Reddog
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Posts posted by Reddog
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Sorry,that's what I meant...It's been over 14 years since I last touched a 'Winder!
Spike,
Sorry if I sounded a little harsh in my comments, no offense was intended.
Reddog
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Another thing is that the strengthening on the underside of the canopy is solid. The real deal has lightening holes in the cross beams.
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Guy,
Not sure what you are talking about concerning the lightening holes but the canopy from was solid, don't remember any holes in the canopy with the exception of the ECS pipes.
Reddog
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Seeker heads ARE NOT active unless the aircraft has power and the stations are armed in the cockpit. The seeker covers are installed when power it not applied to the aircraft because they keep the seeker inside from bouncing around and beating itself to death. The seeker is a free floater until power it applied to the missile, the cover keeps the seeker locked to the center position and when power is applied to the plane the seeker head is then locked, allowing the cover to be removed. If you pull the cover when power it not applied to the plane you will see the seeker in side bouncing around.
Reddog
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Great answers so far, here are a couple more n00b questions:
is it chocks & chains? Chocks on both main U/C?
are the blast deflectors (jargon?) normally only raised before engine start/launch?
Thanks again.
Greg
Chains are the tie down chain used to hold the plane in place, keeps it from sliding and rolling around when the deck it pitching.
Yes, Chock would be on both main U/C.
The JBD's (Jet Blast Defectors) would only be raised after the aircraft taxied to the cat, the plane has to taxi over the JBD's in order to get to the cat. For a normal launchs they would be raised about 30 to 20 minutes prior to the launch so they can be checked for FOD and make sure they work. For an alert launch they are normally in the down position but may be raised if the plane is spotted on the cat. Each carrier was a little different on this so you may see photos of it up and others will show it down, just depends on the time period and carrier.
Reddog
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Jets can be positioned near the catapult shuttle and tied down as "alerts", with only a plane captain nearby... Depends on how quick the alert is set up for. Here's a pic I took on the Lincoln way way back with my crappy Digital Mavica:
No plugs would be installed (pretty much standard for all the jets on the roof anyway), however essential pins would be installed.
I bet this is an alert 60 since you are so close to land.
Reddog
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Once the bird is taxi'ed the canopy will remain close while on the boat, on land I have seen them taxi with the canopy open but it is rare.
For the Tomcat, the RIO will close the canopy as the pilot is starting the first engine.
Wayne,
On an alert crew, everyone multi-tasks and pitches in, I've done just about everything on an alert you could do except the Plane Captain stuff (I never got my qual for PC), no one stands around or say "that's not my job".
And NASCAR pit crews don't have to worry about getting blown over the side, sucked up the intake, getting their ankles broke when the plane taxi's over the wire and hundred of other thing up there that can kill you in a second. Also, I bet they get to go home after the race and get paid at least three times as more as someone who works on the deck. I will always have more respect for those guys who work the deck then any sports athlete no matter how hard the try to make their "job" look.
Oh, and the guys on the roof work in all weather no matter what it is, NASCAR guys are fair weather workers. When was the last time you did a pit stop in 160 degrees, -30 degrees, in the pouring rain or as the ground below you is moving up and down about 20 feet with a 40 mph wind. They have a nice stead platform to work on (solid land) and is doesn't rain on them let alone be cold. Also, do it day after day for up to 6, 7, 8 heck 11 months straight, and while only getting four hours sleep a night. Compare to what I've done being a NASCAR pit crew member is like a walk in the park and one of the safest things I've done.
Reddog
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Microscale did a bunch of sheets many moons ago, might want to look at microscale.
Reddog
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We had between four and six guys depending who was part of the crew. This is how it would brake down sometimes when I was on deck.
1 Plane Captain
2 Ordies
2 Troubleshootser
Maybe on PC Trainee also
I'm not counting the cat crew, not sure how they did thier alerts and how many people it took to do it. But, keep in mind, we where changing tires on a care, we where flinging a 72,000 pound plane into the air and every system had to work as advertised.
How an alert crew would work back in my day.
If I was on deck in later years, I could fill the Ordie and a Troubleshooter since I held both quals, in the early days I did not have the troubleshooter qual so there would be two shooters. We could get the bird started,pull power cord, pull huffer hose, close up a few panels, pull all pins, break down all chains, pull chocks and get it taxi'ed to the cat in under 2 minutes tops and get it launched off the pointed end in under a minute after it taxi'ed. In all we could get the first bird off the deck in under 3 minutes and the second bird less then 30 seconds later. Each squadron would be assigned two alert bird, on station it would be (in the old days) alert 5 and an alert 15. The alert 5 means you have five minutes to get two birds in the air, whether they where the alert fighters, alert SUCAP, Alert Helo, Alert Hummer, or what. For alert 5 and alert 15's all preflight checks where done before the alerts where set and once the alert was set no maintenance was allowed on the aircraft. For alert 5's the aircrew had to be in the bird, for alert 15 they had to be in the ready room and in flight gear, for alert 30 they had to be in the ready room but not in flight gear and for alert 60 they could be in bed. For the deck crew, alert 5 had to have the crew at the jet, alert 15 the crew had to be on deck or in the shop but ready to go, alert 30, available and alert 60, who cares.
Now, how many guys are on a NASCAR pit crew and can they do more then one job during a pit stop?
Reddog
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You can put it on the roof with all the covers and everything on it, like inert weapons and say it's a static display for a port visit. Put 12 chains on it and your covered.
Reddog
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Yeah, I can see how having a towbar on the nose gear could be a bad thing if the steering was engaged! ouch!
It's happened, have the sore ankles to prove it.
Reddog
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Everyone pretty much covered up but a few more notes.
For F-14's on alert 5/7 crews manned up, power applied, INS cable connected and a huffer connected and standing by. Downlocks installed and all ordnance safety pins installed. With power on the aircraft the Sidewinder nose cones would be removed. All panels closed, only six tie downs installed, P/C, 2 Ordies and 2 Trouble shooters standing by also. When word was given to launch we would start up the engines, pull the downlocks, pull the huffer/electrical/INS cables/hoses, ordies would pull the safety pins and get the bird taxing in under 90 seconds and get the first bird in the air in under 2 and half minutes. NASCAR pit crews has nothing on us.
Oh BTW, the A-7 did have the downlocks removed by all safety pins would be installed, not just the ones for the forward firing stuff.
Also, on thing, NO TOW BARS! I don't know how many "alert" sences I have seen with the tow bar still hooked to the bird. Also, as a note for those interested, once the bird is started up, the tow bars are removed. This is done to prevent it from being swung around incase the aircrew moves the nose gear or ingages nose gear steering by accident.
HTH
Reddog
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I didn't know that Grumman and the Navy followed an Air Force manual when they painted the Tomcats for the Iranians, learn something new everyday.
Reddog
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Guy,
If you do anything more to those seats I'm going to have to give you a "seat checkout" and make sure you are certified to work around them.
As for the RBF, yes it was one long flag with 5 pins attached to it for safing the seat. There would also be a pin in the canopy jettision handle on the right hand side of the cockpit (both front and back cockpit) and three (attached to one flag) on the "turtledeck" under the canopy. The turtledeck is that area under the aft part of the canopy that is covered up when the canopy is closed.
Don't ask me where all the pins on the seat goes, it's been too long since I climbed into a Tomcats cockpit to remember off the top of my head.
Looking great as usual!
Reddog
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I bet you remember Richard 'Gunner' Green? (VA-82 ordie) He was a neighbor of mine while I was in high school... really nice guy with a TON of cool NAVAIR souvenirs... He even had the talihook from an A-4 hanging from the ceiling in his garage...
He was my Gunner for the 85 Med Cruise. Not sure about the nice part, he may have been nice on land but on the boat, he was not like by the Ordnance Shop.
Reddog
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As Gregg stated, the gun and ammo drum bays where GLOSS white and somewhat dirty. Also, if you open the drum bay you have to open the small panel jusst aft of it, you could not open the drum panel without opening that panel first. The very forward gun panel, where the muzzle is (it has the gun gas exhuast removed or what we called the "hair dryer" would be silver inside vice white.
HTH
Reddog
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I would guess that your picture was taken during the 83 Med Cruise -- looks like Mount Etna. By the 85 cruise, most of the aircrat except the CAG birds were in Low-vis. For the 87 cruise, even the CAG birds were in TPS.
Even the CAG birds where low-vis, I was on the 85 and 87 Med Cruises (VA-82).
Reddog
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VF-92 and 96 never got Tomcats. They "may" have been scheduled to transtion but never did, they where decomm'ed instead.
Reddog
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Would there be a USAF equivalent to these standards by any chance?
I'm sure there is but don't what manual covers the Air Force.
Reddog
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An unrestored A-7A Corsair II interior planned for restoration. It was in pieces when I took the photos. The camera flash makes the zinc chromate green a lot brighter but it is green. Photo by me. Hope that helps.
I never worked on Alpha's but I must say that that engine bay is awful clean for being a 40 year old plane, it looks freshly painted. I've never seen an engine bay that clean, let along any other panel that clean on any of the Echo's I worked on or was around.
Even the bolts and nuts are shiny and new. Looks like that area has already been restored and the paint has not faded and gotten dirty like it would have out in the fleet.
Reddog
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Reddog,
Is this color true for all A-7E's? I am suspicious of museum pieces, but we have a VA-46 E from Desert Storm that I am pretty certain has not been painted and it is a green zinc not yellow zinc. Curious because if you tell me it should be yellow zinc, I will chalk the green up to museum and time and do mine in yellow.
Mark
All the A-7's I've seen and worked on had the yellow zinc chromate, I think the green may have been a one time thing or the museum fudged on the color a little.
Reddog
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The Gunslingers where VA-105, he may have meant the Sidewinders. They did a Med cruise in 82/82 and again in 85.
If you want you can PM me his name, I will check to see if he is in the 85 Med Cruise.
IIRC Dutycat made the 82/83 Med Cruise.
Reddog
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No problem, always glad to help out.
I worked on A-7E's for about three and a half years, if you have a questions just drop me a note. I also have several reference books on them so if I don't know the answer (time does take it's toll sometimes) I can always look them up.
Reddog
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There is a new MIL-STD-2161B out that call out spesific FS number for that marking so it depends on what time frame he is looking for.
The MIL-STD-2161A said it had to be of "contrasting" shade of grey and there where other restrictions but in the new one is gives the specific color to use.
The two books you need are;
MIL-STD-2161A (AS) dated 1 May 1993
and
MIL-STD-2161B (AS) dated 15 Aug 2008.
HTH
Reddog
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Herc,
What years was he in VA-86?
I was in VA-82 (86's sister sqaudron) from 84 to 87.
Reddog
Tamiya /32nd scale F-14A Black Knights edition
in In-Progress Pics
Posted
Okay, I'm "tracking" now. :)
Guy, you are correct about the holes in the frame work, forgot about that area.
Got to learn to stop watching football and trying to read threads at the same time.
Gerry