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Inflight Refueling Display


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DSC01630.jpgHere's an inflight display I just finished. This is a big display in 1/72, 4ft in length and 31 inches wide. I didn't concentrate on building an accurate KC135 or B52, just focused on the inflight refueling display. I epoxied a strip of aluminum to the upper half of the wings on the B52 to simulate the upward sweep of the wings when inflight. This is going on display at the Wings Over The Rockies museum here in Denver.

http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/hurri1000/IMAG0255.jpg,http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/hurri1000/DSC01630.jpg,http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/hurri1000/DSC01640.jpg,http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/hurri1000/DSC01637.jpg

Edited by modeler85
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Yessir, Great job on this display. It belongs in a museum, where so many people will be able to appreciate your hard work and the hobby in general. It will give people an up-close view of something that happens every day, but is usually not visible to the naked eye. Where I live, we do have a military route where they re-fuel the big boys on occasion. Several years ago, I was lucky enough to see a KC-135 gassing up a C-141. I couldn't believe that they were that low, but they were low enough that I could make out the aircraft types. Again, great job, and if I ever get out that way, I will definitely stop in at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver.

Added: What models did you use?

Edited by balls47
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Yessir, Great job on this display. It belongs in a museum, where so many people will be able to appreciate your hard work and the hobby in general. It will give people an up-close view of something that happens every day, but is usually not visible to the naked eye. Where I live, we do have a military route where they re-fuel the big boys on occasion. Several years ago, I was lucky enough to see a KC-135 gassing up a C-141. I couldn't believe that they were that low, but they were low enough that I could make out the aircraft types. Again, great job, and if I ever get out that way, I will definitely stop in at the Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver.

Added: What models did you use?

The KC135 is the Italeri kit and the B52 is the AMT kit. Both went together very well, no major issues. The KC135 is nicely detailed.

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Very nice diorama! I am also planning on a similar dio like yours, only with a fighter jet behind the KC-135R. Could you maybe show us all how you made the connection of the rods inside the aircrafts?

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Very nice diorama! I am also planning on a similar dio like yours, only with a fighter jet behind the KC-135R. Could you maybe show us all how you made the connection of the rods inside the aircrafts?

Basically I used square aluminum tubing epoxied into the fuselage. Once I figured out where I was going to mount the tubing, I built a slot inside the fuselage using 1/4 wide angle styrene to keep the tubing from moving around and hold it stationary. Once the tubing was inserted I cut it flush with the bottom of the fuselage. I next took 1/4 round clear acrylic rod and squared the end, with my bench grinder, so it would slide snug into the aluminum tubing. The aircraft are removable from the stand for transport. I'll have to take some photos of how I constructed this and post them here. Stay tuned for further information.

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overall nice job on the models. one comment though, you have missed a very important technical part of air refueling, the boom sighting window in the boom pod has to be open in order for the boom operator to make contact between aircraft and to fully see the other aircraft. without the window open, hydraulic fluid is cut off to componets of the boom and its impossible to make a connection. I used to be a -135 instructor pilot and receiver instructor also. Attached are photos of what it looks like coming into the contact position on a -135. The a/c I'm flying is a RC-135S Cobra Ball.

KCandRC-1.jpg

Bruce Radebaugh

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here are a couple more photos that might come in handy for models. they show the boom pod with the sighting window open and one that shows the markings that are on the extended part of the boom.

boomareadooropen.jpg

boommarkings.jpg

Bruce

Bruce, Yes you are correct and I realized my mistake after assembly and looking at some other reference photos and I wasn't about to correct. Thanks for the information and photos. I could've used that photo with the different colors on the boom itself. Do you know what the different colors mean?

Brian

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Brian,

The markings are a visual reference as to the fore & aft position on the boom. If they drift too far aft, they will see more red and get a forward light on the Pilot Director Lights and vice versa if too far forward. Plus the verbals "Back 4!"

I noticed the boom sighting window also, but since this wasnt the Critique Corner, I held off. Bruce is correct though.

-Jeff

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here is a graphic of what Jeff was saying. As a receiver aircraft, you have an imaginary shoebox that you try to stay within (the air refueling envelope). the pilot director lights and verbal corrections from the boom operator keep you there. If you go outside the envelope either the boom or the system will disconnect the two aircraft.

boomlimits.jpg

Bruce

Edited by bradebaugh
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