The V-Plot Thickens, And Some Clarified Zippers

Mystery in Glossy Sea Blue

Mark Nankivil started it all a blog or so ago when he sent in some really tasty photos of St Louis Navy Reserve Hellcats and Corsairs, a couple of which had their Bureau Numbers prefixed by the letter "V".  I'll be the first to admit that my archives could be more complete than they presently are, but there's a lot of stuff there and I had nothing, not one scrap of information, on the practice of placing that letter in front of the BuNo on anything the Navy flew during the 1940s. Nothing. Zip. Nada. That led in turn to a call for help to Rick Morgan and Tommy Thomason, both regulars around here and both People Who Would Know, except this time they didn't know either. The mystery deepened. Somewhere in there I forgot to ask Jim Sullivan about it, but he was kind enough to provide some insight that clears things up a little bit. Then Mark Nankivil, the guy who started this whole thing, provided further information. It was a Group Effort to be sure, and we finally began to Get Somewhere.

That was when I started looking at some of my older enthusiast's publications, mostly because I'd looked everyplace else and come up with a dead end each and every time. First up was Bill Kilgrain's 1973-vintage monograph, Color Schemes and Markings; U.S. Navy Aircraft 1911-1950, IPMS Canada. There, sitting on the cover and thumbing its nose at me was a photograph of a St Louis FG-1D with a V-prefixed bureau number! Unfortunately, there was no textual comment regarding same, although there was an annotation that the Reserves sometimes placed the letter "N" in front of the aircraft's type designation (see that NF6F-5 photo) to designate a training role, which was corraborated by Rick, Tommy, and Jim. The corollary mystery of the "N" prefix was thereby solved, but that still left the "V" with no explanation.

Another reference that seemed to be of use was an old Squadron/Signal publication entitled Navy Air Colors Vol.2, 1945-1985 by Tom Doll, Berkley Jackson, and Bill Riley. That series of books, often overlooked by "serious" aerospace historians, cites regulations and specifications and is a largely ignored treasure. It doesn't clear up that "V" business either, but it does define the orange-yellow stripes, numbers, and "US NAVY" under the horizontal stabs. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place regarding those photos. We were getting somewhere!

That brings us up to Right Now, and here's what I think we know:

1. The "N" prefix means trainer, and was used by the Naval Reserves immediately postwar to define aircraft with a training mission , which in many respects seemed to be the Reserve's role 1945 to 1947.
2. The orange-yellow stripes and markings weren't really an anomaly but rather a defined practice cited in regulations.
3. The Mystery "V" has yet to be satisfactorily explained and will remain that way, at least to me, until we can find a document that authorizes it. If any of you have that document please scan it and e-mail it to me at replicainscale@yahoo.com . Please!

Meanwhile, here's some of the ongoing correspondence I've been priviledged to receive on the subject:

From Tommy Thomason:

Short answer - I don't know. I have read (United States Navy Serials 1941 to 1976) that the purpose for this marking was not known but that the practice had died out by 1950. Remember that, post war, the services had more airplanes than they knew what to do with or could afford to operate.

It probably has something to do with the retention plan for that particular aircraft and was associated with the immediate post war practice of adding an A- or N- ahead of the aircraft designation painted on aircraft, as in A-F6F-5. No prefix meant a first line aircraft capable of unlimited combat operations. A- meant a second line (obsolescent?) aircraft. N- meant suitable only for training.

The V prefix presumably meant something like it was not to be put into overhaul but stricken at the end of the current service tour. The only two examples I've seen are an A-F6F-5 with the BuNo preceded by V and an N-SB2C-5 with no V. It may be that all N aircraft were to be stricken at the end of the current service tour and this particular F6F-5 was on its second service tour so it was headed for the bone yard as well, whereas an A-F6F-5 on its first tour would not have a V and go to overhaul so it could do a second tour, but it would come out of that first overhaul with a V ahead of the BuNo.

But I'm really making things up, other than the A- and N- practice, which is from Elliott Volume 2. In that Elliott, he also says that the V is "an accounting code not intended for aircraft display."

From Mark Nankivil:

Thanks to Mark Aldrich, we now have an answer to the question!

"As far as the "V" prefix goes, it was reasonably common on reserve birds in the 1945-46 time period and was meant to indicate heavier-than-air. This coincided with the brief usage of the "N" prefix for the type designation for reserve aircraft as shown on the FG-1 and F6F images you scanned. Those are great examples of a seldom seen marking that was fully endorsed by BuAer."

From Rick Morgan:

Guys: The more I look at this , the more I suspect the “V-Buno” is not for “heavier than air”. While I can’t find the ‘smoking gun’ quite yet, a lot of period documentation talks about the V-6 program, which apparently was the post WWII reserve program, which is also referred to repeatedly as the “Voluntary Reserves”, which is what we later called Selected Reserves, or SelRes. Right now, and it’s just a guess, I tend to believe the Reserves were assigned a distinct group of aircraft and that the V-buno was one way they were distinguished from the Active Duty force. This appears to have lasted from 1946 to Korea, when the war, with its call-ups and mass movement of airframes, made the whole thing irrelevant. Of course you could ask why they didn’t use “R”, to which I have no answer.

Two things that might help (other than finding the instruction that would clear it all up!): A shot of a Lakehurst Reserve blimp and its Buno- is it a “V” or “Z”?

Another thing would be a shot of an active duty aircraft with a “V-buno”…. Although I haven’t seen one yet.

Ain’t this fun?

And finally, from Jim Sullivan:

Just read your latest article from Replica In Scale. I believe that the 'V' prefix was briefly used to designate a Reserve aircraft. I wouldn't want to state that as a fact, but that is the way I understood it. After the close of WWII, the Reserves had some funky ideas about markings as seen on their planes. One of those was the use of the 'N' before the aircraft type, i.e, NFG-1D or NF6F-5. Another was the deletion of the fuselage insignia and the use of international orange numbers and letters. That lasted only a short time as the transition to more standard markings soon returned. Reserve aircraft then carried forward the use of the international orange fuselage band and maintained that for many years. I have attached several shots of Corsairs in the early Reserve markings. Two are from NRAB Minneapolis, MN and the other is from NAS New York. The two Minneapolis birds were shot by the late Bob Stucky and the New York Corsair is in my collection but I am unsure of the identity of the original photographer.

So we're no closer now than we were before, but we've definitely got some Heavy Hitters working the problem! Stay tuned, folks; I doubt we've seen the end of this one! Meanwhile, how about a couple of photos from the collection of Jim Sullivan to sweeten the pot a little bit?

BuNo 88231, an FG-1D out of Minneapolis showing the early orange-yellow bands and numbers. The aircraft type is prefixed by an "N" but the BuNo is given simply as 88231. Note that this aircraft exhibits the typical rocket stub launchers common to late-War Navy and Marine aircraft, while the St Louis-based FG-1s and F6Fs shown in our last installment were fitted with rails. So much for standardization! Bob Stucky via Jim Sullivan

Another Minneapolis bird; an FG-1D that's displaying its orange-yellow wing markings to advantage. Note that the tailhook is in place. The antenna treatment (not a topic of discussion in this missive but interesting nontheless) is shown to advantage. The BuNo is 88395 and is sans "V", but the "N" is in front of the type designator.  Bob Stucky via Jim Sullivan

And finally, here's 92215 flying out of New York. Once again we have the early treatment, but this time the legend "NAS NEW YORK" appears in orange-yellow under the cockpit. There's no "V" anywhere in sight but the "N" is there in front of the designator again.  Sullivan Collection

One final thing to consider: Rick Morgan pointed out that the single-charecter unit letter on the fins of the St Louis birds actually superceded the two-letter designation system ("U" for St Louis and "F" for Fighter, then simply "U" for St Louis). The St Louis birds with the later International Orange fuselage band all seem to have that "V" in front of their BuNos, as does the earlier shot of the Hellcat. All of the aircraft we've seen with the early orange-yellow treatment have the "N" prefix to the aircraft type designator, but only those from St Louis have the "V". Finally, the air-to-air shot on the cover of Kilgrain's book (which I'm not showing because of that copyright thing) has the International Orange reserve stripe with a "V" in front of the BuNo.

One final question and we'll leave this subject for tonight: Was the "V" in front of the bureau number unique to St Louis? You've now seen all the photos of this topic that I've been privy to. Anybody out there know the answer?

A Zipper With a Can

Several installments ago we ran some photos of two-seat F-104s, one of which was fitted with an enormous "can" behind the afterburner, presumably to reduce the Zip's considerable IR signature. All I had at the time was speculation, but now there's more, this time from Hubert Petzmeier, a fellow who runs a must-visit F-104 site at http://www.916-starfighter.de/   .

The aircraft was flying out of China Lake during June of 1963 and was in fact performing trials involving the attempted masking the F-104's IR plume. F-104D 57-1315 was the testbed. The mod obviously never made it to production!  USAF

And a SLAR Zipper That Wasn't

Also from Hubert, and with considerable clarification of that Chinese F-104 with the funny nose:

- It was not SLAR equiped, it was LOROP (Long Range Oblique Photography) in the extended nose
- there was NO F-104 equipped 4 TRS, it was the 12th TRS.

Hubert also supplied a really neat shot of one of the birds, but I can't get it to download to this blog so you're going to have to visit his site to view it. Here's the link to the specific picture: http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wR400L.htm  . Check it out, and spend some time on Hubert's site. It's well worth your visit. Thanks, Hubert, for explaining that photo for us! 

And a Fond See You Soon

That's it for tonight, ya'll. Be good to your neighbor, and we'll see you again next week!
phil

Back in the Saddle, Some Oddball Bureau Numbers, Oopsie!, A Neat Ramp, and Some Misawa Huns

OK, We're Done With The Movie and Back To Normal (More or Less)

Whew! It's been a busy few weeks, but that's behind us now and it's time to get going again. The movie was a lot of fun to do but exhausting, particularly when piled on top of my regular job. On the other hand, it's something I got into all by myself (and it was a lot of fun, and a great experience too!) so I really can't complain too much. Still, it's good to be back, and without further ado I think it's time to look at some airplanes!

A Tiny Mystery in Glossy Sea Blue

Just when you think you've seen it all, something else pops up to confuse the dickens out of you. This time it's a prefix to the BuNos on a couple of post-War Navy birds. They're Reserve aircraft from St Louis and both bear the letter "V" in front of the Bureau Numbers. I had (and still have) no idea of the significance of that letter, so I asked my two Official USN Go-To Guys, Rick Morgan and Tommy Thomason, about it. They didn't know either, so we're back where we started. Take a look at the following shots and feel free to contact me at replicainscale@yahoo.com if you know the significance of them. Please!

Here's an FG-1D, BuNo V-88212,  from the St Louis Reserve taken in the winter of 1952 by Gene Sommerich. The setting seems to be Lambert Field, and there's that pesky "V" sitting in front of the BuNo. This one's a puzzler!  Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

And another puzzler for you! According to the data blocks on the vertical stab and rudder this aircraft is an NF6F-5, BuNo V94286. It's also from the Reserve outfit at St. Louis (and even says so under the cockpit) but the markings are an anomaly. Note that the side number appears to be in the same orange as the Reserve band around the aft fuselage, and the word "NAVY" seems to be in the same color beneath the horizontal stab. The aircraft has its outer guns removed but retains its rocket rails. Mystery Meat! Gene Sommerich photo via Mark Nankivil at the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum

Sometimes Things Just Plain Go Wrong!

Grumman's immortal F6F Hellcat was reputedly easy to fly, even for an ensign right out of flight school, but it was a high-performance aircraft that could easily ruin your day if you didn't pay attention to what you were doing. Neither Mark Nankivil nor myself have any idea what caused this accident, but it's a good 'un! It's also a walk-away, which is the best kind to have if you're going to wreck an airplane!

Side number U-24 (BuNo 78957) of the St Louis Naval Reserve comes to grief, giving us a great view of its undersurfaces. In the NF6F-5 shot immediately above we saw that the outer guns had been removed from the wings, leaving only the inboard weapons in place. U-24 has retained its center guns but the inboard and outboard weapons have been removed. Note that the inner wing surfaces where the flaps retract appears to be in a color other than Glossy Sea Blue. Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

The Power and the Glory

The closest I've been to this next shot was the transient line at the late, lamented Kelly AFB, when a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico forced NAS Corpus Christi to send all its aircraft inland. VT-27 was operating T-28Bs at the time, and they all bounced into Kelly to sit things out. The noise, and the sight, was something I'll never forget, and it's easy to transfer the memory of those sounds to this next shot.

We're going to say this is an active ramp! Here's what a squadron of FG-1Ds look like when they're preparing to launch---can't you just hear them?! Note the directors getting the aircraft onto the taxiway, an the aircraft at the rear of the pack that still has its wings folded. St Louis has gone from the single letter tail code to "UF"; note that both the code and the side number are repeated on the forward landing gear doors. Of additional interest are the SBC-2s and PBYs in the background of the shot. This just may be the photo of the week, gang! Greater St Louis Air & Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

A Little More About That Aussie Spit

Sometime during my Adventures in Movieland Rick Morgan sent some additional information regarding that Spitfire Mk Vc I ran a couple of weeks ago. Here's what he had to say about it:

The shot was taken at the South Australia Aviation Museum; I was actually at Port Adelaide to see their National Railroad Museum, which is practically next door. What I found curious is that the airplane are in a hangar that is several KM from a runway. I probably should’ve asked how they got them there.

Rick

Apologies to the folks at South Australia Aviation Museum, and a heart-felt Thank You for preserving and restoring that airplane!

More Misawa Madness (But Not Really)

You've heard me mention a fondness for the aircraft of the 39th Air Division stationed at Misawa during the late 50s and early 60s---I've rambled on about it to the point of tedium, I think. Old friend Dave Menard shares the same passion for the Hun, and for Misawa, and has provided a couple of shots from his collection for our enjoyment today:

F-100D-50-NH, s/n 55-2879, at Misawa AB Japan in 1961. The 39th AD had a classified mission during this time period and good photographs of their Huns are tough to come by. This shot depicts "Little John" complete with command stripes.  USAF via Dave Menard

And the other side, marked this time as "Schatze II". You'd almost think you were dealing with the 49th FG back in the Bad Old Days in Darwin with those differing nose treatments on the same airplane. The 39th AD's aircraft shuttled back and forth between Misawa and Kunsan AB, ROK, on TDY deployments. The mission was secret and PACAF strongly discouraged photography as a result. Menard Collection

That's It For Today

The internet is acting up again over here, which means I need to go out and cut down the tree limb that sways back and forth between my antenna and the one that serves our community (the old sit-com "Green Acres" comes to mind here). It's as good a time as any to put the day to rest, I suppose. Be good to your neighbor and we'll see you a little later in the week.
phil