T-33 intake color + underwing ECM pods?

[viking73]

Hi,

I am building the 1/32 Czech Model T-33. I'm planning on doing an ADC Gray Texas ANG bird. Would the intakes be natural metal on an ADC Gray T-bird? I'm assuming the front part would be ADC Gray and then back to a certain point it would be natural metal? I'm not too sure even after looking at my reference books.

Also, I am thinking of picking up a set of the AMS Resin under wing pylons for this kit. The photo I have of the airframe I'm building has the underwing ECM pods in place and it would be something different to model I think. They look very similar in shape to an F-102 drop tank (or maybe shortened F-101 Voodoo tanks?), but smaller?? I may have a set of old Monogram 1/48 F-102 tanks in the "boneyard". If I can find them, I'll check to see how close to size and shape they might be and see if they are good match for my 1/32 build. Are there any decent close-up photos of these pods anywhere? It looks like they have a hole in the nose and some sort of chaff dispenser (square?) hole on the top rear of them?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-Derek

p.s. - does anyone make 1/32 seated, USAF pilots from the 1970s or 1980s?! This T-33 build may be a wheels up, in flight model...

Edited March 28, 2016 by viking73

[Finn]

The pod is the ALE-2 chaff dispenser:

Lt - 13' 10.2"

Dia - 19.58"

some pics of it here on a EB-57:

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bill_spidle2/eb-57b/index.php

Jari

[GEH737]

At Tyndall in the mid-80's - the intakes on our jets was ADC gray all the way back - and they weren't long intakes like the F-15 or F-4. The Allison J-33 being a very early jet engine had a totally different intake arrangement, with a screen around the engine intake. While I never saw it personally, there were stories about guys who put golf clubs or skis down the intakes when they were going on cross-country flights.

[ikar]

Here's some of our aircraft at Minot. Cold and frozen, but they were ours, the 5th F.I.S.:

Then, not so cold:

[viking73]

Thanks for the info. and photos gents.

Wow, golf clubs and skis in the intakes?! That sounds nuts but then again... :)

-Derek

[Flyboyf18]

Yes I heard the same thing from one of our pilots! Since the skis would not fit in the T'Bag luggage pod they would put them in the intake as there was no way for them to get into the engine. You just had to be careful on the braking while taxiing!?

[Scooby]

Yes I heard the same thing from one of our pilots! Since the skis would not fit in the T'Bag luggage pod they would put them in the intake as there was no way for them to get into the engine. You just had to be careful on the braking while taxiing!?

Wow, new to me too.

[GEH737]

The "Travel Pod" such as it was (underneath the jet) - was pretty tiny - and there wasn't too much room in the nose either. I did participate in some lobsters being transported in the back seat though (in an appropriate container of course :)

The worst thing I ever carried though was General Chuck Horner's hat... He'd forgotten it at Tyndall, and I had to fly it up to him at Andrews AFB. Ya gotta be kidding' me...

[ikar]

In the 5th we sent a couple T-Birds all the way to Maine and back for some long distance flights. A lot of lobsters came back in the rear seats. Ithink we were one short and the unhappy person let it leak out about the cargo.

[Murph]

In the 5th we sent a couple T-Birds all the way to Maine and back for some long distance flights. A lot of lobsters came back in the rear seats. Ithink we were one short and the unhappy person let it leak out about the cargo.

The cartons that the live lobsters came packed in from one of the seafood joints around Pease AFB were a perfect fit for the bin inside the ALE-2 that held the chaff. It was almost like one was designed to fit the other.

Regards,

Murph

[ikar]

Did you fly T-33s? If so, when and where?

[Murph]

Did you fly T-33s? If so, when and where?

I flew them in the 95 FITS, same time as GEH737.

Regards,

Murph

[ikar]

I remember the 95th from when I was at Dover in 1973.

[Harold]

Hi,

I am building the 1/32 Czech Model T-33. I'm planning on doing an ADC Gray Texas ANG bird. Would the intakes be natural metal on an ADC Gray T-bird? I'm assuming the front part would be ADC Gray and then back to a certain point it would be natural metal? I'm not too sure even after looking at my reference books.

Also, I am thinking of picking up a set of the AMS Resin under wing pylons for this kit. The photo I have of the airframe I'm building has the underwing ECM pods in place and it would be something different to model I think. They look very similar in shape to an F-102 drop tank (or maybe shortened F-101 Voodoo tanks?), but smaller?? I may have a set of old Monogram 1/48 F-102 tanks in the "boneyard". If I can find them, I'll check to see how close to size and shape they might be and see if they are good match for my 1/32 build. Are there any decent close-up photos of these pods anywhere? It looks like they have a hole in the nose and some sort of chaff dispenser (square?) hole on the top rear of them?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-Derek

p.s. - does anyone make 1/32 seated, USAF pilots from the 1970s or 1980s?! This T-33 build may be a wheels up, in flight model...

PM me, I have that chaff and ECM pods already done. I have never retailed them, they were not a high demand set.

Harold

[ikar]

You are talking about the one in my pictures, aren't you? If so, do you have them in 1/72nd and 1/48th?

[Harold]

You are talking about the one in my pictures, aren't you? If so, do you have them in 1/72nd and 1/48th?

I make nothing in 1/72 scale, and I haven't done them in 1/48.

[LRevell]

Hello.

I am researching the ECM, chaff & travel pods for the T-33A, in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales.  I was an avionics instrument tech on the T-birds at Tyndall AFB from 1976 to 1980.  Once, on a weekend, some pilots returned to Tyndall from their flights.  They were having a shindig later.  Each plane carried what looked like emptied chaff pods, one flew in a load of ears of corn, another had lobsters, third bird brought in a load of cases of Coors beer (this was before Coors came east of the Mississippi).  I watched them load it all into a pickup truck.  Must have been a pretty good party!  :-)

One of the 1/72 scale Hasegawa Aircraft Weapons sets has a couple ECM pods, the AN/ALQ-87 or AN/ALQ-101 seem closest to what my 40+ year old memories are trying to drag up.  Anybody know the designation for the T-bird's white ECM pod?

I think I can mod the smaller subsonic F-106 fuel tank from the Meng kit as the black chaff pod.

 

 

[Finn]

It was first designated QRC-160-2 but then became the AN/ALQ-72:

 

 

Jari

[LRevell]

Many thanks!

[Murph]

10 hours ago, LRevell said:

Hello.

I am researching the ECM, chaff & travel pods for the T-33A, in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales.  I was an avionics instrument tech on the T-birds at Tyndall AFB from 1976 to 1980.  Once, on a weekend, some pilots returned to Tyndall from their flights.  They were having a shindig later.  Each plane carried what looked like emptied chaff pods, one flew in a load of ears of corn, another had lobsters, third bird brought in a load of cases of Coors beer (this was before Coors came east of the Mississippi).  I watched them load it all into a pickup truck.  Must have been a pretty good party!  :-)

One of the 1/72 scale Hasegawa Aircraft Weapons sets has a couple ECM pods, the AN/ALQ-87 or AN/ALQ-101 seem closest to what my 40+ year old memories are trying to drag up.  Anybody know the designation for the T-bird's white ECM pod?

I think I can mod the smaller subsonic F-106 fuel tank from the Meng kit as the black chaff pod.

 

 

 

When I flew the T-bird we carried four different pods.  The ALQ-71, ALQ-72, ALQ-167, and ALQ-188.  Since most of our sorties carrying the pod were for air to air training, we rarely carried the ALQ-71, which was set up for air to ground jamming.

 

Regards,

Murph

[LRevell]

Thanks, Murph.  I am trying to build a set of models of all aircraft I maintained at Tyndall AFB.  The T-33A exclusively in my last two years there -1978-1980.  From 1976 to 1978  we had one maintenance shop working on the F-101B/F and the F-106A/B, as well as transient birds.  When ADC was eliminated and we changed to TAC, we were split into three separate maintenance shops.  We T-bird mechs and crewchiefs were stationed in Hangar Three then.

So far, I have ADWC decals for the 1/72 scale F-106A, and 1/48 scale T-33A and F-106A.  Still looking for ADWC decals for the F-101B/F.  The quest continues!  

[F4DPhantomII]

On 3/29/2016 at 6:16 PM, Scooby said:

Wow, new to me too.

Wouldn't that cut air flow to the engine thereby causing problems. Why put foreign objects in there?

 

 

[Murph]

17 hours ago, F4DPhantomII said:

Wouldn't that cut air flow to the engine thereby causing problems. Why put foreign objects in there?

 

 

 

When the crew chiefs had to talk to us once the engine was cranked they would climb up with their feet in the intake.  You couldn't do that with another jet, and when inspection teams came through they would tell the maintainers not to do that, because the inspectors would have a heart attack.  The engine in the T-bird was centrifugal flow, tough as nails, and with a huge screen in front of it.  Also, on the ground most of the air came in through the intake doors on the spine of the jet.

 

Regards,

Murph

[LRevell]

In the late 1970s, the T-bird had a huge vacuum tube radio in the nose.  To get to the pitot tube plumbing, that radio had to come out.  It made a convenient stepstool to use to work in there.  The bosses hated when we did that.....   

Later, the big radios were replaced with tiny transistorized units, about the size of six packs of cigarettes.  Had to start using our toolboxes to step up on.

[Harold]

1/32 scale: