Hi all.
I've done refuelling in real life, probe and drogue only.
I think, in sim, AAR is more difficult. But it depends on sim. For example, i find it difficult in BMS. In DCS I really appreciate the final phase, the last few meters, where you can really feel to go ahead or not to catch the probe.
The main point, even in real life is to stick to a method and never, never deviate from it, even when you are fully confident or have timing issues.
- you have to stick to 3 references :
+ your alignement with the tanker axis, that should be as well the boom axis. For a probe and drogue, the two should be different...
+ your relative speed (may be the most difficult point to catch in a sim)
+ your staging (the one easy to go in a yoyo...)
- first, rejoin on echelon left with the tanker. Do not arrive strait behind the tanker. From echelon position it will be more easy to see the relative speed. From echelon position do you cockpit check and watch your HUD speed and RMP you have (speed in HUD is not really use in real life, but it help a lot in a sim). Try to find a good throttle position, and work from it as a reference (not watching all the time you RPM, but making correction from this throttle position.
- then move behind and down from the tanker, with smooth correction, to join the axis of the tanker (and the probe), with negative staging, aiming not to far behind the probe.
- make smooth correction to get 0 relative speed, get a corret axis ans a zero staging regarding the probe.
- then when 3 axis are good, we go to catch the probe. During this moving ahead phase :
+ do not watch the probe. Stick to the tanker has a reference, get the probe with periferal vision. Using this methode, will get you avoiding hard correction with elevator (zig zag up and down). If you do zigzag or yoyo, stop moving foward, stop your correction, get back to the 3 first reference then go again.
+ make correction to one reference by one at a time. If you try to correct the 3 references at the same time you will fail... axis, staging, speed then axis, staging speed then...
+ get a very few knots has relative speed. Do not wait to see a correction effect to stop it. For example, if you reduce RPM to reduce relative speed, do not wait to see your aircraft moving backward to get RPM up, it will be to late and you will do yoyo with speed.
+ last few meters (for DCS) decide if it's a go or no go. At this point only look for the probe and make the last corrections. (may be at one meter or less)
- after contact, do not focus on the probe (DCS) or the light (BMS). Look the tanker and try to stick to a global position. In DCS, tanker engine position in your canopy is a very good reference... Watch precisely for your the light (BMS) or boom color (DCS) then go back to your global reference, or try to catch the light or color of the boom using your periferal vision (not easy in a sim...)
- be cool ! if tanker is turning, even before contact, it is not a problem. Do not watch for horizontal reference. The reference is now the tanker wing axis and fuselage axis.
- after AAR, move backward slowly, then rejoin echelon right, make your cockpit check and leave the tanker.
Hope this help. Main points are not to watch too early the probe and to be smooth ! You have a boomer, let him help you !