faunt@cisco.com (Doug Faunt N6TQS 415-688-8269) (12/05/90)
From: Doug Faunt N6TQS 415-688-8269 <faunt@cisco.com> I saw a picture, in Naval Aviation News, during Vietnam, of a KC130 refueling a KA3 which was refueling a F4. One of the things that was done was that aircraft with battle damage to their fuel tanks would plug into a tanker, and be escorted all the way to "feet wet" and in at least one case to the carrier for a successful landing. A4's could do this, since the main tank, a small one just behind the pilot's seat, was filled first by pressure fueling/fueling form the probe, and then the wing was fueled only after the main was full. When "hot fueling" A4's, which was done regularly during Mirror Landing Practice during traing, the fuel crew had an adapter that went on a 4" pressure refueling hose, and on the end of the fueling probe, so the fuel crew simultated and inflight refueling on the ground. The normal pressure refueling point was in the aft "hell-hole", just below the very hot engine. not an appropriate place to be connecting and disconnecting fuel hoses. A3's (Whales), had the pressure refueling point on the side of the fuselage fairly high up about on the same plane as the engine. We only hot fueled them a couple of times. I ran the VA125 fuel crew, mid shift, during some of 1967. We did a LOT of hot fueling.