U.S. navy pilots were pleasantly surprised at how professional and helpful British aerial tanker crews were compared to the rather more gruff and humorless bunch usually found on U.S. Air Force tankers. The Brits were more willing to bend the rules and, literally, go the extra mile for navy warplanes needing fuel. The Brits were also very punctual, showing up on time and the right location more frequently than their U.S. counterparts. Most of the British tankers are smaller (60s era VC-10s) than the standard U.S. KC-135. Indeed, the VC-10 looks like an oversize business jet.