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A-6A Intruder fuselage speed brake question


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I know the A-6A was originally designed with the fuselage speed brakes but do to pitch problems?  I believe they were "disabled" and used the wing-tip ones instead.  For the airframes that retained the perforated, albeit disabled fuselage speed brakes, would it ever have been possible to open them for either maintenance or inspection purposes?  (Provided they weren't the bolted over kind)?

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Yes, here is one with the fuselage speed brake slightly open, took a little AAA but i don't think that had anything to do with the brake open:

 

12803211_975130942581628_640007275560004

 

Here is one during maintenance:

 

1380524_716222015070620_1158521562_n.jpg

 

Jari

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Thanks Jari, you have no idea how much you just settled my "OCMD" Obsessive Compulsive Modelers Disorder" :-) with that.  I did an A-6A a ways back, and decided to pose the speed brakes open to show off some of the detail but knew they were disabled.

 

Thanks!

 

Dan

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We had some of the perforated speed brakes (71-75) in my squadron. There was some wiring and piping that could be seen through the holes in the brake panels so even though the panels were closed, sure they could be opened if needed. On the other hand I never saw any opened the entire time I was with the squadron. 

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Here are a couple of Navy A-6As, just slightly open in the foreground while the one in the background are even more so, also note the inside colour even though the pic is in b&w:

 

http://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv61-68/150.htm

 

edit: check the top of the pic as the a/c above the photgragher has open brakes as well.

 

Jari

Edited by Finn
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Since it looks like it is physically possible that they could've opened (as long as they weren't bolted up), lets just say for my "OCMD" (see description above) that a "rogue sparrow" was suspected as a stowaway and the crew were looking for it?  :-)

Edited by dsahling
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