Imagine you're a new military pilot about to refuel in the air, the first time on your own without the instructor. You're flying in formation with a KC-46 tanker and in preparation for refueling, you slow down slightly and drop back behind the tanker, which still looms large in your view. The refueling drogue hangs from the tail of the tanker, beckoning you to move forward and capture it in the receptacle on the nose of your jet. You're 100 percent focused on the task, making tiny movements with the controls, pushing and pulling on the throttle to try to mate the drogue with your airplane so you can take on some much-needed fuel. Suddenly, you realize that you got behind your airplane; something, maybe a bit of turbulence, caused you to shift slightly. Perhaps you over-controlled, and there's no instructor on board to take over, and then bam, you've had a midair collision with the drogue, uh-oh...
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