VADM Fangschleister
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Posts posted by VADM Fangschleister
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It sounds like you have an excellent handle on it. It’ll look very good. Three fuel tanks is fine though I suspect it would’ve launched with only two. But then, here’s the kicker, the USAFE “deal” was no live weapons to be overflown unless an actual hostile action.
Note the SUU-21’s had doors on them to prevent inadvertent release of even a practice munition.
I like your ideas and hope to see them come up on the boards here. I’m proud to sayI worked Phantoms and three versions of them at that. I have the “phantom bites” on my hands to prove it. Definitely two of the most unusual years of my life.
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Some last questions:
- What kind of bombs were used on the MER's? I guess 6 mk.82's or 6 mk.20's?
We often loaded six Mk-20's on TER's. Three each side. Not uncommon to have three on Sta's 2 & 8. A MER on Sta 5 with six Mk-82's is reasonable or the Mk-20's. My personal "pet peeve" is that modelers tend to want to load up their planes with tons and tons of ("mixed")munitions. In the real world, A to G munitions add lots of drag and weight, both of which affect fuel-burn. If the target is not far away, fine, load away. For every mile more, then there's got to be a tanker to keep the gas coming. Our mission in W Germany was first point of defense if the Russians got nasty. Given that the border to E Germany wasn't considerably far away the assumption was that they had no shortage of staging areas to fly from and bring tanks and troops. Yet still, the higher-ups didn't tend to load the Phantoms with gobs of ordnance. Six Mk-82's or Mk-20's on 2&8, two 370's and the C/L empty or with a 500 gal tank.
- And were these kind of bombs ever used when GBU's were carried?
Mixed loads were generally not the norm. Great for airshow stuff but usually the aircraft's mission determined what weapons to carry (of course) and during our many, many, MANY exercises I never saw a mixed load. One other more-or-less "common" loads was CBU-58's which were canister bombs that split down each side releasing bomblets at altitude. I believe we only loaded two on each TER. One on the bottom station and one on the outboard shoulder. Sta's 2 & 8.
This is how I remember things back when I was but a mere lad some 40 years ago.
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- Can I assume that my favored loadout of an AN/ALQ-119 (st6), an AN/ASQ-153 (st4), 2 GBU-10's (st2+8), 2 droptanks (st1+9), a SUU-23 (st5) and 2 AIM-7's (st3+7) is realistic if I lose the SUU-23?
The laser designator could go on 4 or 6. Funny thing is us weapons toads never loaded them. They were done by a different shop. Same with the ECM pods. We never touched them. Since they were not munitions, they were out of our AFSC. The mission would likely call for two AIM-7's in the aft launchers though we almost never loaded them except in the load-barn for qual. We once had a NATO/TAC EVAL exercise and it called for an AIM-7 load on a forward station. The aft stations were much lower to the ground and scraping our heads on drain masts was always fun. But I was told by our senior NCO's that the AIM-7's would go there if at all.
Absolutely a realistic load if you delete the gun pod on Sta 5.
The launchers for AIM-9's were carried at Spang and when I first got there the base did have that mission but it ended shortly after my arrival. We never loaded any except once in the load-barn at the start of my tour and never again.
- Did the F-4D's at Spang ever use the SUU-23 gunpods?
We were trained to load them and usually on Sta 5. They generally were considered to be phasing out but still were in the inventory. We never loaded one for actual gunnery purposes, just for load-barn training as it was a mission requirement. It would not be "wrong" to have one on Sta 5 but more than likely that station would have a fuel tank. The thing about the SUU-23 was that after you hang it, it has to be boresighted. This involves a bunch of cranking the airplane down to the ground, using a bunch of fiddly equipment to line up at a point somewhere in front of the aircraft. This accounts for the minor differences of when the pod was swayed in with the four sway pads that held it in place and to have it shoot straight, of course. But we never loaded one operationally...Just in training. It was a bit "weird" since it was electrical all the way. Both controlled and fired. The M61A1 in the E model was hydraulically actuated and electrically controlled. The SUU-23 used an electric motor to drive the breeches. Historically, I was told that the SUU-23's were notoriously inaccurate. The pylon swaybraces were not stout enough to keep them in a fixed position when firing and they would quickly go out of alignment.
- What could/would be carried on station 5 besides a nuke?
500 gallon fuel tank, the old one, not the high-speed F-15 tank. The Weasels got that mod first and I don't think the D model ever did though I could be wrong.
MER
SUU-21
SUU-23
B-57
B-61
The Dash 1 lists tons more but those were what we did in reality.
- Do you know if the GBU-10 and GBU-12's were the Paveway I or Paveway II versions?
In 1980, were were using Paveway I's with the sheetmetal fins. Later, I'm guessing around the end of the year or early '81, Paveway II's with the retracted fins.
Hope that helps. Most of the time, the D's flew with an ECM pod and one or two SUU-21's.
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Actually worked 714 in the early 80's before the 23rd went to E models.
USAF was going to subdued fatigues from the bright blue. I built this one after I returned to CONUS.
To answer your questions
1) I was there from Mar 80 to Mar 82 as a 462X0 weapons loader so.... When I got there, all the jets in the three squadrons had SEA camo with white markings. Over the course of two years, the transition to black tailcodes happened gradually but by the fall of 1981 they were all black and the aircraft were still SEA camo.
2) Typical weapons loads were, day-to-day two SUU-21 pods (sta 2 & 8, one ea) with either six BDU-33's for conventional simulation or six Mk-106's for nuke simulation. During exercises, the D models were tasked with first a conventional weapons load with TERs on 2 &8 with three Mk-82's ea or, one GBU-10 on 2 & 8 or the same with GBU-12's. When the exercise escalated to nukes, we usually hung a B-61 on station 5. Sometimes it was a B57. Fuel tanks were ALWAYS the 370's on stations 1 and 9
Usually there was a 119 pod in the sta 4 LAU-7 launcher but it was frowned upon as the retractable crew ladder came very close to it so it was preferred it went in Station-6
Seldom, if ever did we load any AIM-7's as that commitment went away. Same with AIM-9's and the jets we got from Hahn, the first thing we did was remove the Aero 3B's from the inboard pylons. Bitburg was tasked with the A to A role and Spang was A to G only. When I was there, the 480th had E models, the 23rd had D models and the 81st had the G's. As I was leaving the 23rd was converting to E models, sent from Hahn and some from Ramstein.
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I am in need of replacement decals for kit #12424 Blue Angels Anniversary Edition. I have emailed them twice via their "CONTACT" info from their website over a month ago and received no reply.
Is there another, better way to do this?
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Don't forget the F-4D from the 23 TFS.
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This is the Hasegawa kit from 1988. I lowered the flaps and opened the 'chute door but other than that, pretty much stock with MM paints and kit decals.
I remember the only niggling bit was the joint between the bottom wing to the intake trunk. There is no engine detail down the intakes but there are seamless intakes available through aftermarket as well as a ton of exhausts, cockpit parts and seats to make it really pop. None of which were available in the pre-interwebz days.
The "D" kit does suffer from raised panel details.
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Ordered.
Thanks for doing this!
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On 3/1/2021 at 5:28 PM, Thunderchief105 said:
I lost my good friend 2 years ago in January. For 14 years he was the best dog I ever had but liver cancer finally took him from us. I feel your pain and loss even after 2 years. I can truly say it never goes away. My good friend Gus is the pug on the right.
Thunderchief,
I'll bet Gus was more fun than anyone could imagine. I am also deeply moved by the responses here and the fact that people and their pets seem to make them more three-dimensional in the blog-o-sphere. Models are great and that's why we come here but the people here are what make this a great site to come to and take the edge off our stresses and our fears and challenges.
I have brought Coby's ashes 1500 miles back east to the home where I grew up. My mom passed last September and I have to say, living here without her makes this one large, empty, cold place. So many memories, the noises, the smells of home, the weather. Much has been processed these past few weeks. And Coby's ashes are in my room, with his photo and I still get a lump in my throat as I miss him as I'd miss my own arm.
He loved it here with the woods to run around in, squirrels to chase and bark at and neighbors coming to say hello; His tail letting them know he was glad to see them and would they come and play.
I've been interviewed by a rescue outfit for a female American Bulldog mix who is nursing puppies right now. She will be back nearby in April and I will get to go meet her but I know it's not a guarantee. According to her profile, she seems to be exactly the right fit for me. I hope that I'm as suited to her as well. We'll see.
The harsh winter is about over. No rush on anything and I'd like to get some projects going and get out to the flying field and do some RC as well as my RC sailboat for giggles. I've been dabbling in wristwatch design and need to make some photo-etch items for completion. Highly specialized and often owner-requested specific.
I do wish Coby was here to share the last parts of my life but he's up there playing and having a ball, I'm sure. This is as it should be. How fortunate I was to share his life with mine and make sure he was healthy, well-fed and cared for and loved like no other being I've ever known. He was worth every minute of it. I weep as I say it and am not ashamed to admit it.
Dogs are special. They get to know us better than we know ourselves and even the worst of people among us can have a dog as a friend. I do not know why this is but I think it has to do with the complete lack of judgment by the dog because they are pure in heart. They overlook our faults and accept us as we are. This must be as-intended to show us what unconditional love and loyalty are. For all of it, I am grateful and even welcome the pain which lets me know it was of extreme value and counts high on the chart of life's tasks.
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Just don't use it on your hair.
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On 2/17/2021 at 5:19 PM, andyf117 said:
RIP Sofka, my Sofka; my beautiful cat; my bestest girl...
Andy,
A heartfelt and touching tribute to a wonderful pet. I grieve with you as many here do, I'm sure. Our pets do become such solid anchors to our own existence and I, for one, forget how, as one person has said, "They are with us for a short period in our lives, but for them we are there for their whole life."
That has been in my head since Jan 4 this year and I still feel devastated. I suppose it will get easier as time passes but yes, I understand the enormous space that has been left. They are our alter egos and our friends, asking for very little and giving us so very much.
I hope the coming days will find you and your wife at peace knowing that you've been fine guardians for a wonderful animal and that you can dwell on the good more than the absence.
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On 2/13/2021 at 9:21 AM, Scooby said:
Replying for a second time, again so sorry for your loss.
One of my current dogs also watches TV. Your info was interesting to read. Indy especially like dog shows. If he hears the Pet Smart commercial he come scooting into the living room.
That is so cool. Only recently have people dove into the very unusual relationship that people have with dogs. I've also noted how through selective breeding, humans have diversified all the different breeds, supposedly from one genome, the wolf. Everything from Chihuahuas to Bull Mastiffs, it's remarkable and many of them with distinct and unique personality traits.
It's been a month and a half now and though I'm feeling a little better, I am still very much attached to my emotions toward Coby. I have read many testimonials and seen some videos where dogs and their masters have equally co-dependent relationships as I had with my little hero. It impressed on me greatly that this is something no other two species on the planet has and it fills my heart with great joy to see it. Conversely, I cringe at the stories of cruelty, remembering being told that "Anyone who would be cruel to an animal would have no problem being cruel to people."
Rescuing a dog or cat to a loving home is something I believe in and in time, I will likely go to a shelter and find a new pal but I'm not ready just yet as the pain still lingers. But I know I will come around eventually.
I also am grateful to all who have read and participated in this thread, knowing it has next-to-nothing to do with model building but many of us have our special companion close by when we're at the bench or just fondling the plastic of a new kit. I still chuckle as I remember Coby very much needing to inspect any packages that came in the mail for my hobbies. A quick but serious sniffing and a look at me to approve the latest acquisition.
It still fascinates me that dogs seem able to read us so very well and offer us unconditional love and tolerate our being so very flawed as beings while wishing to be close by and enjoying our attention and affection so easily. For all the challenges we face in our day-to-day lives, our pets are always there to welcome us, sit with us and all for just a kind word, a pat on the head or belly rub and playtime. It's perhaps the best bargain we humans have ever struck.
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On 1/20/2021 at 6:33 AM, Napalmakita said:
..but one day we will all meet again. I wish you the best friend. Be good to yourself and God bless.
A most kind word, thank you. The month is passing quickly and I am packing, almost ready to move 1500 miles away. I have an almost irrational fear that I will leave his spirit behind here as I go. I have his ashes and memories which seem so miniscule to the larger-than-life pup that he was. I do believe he was sent to me so I could have a companion and to help my self-worth as the airline I worked for continuously tried to destroy me. But Coby was always there, happy to see me, to be my friend and to spend time with me as if it was automatic.
There is no other relationship on earth that matches that between humans and dogs. Some of my friends say that God put them under our care to allow us to meet the great potential we have for goodness. I don't know if that's true but it sure answers a lot of questions. I've always had a dog and sometimes two or three. They are all different and they all made me laugh and gave me tremendous joy.
Thank you again for the kind words.
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3 hours ago, Model-Junkie said:
I'll make sure to give some treats to my other cats tonight in memory of Coby
Thanks Model-Junkie. It's strangely compelling how we get so attached to our four-legged friends. Thank you for sharing your story about Niblet. Cool name.
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17 hours ago, Rob de Bie said:
Can you tell us more about Coby watching TV? That's something I've never seen. What did atract his attention? Anything with animals I would guess? I see in the photo that cartoons worked for him 🙂 Could you read his emotional response to what he saw? I see him wagging his tail in the photo, he must have liked that scene 🙂
Rob
Thanks, Rob, you are most kind.
It was completely unexpected the first time I saw Coby watching TV. I've had dogs all my life but none of them had any interest and I had always supposed that it had something to do with the picture tube and the way the human brain processes visual information vs. the way a dog's brain does. But this little guy would also watch the large picture tube TV I used to have and that's where "doggie on TV" became a thing. If I said that, he would run to go see the dog on TV. Sounds silly, yeah, but like a lot of people I talk "child-speak" to my dogs...so sue me. Heh.
But when flat-screen TV's became affordable, it became more common and I remember another curious thing. There is a NOVA episode from years ago with Brian Green talking about string theory and in the lengthy intro to the subject, there's a scene where he says, "You might as well try to teach physics to a dog" where Brian's Labrador Retriever is featured just blinking her eyes while Brian does some math work on the blackboard.
Not only did Coby cue in on the dog being there but....as I often watched the episode, he got trained in a way I did not expect. I hadn't seen the episode in some years and one night, for something to fall asleep in front of, I played it. Coby was right next to me, asleep. But when the part where the Labrador is about to appear, Coby perked up and was sitting up, waiting for it. The background music and Green's narration is probably a conditional cue. But I also attributed it to Coby's extraordinary level of intelligence. He knew many words and commands. One of which is kind of funny.
He often would align himself on the bed with his butt up by my head. Many dogs do this...and if you've ever seen a pack of dogs or a family that has a couple of dogs, they often sleep like that, nestled together. Well...I don't particular care for that and at one point, I simply said, "Coby, turn around." and much to my amazement, he did exactly that. He got up and turned around to put his head in the same direction as mine.
But he would watch some TV shows...he would wag his tail when Mr Spock appeared which I thought was the strangest thing but maybe he looked like someone in Coby's previous life before I found him. He used to sing to the Star Trek theme. He was very "verbal" which apparently is peculiar to the American Bulldog breed. He was very sociable and loved everybody. Just genuinely affectionate to all creatures to include cats...except he thought cats were plush toys. So we did not repeat that exercise. Took an hour to get the cat out of her hiding place.
I have never had a dog so totally engaged with me. He was always watching me, following me, close-by, and just happy to be with. This made it especially hard to see him go. And he departed as he slept right next to me, in my arms, getting strokes as he slept. Something I shall never forget, to be sure. Especially hard to say goodbye and still. I am packing to move away now, I have his ashes and am ready to leave. I never wanted to move to Kansas in the first place but it was one of the best jobs I ever had. Thanks to virus panic, like millions of others, the job was terminated along with 130 other people who were hired when I was.
But I'm trying to look forward to brighter times, in the time that I have left and will try to return to a more jovial self as the past several years have been harsh. But compared to many, I have still been fortunate.
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Thanks crackerjazz. And thank you, everyone. I took Coby's ashes home yesterday afternoon and they did a paw-print and hair trimmings that I can look at from time-to-time, along with the nice box that hold his mortal remains. Will Rogers said, "They tell me when dogs die, they don't go to heaven. Well, when I die, I want to go where they go."
I also noticed that on IMDB, one of the single most popular episodes of the old The Twilight Zone TV show was "The Hunt" where a hillbilly and his dog, Rip both drown when raccoon hunting. The show examines the pair as they travel a road and almost end up at the wrong place because they wouldn't allow the dog in. I have been known to drop everything if that episode is on on MeTV late at night.
Many here both publicly and privately have shared their stories about their beloved four-legged friends. It's wonderful to know you all and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There has been some closure and I'm getting ready to move away but his life will always bring special memories and make me pause for just a moment to be grateful for the time we spent together. I wish sometimes he could still be here. And I always will.
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Thanks T thunder. I took his ashes home today. They did a paw-print cast and hair trimmings. It's only been a little over a week but I'm trying.
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Two fine buddies to have around! I'll bet they are a blast! Thanks for the photo. They look great!
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Thank you Curt B. The pain they tell me will diminish but never go away. I should hope it never leaves completely for it would lessen the value of this extraordinary animal who would wake me when my blood sugar was low (no training) and who would follow me to every room or find me when I went out of his sight and he didn't catch it. Fora belly rub, a rawhide chewy, a walk or a ride in the car. Always just happy to be with, to be "among". Only dog I ever knew who watched television. He knew what the day would be like based on what clothes I put on in the morning. Slacks = work day and he would wait while I was gone but expected reward when I returned in the form of attention and activity which he rightly deserved. Bluejeans and he would be even happier because I would be with him all day.
How blessed I was. How entirely unexpected the chance meeting would end up with such a long relationship. He watched me go through hell on several occasions and kept me from feeling completely devastated many times. Always within reach and always joyful. Eye contact resulted in *thump*thump*thump* of his tail. Or just saying his name.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for understanding. I've never loved anything or anyone as much as my little hero. His trust in me was complete and I often changed my plans to suit the obligation to him.
Thank you again.
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Thanks most kindly to all who've replied and also all who've viewed my post. I genuinely think very highly of this site and have been coming here since the early 2000's...most knew me as Rusty Shackleford. My life changed dramatically in 2004 and after that, much of the joy had gone out of it, except for this little guy who always made me smile.
Good people here. Kind and thoughtful and I've watched a great many builds here and some extraordinary skills.
Thank you all again.
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On 1/7/2021 at 1:58 PM, Berkut said:
;
Note the tail jack to prevent the nose from pointing sykward.
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Fellow ARC'ers, I have spent the last week grieving heavily for my beloved dog, Coby. I have never had a dog as fun, as loving, as loyal and as smart as him. In 2007, I was on a day off and going into town for lunch in South Carolina and he ran in front of my truck. I screeched to a stop, got out and he was genuinely glad to see me, jumped up with his paws on my chest and I noted the lack of a collar. However, I assumed he had escaped from his yard and so, I put him over the fence where I thought he belonged and went about my day.
Oddly enough, the exact same thing happened the following day in exactly the same way. I got out again and picked him up and put him in my truck, which he thought was just the best and drove down the driveway to the house where I thought he belonged prepared to scold the owner for being irresponsible. Well, as it turns out, it wasn't his home. Faced with a quandary as my lease did not permit having a pet, I drove around for hours stopping at house after house desperately trying to find his owner.
Where I lived in York County, like a lot of places, is very rural and people often would drop their pet off thinking they would be ok or someone would find them and assuage them of the guilt of abandoning their dog. Well, here I was with a lost waif, having a hoot riding around with me, talking to dozens of people who did not claim him. I went to Animal Control and that's when the light-bulb came on brightly.
They said, "Sure, you can drop him off here; He'll get his five days."
My heart sank and in a nano-second I made a choice. My landlady might find out, she was difficult to say the least and if she kicked me out for having a dog, so be it. This little guy was but just around a year old or less, was as happy a pup as I've ever met and seemed to like me as if we had always been paired as dog and owner since he was born.
So I made a trip to town, had lunch, got some bowls and food and a collar and leash and the next several days we got to know one another and I found out that he liked to "talk". He would gurgle little "stories" and wooooo--wooooo a lot and thought the little house I lived in was just the best. My philosophy with dogs is they are people too, with conditions. But he was allowed on the bed, the couch, anywhere he wanted to be. He seemed to be house-trained and would go to the back door to ask to go out.
That was 2007. A week ago, Monday, at 7:15 in the morning, Coby, my beloved friend of almost 14 years, lost his battle to spleen cancer and left. He was in my arms on the bed as his spleen ruptured. The vet had warned me about it and I had been checking his gums and inner eyelids as instructed watching for them to turn gray, telling me that his time to bring him in for euthanizing was due. Well, he ate supper the night before, we played a little, in spite of his abdomen being more distended and his difficulty using his rear legs. He was in no pain, wanted to be near me and we spent the last hours of his life sitting on the couch with my petting him and then we went to bed.
This is the hardest thing I have ever faced. I post this here to help alleviate some of the pain and share with everyone what a wonderful, happy pup he was and how he helped me cope with so many tough times. I lost my job in 2016, have struggled to find good work, got lucky and found suitable employment but lost it in April due to virus panic. I was diagnosed with terminal cancer myself and I have to move from here to my mother's house back east. We lost her in September. 2020 has been brutal but through it all, Coby was by my side and the undiscovered killer his body had was not diagnosed until December 22. I was heartbroken then and I weep some as I write this now. I am coping better with the giant emptiness his absence has left as he was with me at all times except when I was at work which, when I tallied it out, seem to have been close to five years of his waiting for me to come home.
If you have a pet, please give them a treat in Coby's name, tell them they are good and love them for all they're worth. You'll be rewarded tenfold for it. I must let him go as I believe that my grief might prevent his spirit from being free, as it must be. I am so very grateful for the time was was blessed to have this wonderful animal choose me, of all people.
I will likely have another dog someday. I live alone and a house is not a home without a bundle of four-legged friendship to greet you, laugh with you (dogs do laugh) and show me what joy really is.
I have had his remains cremated and will receive them sometime this week. I clasped his collar for the last time forever and hung it on the corner of his photo, a favorite of mine and will forever hold a cherished place in my heart for Cobius Maximus, my little hero.
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I went with this that I found on eBay® years ago but for the life of me I cannot find it again listed there. A wooden or metal-mesh would've done just as well but I was on a budget then. They came in various sizes and this was the largest capacity one. The shelves all had a clear plastic front barrier allowing me to read the labels
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Once the lume is "charged up" you can take the UV light away and let it glow for as long as it lasts. Here you can see in a lighted room it still retains some "glow" and if you dim the room lights it will be a bit more pronounced. Same as on a wristwatch dial.
1/72 2001 PanAm Space Clipper 29” Long
in Sci-Fi Modeling
Posted
This is killer. How long have we waited for this? Moebius comes to the rescue with a large-scale rendition. Wish we had it in 1969 but hey, what’s a 50+ year wait?