A Fury You Could Build Right Now, Things You Never Saw, A Primordial Scooter, Some Equally Early Deuces, and A Couple of Teasers for Next Time

I Want a Second Generation FJ Fury and I Want It Now!

That said sounds a mite prickly, to quote a line from a recent movie about the Alamo, but it's true. Think about it; we've got kits for the First Gen FJ, the FJ-1, in 1/72nd and 1/48th scales, and they're buildable. We've got at least two different 1/48th scale kits of the Third Gen FJ-4/4B and one sort-of ok one (Emhar's, but there may be others; I don't keep up with the scale so I'm not sure what else is out there) in 1/72nd, but we don't have any sort of decent Second Generation FJ, said generation being comprised of the FJ-2 and FJ-3, in any scale. The Late and Largely Unlamented ESCI gave it a shot back in the 80s with a neither-fish-nor-fowl combined FJ-2/FJ-3 that was, simply put, a terrible kit. That was mostly because the manufacturer didn't seem to understand any of the differences between the two types or, for that matter, between the FJ-2/3 and its parent F-86---unfortunately, that's a common malady when we're talking about the FJ and Plastic Modeling.

That's really a shame, too, because there are so many colorful schemes for the Fury out there and because the type was one of the better 1950s Navy jet fighters. It's my guess that an accurate 1/48th scale FJ-3/FJ-3M would sell like the proverbial hotcakes---I'm betting that such a kit would literally fly off the shelves, and that the aftermarket decal people would make a small fortune doing markings for it. Maybe we'll see one someday...

Meanwhile, reader Brad Poling has provided us with a couple of neat XFJ-2 photos, a great way to start any day. Let's get right to it!

Bud Sickel delivered FJ-2 (the first production FJ-2) 131927 to the Navy on Dec 11, 1952. Attached are two photos of that a/c. My period prints do not have any info printed on them. I do not know where they originated. Also attached is Bud in an AP photo being catapulted in his XFJ-2 from the USS Coral Sea (If memory serves, this took place in November 1952). The picture of 133754 being catapulted I sent you previously was taken at the same time. As a side note, Bud was the first Naval aviator to reach 1000 hours of JET time. He was the assistant director of the Test Pilot School, Pax River at the time of his death.

And here are the photos:

Cat shot!  133754, one of the FJ-2 prototypes, goes flying. The cat bridle is falling to the deck and the aircraft is a little lower than Bud Sickle might have liked given his proximity to the deck, but then carrier suitability trials include a phase in which the aircraft under evaluation is launched at increasingly lower speeds, and with varying wind-over-deck conditions, to determine handling characteristics and optimal launch parameters. Being a test pilot is rarely easy.  Poling Collection

Climbing out. The aircraft is carrying a fairly high angle of attack and the canopy, open during the launch, has been closed. The FJ-2 saw limited operational use but is still a pretty airplane (it's a Sabre, isn't it?!) You could actually convert the F-86 kit of your choice into XFJ-2 configuration if you wanted to. That said, I'm holding out for a decent FJ-3!  Poling Collection

You Can Hide Your Mistakes by Throwing Away the Model

We've all been there, at least those of us who model. Seemingly endless research is followed by careful construction and modification of a kit, followed by painstaking detailing and finishing. The end result is a once-in-a-lifetime model that we can proudly show to anybody; a world-beater of the highest order. That's what we all aspire to. Sometimes we even get close to that aforementioned world-beater, but more often we don't and sometimes, every so often, we drop a real clanger in the name of Scale Modeling. This diatribe has nothing, unfortunately, to do with the former.

Want an example of what I'm talking about? (Say "yes"!) It's easy enough to find; let's go back to the early 1970s and the print edition of the original Replica in Scale. The feature article of the issue in question was the McDonnell F-101B/F Voodoo, and we (read "I" here) needed to construct a model for that portion of the article. Easy enough, even then.

The kit of choice was the late-60s Hasegawa offering of the RF-101C. The conversion to the two-seater required some modeling skills, but nothing too dramatic, and Jim had come up with all the detail information any modeler could possibly need in order to accomplish the task. The major part of that conversion revolved around the nose, which had to be replaced, and the addition of a second cockpit with appropriate one-piece canopy. The cockpit was a simple case of making an existing hole that much bigger and adding a simplified interior. The different nose (and it's entirely different, with no similarity to the RF nose at all) was fabricated by the addition of the cone from an Airfix F-4E, suitably wrapped/laminated in sheet plastic until the proper diameter was achieved, topped off with a liberal application of Green Stuff and a lot of sanding. The canopy was a vacuum form over the appropriate AirModel canopy, which was close to the right shape but way too thick for use, even way back then.

Everything was coming along just fine with the project when your humble author discovered that there was an issue with the overall length of the model, to the tune of a couple of scale feet! Holy cow! They must've stretched the fuselage, and I completely missed it! Phooey! 

You need to know that when, not if, I make that sort of mistake nowadays I give one of those long sighs and introduce the Object of My Recent Affection to Mr. Trash Can. That's Now. Things were different Way Back Then, and I did my very best to save the project by taking my trusty razor saw and cutting the fuselage in two at what I deemed to be the appropriate place for the stretch. I added a plug to the model and made up whatever that missing length was imagined to be, and puttied and sanded a while. The result was a stretched F-101B that matched the specified length. All was well.

It all stayed well too, until I took the fuselage over to Jim's place so we could discuss the project during one of our weekly work-on-the-magazine sessions. He looked at it a while, admired all that putty work, then turned to me and said "what about the pitot tube?". The pitot tube! You know; the pitot tube---that thing that sticks out from the nose of the F-101B for exactly the amount I'd lengthened the fuselage of that model!

We didn't run any photographs of a model of the F-101B that issue, or any other for that matter. I did eventually build one, when Revell issued their superb 1/72nd scale B-model in the late 80s, but that Hasegawa conversion never got finished. I kept the hulk on my work bench for a couple of years to remind myself not to do that sort of thing anymore. It was a lesson that, sadly, I never quite learned.

Where It All Began

While we're exploring those Sunny Slopes of Long Ago, let's take a look ad the first version of Douglas' immortal A-4 Skyhawk. The A4D-1 was a goofy little airplane, revolutionary for its time but not terribly useful in its initial version.

Literally a shape of things to come. The A4D-1 was an amazing airplane, but it was limited. There was no provision for in-flight refuelling, and weapons carriage was limited to what could be carried on whichever hardpoint was available after the addition of gas bags to suit the particular mission at hand. The type became far more effective with the addition of MER and TER racks and proved itself repeatedly in combat thereafter, but it probably would have been an also-ran without those racks and definitely didn't have the range to be effective. It was, however, an excellent starting point. That beautifully-skinned rudder was an early casualty of the Skyhawk program; a nasty little aerodynamic buzz resulted in the externally-ribbed rudder we're all familiar with. Ed Heinemann once said he'd always intended to design a better rudder but never got around to it. Of such stuff are legends made.  Nankivil Collection

That Short-Tail Dagger

We could, if we were so inclined,  provide you with considerable boring detail regarding the F-102 program and its somewhat miraculous rise from the ashes, but we won't . What we will do is show you a couple of photos of those early "Deuces". The F-102 wasn't much of an interceptor when these photos were taken, but that was soon to change.

The "Deuce" started life as a short little fellow with no tail and a stubby shape. The airframe morphed its way into the production article in stages; here we have a 4-ship of early-production F-102As in flight. 53-1792 and 93 were F-102A-5-COs, while 1795 and 1796 were -10s. They don't look like much, but their progeny served ADC for over two decades before retirement. That was after they got all the bugs out...
Isham Collection

Of course, if you've got yourself a Brand New Airplane you have to show it off! 53-1802 poses for the public early in its career; check out the presentation of "U.S. Air Force" on the intake trunk and the aft-fuselage positioning of the star and bar. 1802 was serving with the ARDC at Wright Pat when this photo was taken but ended up in the museum at Eglin AFB where it eventually fell victim to corrosion, being expended as a range target. Rowland Gill Collection via Isham

53-1806 was somewhat of an oddball; its serial number should make it an F-102A-20-CO, but when photographed here it was in YF configuration as the YF-102C. All that day-glo made for a pretty airplane, I bet!  MacSorley via Isham

It's an interceptor, so let's go intercept something! The gear's coming up as F-102A-20-CO 53-1810 launches out of Eglin on an evaluation hop. She was with the 3211th Interception Test Group when this photo was taken, and survived (after conversion) until 1971 when she was delivered to MASDC for disposition.  Isham Collection

If it goes up it comes back down sooner or later. 53-1812 was the first F-102A-25-CO and is shown here while serving with the 3211th. She'll drop that drogue chute in a minute and taxi back to the squadron area to prep for another flight. Note that the national insignia has moved from the aft fuselage to the intake trunk, while the "U.S. Air Force legend has been reduced in size and moved to the vertical stab.  Isham Collection

We've been looking at test and evaluation airframes up to this point, but the short-tails made it into squadron service too, as illustrated by 54-1396, an F-102A-35-CO of the 327th FIS. The checkertail treatment on the vertical is repeated on the intake lips, and the national insignia has moved to the nose! They eventually got that national insignia thing sorted out, but it took a while to do it!  Robert Doer via Isham

The "Deuce" does look odd with that little bitty tail; this is more like it! 56-1319 is shown here while attending William Tell in 1972; the weapons bay doors have just transitioned and she's ready to launch. That's an interceptor, ya'll! 1319 was a relative latecomer, a -75-CO. This bird looks grey in the photo, but most of the 57th's aircraft were painted in aluminum laquer during this time frame. Isham Collection

How about an Oopsie to end this installment? 1316 was an F-102A-75-CO and was assigned to the South Dakota ANG's 175th FIS when this dramatic photo was taken. We aren't running the picture for sensationalism, though, but rather for detail; take a look between the main mounts and you'll see what the "Deuce's" barrier probe looks like in the extended configuration. 1316 survived this incident and was retired to MASDC in 1970. The F-102 was a tough old bird...  Isham Collection

A Modeler's Footnote, or I Wish I Hadn't Done That

Go back up to the beginning of this week's edition and you'll read about my trials and tribulations while I was attempting to build an F-101B model for an issue of the original RIS. Well, Gang; I built an F-102 for the magazine too, a 1/72nd scale model from the 1968-give-or-take Hasegawa kit. And it came out pretty good, right up to the part where it was time to paint it.

I was a Floquil guy back then, and real Floquil, as opposed to the contemporary They Call It Floquil But It Dang Sure Isn't product we have these days, was pretty much bullet proof. If you applied it correctly it would withstand almost anything, and that property was the catalyst, literally as well as figuratively, for one of my more profound modeling screwups. Read on:

The "Deuce" was done, painted, decalled (with Letraset if you're old enough to remember that particular product), and ready for a good glosscoat on the airframe to finish things off. The early 1970s weren't exactly the high point of scale modeling as far as gloss products went, most of what was available to us being relatively useless, but there was one product that was guaran-dang-teed to produce a high-gloss finish each and every time it was used; Krylon Clear Lacquer. That last word is important to our story because the product really was lacquer-based, which we all know is a Bad Actor if you spray it onto things that aren't lacquer, but I was painting with Good Old Bulletproof Floquil so it wouldn't matter, right? Right!

I had a Plan, and marched my Happy Self outside to spray my brand new F-102 model with Krylon. Since I was using an aerosol can it only took about three or four minutes to coat the model with the stuff, after which it took about 30 seconds for my aforementioned Brand New F-102 Model to wrinkle up into something that resembled the texture normally found on basketballs. Uh-oh...

The model was ruined, but we were always late back in those days (sort of like this very issue is; a commemoration of sorts, I suppose) so I had time to build another one and use something else for the final gloss finish and actually made my deadline.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Happy Snaps

You may recall that we run our "Happy Snaps" section in order to present air-to-air photographs taken by our readers. Here's a really neat shot taken by contributor Don Jay back when he was participating in The Late Southeast Asia War Games:

Don had sent along a couple of photos for use in this section, but this was The Money Shot, so it's the one we ran. Enjoy! Phil, (This) one is an F-105G of the 6010 Wild Weasel Sq out of Korat. Cheers, dj

What a gorgeous photo---thanks for sharing, Don!

The Relief Tube

I don't often do early corrections to these things, generally preferring to wait until the following edition to change or fix things, but I dropped a major clanger in the introduction to the two XFJ-2 photos we ran this week and I need to make things right! I had originally commented that reader Brad Poling had sent some comments to me via this blog's comments mechanism, which often results in lack of information at my end (full names and so on and so forth). That sort of thing makes crediting photos, etc., pretty difficult and, of course, I commented on that too. All that would have been just fine, except that Brad had indeed sent his comments via e-mail ( replicainscale@yahoo.com ) and I had his last name all along! I could chalk it up to the aging process, or to the fact that I'm an Adult Male and that's the sort of goofy thing we do, but the simple fact of the matter is that I messed up! Apologies to Brad, and many thanks for sending along those XFJ-2 photographs---they're a great addition to our ongoing study of the type.  pf

And while we're fixing things, Dave Menard's been contributing to these pages for a while but up until now had been silent regarding corrections. The silence has been officially broken and we've now got a small stack of corrections from Dave so, without further ado:

10 Oct 10 (Hmmm, 10-10-10!) ALL of those F-80As remained As until well after the Korean War, when the As became C-11s, and the Bs became C-12s No F-80A flew combat in Korea, but RF-80As did. The 49th got brand new C models in early 1950, and were combat ready just in time for the Korean War to start! That F-84G 11327 was not a CO's a/c, just normal unit markings The F-80As went back to the USA for use by ATC and then ANG/AFRES.


9 Dec 10 shot of two Thuds hooked up to a KB-50 over the Pacific in 1964-NOT! The Thuds are Ds of the 23rd TFS, 36th TFW out of Bitburg AB Germany, while the tanker is a KB-50J from the 420th AREFSQ out of RAF Sculthorpe UK. Since the fins are in solid color, this shot dates from 1961/2 time frame as the unit markings were painted on the a/c at Brookley AFB AL, which was the depot for 105s in USAFE. Yes, unit markings put on before delivery to gaining units, only time have ever heard of this happening.

OK, here are some from the 2 Apr 10 blog:



The markings on that NH ANG F-86L were not in "arctic" red but plain old orange fluorescent color, known as "conspicuity" markings. These consisted of bands around the nose, rear fuselage and outer wings, top and bottom. I shot some of these in May 1959 a few days before PCSing to France and an example is enclosed.

And here's the photo---Thanks Dave!  Menard Collection

The Fox Peter One det was the 31st SFW led by Col David Schilling taking their brand new F-84Gs over to FEAF. Fox Peter Two was Col Donald Blakeslee leading the 27th SFW out of Bergstrom to FEAF. That is Schilling stepping out of 058 in the one photo. That antenna sticking out of the top of the nose in the two photos of 058 was not nav equipment, but a plain old ARC-34 VHF or UHF radio.


That one B-29 shot with what you say(correctly)is a B-17G serial was either B-29B-40-BA 44-83893 or B-29B-50-BA 44-83983. It is very possible that you misread the number stenciled way up on the fin/rudder and it is very easy to do so what with the stencil style presentation.


In another blog, you have a camo'd F-102A with a tail code on it, captioned ready to deploy to the Far East. No Deuce in the states ever got any tail code period. First of all, these did not show up much before 1968, while the Deuce units went over in 1965/6. I never saw a Deuce during my three month TDY to DaNang in the spring of 1965, the one month TDY to Bien Hoa after the previous TDY, nor during my PCS tour with the 3rd TFW from Nov 65-Aug 66! Saw lots of gray ones at Clark, where the 509th ruled, but never a camo'd one. Did see camo'd Deuces at Travis from the C-124 I was in while taxiing out for T/O enroute to Bien Hoa that November however. Missed the IFR probes.

And finally:

Hello Phil


In reading your blogs about your time at Misawa sure brought back memories. Have a clarification however. The 21 TFW deactivated on 18 June 1960, leaving the two Hun units plus the 4th and 45th all answering directly to the 39th Air Division, which was a really goofy setup, as Air Divisions were then supposed to be composed to at least two Wings. Never found out who or where this second wing was either. I had served under a similar setup when up at Ladd AFB Alaska in 1956/7 as the three F-89D units were answering directly to the 11th ADIV after the 5001st ADW deactivated. Never found a second wing up there either! After the 8th Wing at Itazuke AB Japan sent their three sqdns of Thuds to Yokota, those units answered to the 41st ADIV, not a wing, as the 8 number wound up in Thailand! Amusing but confusing as Little Abner used to say.  Cheers, Dave

Many thanks to Dave and all the rest of our readers for helping to keep us honest. If you've got something to say or share, that address is replicainscale@yahoo.com . We look forward to hearing from you.

One final thing before we go. Dave Menard and I were both in Northern Japan during the same time period, way back in the early 60s, and while there we both developed a respect and fondness for the country and its people that's lasted a lifetime. In his final set of corrections Dave made mention of the tragedy that's befallen that part of the world, and we here at Replica want to extend our sincere sympathy to the people of Japan. We know you will recover, because that's the sort of place Japan is, but times are pretty tough right now and we want you to know our prayers are with you.

And that's what I know. Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again real soon.
phil

Thirsty Camel, Another Deuce or Two, A Hot Seat, Engine Grey, and The Last Thing You'd Expect

It's a Long Way Across the Pacific

But sometimes you have to make the hop in a single-engined fighter. We pretty much take that whole global deployment thing for granted these days, but it's always been a tough date, up to and including right now. Right Now doesn't concern us though; instead, let's go back to February of 1966, when there was still some concern that the North Vietnamese Air Force might attempt a strike in the south, and point defense of American bases was still a significant concern. That concern led to the support deployment of the 82nd FIS to Naha AB, Okinawa, in a trans-Pacific journey named Operation Thirsty Camel. (Have you ever wondered who comes up with those goofy names? It's been a mystery to me for the past 45 years, with no answer in sight. I guess we should appreciate the humor...)

Here's your basic 82nd FIS F-102A prior to deployment to Points West. The "Deuce's" IR ball is evident in this shot, as is the lack of any sort of refuelling probe (a non-retractable add-on for the F-102). That striped pitot boom is about as much color as the camo'd "Deuces" ever displayed, at least until they were converted to QF-102A drones in the mid-70s. Most of the 82nd's birds escaped that fate; after a brief stint in Vietnam the majority of their aircraft were scrapped in place.  Isham Collection

A trio of "Delta Daggers" fly across a whole lot of water. It might even be the Pacific post-deployment, but the 82nd's aircraft all had IFR probes fitted for the transit flight; they would've been wet pedestrians without them!  Modelers, note the difference in camouflage patterns on these aircraft. That's depot-applied paint on every one of them, done during an IRAN, and none of it's the same.  Isham Collection

This is more to the point. An F-102A of the 82nd FIS moves up on the tanker during the Thirsty Camel deployment. The probe is mounted on the right side of the aircraft (to the left of centerline in the photo), which is why the "Deuce" is formating off-centeron the boom.  Isham Collection

I suspect this photo was taken at the beginning of the deployment rather than at the end of it, but it shows that IFR probe to advantage. It also illustrates just how big the IR ball on the nose really was. That whole IR thing went away in the late 1970s/early 1980s, but not because the pilots wanted to get rid of them. A passive IR sensor is a pretty neat thing to have on an interceptor or fighter, even now.  Isham Collection

As a final note, at least three F-102s were lost in combat during the SEA fracas. Known losses are:

55-3373   509th FIS   Lost to ground fire during close air support, 15 Dec 1965, RVN
56-1166   509th FIS   Lost on CAP 03 Feb 1966, North Vietnam; shot down by MiG-21
56-1389   64th FIS/405th TFW  Lost on CAP 14 Dec 1966, North Vietnam

A Little More On the "Deuce"

Most aviation enthusiasts are familiar with at least some portion of the F-102's story, and a lot of folks don't think much of the aircraft. That would be a mistake; once the "Dagger's" birthing pains were resolved it became a good, solid performer, providing yeoman service to the Air Force and Air National Guard for decades. It was, in short, a viable and highly effective weapons platform, and was a quantum leap ahead of the F-86Ds, F-89s, and F-94s it replaced in service. Here's a little more on the type for your enjoyment.

All of the F-102's weapons were carried internally, in a weapons bay. The aircraft was never fitted with a gun, being armed with missiles from conception to retirement, and this Air Force schematic gives us a pretty good idea of how the bay looked. Those bay doors were termed "fast acting" and that was the unvarnished truth; they snapped open in a flash, remained open long enogh to allow for weapons launch, and snapped shut just a quickly. It was a nifty arrangement, all in all.

The "Deuce's" primary weapon was the AIM-4 Falcon, although it could also be fitted with the AIM-26. This illustration is from 1F-102A-33-3-1 and gives us an idea of the configuration of those weapons

Here's a little more detail for the modelers among our readership. Both weapons were radar-homing, although Falcon could be fitted with an IR seeker as well. They wouldn't have been the right missle to take to a knife fight, but were just the ticket for removing bombers from the playing field. Fortunately the USAF never had to use them in anger.

There was another weapon that was standard to the F-102, at least in the early days of operations. The center bay doors were fairly thick and contained tubes for the fitment of a complement of 2.75" FFARs. The weapon wasn't much use on any of the earlier Air Force interceptors either (firing a salvo of them was a lot like shooting a really inaccurate shotgun), and it was removed from service fairly early in the game. Those tubes remained, though.

Almost all of the ANG's interceptor units flew the Delta Dagger at one time or another. This example's from the 146th FIS/112th FIG of the Pennsylvania ANG, its colorful black trim shown to advantage in this photo. 57-0813 was an F-102A-90-CO and could be the Poster Child for the type.  Isham Collection

Then again, this blog's published in Texas (ain't it the truth!) and that means we need to have some Lone Star "Daggers" in the mix. Here's a trio from the 182nd FIS/149th FIG in close formation over Kelly AFB. The 149th kept the air defense mission until the early 1970s, when they became a tactical fighter group and transitioned into the Republic F-84F. I suspect they weren't particularly happy about that...  149th TFG

This could be the part where we say we're finished and say "The End", but that's too corny even for me. Besides, we aren't done with the "Deuce" just yet. Stay tuned for further adventures!  Jim Sullivan

Here's Something You Don't See at Just Any Airshow

Things just aren't the same as they used to be. I can remember (and it isn't something I heard; it was something I saw) the Thunderbirds coming out of their "Bomb Burst" formation and crossing right over the heads of the crowd at a hundred feet or so at an air show at Sheppard AFB, ca. 1958. Similar excitements were formulated and played out for an enthusiastic public (I was darned sure enthusiastic, ya'll!) at Armed Forces Day celebrations across the land. Those heady times are far behind us now, with public safety actually being a primary concern rather than an afterthought, but it wasn't always so.

"Holy Cow Martha; wouldja look at that!" Mark Nankivil remembers this particular round of merriment from an 1965-66 air show at NAS Barber's Point. The aircraft is an F9F-5KD (BuNo 126275) and the Airdales on the ramp are ready to spring into action, although the fella on the right may well be preparing to execute a hasty retirement from the festivities. "Holy Cow, Martha! Look at that sailor run!") Running might not have been such a bad idea...  Nankivil Collection

Sometimes You Have to Prove a Point

Which is what we're doing here. Take a look at 133370, a somewhat well-used US-2C from VU-1. Note the color of the airplane, and compare it to the crankcase covers on the front of the engines:

Every now and again someone on one or the other of the various modeling boards will ask what that dark grey color was that used to show up on Navy helos and patrol/utility aircraft. Well, what it was was FS x6076, and you can find it on airframes, engine components, and sometimes as an anti-glare panel color as well. It was glossy when new, but weathered pretty quickly in service. Now you know!  Nankivil Collection

He's a Stubby Little Fellow

Jack Northrop, and his various design teams, has been responsible for a number of significant American military aircraft, including the immortal SBD Dauntless. The following Northrop design wasn't one of the significant ones...

If any airplane ever deserved a starring role in a 1940s cartoon, the Northrop XFT-1 was surely it. Although designed by Ed Heineman, it's manners, particularly when low and slow, and its vicious spin characteristics assured it a place as an also-ran. It was fast, but maneuverability was lacking, and the aircraft was quickly relegated to the scrap heap. This image is of the first one of the type; XFT-1 BuNo 9400, and was taken on 18 January 1934. It was actually a pretty neat looking little airplane. It just didn't work very well.   Northrop 373

Happy Snaps

Although not air-to-air, these photos were taken by Rick Morgan at the recent Avalon air show in Australia. The subject matter is different enough to warrant inclusion.

I've got a special fondness for the Spitfire Mk VIII, having just finished building Tamiya's 1/32nd scale offering of same. This example's a beauty, isn't she?  Rick Morgan

And a Boomerang. It's amazing what's flying nowadays! Sure wish I could've been there to see this one!  Rick Morgan

And finally, an Avon Sabre. Pick the very last thing you'd expect to see at an airshow and this just might be it!  Thanks, Morgo!  Rick Morgan
The Relief Tube

First, an admission. As soon as I received this e-mail from Marty I immediately went into the article and corrected the appropriate captions in the blog---the mistakes were just too awful to let stand. Still, I did it because of his correction, so let's give credit where credit's due:

I love your articles- I just recently discovered them. Please keep it up! I love 60's and 70's military aircraft but was too young to ever see most of the aircraft in active service and look forward eagerly to each new edition. I love the quality of the photos people share with you and appreciate their kindness in sharing their collections with all of us.

Just a couple of points here for the Tomcat Squadrons. The red rippers are actually VF-11 and the formation photo is VF-142 Ghostriders in their early paint scheme. Marty

Thanks, Marty! And if anyone else has any corrections/additions they'd like to send along, the address is replicainscale@yahoo.com . Please send your comments there if you would, since I can't respond to you if you use the otherwise-appropriate feature in the blog. Many thanks, etc, etc.

You've probably all noticed that we're running an ongoing series on aircraft in post-War Japan. Another one of our readers sent comments about some our recent photos:

The F-61B (post 47) is from the 339th FS (AW) with the short lived black widow insignia. It was based at Johnson AB and, some time after reactivation, absorbed the personnel and equipment of the 6th NFS which had moved to Japan from Wheeler AFB in Hawaii in 1946. The aircraft shown still has the distinctive gothic style lettering and large nose numbers as used by the 6th post-war in Hawaii.
The OD/NG A-26 is probably from one of the 3rd BG WW II aircraft painted in that scheme. I think that Johnson AB would be a good guess as it doesn't look like Yokota AB. Also speaking of A-26s in Japan, the 38th BG also flew out of Itami AB in Japan for two years and I believe that they had absorbed the aircraft if not the remaining personnel of the 319th BG that flew out of Okinawa. The 38th adopted the colored tails like the 319th had used, but with a letter, not a number on the tail. The camo aircraft with the wheel on the tail is one the famous Chadwicks, (possibly it might be the first one, but it is not possible to inspect all of the name) named after and flown by the group/wing commander post war. The wheel referred to the 'big wheel' or head honcho. Honcho is from the Japanese term Han-cho or group/section leader. I always associated it with cowboys.


Great job that you are doing. Grant

Thanks Grant. Your comments are appreciated, and we're happy indeed to get clarification on the F-61!

Reader Brad Poling sends a comment regarding our affair with the North American FJ Fury:

Hello,

I love the pix in your FJ series. Please keep them coming. The photo of FJ-1 116 you recently posted was flown by then Lt. (later LCDR) H. G. Bud Sickel. His name is just under the canopy. He held at least one speed record in that a/c. He was instrumental in the Fury program, test flying the XFJ-2's and delivering the first FJ-2 to the Navy. He landed the XFJ-2 during testing of the Antietam's canted deck in 1953. He later was killed in an FJ-3 crash.
Brad Poling

Brad also sent along a couple of photos of a 1/18th Scale FJ-2 he modified from an Admiral Toys F-86. We'll take a look at those next time around. Meanwhile, thanks for the information on LCDR Sickel!

One final thing. We've been doing this for just a little over a year now, and have built up quite a following, it seems---if the stats can be believed Replica is getting some 500 hits per day, and I'd like to thank you for that. This is not a commercial site, but rather a labor of love, and we're glad you enjoy it. Neat things are in store so please stay with us. We wouldn't mind seeing any original photography you might be inclined to share either; if you'd like to contribute to our effort the contact address is replicainscale@yahoo.com . Meanwhile, please accept our sincere thanks for helping to make the project what it is!

That said, be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon.
phil

A Feline Tub, A Tall Tale That Might Be True, Photo Phantoms, and A Turkey or Two,

That Tango Cougar

Way back in the 1950s, back when the Navy was getting into jets in a Big Way, it became evident that a swept-wing jet trainer might be useful for getting aspiring young aviators up to speed (no pun intended, mostly) on the then-new types entering service. Grumman had already begun delivering F9F-6 fighters to the Fleet and their handling characteristics, particularly around the boat, were a far cry from the relatively benign straight-winged types most naval aviators were accustomed to. That in turn led to the requirement for a trainer variant of the Cougar, which resulted in the modification of the F9F-8 fighter into the F9F-8T two-seater. Let's start the day with a few photos of that then-revolutionary trainer.

Where it all began.  BuNo 141667 was the prototype for the F9F-8T and proved the concept was viable. She's shown here on an early test flight, all shiny in natural metal. The airplane looked a little goofy with that big humped-up canopy, but it was a shape that would indure in TraCom for years to come. Grumman History Center Neg Unknown

It didn't take long for 141667 to get a coat of sorely-needed paint. The grey and white Navy tactical scheme of the 50s through early 80s called for all control surfaces to be painted white, as shown to advantage here. Part of the Cougar's roll control was provided by spoilers, and the horizontal stab was of the all-flying variety, which caused it to be painted entirely white both above and below. Of particular interest is the blast shield for the aft seat, visible beneath the canopy.  Grumman History Office 56552

A different, and somewhat colder, day in the test regime. 667 is shown here on approach to the Grumman facility at Bethpage with everything hanging and the canopy racked open, providing us with an excellent shot of that blast shield. That's snow down there; bet that was one cold final!  Grumman History Office 56333

Time for some new clothes! In this shot 667 has acquired some orange trim and a candy stripe on her test boom. The F9F-8T retained a pair of 20mm cannon and the ability to carry ordnance beneath the wings, as illustrated here by a quartet of AIM-9B Sidewinders. Those cannon and hardpoints allowed the Cougar to go to war in the 1960s, serving as a Fast FAC for the Marines. Grumman History Office 57534

Here's that "new" scheme again, this time on 142438. Most of the airframe is now white, with black anti-skid walkways, red-orange trim, and Corrogard leading edges; that Corrogard treatment is nicely defined here.  142438 was the second production F9F-8T  Grumman History Office Neg Unknown

141667 was used for weapons trials, among other evalulations, and she's shown here dumping fuel on one of those flights. The test boom has been replaced by the Cougar's standard IFR probe and she looks like a production aircraft. Grumman History Office 57545

This is yet another shot of 667, but taken when she was still configured with the test boom. The missile rails are shown to advantage and we get a good look at the gun ports and speed brakes too. The F9F Cougars weren't the best fighters out there (none of the early Navy jets were, with the possible exception of the FJ series) but they trained thousands of naval aviators in their day. Not too shabby...  Grumman History Center 57536  

Say goodbye to the folks, 667! This literal parting shot gives us an excellent view of the paint demarcation and those speed boards. Fly Navy!  Grumman History Office 57542

The Flapping Takeoff

If you meet enough military aviators you'll hear your share of there-I-was stories, some of which probably contain some element of truth. One of my friends in the small Texas town I call home is a former Naval Aviator, an IP with TraCom for the better part of his mid-60s flying career. He swears this is true.

It seems that our Intrepid Young Instructor was taking a student on his first cross country and was returning to NAS Corpus Christi via the Southern route and, is as well-known, the F9F-8T didn't have much in the way of legs, causing several refueling stops to be added to the flight plan. One of those stops was Davis Monthan AFB, a facility with sufficient runway length to accomodate even the most ground-bound of Republic's I'm-Not-Leaving-This-Runway fighters. That runway length, coupled to the natural proclivity of all Naval aviators to stick it to the Air Force whenever such an opportunity presented itself, led to a practical joke of legendary proportions.

Our aforementioned Intrepid Young Instructor and his student and recovered at DM with no problems and topped off the tanks, preparing for the next leg of the flight back to Texas, when an idea was born. Our IYI suspected that the tower at Davis Monthan didn't deal with all that many Navy airplanes; it was entirely possible back in those days for a Navy pilot to talk to an Air Force tower and use terminology that was foreign to said Tower. Our IP saw Opportunity looming, and there's no doubt in my mind that there was a big old pie-eating grin under the oxygen mask as the Cougar lined up on the active that day:

"Tower, this is Navy Two-Niner requesting takeoff from runway fill-in-the-blank".

"Roger, Navy Two-Niner. You're cleared for takeoff."

"Ah, roger, Tower. Permission to do a flapping takeoff, over?"

There can be no doubt the poor airman in the tower had not the slightest idea what a flapping takeoff might be, but no blue-suiter wants to come across as uninormed, particularly where the Navy might be involved, so permission was given:

"Roger, Navy Two-Niner. Proceed with flapping takeoff."

The grin in the front seat of the Cougar's cockpit got bigger as the throttle was advanced to allow a moderate taxi speed (remember that runway length; it's important to the story!) and a mischievious hand reached for the wing-fold control. The wings were cycled three, four, then five times, then locked down as the throttle was pushed forward for launch. We can only imagine what it must have looked like from the tower; it was, by Jingo, a flapping takeoff!

We can only hope it was true...

Some Photo Rhinos

The mighty F-4 Phantom served the Air Forces of the world for years, and in pretty much every role one could possibly imagine. The fighter that was purpose-designed for the defense of the Fleet proved to be much more capable than that, and its speed made it a natural for the photo recon role. Here are a couple of examples of the F-4 in that guise.

A whole phlock of photo Phantoms! (I'm sorry; it was in me and it had to come out!) This shot was taken at Kadena AB, Okinawa, during the late 1970s and shows a lineup of 18th TFW RF-4Cs in the squadron area. That fence doesn't add a whole lot of ambiance to the picture, but it's what we've got!  John Kerr Collection

The 67th TRW was stationed at now-defunct Bergstrom AFB for a number of years. RF-4C 66-474 was being prepped for public display at the BAFB airshow on 7 August 1988 when this picture was taken; 474 was ostensibly the wing commander's aircraft and is so marked beneath the tail codes. The paintwork is typical 1980s USAF Shades of Gray, while all three 67th TRW squadron colors are displayed on the fin tip. She was a pretty airplane.  Friddell

In 1988 the 16th TRS/363rd TRW sent a section of their RF-4Cs to participate in RAM 88. No serial number was evident on the exterior of the aircraft; the legend "16th TRS AMU" sits on the vertical stab in the place it should be, while her fuselage data block had been painted over. She was another grey-on-grey bird, with a really tasty cheat line on the nose. Beauty!  Friddell

Remember the Turkey?

There was a time, and it wasn't all that long ago, when the Grumman F-14 was the best fighter in the world. Time, technology, and an ever-increasing maintenance burden on an aging fleet of aircraft eventually did the Tomcat in, but the airplane was a Class Act from start to finish. We don't do much with the F-14 around here, but these photos make me wonder why that is. Maybe we'll have to do something about it. Meanwhile:

The 70s Navy was a colorful Navy. Here's a deck shot from the Saratoga, date unknown, showing her tactical types to advantage. That's a VF-11 Red Rippers F-14A closest to the camera; looks like we're getting ready for a launch cycle.  Rudy Bejar

A better view of the flight deck, this time showing an example from each of Sara's F-14 squadrons, VF-2 and VF-31. The pre-TPS "Easter Egg" markings are well-depicted here. I don't think the ship is rolling that badly given the sea state, but you never know...  Rudy Bejar 

Coming aboard! A Fighting Thirty-One  F-14 recovers aboard the Saratoga in this dramatic photo. The weapons sleds are carrying a pair of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, and the fin of an AIM-7 Sparrow is visible on the far side of the aircraft. That, plus the gas bags, implies that this aircraft is returning from a CAP sortie. Rudy Bejar

A few calm moments before things start to get Really Busy. 102 was assigned to VF-21 when this photo was taken aboard the Connie in 1984 and provides the modeler with a great idea for a diorama. Gotta love the cheat line on that anti-glare panel!  Rick Morgan

Taxiing to the cat and ready to rumble. 210 is another VF-21 Tomcat and is caught moving away from the pack in this July 1985 shot. She's configured for CAP and pretty much loaded for bear as she leads out a second F-14, this time from VF-154. The boat is CV-64 Constellation.  Rick Morgan  

And here's a shot of one of Fighting One-Fifty-Four's F-14s, also on the Connie in July of '85. Note the VFA-25 F-18A taxiing forward. Although this photo shows an apparently calm deck, it's bustling with activity; note that every Deck Division hand near 102 has his eyes on the aircraft. There's a reason for that...  Rick Morgan

By the 1980s the Tomcat was a regular part of the Reserve component. This F-14A TARPS (159591) was photographed at Last Chance during RAM 88. She's from VF-302 and is about to spend her day whizzing low above the South Texas countryside.  Friddell

Majesty. An unknown Navy photographer captured this formation from VF-142 during the mid-80s. Other than that I know nothing about the photograph, but it's really pretty and sometimes that's enough.  Friddell Collection

The Relief Tube

When last we met a reader had asked a question regarding roll control on the S2F. Here are some comments regarding that topic from Tommy Thomason:

The S2F roll control consisted of 1) circular arc spoilers in the outboard wing panel located ahead of the flap and 2) small "feel" ailerons out at the wing tips. The spoilers extended upward only, with a maximum extension equal to 8.6% of the wing chord. I haven't found any pictures yet that depict them up but I vaguely remember seeing a bit of extension with the wings folded. I think the system is similar to the one on the P-61.

Tommy kept looking, and sent us a couple of photographs showing those spoilers in the deployed condition:

Tommy stresses that this photo is most likely on the prototype, but it gives us a pretty good idea of how the spoilers looked. Thomason Collection

A second view of the prototype installation.  Thomason Collection

This just might be the Money Shot; it depicts an extended spoiler on the port wing of an early S2F-1. Thomason Collection

Here's how they looked when the wings were folded. This is a production S-2E on the boat.  Thomason Collection

A detail shot of the extended spoiler on that S-2E. A final comment from Tommy:  A note on the picture with the wings vertical and both spoilers extended. As a result of the kinematics of the mechanical control system, both ailerons are deflected "up" at that point, which means that the spoilers on both wings extend, since they come out only when "their" aileron is up (wing to go down). Normally, only one side is extended since only one aileron is up at any time in flight. Pictures of that are pretty rare.
Thomason collection

And regarding the new Kinetic kit:  I made offers to help to two different contact points at the company. Got no response. As far as I can tell from pictures of the sprues, there are a few S2F-1 details on the S-2E parts. Nothing major but typical of the difficulty of properly segregating the different configurations of an aircraft that was upgraded over time. Definitely something to remember if you build that kit! Thanks, Tommy!

Contributor/reader Doug Siegfried, who has more than a few hours in the "Stoof", added these comments:

Hi Phil:  Nice coverage of my favorite airplane the S-2. A correction on the air to air shot that I took. We were flying off USS Kitty Hawk CV-63. The Princeton at the time was razor blades. Also, both pilots in the burning S-2 survived the ditching. It was fortunate that both pilots were instructors - one was an instructor under training. Helps to have two pros handle an emergency such as this one.

And a pilot's perspective on flying the S2F:  In the S2F, C-1 and E-1 you had to use a little muscle to make turns. Once you got used to the controls it was no problem. The S2F-3 (D,E and G) had very easy control and you had to be careful to not over control. You never, never thought about spinning the S-2 or all its variants. Grumman did it once and it did some very strange things so there were no spin recovery methods in the NATOPS. You just did not get into unusual attitudes in the S-2. You could do great angle of bank turns at altitude or down low to the water with no problem. We did have one guy in my first squadron that tried a barrel roll in the S2 and it lost several thousand feet before he got it back to normal flight. He had to wring out his flight suit after that and did not recommend anyone every try it. The most serious emergency in the S-2 was fire in flight - leave it or ditch now. It was great plane to fly and do what it was designed for which was ASW work. Looking forward to the new S-2 model. Cheers, Doug

This issue of Replica in Scale is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Frank Garcia, who loved Naval aviation.

And that's what I know for now. Be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon.
phil