GW8345

For the GE engines, both engines nozzles defaulted to the open position when both engines were turning. Rarely during a single engine turn the mech turning the engine would shut the engine down with the nozzle closed so the mech's could work on something. I did 15 years in A/B/D and only saw the nozzles closed on shut down a less than hand full of times so it was very rare to see one nozzle closed with the other open. For the PW engines, the engine computer controlled the nozzle and when one engine shut down with the other turning the computer forced the nozzle to close in order to "squeeze" out the last bit of thrust from the engine that was shutting down. This was done to help mitigate asymmetric thrust that happened with one engine turning and the other not. The nozzle would automatically "pucker" at a certain during spool down rpm.

Looks like the issue has been resolved. http://spruebrothers.com/

I too find the landing page very valuable to see what new items have arrived but there is a work around. Go to the store page and on the left hand side click on "New Arrivals", scroll down to just under the "Find by Brand" list until you see the the "sort by" drop down, select "Newest", a list of everything that arrived will display with the newest items at the top. hth

Just want to make a few comments; For the top pic, the missiles are Inert Training Missiles (i.e. CATM's) and are not indicative of what live missiles would look like. Also, the Sparrows are ground training missiles only (gold bands are for ground training missiles) and are not cleared for flight. (the Sidewinders are CATM-9L's and the Sparrows are CATM-7F-3's) For the bottom pic, again, the missiles (and the bomb) are inert training rounds, the Sparrow are (again) ground training rounds and not all the wings/fins are installed. FWIW: I didn't join the USN until 84 but all the AIM-9M's I saw back then were light ghost grey. Rarely there would be one or two with different color sections but normally, all the components were the same color (except for the CCG) just my $0.02, ymmv

I won't believe half of the crap in that article, there's no way a single B-2 has more fire power then a whole carrier airwing.

Yep, that's her. She folded up her gear while sitting on the fan tail one day waiting to be launched, screwed up the recovery big time. We had to get Tilly out to pick her up and drop her gear. When she folded up her gear the gear pins had been pulled but there are interlocks that are supposed to prevent the gear from being raised while she sitting on deck, guess they didn't work. I wasn't on deck when it happened but heard about it from those who were there. Some of the antenna's on the belly were driven up through her bottom and the gear doors were destroyed (notice the nose gear doors are missing).

So someone points out an incorrect detail and you get triggered. The OP did not say "no critiques" so why can't someone simply point an incorrect detail and offer information as to why it's incorrect. Maybe someone is following this build and would like to know those details. This is a modeling discussion board, we talk about models and share information, including details of the real thing. If you just want pat on the back comments then post the pics down in the "Display Case" thread where critiques are not allowed. Also, anyone who points out a detail is not a "rivet counter", they just have knowledge of the subject. Think of it this way, the next time you paint a model with the correct/accurate colors, are you a rivet counter?

I believe you are correct. The more I think about it (haven't thought about this stuff for almost 20 years), the Alpha's and re-manufactured Bravos had the brace but the new Bravos didn't. Then, sometime during the early-mid 90's, when the brace was removed when the birds went through depot. For the Delta's, I think they were removed when they went through mod from Alpha's and were never installed on the new Delta's. And just for some history IIRC, that brace replaced an actuator on the very first blocks, the original Tomcats had the bleed exit door movable and would move in unison with the ramps. The actuator was deleted shortly after the Tomcat entered service and replaced with a brace to keep it in place. Since it was part of the design all the Tomcats build had or had a place for it since it was in the cast/molds for the parts.

Now if you really want to be rivet count and nick-pick the kit, count the number of blades on the first stage compressor, if it ain't 32, it's wrong. (BTW - TF-30's had 28 first stage compressor blades) 😄

No problem. BTW, the E-2/KA-6 accident on the Saratoga occurred in late January 1991, I can't remember the exact date, it's all a blur now. I was on deck when it happened. Also, the Saratoga had to off load a S-3 from VS-30 when they off loaded the E-2/KA-6, the S-3 had it's landing gear fold up while sitting on deck and heavily damaged it's underside. We pulled into Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for about 12 hours in early Feb 1991 to off load those aircraft, then it was back to the line and the war.

No, not every aircraft has it's engine visible from the front, think F-117 and F-22. As far as paint reducing IR signature, it doesn't reduce it, it just doesn't add to it and it doesn't add to the radar reflectivity (unless it the new special coatings).

Once you build the kit you can dive the intakes, make sure you check the first and second stage compressor blades, all the rivets in the intake for looseness, the ramp seals, the stub duct, the bullet, the engine inlet probe, the hydraulic actuators for ramps 1, 2, and 3, FOD check the interior of the ramps and the "shelf" and the bleed air exit door brace. Then get back to us and tell us if they got all that right.

On the flight deck/flight line, everyone is FOD. The fun was being up inside the ramps when Airframes decides to put hydraulic power on the plane (once hydraulic power is applied, the ramps instantly retract unless the circuit breakers are pulled), you ever want to see someone move like lightning, watch them come shooting out of the ramps once they hear a Jenny fire up. :-D

Every F-14A/B Tomcat I worked on had the bypass brace, not sure about the F-14D but I would swear that they had them also. Part of my job when I was in VF-103 and VF-143 was to dive the intakes and check them for FOD, that included checking the top area of the ramps (when they were down) and there was a nut with a cotter pin that you had to verify was installed for that brace. I never dived the F-14D intakes but from what I remember they were identical to the F-14B's in every detail.

For multi-place racks/missile launchers, the rack/launcher "ID's" itself and how many weapon/stores it has loaded on it. For example, an IMER will basically tell the aircraft's weapons computer it is an IMER and how many weapons are loaded on it (there's a sensor in the aft hook mechanism so when the aft hook on the sub-station is closed, it signals that there is something loaded on that sub-station). The codes are strictly for the weapon/store type and the type of fuzing that weapon has, number of weapon/stores is covered by the suspension equipment (IMER/ITER/CVER/etc).