refueling planes

[malcheus]

I want to make a little airport out of the KSP, but to do so, I want to make a refueling... thing.

However, my few feeble attempts at docking a plane with a fuel truck have so far been unsuccessfull, due to the docking ports not snapping together.

Has anyone of you ever succeeded in doing something like this? I was planning to try and use the infernal robotics parts get the alignments just right for docking, but I don't know if it's even possible....

[Geschosskopf]

Use the Kerbal Attachment System (KAS) mod. Put a port somewhere on your plane that's reasonably close to the ground so an EVA Kerbal can reach it while standing beside the plane. Make a fuel bowser rover with a KAS winch on it. Land the plane. Drive the rover to the plane. EVA a Kerbal. Kerbal connects winch cable from bowser to port on airplane, which effectively "docks" the rover to the plane. Transfer fuel from bowser to plane using right-click menus.

[Seret]

Or just build the plane and fuel truck as a single vehicle, so that you know the docking port lines up. Send it to the runway, undock your fuel truck and drive off.

[malcheus]

Or just build the plane and fuel truck as a single vehicle, so that you know the docking port lines up. Send it to the runway, undock your fuel truck and drive off.

Thx for the diea, but ideally I want a fuel truck that is useable for multiple plane types, not a different truck for each plane.

@Geschosskopf: Thanks for the advice, I'll check out the KAS mod!

[bsalis]

You can do horizontal or vertical docking. My preference is horizontal... you just need to keep fiddling with the height of the docking port on the tanker until it is correct. To be one the safe side, bias the docking port on the tanker to be a little lower. Then, when aligned, retract the nosewheel of the aircraft, so that the docking port lowers and locks into place.

Example... docking port on tanker is a little low.

After retracting the nosewheel, it docks.

Vertical docking example below, courtesy of Brotoro. This too involves landing gear... retracting it to get under the docking port, then extending it to bring the docking ports together to dock.

[camulus777]

Hopefully they will use some of the stuff from infernal robotics like the turrets and such and this can be done universally or use the winch mod.