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F-14 glove vanes


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I'm going to start dipping into my Tomcat kits finally, but I had a question on the glove vanes.

All of my builds will be 14A models from the 77-82 timeframe but I was wondering if the glove vanes were still being used at this time or if they had already been deactivated. I haven't been able to find any definitive answer yet on the subject and was wondering if anyone here knows.

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I've wondered for a while - what were the glove vanes for, and why was their use discontinued?

I believe they were used to provide extra lift at the forward end of the aircraft as the Tomcat had a tendency to fly nose low at supersonic speeds. The actuating mechanism was also somewhat involved and probably maintenance happy. In the end, I'm sure the Navy decided the cost outweighed the advantage and eventually deleted their use.

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Here's rule about F-14 Glove vanes. They were only deployed when the aircraft went supersonic and go like this for all the versions:

F-14A - fitted and active

F-14B - fitted but deactived as all Bs used older F-14A airframes.

F-14D - removed completely from the F-14 design.

There are ecceptions to the rule however as some A model tomcats had them deactivated when they had the bombcat upgrade added to them.

Hope this helps.

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I asked a couple of Tomcat pilots a few years ago about the vanes. They said that Grumman figured out that the vanes didnt really do anything for the plane. So they quit using them and thats why they were deleted from the D models. This was around 91 or 92.

Edited by DBB69
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Here's rule about F-14 Glove vanes. They were only deployed when the aircraft went supersonic and go like this for all the versions:

F-14A - fitted and active

F-14B - fitted but deactived as all Bs used older F-14A airframes.

F-14D - removed completely from the F-14 design.

There are ecceptions to the rule however as some A model tomcats had them deactivated when they had the bombcat upgrade added to them.

Hope this helps.

A portion of F-14A+/B models were all new aircraft ...

I forget how many though ...

-Gregg

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I'm going to start dipping into my Tomcat kits finally, but I had a question on the glove vanes.

All of my builds will be 14A models from the 77-82 timeframe but I was wondering if the glove vanes were still being used at this time or if they had already been deactivated. I haven't been able to find any definitive answer yet on the subject and was wondering if anyone here knows.

I worked on bloc 90 & bloc 110 F-14A's in the late 80's early 90's, the only time I saw the glove vanes out were in old photos. I can ask around and get back to you, being an AO I didn't pay much attention back then, they had nothing to do with my job or my systems. I know for certain when they were parked, rolling up to the cat or to the arm / de-arm pad I never saw them out. I went through FRAMP in 1990, I thought they had something to do with added role tendencies at high speed and MACH. Let me ask around and I'll get back to you...

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Thanks for the input guys. Since these will be most likely be wheels down on the ground, guess I don't have to worry about em too much then.

Okay...talked to the former Skipper of VF-24, he was a RIO in both the F-4 & F-14, here's what he had to say:

"Also used when coming into the break at the field or "looking good around the ship". As a RIO, not exactly sure I've got this right...but I think the wings were first swept all the way aft in "manual", and then the Wing Control switch was thrown down into "Bomb Mode", which extended the glove vanes...something like that. Not sure there was any actual aerodynamic advantage...but it looked "**** hot"."

"Tom...don't think they ever "stop being used" in either the A or the re-manufactured Bs (converted from As). They may have been disabled/bolted-in in the early Bs, and I think the "production" Bs had them gone, but I may be wrong. Ds never had them, as I recall. We had a mix of the re-man and production Bs in VF-24 when I was CO, and pretty sure we stopped using them entirely simply for the sake of "everyone looking the same" in the break. Others will disagree, of course, but my recall is that they were almost entirely "cosmetic" for the Case I pattern at the ship, and at the field."

A little more intell than you needed, but your hearing it from the real deal and now you know they were pretty much "cosmetic." Good luck with your build!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Gregg- they were 'broken' in that shot. Made for some cool pictures but it was noted pretty quick for the gripe log. Ive got a few more shots in the sequence of 201 climbing back out and the vanes partially extended looked pretty cool. On the same day VF-213 had a jet in the FCLP pattern that had a port engine that kept slipping into burner when he applied full power. Interesting day in the shack ;)

Edited by Brian P: Fightertown Decals
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Gregg- they were 'broken' in that shot. Made for some cool pictures but it was noted pretty quick for the gripe log. Ive got a few more shots in the sequence of 201 climbing back out and the vanes partially extended looked pretty cool. On the same day VF-213 had a jet in the FCLP pattern that had a port engine that kept slipping into burner when he applied full power. Interesting day in the shack ;)

Brian, thanks for the explanation ... :thumbsup:

Nothing better than a first hand account to describe what was going on ...

It looks like they might have been doing "Touch N Goes" in the photo ...

-Gregg

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