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The Great, Constantly Changing Picture Gallery, Troisième partie: la vengeance!
- Thread starter SynixMan
- Start date
That just looks like a center of gravity nightmare.
Center of gravity…if it fits, it flies!
That's what we thought in our community, until I witnessed a COG Class-A as Dash-2...Not good
Back to the original topic, that mod is super cool. Seems like it would induce severe nausea among most pax though.😅
On that theme, the TA-7/EA-7s of VAQ-34 (West coast EA/EW Adversaries) from back in the day:
Wow! I’ll have to read some more on this. Was the rear seat modified for an NFO? I imagine that any old NFO who bragged at a bar that he was with an A-7 unit would get laughed at and called a fake.
Thanks for posting.
I am not sure to what extent it was 'modified' but they did fly with NFO's, one was an instructor at EW school when I went through. The two 'adversary' VAQ squadrons, VAQ-33 and VAQ-34, had more than a few odd aircraft to include EA-6A's, EA-4F's, ERA-3B's, EP-3J's and even 'E'F/-18A/B's (unofficial designation) among others and all flew with NFO's, except for the EF-18A's of course. VAQ-35 was a short-lived third squadron but they only existed for ~2 years and flew only Prowlers.
Apparently those squadrons were not uncommon as a flying shore tour for VAQ and VQ types, and were one of the few options along with VC's for women to fly tactical aircraft before the combat prohibition was lifted in 1994.
VAQ-33 ERA-3B with a VC squadron A-4.
VAQ-33 EA-4F and VAQ-34 KA-3B:
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The late, great Rosemary Mariner became Skipper of VAQ-34 in 1990, the first woman to command a Navy squadron.
In 1945, 75 late-production Lockheed P-38L Lightnings were modified with APS-4 radar pods under the nose and a space for a (hopefully compact) radar operator was squeezed in behind the pilot to make the P-38M night fighter. The P-38Ms were too late to see combat before V-J day but served briefly in occupied Japan in 1946. The APS-4 pod was the same radar used by any number of Navy/Marine aircraft: F6F-5E, SB2C-4E & -5E, etc. Offhand I'm not aware of any other Army Air Forces aircraft that used this radar.
The projections under the P-38M wings are to accommodate multiple rockets.
The projections under the P-38M wings are to accommodate multiple rockets.
Here’s a fun one. In October, 1962, the XO of VF-96 (Ken Stecker) was assigned a photo op mission while the USS Ranger was heading out of Alameda. The plan was to launch two F-4s from San Francisco Bay - but a slight delay caused the shooter to launch the late, as the carrier approached the Golden Gate Bridge. At launch Stecker thought going under the bridge would be the safe option. The cameraman in an SH-3 got the image!
The second bird went off just after the Ranger passed under the bridge.
Just to keep the shenanigans going, the Ranger later launched a lightly loaded F-4 from pier side in Yokosuka!
The second bird went off just after the Ranger passed under the bridge.
Just to keep the shenanigans going, the Ranger later launched a lightly loaded F-4 from pier side in Yokosuka!
What's the impact from, they drop their tanks?
I thought it might be the launch bridle they used to use.