They don't use winglets on refueling drogues or hoses. They're just shuttlecock shaped.
They do put winglets on rigid refueling booms, however. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?
Posted on 01/20/2011 8:27:04 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
An Airbus Military aerial refueling tanker for the Royal Australian Air Force lost part of its refueling boom during a training flight Wednesday.
The incident involved Airbus Military employees refueling a Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter with a new A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport.
"The incident resulted in the detachment and partial loss of the refuelling boom ... which fell into the sea," the Australian Defense said in a statement. "Both aircraft suffered some damage but returned safely to their home airfields."
Airbus Military and European military airworthiness authorities will lead the investigation in to the incident, with the participation of Australian defense experts.
EADS North America is using the A330 MRTT as the basis for the KC-45 tanker it is offering in the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion tanker competition. EADS North America spokesman James Darcy confirmed the details that the Australians released, but didn't give more information.
"It would be premature at this point to speculate on any actions that may have resulted in this incident," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.seattlepi.com ...
Airbus.
As a pilot buddy says: “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going”
“The incident involved Airbus Military employees refueling a Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter with a new A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport.”
Flying a tanker “owned” by the Australian Air Force. If this isn’t a strange set of affairs I don’t know what is... contract civilian pilots flying an Australian airplane fueling a Portuguese fighter... What next, American fighters made in Russia or China and flown by French?
I remember watching some black and white home movie like footage shot from the tanker by my Dad when he went up as an interested observer during trials to perfect midair refueling. Everything looked good as they reeled out the fueling hose until it entered the turbulents just ahead of the target plane’s envelope. No matter which approach the pilot tried to contact the nozzle the bare hose ended up flapping in wind beating on the target plane as that pilot finally begged off with a salute goodbye. That was all on this film.
Eventually the idea to attach winglets to the refueling hose to stabilize it worked out okay.
They don't use winglets on refueling drogues or hoses. They're just shuttlecock shaped.
They do put winglets on rigid refueling booms, however. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?
SOP during qualification tests.
I don’t know what I was thinking of as I just remember seeing b&w film footage as a kid with some explanations by my Dad retired as a naval aviator once assigned to a drone squadron back in the day as remote controls led to joysticks when ‘gaming’ with real life.
Nice quick writeup with boom (high volume) and hose (low volume) pics here...
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/design/q0213.shtml
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