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bdt13

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Posts posted by bdt13

    Ejection Seat for YA-10?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

     

    That sure does look like an F-105 seat. My question is where did you find the photo? My Googling ability must suck. When I was making my YA-10, I searched the internet but came up with only a couple of pictures.

     

    The original picture is here. 

     

    Google and other search engines can be fickle. A keystroke or two different and I find results move around or disappear entirely. Given that the pic was on a small blog, I'm not surprised it took some effort to find.

    Ejection Seat for YA-10?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

     

    There is an AF article about MGen Gideon's ejection from one of the early A-10s during testing. It identified the prototypes and very early A-10s as being fitted with a version of the Escapac seat. Partly because of injuries from his (and several other fatalities) ejection in that seat,  the switch to ACES was accelerated. 

    Yes, this was of the FSD (full-scale development) aircraft, 73-1669, which crashed in June 1978 due to a double-engine flameout during gun testing. Photos of the ejection are on p.  29 of Dana Bell's Detail & Scale book on the A-10. FWIW, the eventual fix to the issue was continuous engine ignition during gun operation. An ESCAPAC was fitted and used in this incident. I'm pretty well convinced that all the FSD aircraft used ESCAPAC from manufacture (some may have gotten ACES II later), and any third type of seat was only on the YA-10s. 

    Ejection Seat for YA-10?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted · Edited by bdt13
    added link

    Hmm... OK, please help me out then. ESCAPAC has flared shoulders that slope down and back from the headrest. I am not seeing this feature in the photos of the mystery seat. Also, ESCAPAC has two very prominent or deep headrest cushions. The mystery seat has two as well, but more shallow to my eye. The back rest or chute pack is definitely missing in the mystery seat. Is this easily removable in ESCAPAC? Quixote74, thank you for the link, I had not seen that picture before. Additional evidence (to me at least) is the red color seen in your pic and in this one here and here of the second prototype. To me the headrests look rounded, not square. They also seem too short to be an ESCAPAC with the handle over the headrest.

     

    I am not interested in starting a flame war. The photos we are all using are a bit on the small side and/or the canopy is closed and obscures or distorts detail. If clearer photos can be found I am very interested to see them. Seeing an ESCAPAC with a red headrest or removed back cushion might help. Ideally someone with first hand knowledge could clear this up - any test program folks or Fairchild-Republic people out there?

     

    Second edit: Link here to a page with much clearer pic of seat with canopy open. What seat do we think this is?

    Ejection Seat for YA-10?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    I have been looking at a lot of photos of early Warthogs and I have noticed the ejection seat is not the Escapac or ACES II model typically referenced. See the first pic in this link for an example.

     

    As this is a Republic product, I'm guessing this may be an F-105 seat. I have noted in color photos that the headrest is red; unfortunately I cannot find one on the web I can link to. 

     

    Can anyone shed some light on the true identity of these seats? I am interested in modeling early A-10s and want to be as accurate as I can be.

    History of Compass Ghost Grays?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    All-

     

    Thanks for the information in your responses. I now understand that there was a Project Compass Ghost (PCG), and that they were using lights to hide an F-4 in a similar way that Project Yahudi did in the 1940's. I'm still curious to know where things went when the lighting approach was discontinued. Were the gray colors a product of PCG, or were they developed separately and then given the name? If so, was the name meant as disinformation or was it simply as misunderstanding? What colors were tested in the project to arrive at the finished product? What, if any, aircraft were they tested on first? Are there any photos?

     

    Perhaps the lack of information hints that parts of this effort are still classified in some manner.  Perhaps those involved did not feel their efforts were of sufficient interest to document them. Perhaps in time we will know the story.

    History of Compass Ghost Grays?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    There is much written on this site about the usage and matching of FS 36375 and 36320. However, I have yet to see anything on the history of the colors or their name. Who first determined that none of the available gray colors were what was needed for fighters anymore? What was the process for finding new colors that would do the job? What other colors were tried, and what type of experiments were done to ensure their effectiveness (I'm sure there were some test planes painted in one-off schemes - pics please!!)? What were the first aircraft with an official technical order mandating their use? How did they get the name "compass ghost", even unofficially?

     

    Any real data at all is better than speculation. I'm thinking that if anyone at all knows, it will be someone with connection to this site. Thanks!

    Possible new topics?

    in Caracal Models

    Posted

    15 hours ago, Stephen said:

    Can I suggest some early Panavia Tornado decals especially for the Italian Air Force in the grey / green / aluminium scheme . These haven't been well covered. Some of the prototype schemes are quite interesting too,

     

    https://www.flickriver.com/photos/classic_aviation/8310773280/ 

     

    https://www.flickriver.com/photos/classic_aviation/8262769168/ 

     

    https://www.flickriver.com/photos/classic_aviation/8178277847/ 

    +1 on that! I picked up a copy of the old Hasegawa kit and the decals are yellowed beyond belief (and I don't mean the ivory the whites started out as). Some older Luftwaffe and  Marineflieger  markings would be appreciated as well.

    RAF Mildenhall photo thread

    in Research Corner

    Posted

    " I was rather surprised to see the basket and hose fit on the boom, when the jet is a MPRS bird with the pods on the wings - any idea why that would be necessary?"

     

    Perhaps the crew needed to perform a routine qualification with the "Iron Maiden" and the MPRS bird was the one available to do it in?

     

    BTW - fantastic pics as always! The MC-130s landing is especially great. Thank you so much for sharing these.

    F-15E, what's going on with the top of the wing?

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, pminer said:

    Hmmm.....I'm thinking initial ice formations...?

    That makes some sense. MD-80s has wing icing after landing on occasion from cold fuel condensing and freezing on the wings where the fuel had cold soaked during the flight. The "stuff," whatever it is, is at the outboard aft end of the tanks, which appears to be the lowest end of the wing tanks, so where the fuel would be the longest and most often. 

    F-16 Block 60

    in Research Corner

    Posted

    F-16.net has an album you may want to look through here. There are photos from Odyssey Dawn (Libya 2011) with A-A loads. I've also seen photos of them with GBU-12s and a locally made guided bomb, not sure if that was in an actual conflict or an exercise. Middle East nations tend to be squirrely about photos of their weapons, so there may not be too many good photos out there. 

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