| Aerial Refueling |
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| Without air refueling, the range of the SR-71 was limited to around 2,000 nautical miles. Multiple air refuelings extended the range of the aircraft to the limits of crew endurance. Many of our missions have exceeded 12,000 nm. After sighting the lead tanker visually, we maneuvered the SR-71 to what is called the "pre-contact" position, about 50 feet behind and 10 feet low of the tankers fuel nozzle. Adding a small amount of power, the SR-71 slowly moved forward to the contact position. The pilot slowly maneuvered the SR to place the end of the refueling boom about three feet outside his front window. The tanker boom operator completed the hook up. Once the boom nozzle was locked into the receptacle, A Habu's favorite words from the boom operator were, "you're taking gas." |
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| © Copyright Richard Graham |
