F-15E Crew And KC-10 Boom Operator Talk The Merits Of Coffee While Refueling

Updated Apr 24, 2018 8:52 PM EDT

Aerial refueling videos never get old. Sometimes they are beautiful , sometimes they are absolutely terrifying , sometimes they are surprising , sometimes they are informative , and sometimes they offer a little insight into the daily banter that occurs between flying gas stations and their customers. In this case, a KC-10 Extender boom operator shoots the breeze with an F-15E Strike Eagle crew while gassing up over the Persian Gulf, and coffee and its many forms are the topic of choice.

One of the things the big jet and cargo plane flyers have on the fighter guys is the ability to get up and walk around, make good snacks, and even take along a Keurig for the ride. This comes up often, including in this video. Also of particular note is that this sortie is the Strike Eagle pilot’s final one in the F-15E. Soon he will be flying the same aircraft he is sipping gas from—the KC-10. He even gives thanks for the gas with a nice break and flare release as he drops off the boom.

A similar video was posted recently in which an F-22 pilot talks to a KC-10 boom operator about shooting stars, thinking about space, and their common love for Chick-Fil-A. It’s a classic.

What most don’t realize is that the tanker’s boom and the receiving aircraft’s receptacle have intercom connections that activate once the aircraft are in contact. This way the boom operator and the pilot can converse clearly and securely without using the radios which can be negatively impacted by environmental and operational factors, and just poor operational security. The repartee between ‘boom’ and pilot makes the whole aerial dance look incredibly easy, which it absolutely is not.

Author’s note: You can read all about what life as a boom operator is like in one of my past ‘confessions of’ special features linked here.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2018年4月24日晚上8:52

空中加油的视频永远不会过时。它们有时美轮美奂，有时惊心动魄，有时出人意料，有时信息丰富，有时还能让我们一窥空中加油站和“客户”之间日常的闲聊。在这个视频里，一架KC-10加油机的空中加油操作员在波斯湾上空为一架F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机加油时，与机组人员闲聊起来，而咖啡及其各种形式成了他们最感兴趣的话题。

大型喷气式飞机和运输机的飞行员比战斗机飞行员的优势之一在于，他们可以随时起身走动，享用美味小吃，甚至还能带上一台Keurig咖啡机。这一点经常被提及，包括这段视频中。值得一提的是，这次飞行是这位F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机飞行员的最后一次飞行。不久之后，他将驾驶他现在正在加油的同一架飞机——KC-10加油机。在放下加油吊杆时，他甚至还特意停下来，放飞了一枚照明弹，以示对加油的感谢。

最近还发布了一段类似的视频，视频中一位F-22飞行员和一位KC-10加油机操作员聊起了流星、太空探索以及他们共同喜爱的Chick-Fil-A快餐。真是经典之作。

大多数人没有意识到的是，加油机的吊杆和受油机的受油口之间设有对讲连接，一旦飞机接触，对讲系统就会启动。这样，吊杆操作员和飞行员就可以清晰、安全地进行对话，而无需使用容易受到环境和操作因素干扰的无线电通讯设备，以及容易受到操作安全隐患影响的设备。吊杆操作员和飞行员之间的默契配合，让整个空中作业看起来无比轻松，但实际上并非如此。

作者注：您可以在我之前的一篇“自白”专题文章中了解录音师的生活是什么样的，链接在此。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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