tanked ourselves....once.

[@Slambog]

I will say I have the tried KC135 in an F16 and a Harrier in DCS in VR and the both are some of the most frustrating things I have yet to get down, i can’t imagine what real life is like especially busting a probe. Hats off to pilots who have mastered those steady hands and feet.

[@waynejstuart]

Nice Cag1 patch! My pops was part of that group back in Norfolk

[@WardCarroll]

I was CAG-1 Ops ‘97-‘98.

[@copflyer6569]

I have a great video of a refuel to one of our F-15’s over the North Sea. that was enroute from RAF Leuchars back to Keflavik where we were deployed for 2 weeks sitting alert. I flew to Leuchars to fix the ‘15 that had a fire warning test failure on pre-flight. We did the round trip on a KC 135 and on the way back the Boom operator asked me if I wanted to “Lay down” next to him with my video camera while he refueled. It was amazing! Great video Sir!

[@CraigGood]

The bit about rudder and aileron was fascinating. It never would have occurred to me, but it made sense when you explained it.

[@dmutant2635]

I remember when I started seeing photos of Tomcats without those little refueling probe doors. I always wondered what happened to them!

[@lambdacalculus8316]

Great video again! Refueling is the most challenging task in DCS. It is much more nerve cracking than CASE I recovery. What Ward said gives me an understanding of the method of refueling. I Hope Ward will teach us how to do that in a DCS F14 model.

[@indycustommade3568]

Another awesome video. The storytelling with the visuals really conveys what is happening and what to do. Thank You.

[@DesertPunks]

"Return pre-contact" are my least favorite words in the world haha! Tanking really is an art in itself

[@WardCarroll]

It totally is.

[@victorhartman1904]

I have read it in THAT voice in my head.

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

Break away, break away, break away!

[@joekurtz8303]

Matching speed on approach, dirty air vortices, pilot skills and refueler personnel doing their thing. Besides documentaries on TV & video game sims, ,thx for information it's a gentle touch on a controller 🎮 an adventure in the air.

[@ProGamer-gc3wv]

AAAAAHHHH!!!!! O.K right/left = Rudder and High/Down = Left/right ... i do AAR with F-18 and F-16, but i never accomplished AAR with the F-14. Now i have to try it again. Thank you for this man

[@RagsHSC-7]

Excellent commentary and beautiful demonstration of an in-flight refueling. Great demonstration of the dues and don’ts ! Last but not least the perfect combination of a Rio in a pilot working together. Right on target. This is what we’re looking for on your channel. We ie. myself and fellow pilots seeing the real deal and without rebuttal. Great job and we thank you for all your efforts God bless

[@WardCarroll]

Thx for your support, Jimmy! You're the man!

[@mcahill135]

July 2012, RIMPAC exercise, nugget F/A-18 driver brought the hard basket back to “mother” from one of our KC-135s. The skipper made him carry the basket everywhere he went for the next couple of days (one of his shipmates told us the next day while refueling). No easy task, that thing is heavy! A COD brought it to Hickam a couple of days later. 465th ARS OKIES.

[@noahway13]

I not, or ever was in military. I'm only mildly interested in these things. But somehow, I always watch his videos from beginning to end with no skipping ahead. He pulls you in with great story telling and no irrelevant bragging or BS

[@mrkc10]

This video is definitely right up my alley.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

Wow cool.... as I told you before as a Tanker ( KC-135) crew chief.... putting that “Wrecking Ball” ( Navy term ) .... IRON MAIDEN ( USAF TERM ) was as much a chore as it was for you to tank on. Hats off to you

[@airik7777]

Keep up the great work Ward! Love hearing/seeing the Navy aviation content. Happy to see your channel growing. Blue skies!

[@psyph3rscollection288]

Little late here, but an excellent informative episode, thank you! This should help me with aerial refueling in the DCS F-14😁

[@bobchronister3429]

As an S-3B AW tanking was easy! Just lower the FLIR, rotate around to where the aircraft tanking was.....and watch. No seriously, tanking was very stressful for the pilots, max attention was paid to the evolution to be successful. Always had the greatest respect for the all the pilots, giving and receiving during tanking. As always, great video Ward.

[@doobchec]

Thank you for your service, sir. You have some very cool stories that are enjoyable to listen to.

[@chikokishi7030]

I love your very down to earth presentation. Its enjoyable just to listen to. Im (like many here probably...) a DCS F-14 pilot, looking to becone a bit more connected to what im attempting to simulate.

[@WardCarroll]

Thx, Chiko!

[@cavsh00ter]

Now thats a smart use of unmanned drones

[@krazylevin]

I just realized who this is....Ward Carrol...Author of Punks Fight. I love that series. Read them at a library years ago and they are now a part of mine at home.

[@rockriver2652]

Pro tip: If you ever find yourself halfway between San Diego and Hawaii, and the KC-135 boom operator asks "Do you mind if I do an emergency disconnect?", do not respond with "Sure..uh...OK." When he yanked that basket back I felt lucky to still have a refueling probe.

[@Riverplacedad1]

I remember tanking a couple of F14s above the USS America at night on my 81 cruise. I extended the basket but noticed the indicator in the cockpit had a barber pole in the window. I asked them what they saw. The whole hose and basket literally fell into the sky. Good thing for that procedure to fly to one side until given the OK. I remember one of my squadron mates tanking a VA127 A4 and the ring and bolts holding the basket together went up the XOs intake. Thank goodness that secret AFB in Nevada was 20 miles away.

[@jasong546]

I’m enjoying punks wing right now, and I am not up to the muddys first deployment yet, it’s a great story!

[@lonnymo]

When we deployed to Somalia, we flew C5's from Point Mugu California, to Dover then Jetta Saudi Arabia before going in country to Mogadishu. The leg of the flight from Dover to Jetta was like 14 hours. We refueled twice while on the way. I remember because it was really rough and turbulent when we were taking on fuel. Could not see anything from top back end where the seats are though. I also flew a MAC flight from Guam to March AFB non stop on a KC 10. It refueled some F15's on the way. I also got to lie down in the boom operator's little placed in the tail end. It was really cool to see how they do that with joy stick like controls. It was cold though! Thanks Ward!

[@TheBlindAcorn]

I now understand what the rudders job is on a plane... and a whole lot more. Another great video.

[@WardCarroll]

Thanks, Jen!

[@danielsmit879]

Thankyou for another fantastic video!

[@lucasner463]

You have become my favorite aviation channel, Sir. Keep them up!

[@100PercentAllAmericanMan]

Agree! It is like being in the room with Mr. Carroll.

[@joeottsoulbikes415]

A kid that used to work for me in the bicycle shop as a salesmen when he was in high school is now in the US Airforce. He primarily has been operating a fuel boom on a KC-135. He has posted photos of as many as 9 jets on each wing during the highest points of the ground wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He talks about how he can only think of one comparable civilian job with the similar stress levels. That job would be as a full serve gas attendant filling up Pagani, Koenigsegg, Bugatti, McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche & the like. He has mentioned a few times that Navy and Marine Corp pilots were queens of the sky or special needs kids depending on the day He is also qualified as a pilot for the KC-135, F-20 Tiger shark, 6A-10 and he is hoping to be chosen for the possible new A-29 Super Tucano program.

[@seanelucero]

Thank you Ward. Great vid. Would love to see a vid about bingo fuel and bingo airfields during mission planning

[@awesomeagnihotrisvlog]

Lots O love from india sir ..stay healthy and keep us thrilled with your awsmmmmmmm stories…🙌🙌🙌

[@andrewkuoppala3925]

I am a former AO from VF11 and now an airline pilot...I thought you were a pilot but noticed you are not. I would really like to hear this from a pilots perspective versus a passengers. (RIO)...this is really about the pilot skills (refueling)

[@WardCarroll]

Plenty of pilots with KZbin channels, Ripper Dude. Check it out. And congrats on flying for the airlines.

[@amadablam8229]

Ward, Another great, very entertaining and informative story. Much respect.

[@0GMI0S]

Ward, love the channel sir! I Iearn something new every time. This one is great, in the Aircraft Systems class I teach, fuel systems is in a few weeks. Would love to talk more, let me know if you would be willing to talk to Australian Defence trainee officers!

[@WardCarroll]

Let me know.

[@0GMI0S]

@@WardCarroll just sent you a connection request (LI).

[@trainsplanes6517]

One advantage of the Air Force's boom/receptacle system is that the pilot just needs to get into the contact position plus.minus a couple feet. The boom operator then flies the boom to contact. The pilot needs to be able to find the contact position pretty much without looking at the boom since the receptacle is typically several feet behind the cockpit. I did it in the B-52 and it was one of the most challenging but fun parts of the mission.

[@223Carbine]

Thanks Ward, great briefing.

[@genelegear5418]

Thank you Sir for your service and the video. I spent my time in service on CVA-38, refueling was a problem then and now. Thanks again

[@bennybenitez2461]

Outstanding presentation shipmate

[@marknaglreiter9330]

I appreciate your channel and you're experience on the F-14 Tomcat. My cousin Albert E. Naglreiter was the project engineer on the TF-30 at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach, Fla.

[@Riverplacedad1]

While I worked there at PW in 77, I happened to see a TF30. The fan blade had broken off and gone half way thru the casting. And that’s a thick casting!

[@rodneylane634]

Great video as always Ward!! As a side note the reason the Air Force uses the boom method for IFR, is that the boom can transfer more fuel more rapidly than the probe & drogue system. A KC-135R can offload up to 6500 pounds a minute @ about 40 psi pressure. The AF used the probe & drogue early on but it was too slow to effectively use for bombers. Keep the videos coming, they are great viewing!!

[@tyutyu9331]

@Ward Carroll. Thank you for this great rundown, of how it all works. So easy to imagine it now. Loved the anticipation of the bow wave detail.Keep it up!

[@Hupernike45]

Great stuff, Ward. A whole different view of things that I never had as an AT in VF33. Thank you.

[@WardCarroll]

Tarsier power! Thx, Joe.

[@DSherman911]

Love the Tomcat content. So awesome. Sexiest aircraft ever, hands down. Just ordered my copy of Punk’s War. Can’t wait to read it. Had to buy a used hardcover on Amazon. Thanks, Mooch.

[@WardCarroll]

Thx for the support, Doug. Hope you enjoy PW!

[@stephanregenass2411]

Wow thats Scary Refuling in the Air. Thanks vor Insight.

[@bisbonian1183]

Hi Ward, I was a KC-135 pilot through all the Desert Shield/Storm/Southern and Northern Watches. We called the drogue adapter "the Iron Maiden". I took home a probe from an A-6 off the Forrestal, out in the Med. He came in a little fast, gave the basket a good bump, and sent a wave up the hose. The wave reflected back down the hose, wrapped itself around the probe, and yanked it off the A-6. Not only was he not going to get any gas, neither was anyone else...because my refueling system was now plugged. We took it back to Cairo West with us, and planted it in the sand in front of our tent. No one ever came to get it.

[@robertgutheridge9672]

Did you do any UH-60 refueling?

[@robertheinkel6225]

The reserve unit at our base was deployed to Desert Storm. Parking was crowed in Ryad. Aircraft 0013, was supposed to be the #2 bird in a flight, but was parked in front of #1. They agreed to just get airborne, then swap places once airborne. #1went under #2, but I pulled up very close in front #2. The #2 then hit the wing vortex, flipping the plane over 90 degrees, then back over 180 degrees the other way. Once they recovered, the found both engines were ripped off the left wing, and upper wing panes were missing, and leaking fuel badly. Dumped fuel and returned to base. All four engines and pylons were replaced, and the skin was scab patched. They brought it home, it was determined to repair it by converting it to a KC-135R at depot. She went to depot, and from there to the boneyard. Major structural damage. Tail number 58-0013.

[@m118lr]

@@robertheinkel6225 Geez..THAT’D been a sight to see!

[@jaysjams1517]

"MOC, Tanker 3...yeah...we are gonna Hydraulic Shop to pull the boom on aircraft X#X#@# after he's back in the spot"

[@Robert32064]

I'm not an aviator, so pardon the ignorance. I never have understood how the drogue "lets go of the probe" or vice versa, when refueling has been accomplished.

[@KutWrite]

Good one. Includes some technicalities I didn't know. Suggested future subject: The USS Forrestal fire and your take on John McCain's possible role in it.

[@michaeljacobs7724]

John McCains possible role in it? Or do you want to talk about the time McCain knocked out half the power to Spain? He would have been jettisoned way early in his career had it not been for his grandfather Admiral

[@KutWrite]

@@michaeljacobs7724: His dad was one, too.

[@VRTrucker]

Thanks Ward, very relevant at the moment, i've just started to do this in the Tomcat in DCS. Been at it for a few days but managed to tank yesterday briefly.

[@bend1483]

I’ve found it *much* easier having the wings in bomb mode. Bit more sweep reduces the roll inertia a lot and seems to make the whole aircraft more stable. Other thing I do is use the rudder trim to bring the turn/slip ball back to the centre, when you put the probe out the extra drag will pull the nose right. So left rudder trim to get you flying straight can be beneficial. Obviously you’ll need to recenter it after you put the probe away. Hope some of that is useful. It’s a good challenge for sure.

[@VRTrucker]

Cheers for this Ben, i do use Bomb mode but yours and Ward's tip about using rudders has helped massively. I was focusing on the throttle and stick so much I forgot about the rudders ha. I'm so much further along than when i started, i couldn't even keep behind the tanker so it's getting better.

[@BB_Chaptsick]

It is absolutely awesome to hear the refueling process and your experiences. Thanks man.

[@stevewilley1029]

I feel compelled to say that the picture of the drogue basket stuck on the F-14 is not a KC-135 drogue basket. Having assisted in installing many hose and drogue assemblies during my time as a 135 crew chief it is obvious that this is not a rigid basket but a basket designed to collapse when retracted. however the video is still very informative and i appreciate the time and effort you put into making them!

[@danapeck5382]

Thanks fascinating description. Made me miss Bethpage. All the best.

[@andyfisher1911]

Ward, thanks for yet another interesting insight into Naval aviation!

[@MonkPetite]

Tanks for tanking KLM .. your royal Dutch tanker airline. Good show

[@werewolf5674]

You had a pic of Devil 101. Cool.

[@tonyhaynes9080]

My last tour was on 101 Squadron which is an AAR squadron. Brilliant fun watching the jets refueling.

[@wwclay86]

Love the smirk on your face describing the 777 model as a " generic Air Force tanker" .

[@michaelfraser9796]

Hi Ward. Not sure about your description of how to "plug" a probe-n-drogue refuelling system. I would never use rudder to adjust lateral displacement. Rudder trim needed to be adjusted when in the 'waiting' position to get the good QFI "Ball in the middle". From then on it was normal use of the fight controls to position the probe a short way behind the basket and then a bit of power to plug. Using roll to raise or lower the probe in relation to the basket will just get you moving left or right away from the waiting position. Small, normal, movements to get the probe in line - yes, as you roll right the probe will go down in relation to the basket, but, when you level up with the tanker again you will have moved a little to the right. If the pilot in the video was using the technique you described then it might explain why he was dozy doe-ing around at the back:-). Most of my tanking was behind Victor, VC10, Tristar, KC10 and KC135 (with the short hose!!!). Flying Tornado GR so probe position very similar to the F14. Some interesting night tanking in GW1 in thunderstorms down at 4 - 5000 ft over the desert. We were young in those days:-) Regards Mike - ex RAF

[@lowreedman]

I really enjoy your first hand accounts of these operations. The details are very interesting. Thank you for your service.