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When did the ECS exhaust pipes change on F-18E/F?


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I want to do a combat veteran F-18F, but I’d prefer not to have to change the pipes like I did on my E version. So I have been looking at getting decals for the F, that will have the older exhausts.  What time frame would I be looking at? I know it will depend on each given aircraft being back dated, but there a rule like nothing before 2007 for example would have the new exhaust?

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Hi,

 

Apart from the timeframe, you should look for an aircraft with a BuNo below 166598 (starting with 166598 they had the pipes from the factory). 

Also, from BuNo 166449, F/A-18F's had the Advanced Crew Station.

 

Decal-wise, you would do well to find the old Afterburner Decals like for VFA-211 and VFA-41.

I think VFA-103 (Fightertown and Furball decals) had aircraft with the ACS and the pipes from the start.

 

Cheers, Stefan.

 

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15 hours ago, Stefan buysse said:

Hi,

 

Apart from the timeframe, you should look for an aircraft with a BuNo below 166598 (starting with 166598 they had the pipes from the factory). 

Also, from BuNo 166449, F/A-18F's had the Advanced Crew Station.

 

Decal-wise, you would do well to find the old Afterburner Decals like for VFA-211 and VFA-41.

I think VFA-103 (Fightertown and Furball decals) had aircraft with the ACS and the pipes from the start.

 

Cheers, Stefan.

 

 

Nope.

VFA-103 got the new ECS after the first combat cruise.

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10 hours ago, shion said:

 

Nope.

VFA-103 got the new ECS after the first combat cruise.

Hi,

 

Indeed. When I wrote that, I had looked up the BuNo in Jake Melampy's "The Modern Super Hornet Guide". I believe there's an error on page 75 because it says that the bard stacks were installed at the factory from BuNo 166598.

I looked at the instructions of FTD 48-005 "VFA-103 Jolly Rogers First Combat Cruise" and the heat blankets are clearly visible in Jeff Stoermer's inflight picture of "AG 204".

 

Cheers, Stefan.  

Edited by Stefan buysse
The picture that shows the topside is of AG 204, not AG206.
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Jake's book isn't necessary wrong, it just depends on what document he got the info from.

 

To explain: right now there is at least five different documents one can use for the change: the original ECP, IAFC-339, AFC-339, AFC-339 Rev A, and AFC-339 Rev A Amendment 1. In each document the affected BUNO list changes, now, the ECP was the first document so it listed what aircraft needed the change, then it was superseded by IAFC-339 which listed more BUNO's because by the time it came out more aircraft had been produced. AFC-339 superseded IAFC-339, AFC-339RA superseded AFC-339 and finally AFC-339RA-A1 superseded AFC-339RA, each time a new AFC came out it had more BUNO because there were still aircraft being produced with the old style.

 

There were aircraft being mod'ed in the field at the same time the mod was being incorporated on the production line so you will see lower lot aircraft with the stacks before newer lots because those newer lots were still going through production/acceptance.

 

Fleet aircraft started getting changed in June 2006 and by June 2014 all aircraft had been changed over.

 

The AFC's are very confusing as to what BUNO was retrofitted and what came off the productions line with the stack but basically but from what I can piece together without making my head hurt is if you do a SH before June 2006 it will have the old style, between June 2006 and June 2014, check your reference, after June 2014, it had the new Bard Stacks.

 

BTW, the reason for the change was "to correct the AFT fuselage overheat condition".

 

hth

GW

 

ECP - Engineering Change Proposal

IAFC - Interim AirFrame Change

AFC - AirFrame Change

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