Flight refueling guide

Abstract

In an in-flight refueling system of an aircraft having a recess therein containing a slipway leading to a fuel inlet port, an improvement is provided in the form of a guideway having a) a pair of lead-in lines on the surface of the aircraft which taper and converge towards the slipway and port and b) a plurality of dashes or bars on the surface, spaced longitudinally between the lead-in lines, a desired distance apart, to provide visual cues in aiding an operator in guiding a fuel boom and nozzle from a refueling aircraft to the slipway and port of a fuel receiving aircraft, to provide a visually more salient means to achieve a quick and effective refueling hook-up while avoiding or minimizing nozzle strikes that can damage the aircraft, the boom or its nozzle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.