Hangar Queens?

[Spongebob]

One other issue with wanting to fly a jet before for the 30 day mark, if the aircraft has not been flown within 30 days, it requires a Functional Check Flight Charlie (commonly called a Pro C). On the Pro C all of the aircraft major systems are checked out and if it fails (for just one little tiny issue, like a light bulb burned out) the Pro C has to be repeated until EVERYTHING passes. If the aircraft is down for more then 60 days it requires a Pro A and every system in the aircraft is check out, good luck on having a Pro A pass on the first try, never seen it done.

You're getting NAVAIR brain rot...It's an FCF "A". C Pro's are just flight control checks, "B"'s cover engines and "D"'s are just mission systems. "A" is the whole freaking book and commonly uncovers other things that make the aircraft down. One of the PIA parts is that you need to be VMC with a place to land in an emergency, and daytime only to compelte the FCF...with the A you need to go up way high so this becomes problematic at times. I've sat for 2 weeks trying to get an FCF out at Pt Mugu because the marine layer parked over the base. Quicky eats up the time to your 30 day no-fly.

One of my first SH-60B "flights" was to take a sorta-complete helo out to the taxiway minutes before sunset, pull into a hover, hold on for a 3 count and put it back down to reset the 30 day clock. It had been down waiting for a new main rotor blade and they didn't finish the work in time to do ground track/balance in time to go do a pro before sunset so we cheated.

Canning is fairly common and with good maintenance leadership can be done successfully. Lots of things factor in...parts availability, what other gripes the aircraft has, upcoming missions (i.e. you don't need a mission system for FCLP/CQ) and even your chances of the handler giving you an elevator run anytime soon.

HTH

Spongebob

[Bobski]

To the best of my knowledge, a "hangar queen" is an aircraft that spends all its time in a hangar, whether it is used for spares or is just being stored. If it starts to get stripped, it becomes a "Christmas tree".

[Reddog]

You're getting NAVAIR brain rot...It's an FCF "A". C Pro's are just flight control checks, "B"'s cover engines and "D"'s are just mission systems. "A" is the whole freaking book and commonly uncovers other things that make the aircraft down. One of the PIA parts is that you need to be VMC with a place to land in an emergency, and daytime only to compelte the FCF...with the A you need to go up way high so this becomes problematic at times. I've sat for 2 weeks trying to get an FCF out at Pt Mugu because the marine layer parked over the base. Quicky eats up the time to your 30 day no-fly.

Thanks for the correction, been a while since I had to do deal with this stuff.

In Tomcats we only had Pro A (encompassed everything) Pro B (engines and fuel systems) and Proc C (flight controls/hydraulic systems).

And I forgot about the VFR and other rules.

Pro C's where that bad, Pro A's where a PITA. Also, it always seems like Maintenance just had to do a Pro at like 1600 on a Friday afternoon (during the winter) or at like 1900 (during the summer), a half hour before the end of the shift.

Reddog

[Spongebob]

No worries mate, I got your back. TINS about the timing!!

[tornado64]

thaught you were a little lacking in photo's so here are some of tornados during major refits

[blackhawk7]

^ Now that would be an interesting diorama scene!

Tom

[JRobinsonUSAF]

While I was in the Air Force, the powers that be became very unhappy if a bird was done for an extended time. It was common practice to take parts off a bird that was down for maintenance for an extended time to keep the other aircraft in service. Usually this happened when a bird that was waiting on a particularly hard to get part that was on backorder. We had an F-111 pylon in the weapons shop that was basically a bare frame with a bunch of order forms hanging off of it because of all the parts we had canned off of it.

The best story I have heard (don't know if it's true) involved an F-4 that was TDY into Incirlik in the late 70s. Supposedly the Turkish government would not allow a US aircraft to be on the base for more than 90 days. One bird was down for a serious problem and was not going to be able to leave within that window, so when the next squadron flew in and the old one was rotating out, they did some creative repainting of tail numbers so the "broken" bird left within its 90 day window, and the "new" bird sat forlornly on the ground, mysteriously broken down on its first day in country!

[doctorpepper]

Getting back to the original question and subject for the thread...

I was actually thinking about doing an F-16A in the same state,

Radome open, radar gone, the panels open and most of the boxes out, as well as parts out of the cockpit.

One stab off with the rudder isa removed and even the bathtub and doughnut removed with the engine out. all this was to have been in 1/48th back in the late 80's but I got sidetracked, and we know how that goes...

Now I may try it If I can get a Tamiya 1/32nd for cheap. hehe

William G

why not try a jet undergoing 2400Hourly phase with the ADG changed out? that would have the bathtub, doughnut removed, engine out, keel beam out, EDPs, JFS, CSD/Main Gen, Standby gen all removed.

usually because that is a long-downtime bird, that would have many components robbed as well. you could even rob the radome and the radar antenna..

plus, you could have open panels all over, the flight control accumulators exposed, the flaperon ISAs removed, LEFs disconnected, pylon rib being inspected, LEF seals, rudder seals out, even a hort stab on the ground for replacement of the hort stab ISA. couple that with a seat and canopy removal, glareshield removed for access to MFDs, plus avionics bays open with empty slots for the radar components, RH and LH strake power panels open with CBs collared... wingtip launchers robbed,

now THAT's something i would like to see modelled!

[Clarence]

In 78 on the Nimitz there was a new F14 that had a bent wing (elevator accident - lifted into the side of the ship). No way to fix that except replacing the entire wing. It got parked way up out of the way in the front corner of the hanger bay, slowly shedding parts to keep the other F14s flying. Brought it all the way back to the States from the Med like that.

I saw it.

Clarence