In-Flight Refueling gauge + video

[neutrino]

Hi guys, I have been working on an In-Flight Refueling gauge recently and it is finally ready. The gauge can be installed on any aircraft and allows refueling in the air from any aircraft - in free flight or multiplayer. Thanks to everyone that helped me test it in the weekly multiplayer sessions! Andy Niko is the co-author of the gauge - without him I wouldn't have come up with the idea and the improvements that came in the development.

This is a short demo video of an in-flight refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker, where the gauge is integrated with the improved Acceleration Hornet HUD:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwpHynhFKtY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwpHynhFKtY</a>

The gauge can be downloaded here:
http://www.flightsim.com/file.php?cm=SEARCH1&fsec=94&fname=ifr_gauge.zip

The KC-135 from the video can be downloaded from the link below, it is for FSX:
http://www.flightsim.com/file.php?cm=SEARCH1&fsec=89&fname=kc135t_navy_drogue.zip

[Orion]

Great work Jivko!

Can't wait to fly and refuel .

[Sludge]

Pimp Daddy Payne... great job!!

[Orion]

Here are some quick screenshots I just made .

[Sludge]

JR...

Dont know if you thought or tried this, but would you be able to tie the Panel Activation ("Refuel ON/OFF") to the Refueling Switch that extends the probe?  Or vise versa, that opening the Panel and clicking on Refuel ON extends the refuelling probe?  And clicking it OFF retracts it?  That would be the most realistic way to do it.

Later
Sludge

[SpazSinbad]

neutrino, thanks for gauge, have not been able to try it yet and the video is terrific. Here is a TomCat singing 'goodbye' to the KC-135 tanker for the last time:

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/?action=view&current=F14BOOMoperatorHiQ.flv

[neutrino]

JR...

Dont know if you thought or tried this, but would you be able to tie the Panel Activation ("Refuel ON/OFF") to the Refueling Switch that extends the probe?  Or vise versa, that opening the Panel and clicking on Refuel ON extends the refuelling probe?  And clicking it OFF retracts it?  That would be the most realistic way to do it.

Later
Sludge

Sludge, your idea is sound but I don't know which variable controls the boom animation in the Hornet - it is specific to the Hornet model and is not accessible.

[neutrino]

neutrino, thanks for gauge, have not been able to try it yet and the video is terrific. Here is a TomCat singing 'goodbye' to the KC-135 tanker for the last time:

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/?action=view&current=F14BOOMoperatorHiQ.flv

That video is cool - I've seen it before but lost the link 

[SUBS17]

I think if you use FSUIPC you can actually have the probe connect to the basket using some addons BTW what exactly does this gauge do anyway because you can inflight refuel without a gauge just by flying up behind a tanker with just a stock acceleration Hornet.
The best modelling of inflight refuelling from the basket that I've seen was Flaming Cliffs 1.0 which featured a flexible hose which was quite cool ideally you also want TACAN for the tanker like in F4AF and also Tanker commands menu to allow refuelling of the entire flight. So if a 4 ship requests refuelling everyone tops up.

[Sludge]

JR...

Hmm, that sucks.  FSXNP doesnt know?  Or maybe Virtuali knows?  Gotta be something simple (ie. "A:REFUELING_PROBE_POSITION, percent" or "K:REFUELING_SWITCH_TOGGLE") in .xml.  I mean every FSX Hornet switch that can be moved and has an action, should be readable or actionable thru an .xml gauge, right?

Later
Sludge

[Paddles]

Sludge,
You're right, it's there.   This is (L:SWITCH_PROBE_REFUEL, bool) variable.
And this is how one can toggle refuel probe at any time - (L:SWITCH_PROBE_REFUEL, bool) ! (&gt;L:SWITCH_PROBE_REFUEL, bool)
Just embedded this code into my gauge and it works like a charm.    Get it from here http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=2881.msg25544#msg25544

[skimmer]

Thanks Neutrino for the refuel gauge. It works well. I used it today and after a while,and a sore neck,I refueled from 20% to 100%. I found it easier not to use any flaps and pick a plane thats not flying at 30,000' or higher. I used the default F-18 with Sludges upgrades. Now if someone can figure how to refuel on any of the aircraft carriers used from ai2 carriers pac. Anyway great job

[frenchie88]

Hey guys,
I hope this doesn't meet with too much scorn but i was wondering if there is a way to extend the refuelling area behind the tanker [up down left and right!]for impatient people such as myself. I know practice makes perfect and all that but i dont have too much time to spare and it would be cool to not take an hour to get some gas. I found a way to edit the tanker mission and a facility in the vrs acm allows such cheating but this is a different ball game. Could you help at all?
Thanks. Paul.

....and Sludge if you can hear your hornets are the nuts! The flaps and power mods help carrier traps no end. Thanks man!

[Razgriz]

Well there's level 1 and 2, so you should go for level 2.  Its pretty broad of an area.

[Orion]

Er, Level 1 is the easier of the two levels, at least according to the readme.