1) a Seahawk just tried to engage in air-refueling with a F-18 instead of returning to its carrier for refueling. Of course he wasn't able to make contact and crashed eventually. Why do helicopters try to take on fuel from jet aircraft?
2) why can't aircraft take on some amount of fuel from a refueling aircraft even if it's insufficent to fully top up the tanks? Instead they take tremendous detours in order to reach a refueling aircraft that they think will be able to refuel them completely, one F-22 just crashed prior to reaching one. An aircraft should be able to take on smaller amounts from refueling aircraft in order to, after docking to several nearby(!) refueling aircraft in a row, eventually top up its tank and stay on station. Fighters equipped with refueling equipment are hardly useful if no one takes on their fuel because they're not in for a full refill from a single one of them no matter how many of them orbit in formation.
3) why don't refueling aircraft automatically reduce their speed to slow when on station? No point in orbiting with 850kph and troubling the receivers to catch up. Same for all orbiting aircraft with a reasonably small "partol area" where there is no intent in keeping high speed and the only intent is to have them on station in this particular place. Should automatically revert to cruise speed when another order is given.
2) why can't aircraft take on some amount of fuel from a refueling aircraft even if it's insufficent to fully top up the tanks? Instead they take tremendous detours in order to reach a refueling aircraft that they think will be able to refuel them completely, one F-22 just crashed prior to reaching one. An aircraft should be able to take on smaller amounts from refueling aircraft in order to, after docking to several nearby(!) refueling aircraft in a row, eventually top up its tank and stay on station. Fighters equipped with refueling equipment are hardly useful if no one takes on their fuel because they're not in for a full refill from a single one of them no matter how many of them orbit in formation.
3) why don't refueling aircraft automatically reduce their speed to slow when on station? No point in orbiting with 850kph and troubling the receivers to catch up. Same for all orbiting aircraft with a reasonably small "partol area" where there is no intent in keeping high speed and the only intent is to have them on station in this particular place. Should automatically revert to cruise speed when another order is given.
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