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I wonder...is there an AI Tankers Tool?

ejoiner

ejoiner

Charter Member
I really like the way that the aircarriers tool works. Flying along over water and with just a few clicks, you can put a full carrier battle group moving 10 miles directly ahead of you, or at a way point. I was flying around tonight and thought how cool it would be if you could do this exact same thing with a refueling tanker. Virtually same kind of behavior. Choose your tanker (AI KC-10, KC-135, KC-130, KC-767, etc.) and put it out there at whatever altitude on demand.

Is there a way to use AIcarriers this way? I havent tried. Or...is there another tool that will do this?

If NOT...some good programmer simhead needs to make this!! I'll beta test it for sure!

Eric
 
I've thought of making such a tool but never really thought there was much of a need for it. If there's no such solution already, I'll take the case!
 
ejoiner said:
If NOT...some good programmer simhead needs to make this!! I'll beta test it for sure!
Click to expand...

if i remember correctly SSW wanted to bring this as a feature for their tornado...
but i don't know if that is still up-to-date and how long we have to wait
 
Eric,
AIcarriers will work for what you want, but you are limited to what the speed that the tanker will fly at.
It will only fly at the speed of a boat/ship, which isn't to realistic.

Joe
 
orionll said:
I've thought of making such a tool but never really thought there was much of a need for it. If there's no such solution already, I'll take the case!
Click to expand...

I think it would be fabulously handy. Especially if it could actually pass gas. but I would be very happy just to be able to call a tanker on demand.
 
Butcherbird17 said:
Eric,
AIcarriers will work for what you want, but you are limited to what the speed that the tanker will fly at.
It will only fly at the speed of a boat/ship, which isn't to realistic.

Joe
Click to expand...

No...that wouldnt be too handy. I think a tanker would probably have to move at 300 kts or so.
 
I was thinking of just advising use of the In-Flight Refueling Gauge by Jivko Rusev for the actual refueling. I was just thinking of something that creates the selected aircraft maybe 5 or 10 miles ahead of the user at 10,000 ft MSL, 250 knots or something like that. Don't want to make it too complex. :p
 
orionll said:
I was thinking of just advising use of the In-Flight Refueling Gauge by Jivko Rusev for the actual refueling. I was just thinking of something that creates the selected aircraft maybe 5 or 10 miles ahead of the user at 10,000 ft MSL, 250 knots or something like that. Don't want to make it too complex. :p
Click to expand...

Agreed. However the ability to have different aircaft as tankers ought to be configurable just like Aicarriers. Perhaps the default speed also put in there and default altitude? I would think a KC-135 is refueling higher than 10K. Certainly faster than 250.
 
Payware solution, but TacPack does about as good of a job of it as anything you could imagine. Completely configurable, right down to aircraft type and pattern flown.
 
JimmyRFR said:
Payware solution, but TacPack does about as good of a job of it as anything you could imagine. Completely configurable, right down to aircraft type and pattern flown.
Click to expand...

I dont on tacpack, but I think the aircraft has to be specially configured to accept it? Not every FSX military plane can use it can it?
 
ejoiner said:
I dont on tacpack, but I think the aircraft has to be specially configured to accept it? Not every FSX military plane can use it can it?
Click to expand...

For some aspects of TacPack such as weapons, yes, the plane has to be developed with that capability. However, other stuff, such as carriers, AI spawns (including tankers), SAM sites, etc, you can trigger from the default C172 if you wanted.

http://forums.vrsimulations.com/support/index.php/TacPack_Documentation#TacPack_Features Down the page, 3.4 provides info on AI spawning features.
 
Any fan of naval aviation should have vLSO, where you can spawn a recovery tanker. Most have probably seen/completed the FSX stock Carrier mission, also you can change out the B738 for the popular KC-135T_drogue model with a small edit in the mission .cfg. For the TP users, haven't seen it work yet but for non-TP models, looking at using TP to spawn the tanker, then use the IFR gauge for getting the gas, should work with well with other models that will probably never be "Tacpacked", need to test this. Nice thing about TP Mgr, one can add other AI tankers that came with some of the recent modern mil models, I can now use the Razbam KC-130 that came with the AV-8B on all my TP models, same with Milviz F-15E boom KC-135.

The last route is to use an AI flightplan program to make a basic tanker route, although they are going to fly from A to B at the aircraft.cfg set cruise speed.
 
I remember something like that being packaged with captain aims c130 don't know if it Worked in fsx but I remember you being able to call up a vc10 and refuled once you were close enough to it. May have to dig my copy out later and have a look.

Hooky
 
There was certainly something similar with the FS8/9 Lago Tornado and it worked pretty well. You were directed to the tanker who would be there waiting with lines ready. You could change the refuelling area (eg, how big or small the area on the drogue needed to be before the probe would take fuel). It was surprisingly tricky!! Surprised nothing similar made it to FSX (outside of TP which I don't have).

ATB
DaveB:)
 
Eventhough it's payware, TP offers the option to get every possible tanker you can find and plant it into TP........I've been using it ever since.

Cheers,
Hank
 
Do you have to have TP enabled models to call the tankers up Hank or does it work with non-TP models too?

ATB
DaveB:)
 
DaveB said:
Do you have to have TP enabled models to call the tankers up Hank or does it work with non-TP models too?

ATB
DaveB:)
Click to expand...

Hi!

You can use any aircraft with any tanker (must be registered as such in the TP manager), but the "refueling" function of TP only works with TP-enabled models that support this. Otherwise you can call up a tanker via the TP menu in FSX, fly into position and use one of the A/A refueling gauges to top up. For instance, I refueled my IRIS Vulcan with an AI Victor tanker via TP or my Simshed Nimrod with a VC10, although both airplanes don't have anything to do with TP itself. Works great, but it is heary work to get into position ;-)

A quick solution is AI carriers, as mentioned. You have to write a new sim.cfg file for the tanker aircraft and register it is a "boat". You can put in a new speed, but you have to remember that all speeds for other vehicles than aircraft are expressed in statute miles per hour instead of kts. The most predominant drawback of AI carriers for refueling, though, is that the aircraft must be specially designed for it to show up properly - like the life guard helicopters for the carriers. Otherwise things like landing gear, engine covers etc will show up while the aircraft is moving at 270 kts - for propeller aircraft, the props wouldn't be moving. And AI carriers will only work over water, because otherwise it detects land underneeth it and as it handles the tanker as a "boat", it will stop it like a stranded ship.
I personally think taht until we have a tool like "AItankers", TP is the way to go, especially since you can alter parameters like speed, altitude, flight pattern etc. in flight.

Seawing
 
Since this was initially about a freeware product, the other option is to use FS Recorder and record a tanker flight with the above mentioned KC-135 or T. Ruth's KC-10. Playback as AI and use the IFR gauge in the receiver aircraft to take on your fuel.
 
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