TA-4J Outboard Pylon

[Crash Test Dummy]

How common is it for the the outboard pylons to be fitted on a TA-4J for the typical training syllabus missions?

 

I doing the Hasegawa 1/48 OOB with the kit VT-7 decals.  I'm guessing that the pylons used for tanks would pretty much always be fitted, but can't think of a reason to carry the outboards unless you were doing weapons training.

[Joe Hegedus]

Pretty much never, I believe.  The PMBR would have been fitted to the centerline typically for a weapons det.

 

Not sure the TA-4J even had wiring to use the outboard pylons - the J models were delivered without them.

[Finn]

There is always this one:

 

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6485765

 

i think it was a show of force.

 

Jari

[Joe Hegedus]

Well,yeah, but BuNo 152863 was built as a TA-4F, not a J from the factory.  And VC-10 was kind of a special case, being tasked also with air defence of Gitmo.  TA-4F jets had full weapons capability, and the outboard pylon capability.  Nice find on that pic, too.

[spejic]

You will find TA-4J's that were converted from TA-4F's with outboard pylons sometimes, usually in aggressor squadrons or part of VMAT-102. I can't find any pictures of TA-4J's in VT-7 (or VT-21 or VT-25) with outboard pylons. Even an A-4F that was assigned to VT-7 had its outside pylons removed. It's safe to skip it in a training squadron. Otherwise, I'd look for a picture of the aircraft you are trying to model.

 

 

[Crash Test Dummy]

9 minutes ago, spejic said:

... Otherwise, I'd look for a picture of the aircraft you are trying to model.

 

 

 

The bureau number in the kit decals is at the National Naval Aviation Museum and I've found one other picture of it in service. No outboard pylons shown.

 

It looks like it's been repainted for the museum and as is usually the case doesn't match the in-service photo I found. Right squadron, slightly different markings.

 

The photos also show an issue with the kit instruction. For the VT-7 scheme the directions indicate mounting guns on both sides. In service it looked like it was more common the have one gun on the starboard side. The in-service photo I found show no gun on the port side, and the plane in the museum shows only one on the starboard side.

 

Another issue with the instructions is they call for using a blanking plate on the spine aft of the cockpit instead of an air vent like it should.

[RichB63]

Hi CTD,

 

An often overlooked characteristic of Skyhawk wing pylons is that they are angled out approximately 5 degrees. In the case of the inboard set, this was to provide clearance between the landing gear doors and ordnance/external fuel tanks.

 

The geometry is not obvious in most pictures - even head-on or "tail-on" shots - as extended flaps and slats obscure the pylons. When 300 gallon tanks are fitted though, it's easy enough to detect as the tank's horizontal tail fins are not quite parallel with the ground (or one another).

 

Rich

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by RichB63

[DonSS3]

Looks like this VC-10 aircraft has the outer pylons, too.