Learn air-to-air refuelling in a flight simulator: rendezvous, boom and drogue contact, station keeping, disconnects and common fixes.
To perform air-to-air refuelling in a flight simulator, rendezvous with a compatible tanker, stabilise in formation, open or extend the receiver system, move slowly into the boom or drogue contact position, hold station while fuel transfers, then disconnect cleanly. Success depends more on precise formation flying than speed.
Across Microsoft Flight Simulator, FSX, Prepar3D, X-Plane and combat simulators, the flying task is broadly the same. The software implementation is not: some aircraft simulate fuel transfer and receiver controls, while others provide only a visual tanker, boom or basket.
Which refuelling system should you use?
Use the system supported by both the tanker and receiver; a boom-equipped receiver cannot connect to an ordinary drogue, and a probe-equipped aircraft cannot accept a bare boom.
| System | Receiver equipment | Who makes contact? | Main technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boom | Refuelling receptacle | The tanker boom operator; many simulators automate this | Hold the receiver steadily inside the boom envelope and follow any director-light cues |
| Probe and drogue | Fixed or retractable probe | The receiver pilot | Guide the probe into the basket, then move forward enough to place the hose in its transfer range |
Some tankers carry both systems or use a boom-mounted drogue adaptor, but compatibility still depends on the model and add-on. Our breakdown of KC-135 receiver compatibility and refuelling technique explains the distinction in more detail.
How do you refuel from a tanker step by step?
A reliable air-to-air refuelling sequence separates the rendezvous, stabilisation, contact and disconnect phases instead of treating them as one continuous rush towards the tanker.
- Confirm that fuel transfer is modelled. Check whether the receiver has a functional receptacle or probe, whether an aerial-refuelling master or door must be selected, and what event triggers contact. A moving basket alone does not prove that the aircraft can receive fuel.
- Create room in the tanks. Start below maximum fuel capacity. If every usable tank is full, a successful connection may produce no visible change.
- Set manageable conditions. Begin in daylight, clear weather and light turbulence, with the tanker flying a long, straight, level leg. Avoid time acceleration near the tanker.
- Rendezvous from a controlled position. Locate the tanker using the simulator's available navigation, radar, labels or mission cues. Match its heading and speed, then settle behind and slightly below rather than diving directly at it from above or crossing its flight path.
- Stabilise at pre-contact. Trim the aircraft, match the tanker's speed and hold a fixed visual relationship with its wing roots, engine pylons or fuselage. Make small throttle changes and allow for jet-engine spool time; repeated large corrections cause oscillation.
- Arm the receiver system. Open the receptacle door, extend the probe or select the aerial-refuelling system if the simulated aircraft requires it. Some missions also need a radio command or designated refuelling mode before the contact trigger becomes active.
- Make contact slowly. With a boom, hold position and let the boom move to the receptacle; follow the fore-and-aft and up-and-down director indications if they are simulated. With a drogue, aim the probe just behind the basket and ease forward. Focus mainly on formation references on the tanker rather than chasing every basket movement.
- Hold the transfer position. After probe-and-drogue contact, continue slightly forward to compress the hose into its operating range. For boom refuelling, remain inside the allowed envelope. Monitor fuel occasionally, but keep most of your attention outside.
- Disconnect straight and predictably. Close the throttle slightly and move aft without pulling sideways across the boom or basket. Once clear, descend or move to the assigned observation position, then close or retract the receiver equipment.
Real-world radio calls, formation clearances, emergency break-away manoeuvres and join procedures vary by aircraft and operator. Simulator technique is not a substitute for operational military training.
How should beginners practise air refuelling?
Begin by holding formation without attempting contact, because the basket or boom exposes errors that already exist in basic station keeping.
- Hold a position off the tanker's wing until its apparent size and alignment remain steady.
- Move to pre-contact and stay there for at least a short period without gaining or losing ground.
- Practise closing by only a few metres, stopping the closure, then backing away.
- Add the contact phase only after those movements are controlled.
- Introduce turbulence, turns or poor visibility after straight-and-level contacts become repeatable.
FSX pilots can practise with a structured mission built around a KC-135 rendezvous and fuel transfer. For probe-and-drogue work, an FSX KC-135T drogue tanker with an included AI flight plan provides a suitable moving target.
Why does the boom or drogue keep disconnecting?
Repeated disconnects usually come from excessive closure, over-controlling or leaving the permitted transfer envelope after initial contact.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The basket swings across the nose | Chasing the basket or disturbing it with the receiver's bow wave | Hold formation against the tanker and let the basket settle before making one small correction |
| Contact registers, then breaks immediately | Closure was too fast, the hose was not compressed, or the receiver crossed the boom limit | Stabilise at pre-contact, reduce closure and move only far enough into the transfer position |
| The aircraft porpoises or rolls from side to side | Poor trim, large control inputs or unsuitable controller response | Trim before contact and use only enough dead zone to remove hardware noise |
| The tanker starts turning during contact | The AI flight plan reached a waypoint or the straight leg was too short | Use a longer level leg or disconnect before the turn |
| The boom repeatedly commands a correction | The receiver is outside its fore-and-aft or vertical envelope | Follow the director cues with small power and pitch changes rather than aiming at the boom itself |
The mistake we see most often is staring at the basket. That turns every small movement into a control input. Use the tanker's structure as the primary reference and leave the probe or receptacle in peripheral vision.
Why is fuel not transferring after contact?
If contact appears correct but fuel quantity does not increase, the problem is usually aircraft configuration or add-on logic rather than formation position.
- Confirm that the tanker and receiver package supports actual transfer rather than visual contact only.
- Check the aerial-refuelling master, receptacle door, probe and fuel-system selections.
- Make sure at least one usable tank has capacity and that unlimited-fuel settings are not masking the indication.
- Remain connected long enough for the add-on's trigger or custom fuel system to register the transfer.
- Look for a mission-specific command, contact zone or radio instruction that must be completed first.
- If the aircraft uses a custom fuel system, the simulator's standard fuel display may update late or may not be the correct indication to watch.
A clean contact is indicated by stable station keeping, a recognised connection and rising fuel quantity or an explicit transfer message. If those indications never appear despite correct positioning, verify the aircraft's documented refuelling support before changing your flying technique.