10 Extraordinary Facts About Aerial Refueling
  • 9 years ago
Here are 10 extraordinary facts about aerial refueling.

That planes can get their fuel tanks refilled while speeding through the sky is pretty remarkable, but there are a number of amazing things that occur in and around the process.


Here are 10 extraordinary facts about aerial refueling.


Number 10.  It’s possible to fill up two planes at once, a feat many of today’s air tankers are capable of.  An Airbus test tanker was able to top off a pair of F/A-18 fighter jets while traveling at altitudes ranging from 20 to 30 thousand feet. Also impressive is that the crafts were flying at speeds up to around 350 miles per hour. 


Number 9. The practice is nothing new. It was successfully done for the first time in 1923. Though the line fed directly into the recipient’s tank, the fuel source was a handheld tank rather than the dedicated tanker crafts used today.


Number 8. There have been some serious accidents. One tragic event occurred in 1966 w
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