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Greybird

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Posts posted by Greybird

    Kittyhawk SA-365F-1 Dauphin Pedro 1/48

    in Helicopter Modeling

    Posted

    Hi Norbert. This build should be interesting. It looks like it can converted fairly easily into an Irish Air Corps SA365Fi. I found some old photos recently that I have of the Dauphin and it is interesting to see how sparse the rear compartment was in these helicopters.

    LD.

    LD,

    It would be great if you can upload the Dauphin photos - especially the internal ones.

    Its a pity the correct rear doors for an SA365Fi aren't in this release, even though one of the decals schemes is for 247 in Rotorleasing colours.

    The doors seem to be included in the future Z-9 release.

    Not a big deal, and with some revised panel lines and other minor mod's, this kit will look very good in Max Decals IAC colours.

    And thanks for your walkaround of the S-61N - an excellent reference.

    Best regards,

    Philip

    Help needed with a EF-111A "Spark vark"

    in Jet Modeling

    Posted

    He's probably referring to the ones on the intake splitter plate and just below the windscreen. Behind the mission symbols and the ladder is the unit badge. That badge is for the 20th FW "Victory by Valor" at Upper Heyford.

    The marking on the splitter plate shows a camel with the words "Idaho or Bust" with an EF-111 and some lightning bolts above the camel and "Desert Shield" below the camel. (This next pic does not show "Idaho or Bust" though)

    http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0050_2.jpg

    The forward marking below the windscreen shows a radar site with an EF-111 and lightning bolts emitting towards the radar site and the words "Desert Storm" above this and "Rockin Iraq" below it (this emblem added after the war started apparently).

    http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0038_1.jpg

    http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0038_2.jpg

    You can also just barely see the Iraqi flag denoting the Mirage "kill" just behind the number on the forward gear door. The two black slashes across the gear door probably have the words "Sweet Sixteen" between them, as that was how this aircraft was known to the crews... similar to this next photo:

    http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0056_6.jpg

    Now, here's where it gets really frustrating as to how exactly 016 was marked during Desert Shield/Storm. The photo of 016 linked above is the only photo I've ever run across of that bird from around that timeframe... unless somebody miraculously finds others out of somebody's personal collection sometime soon.

    I've got three references that all give conflicting information below:

    According to the Gulf Air War Debrief (which even contradicts itself)... in the kills section it says this aircraft was with the 42nd ECS, 66th ECW out of Upper Heyford ("UH" on the tail)... but in the appendices of the various aircraft involved... it says that 016 was with the 390th ECS, 366TFW out of Mountain Home (which would be "MO" on the tail).

    In the Schiffer F-111 Aardvark book by Don Logan, the picture of that bird was apparently taken in June 1986 with the "MO" code of the 366th TFW BUT then further states it deployed to Saudi Arabia from the 42nd ECS at Upper Heyford.

    Finally, in U.S. Aircraft & Armament of Desert Storm by Bert Kinzey he states that the aircraft involved were either from the 390th ECS staging out of Taif Saudi Arabia, or the 42nd ECS staging out of Incirlik Turkey. Kinzey says that 016 was with the 390th ECS and has pictures in the book of the two emblems (zaps) above, citing that they were applied to 390th ECS aircraft. On the back cover of this book is a picture of 014 with the same emblem (zap) and mission symbols as seen on 016 in the above linked picture, along with a color photo of 030 that looks similar also:

    http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0030_1.jpg

    So, the question remains.... who exactly was the aircraft assigned to and what tail-code was it wearing at the time... because we have a badge that puts it with Upper Heyford... but there's the emblem (zap) mentioning "Idaho or Bust" which could link it to Mountain Home. According to many of the other photos here: http://www.dstorm.eu/pages/en/usa/f-111.html it would seem the markings on 016 seem closer to other 390th birds, whereas 42nd birds seem to be differently marked. Were the 42nd and 390th shuttling/trading aircraft back and forth between their units on a regular basis or something?

    Anybody?

    66-0016 seems to have been a 42 ECS aircraft, but flown by 390ECS(Provisional) during DS from Tiaf,and had a 390ECS crew on the night of Mig "kill".

    A while ago, one of the ground staff posted some photos on Facebook of 66-0016 taken just after the end of the war.

    They were posted on either the Facebook page for f-111.net or SaveTheF111, I can't remember which one, and I'm not sure if they are still there.

    They showed some more detail, and seemed to be taken at two different times, however the quality on Facebook was low,with most details hard to read.

    Some carried the name "Black Jack" just in front AOA probe on the port side, and Crew Chief name was changed (original name painted out in a dark grey, and the new name added). Black Jack was located in the place, and about the same size as Mistress of Decieption shown in http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0050_4.jpg

    The other photos did not have the Black Jack or crew chief name change, so probably were taken earlier, and are more representative of the DS markings.

    They are consistent with the http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0016_1.jpg which doesn't show "Black Jack"

    These show the port side details:

    - Splinter plate: same as 66-0052_2 linked above.....ie no "Idaho or Bust"

    - National insignia: dashed style

    - 20TFW (low vis)

    - 40 mission markings below cockpit......I think 40 may have generally been the maximum number of markings on the port side, so there may have been more on the starboard side.

    - Desert Storm / Rocking Iraq zap in front of mission markings..... see http://www.dstorm.eu/pictures/nose-arts/f-111/66-0038_1.jpg for details of mission markings and zap.

    - Port Gear Door: Can't read pilot name or DCC name due to resolution of photos

    616, with Iraq Flag and name with black band on either side.....again can't read name, but was two names (one short, one longer)so "Sweet Sixteen" is a likely name.

    Also there is one/two words above the flag,and three below (?? aircraft type/date ?? just a guess)

    - Starboard side...photos weren't clear enough to pick identify aircraft or details.

    - Tail...photos weren't clear enough to show if there was UH or not.

    So still waiting for some-one to post a good set of photos from the time, but at least they seem to exist.

    The markings from "Deny Flight","Provide Comfort" and "Northern/Southern Watch" are also elusive,but must be out there somewhere.

    Best regards,

    Phil

    EF-111A

    in Research Corner

    Posted

    The aircraft in the picture is 66-0051.

    While based at Upper Heyford (UH) and Mountain Home (MO), the EF's generally carried the last 3 digits of their serial number in large numbers on their tails.

    At some point after all Ef's were consolidated in the 429 ECS at Cannon in the early 1990's, a 4 digit code appeared, with the first digit being the FY, hence the photo shows 6051. The extra zero was omitted (all EF's were had an FY number less than 100, so having all the zero's wasn't necessary).

    Not sure why this occured, although given that 66-0039 and 67-0039 were both based at CC at the same time, it may have been to make identification easier from a distance.

    The excellent Schiffer publication by Don Logan shows examples of both marking styles, as does www.defenseimagery.mil

    At the time of Desert Storm, EF's were based at UH and MO only, but not all EF's participated in Desert Storm.

    Don Logan's book contains a list of s/n which did participate - 66-0051 is not one of them.

    The FS colours listed are correct, and the pattern would be same as the photo (upper surfaces 36320).

    Best regards,

    Phil

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