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Video answers: ‘Air refuelling’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. They’re approximately 30ft from each other travelling at between 200 and 350 knots.
  2. It extends the range of a plane and allows it to continue its mission with no interruptions.
  3. They pump fuel at 1,200 gallons per minute.
  4. He has to be careful of hitting the other plane with the refuelling boom.
  5. Night vision cameras and 3D glasses have made the operator’s job easier.

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Video: ‘Air refuelling’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video that describes how military aircraft are able to refuel in mid-air and continue their missions.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. What speed and distance are the aircraft from each other during the refuelling?
  2. Why is air refuelling necessary?
  3. How fast do they pump fuel to the other plane?
  4. What does the air refuelling operator have to be careful of?
  5. What technological advances have made the operator’s job easier?

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Have a great weekend!

The Boeing KC-46A Tanker: Refuels Military Aircraft Using 3D

The KC-46A Pegasus tanker is changing the game in air refueling. A revolutionary air refueling operator station (AROS), that displays images in super-high definition, monochromatic 3D, is enabling the US Air Force to conduct refueling like never before.

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Structure: ‘Modals 5’

Time references for modal verbs

Adding to what we saw previously, we look at the time reference for our modal verbs in each of their uses. Looking at our diagram below, we can see that to talk about ability in the past we use ‘could’ and in the present we use ‘can’.

Ability in the future?

Then how do we talk about ability in the future? Well, in the future we use ‘be able to’.

eg. By next year I’ll be able to fly three single engine aircraft.

‘Be able to’ isn’t a modal verb so it isn’t in our list, but we can use it with a similar meaning to a modal verb with time references unavailable to our modal verbs (i.e. not just future, but also with present perfect, after ‘would’ etc…).

Time reference for modal verbs.
Time reference for modal verbs.

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Video answers: ‘SR-71’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. Mysterious, enticing, menacing and sleek are the adjectives used to describe it.
  2. It was needed to conduct reconnaissance missions at very high altitudes and at very high speeds.
  3. No, other aircraft could get to 80,000ft, but only temporarily whereas the SR-71 could fly at a level attitude at 80,000ft.
  4. Its speed was its best weapon, flying faster than Mach 3.
  5. It was used over north Vietnam and over North Korea.

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Video: ‘SR-71’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video is about the SR-71. The world’s fastest aircraft used by the US military between 1966 and 1990. Watch the video to find out more about it.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. What adjectives are used to describe the SR-71?
  2. Why was the SR-71 needed?
  3. Was the SR-71 the only aircraft capable of flying at 80,000ft?
  4. What was the SR-71’s strongest weapon?
  5. Where was the SR-71 used?

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Have a great weekend!

WORLDS FASTEST Aircraft US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird Mini Documentary

A great Mini Documentary video on the world famous US Air Force aircraft the SR-71 Blackbird that was used for observation flights over the Soviet Union. BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif.–Twenty-six years ago today, Beale said goodbye to the fastest air-breathing jet in the world, the SR-71 Blackbird.

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Structure: ‘Usually fly, used to fly, used to flying’

Fly High English - Structure

This time in our structure help we talk about the different between three structures with similar forms but very different meanings, ‘usually fly, used to fly, used to flying’. Have a look at the diagram below for information about what each one means and how to use them. Then try to write some examples of you own.

Diagram explaining the differences between 'usually fly', 'used to fly' and 'used to flying'.
The differences between ‘usually fly’, ‘used to fly’ and ‘used to flying’.

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Have a great day!