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Maybe contact the artist (LINK) to see if he has access to the stencil manual for the Vig. There's one for the F-4 available online, so I would imagine there's one out there for the A-5, too. 

 

I found the A-5A NATOPS a while back on Ron Downey's Aviation Archive blog. Download links: 

A-5A Feb. 1964 

A-5A May 1965   

 

I just looked through both, and there's nothing showing the canopy stencils. 

 

Ben

Edited by Ben Brown
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I think the drawing that Sean found may be correct for the rear canopy, because the sticker only appears on the Vigilantes that actually have a red line around the rear of the transparency. I am not sure about what the front one says, though. Some of the other markings on the artist's drawings are definitely inaccurate. We will keep it an open question until we can find a definitive answer - and I will post two new problems today.

 

I already bought the whole gamut of publicly available A-5 manuals from Airwing Media - while they are full of fascinating details, they don't cover the meaning of these markings or any other stencilling. I am sure there is a Navair or North American manual on the markings/stencilling specs somewhere.

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On 12/3/2020 at 2:14 PM, Dutch said:

Ben, According to the larger yellow block in the print provided by Sean above, it should be NAVAIR 01-60abc-2-2.23.

NAS Pax has a tech library on base. I can go and check sometime this week. The Pax Museum has a decent collection of NATOPS manuals but often time the NATOPS doesn't show actual stenciling...just procedure.

-2-2 manuals are definitely the technical markings manuals.

Edited by 82Whitey51
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1 hour ago, 82Whitey51 said:

NAS Pax has a tech library on base. I can go and check sometime this week. The Pax Museum has a decent collection of NATOPS manuals but often time the NATOPS doesn't show actual stenciling...just procedure.

-2-2 manuals are definitely the technical markings manuals.

Andy, Isn't there a RA-5C parked out by the front gate of NATC Pax River?  I seem to remember one the last time I was there.  I know there is one on a rather large concrete pillar at the old NAS Sanford, now Sanford Int'l Airport in Florida [28.7647239, -81.2375832].  I have't been over that way for a couple of years now.  It may be worth a diversion on the way to/from Daytona Beach later this month.  K/r, Dutch

Edited by Dutch
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32 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Andy, Isn't there a RA-5C parked out by the front gate of NATC Pax River? 

 

There is, and I looked at my pics a couple of days ago.  It does not have similar canopy markings.

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22 hours ago, habu2 said:

 

There is, and I looked at my pics a couple of days ago.  It does not have similar canopy markings.

Yup, as Dutch said, there is one there but those birds are quite weathered. There is also an A3J-1 (A-5A) in the back of the base on a stick but I don't think it has these markings either...I'll drive by and take a look either way.

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On 12/6/2020 at 10:09 AM, 82Whitey51 said:

Yup, as Dutch said, there is one there but those birds are quite weathered. There is also an A3J-1 (A-5A) in the back of the base on a stick but I don't think it has these markings either...I'll drive by and take a look either way.


Well, I went by the base technical library today and it is currently closed 😕 because of COVID. I'm not sure they'd have any pubs going back that far anyway but I still would have liked to ask.

I didn't have the time to drive by the A3J-1 on the pedestal in front of the VX-23/STRIKE hangar but I have an appointment for work over there on Monday and I'll go reconn that one.

Edited by 82Whitey51
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11 minutes ago, 82Whitey51 said:


Well, I went by the base technical library today and it is currently closed 😕 because of COVID. I'm not sure they'd have any pubs going back that far anyway but I still would have liked to ask.

I didn't have the time to drive by the A3J-1 on the pedestal in front of the VX-23/STRIKE hangar but I have an appointment for work over there on Monday and I'll go reconn that one.

If you cant make it by Whitey, let me know I can cruise by and take a look too

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I really appreciate it, folks - we all know how bad it is outside, so please do not go anywhere to look for manuals unless it is part of your daily routine.

 

Here are two new problems - enjoy:

 

Problem #3: Since you have done it for the McConnell unit, perhaps you can help me get a better B-1B tail band photo for the 319BW jets that were at Grand Forks? I have a photo from a KC-135 that is close enough, but I could really use a good B-1B tail band photo for this unit.

 

problem3a.jpg  problem3b.jpg

 

Problem #4: I would like to include markings for a Vietnam War EA-1F in the upcoming Vietnam Navy Skyraiders sheet. While these aircraft had a very important role, their markings were rather drab - about the most colorful option is the markings of VAW-33 Det. 11 that deployed aboard USS Intrepid in their 1967 cruise. These have the  "Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club" badge on them, and carried the 60x modex numbers. Unfortunately the only photos I could find are one from the Web and another one from the cruise book that show 132591. These fuzzy photos show most of what I need, but I could really use better photos of these aircraft, preferably showing the tail band markings.

 

Certainly there are more photos of these aircraft somewhere - can you help find them?

 

problem4a.jpg

 

problem4c.jpg

 

problem4b.jpg 

 

Edited by KursadA
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7 hours ago, KursadA said:

Problem #3: Since you have done it for the McConnell unit, perhaps you can help me get a better B-1B tail band photo for the 319BW jets that were at Grand Forks? I have a photo from a KC-135 that is close enough, but I could really use a good B-1B tail band photo for this unit.

 

problem3a.jpg  problem3b.jpg


Do you have access to a publication called Flightline? A magazine by Arnold Swannberg back in the mid-late 80s...  I swear these pics triggered a serious deja vu for me but I’d have to dig really deep into storage to find them. 

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Here is another VAW-33 EA-1F with 7xx modex which the first two pictures above appear to have http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/spy/ea1f/ea1f-5.jpg . Also here is one where when you you at the higher resolution picture on the tail they look like mini lightning bolts creating a cross 

EA-1F_Skyraider_of_VAW-33_Det.11_aboard_

Regards

Robert

Edited by Tomcat Trebor
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On 12/12/2020 at 4:21 PM, Gator52 said:

Here's the best I have for #3...taken during the ACC era, don't know that the sunflake changed much over the years if at all:

 

 

We have a winner - thanks for helping out with this one, please send me a PM with the decal sheet you would like to receive - thanks!

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On 12/11/2020 at 1:37 PM, 82Whitey51 said:


I didn't have the time to drive by the A3J-1 on the pedestal in front of the VX-23/STRIKE hangar but I have an appointment for work over there on Monday and I'll go reconn that one.

 

OK, I went over to VX-23/STRIKE today to get a look at the A3J-1 (A-5A)...and there are no stencils on that aircraft. So no joy on the canopy markings. I have a contact that flew and wrote books on the A-5 Vigilante who may have an answer or documentation on the markings. Stand by.

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