F-14A serving with VF-2 while OP Frequent Wind

[Rapier]

According to the warm response, my first thread found in this forum, I decided to start up an new one for the second building-process.

Starting point is Hasegawa, 00863, F-14A Tomcat "Early Version" in 1/72 scale.

There ist a VF-2 Tomcat included where I have my doubt's for taking part in operation Frequent Wind.

Given BuNo 159625 tells, that it is a block 85 plane. This should not be available before 1976 - not in spring 1975.

1. What BuNo had NK-201 while OP Frequent Wind?

2. No Alpha Probe?

3. What kind of beaver tail?

4. What kind of IRST-pod?

5. All leading edges are stated bare metal.

6. No tan radome.

7. Tail fin yellow outlined blue or blue outlined yellow?

8. Black or dark blue anti glare panel?

Feel free to join the "collektive brain"!

[Sig Saur & Son]

Found it! Mystery solved.

The BuNo was 158987. I have a a couple shots of it in '74 and '75. Prior to the cruise it displayed a white nose cone. Post cruise it was grey.

Photographer is unknown. There is no name on the slide mount. Photographed 4 Mar 1974

No IRST Chin pod, early-early gun gas vents, NM leading edges. Early style wheels and early pilot tube.

Post cruise, IRST Pod, painted radome, names on canopy, USS Enterprise on Vstab.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Sig Saur & Son

[Gary F]

Found one shot of NK201 in my cruisebook from that cruise. Just the fwd portion of the ac is visible. It shows gray radome with wavy, feathered white underside that doesn't reach the point of the radome ... if you cut the radome in half from the tip aft, half of the lower half is white. The antiglare area on top extends all the way fwd to the tip.

The IRST is of the rounded head type with the small triangular fairing extending below, as seen form the side.

Old style gun venting with lots of grills.

While it's hard to tell because the radome tip is right on the book binding ... it sure looks like there is a pitot coming off the tip ... could be some photo anomaly but it sure looks like ones there.

Pic is black and white so can't help on the colors but some of the other ac in the book seem to have yellow names on very dark blue canopy framing.

Book is from that 75 cruise so I'm not going to try to scan it and break the binding but if I get a chance I'll try to take a pic of it and get it up to this thread.

Gary F

[Rapier]

Great work gentlemen, my warm thanks to both of you!

I would guess the beavertail ist that kind with removed dielectric panels, right?

Antiglare I would go for flat black.

Without any pod looks also nice.

We'll see..

Edited October 2, 2008 by Rapier

[Rapier]

So, I checked my sources. Found a black/white profile from Mr. Redemann in Flug Revue 3/1990. It depicts NK 201 onboard USS Enterprise in March 1975.

Broad Beavertail (with dielectrice), IRST, 158629 block 65. Radome gullgrey and white. But profile states 36440 on upper surfaces and USS Enterprise on bottom of each air intake, not tail plane.

So questioning continues.

[Sig Saur & Son]

So, I checked my sources. Found a black/white profile from Mr. Redemann in Flug Revue 3/1990. It depicts NK 201 onboard USS Enterprise in March 1975.

Broad Beavertail (with dielectrice), IRST, 158629 block 65. Radome gullgrey and white. But profile states 36440 on upper surfaces and USS Enterprise on bottom of each air intake, not tail plane.

So questioning continues.

Wrong. As I stated, I have images of NK-201 pre and post cruise. The BuNo was 158987. The photographic evidence is clear. 158629 was the first NK-201 but was gone from the squadron prior to the Frequent Wind Cruise.