RE: Refuelling aircraft

A thread of 2 messages, 14 August 1989 to 15 August 1989, in the order they were sent.

#483 RE: Refuelling aircraft

Discussion of refueling aircraft...

>According to the rules, a fumble mishap occurs when you make a throw of 2
>with the 2D. Statistically this happens 1/36 (one time in 36). That is:
>every 36th time you fuel an a/c it explodes ?!

   Sounds like an awful lot of explosions to me.  Anyone out there have
   U.S. Airforce experience to add to the Swedish experience?  Does this
   sound about right?

>In reality jet-fuel is quite hard to set fire to: It behaves more like
>kerosene than gasoline, The *really* scary stuff is high octane prop-plane
>fuel, Higly volatile and equally flammable.

   From what little I know of Jet fuel, I would tend to agree with you.

>Shall traveller follow reality or is there a reason to keep the xploding
>aircraft rule on the grounds of game balance or something like that?

   I don't have any contacts with GDW so I'll have to leave that question
   up to the people who do have contacts.  Anyone care to throw the
   question at them?  :)

>Here is my suggestion for refueling tasks:
(several suggested tasks follow)

   Never having had ANY experience refueling aircraft, I have  only one
   question...
   Can an aircraft of any type be completely refueled in only 2 minutes?
   This seems too low to me, especially if we are talking about hundreds of
   gallons at a time.  Are they *REALLY* high speed pumps or what?

- ----------
>From the Bridge of the NOMAD

Captain Sir Michael Talmoth Commanding     UPP:  BA5A8B
   AKA Paul Baughman ---> [email removed]
      AKA Unka Paul

"You see me now a veteran
        of a thousand psychic wars,
                I've been living on the edge so long,
                       where the winds of limbo roar
And I'm young enough to look at,
        but far too old to see
                All the scars are on the inside,
                       I don't know if there's anything left of me..."
 -- BOC --

#492 RE: Refuelling aircraft

>
>   Never having had ANY experience refueling aircraft, I have  only one
>   question...
>   Can an aircraft of any type be completely refueled in only 2 minutes?
>   This seems too low to me, especially if we are talking about hundreds of
>   gallons at a time.  Are they *REALLY* high speed pumps or what?
>----------
>From the Bridge of the NOMAD
>
>Captain Sir Michael Talmoth Commanding     UPP:  BA5A8B
>   AKA Paul Baughman ---> [email removed]
>      AKA Unka Paul
>

Now remember, the times included with the task description is typically
10% of the time to perform the task.  You have to role 3d6 to determine
the real amount of time the task really takes.  For the above case, that works
out to 6-36 minutes with an average of 20-26 min..  It is not a flat 2 minutes
unless that task says "2 min. absolute."

Does that make the time needed more reasonable?  Although I must admit,
36 min. to fuel an aircraft, unless it's an Eastern jetliner :-), seems a
bit on the long side; especially when the Imperial storm troopers want to
frag you for stealing the emperor's scepter :-)

arturo perez
qm7503.genrad.com
10:38am 8-15-89