2.75" FFAR Info needed

[JRobinsonUSAF]

I've googled till my fingers bled, but cannot find a picture of 2.75" FFARs being loaded on the flightline circa 1950's. IN PARTICULAR, I am looking for pictures of them being removed from whatever vehicle transported them from the bomb dump to the aircraft, and how they were carried on the vehicle. Pics or a good description would be a great help.

TIA,

JR

[Reddog]

I've googled till my fingers bled, but cannot find a picture of 2.75" FFARs being loaded on the flightline circa 1950's. IN PARTICULAR, I am looking for pictures of them being removed from whatever vehicle transported them from the bomb dump to the aircraft, and how they were carried on the vehicle. Pics or a good description would be a great help.

TIA,

JR

It depends on what service you are talking about. From what I've heard, for the Navy they were just set in the back of a pick up or a flat trailer/towed by a tractor and driven out the flight line for loading. To my knowledge there wasn't any special tailer for the them. Of course the fuzes were not installed so they were considered safe. The bed of the pick up may have had wooden blocks (2x4's) to act as a rack for them, to keep them from rolling around.

I thin the Air Force and Army may have done it the same way but not sure.

I don't recall hearing or seening any kind of special airborne weapons support equipment (ASWE) from that time period for rockets. In fact I don't think there is any today either.

BTW, the bed of the truck would have a wooden floor, you never set ordnance down on a metal deck and a trck bed is considered a deck.

HTH

Reddog

[JRobinsonUSAF]

It depends on what service you are talking about. From what I've heard, for the Navy they were just set in the back of a pick up or a flat trailer/towed by a tractor and driven out the flight line for loading. To my knowledge there wasn't any special tailer for the them. Of course the fuzes were not installed so they were considered safe. The bed of the pick up may have had wooden blocks (2x4's) to act as a rack for them, to keep them from rolling around.

I thin the Air Force and Army may have done it the same way but not sure.

I don't recall hearing or seening any kind of special airborne weapons support equipment (ASWE) from that time period for rockets. In fact I don't think there is any today either.

BTW, the bed of the truck would have a wooden floor, you never set ordnance down on a metal deck and a trck bed is considered a deck.

HTH

Reddog

Thanks, Reddog.

I am an old AF weapons puke, but I'm just not old enough to remember the stuff I'm looking for! BTW, in regards to your remarks about the wooden truck bed, I had to help recover an F-4E that made an emergency landing at Cherry Point Marine Air Station in the mid 70s. We had to pull the 25 pound practice bombs and the centerline MER off the bird so the engine mechanics could roll the engine out. The Marines arranged for a Marine EOD troop to meet us at the aircraft to pick up the bombs. He showed up in an old Ford flatbed with NO siderails or storage capability whatsoever. He nonchalantly opened the driver's door, rocked the seat forward, and piled the bombs on the floor of the cab behind the driver's seat. I guess it was okay, he DID have rubber floormats!

[Finn]

On the CF-104 and CF-18 we used a T6 trailer that had a wooden rack on it. On the 104 it was more of a box with individual slots for the rockets that slide in from the side at an angle while on the CF-18, the rockets were installed vertically into holes cut into the wood.

Jari

[Reddog]

Thanks, Reddog.

I am an old AF weapons puke, but I'm just not old enough to remember the stuff I'm looking for! BTW, in regards to your remarks about the wooden truck bed, I had to help recover an F-4E that made an emergency landing at Cherry Point Marine Air Station in the mid 70s. We had to pull the 25 pound practice bombs and the centerline MER off the bird so the engine mechanics could roll the engine out. The Marines arranged for a Marine EOD troop to meet us at the aircraft to pick up the bombs. He showed up in an old Ford flatbed with NO siderails or storage capability whatsoever. He nonchalantly opened the driver's door, rocked the seat forward, and piled the bombs on the floor of the cab behind the driver's seat. I guess it was okay, he DID have rubber floormats!

Not everyone follows the rules all the time. I've had to invoke the "operational necessity†myself several times. Basically, you do what you have to do in order to get the job done, and try to do it within the bounders of the rules. Which sometimes conflicts with each other, but I “always†did it safely (or I wouldn’t be here :) ).

Reddog

[Bill-TGH]

loading F-86D http://www.mapsairmuseum.org/F86_FFAR.asp

arming F-16 http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t...5-start-15.html

Australians loading something http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/systems/dvic436.jpg

OH-58 arming info http://www.cavalrypilot.com/weapons/kpm260.html

bulk transportation http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/sys...dra-dvic434.jpg

Individual storage tubes http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/sys...dra-dvic435.jpg

[JRobinsonUSAF]

Thanks Bill, this helps round out the data I needed. BTW, the pic captioned Australians loading something - that's a USAF airman loading inert 2.75" rockets on an OV-10. Probably load crew training, I hustled a LOT of blue Mk82s around F-4s in the day.

Thanks again,

JR