EA-6B Prowler (02 April: Done!)

[JeepsGunsTanks]

Great pics! This project is pretty epic.  Action shots are the best. 

 

I agree whole heartedly on ViceGrip Garage! The first video of his I watched, he got some old junker Chevelle running and drove it home. He makes getting cars running, that cone one would ever think could run again easy, all while being a pretty good comedian!  Plus he interacts with a lot of the other car Youtubers I like. 

 

[JayW]

Wow - what's the Navy term for Hoorah?  

[easixpedro]

14 hours ago, JayW said:

Wow - what's the Navy term for Hoorah?  

I think the phrase every aviator understands is Sierra Hotel...(xxxx Hot to keep it G-Rated)

[easixpedro]

Quick update. Am in a holding pattern for the moment. Problem being that there's obviously no 1/32 EA-6B decals. I've got some various markings I can use, but not everything.  Was able to mask and spray the November Hotel tail markings, I ran out of schlitz when it came to the BuNo. Real issue is that I was planning on using my wife's silhouette cutter...until I discovered she got rid of it because it was still sitting in the original box, unused after a bunch of years.

 

I made multiple efforts to mask and spray the numbers,  but no joy. Here's attempt number 4, before I called it quits.

 

Finally broke down and ordered some of @ziggyfoos's fabulous AoA decals. Won't get me all the way there, but will be a 80% solution. Even better, it has most of the random markings and warnings.  Super excited when I realized that he's got the placards for the landing gear mains too!! Score! They're hopefully enroute from Spruebrothers now. Have a few days off due to back issues, so hopefully can knock out some markings before going back to work.

 

in the meantime,  I could knock out some small things that need to be done, or will more than likely start the Crusader. Have an urge to glue some plain old styrene! 

More soon!

-Peter

[easixpedro]

Back at the old girl. Was waiting for the intake paint to dry on the Crusader and jumped back in. Needed to sort the nose gear. 

 

After a couple of failed efforts making my own, I came to the conclusion that I needed to use the metal kit bits. To save some weight, I carefully drilled out the center. Worked better than I'd hoped, and allowed me to use some aluminum tube for the oleo section.

 

I'm glad I used it to be truthful.  As I started adding parts, I was impressed more and more. It's a work of art. Trumpeter nailed it. I was having flashbacks to doing preflights and checking all the bits.

 

It's literally all there. Love the tow link. That thing is hefty.  Used to have on that was a great doorstop, but it disappeared during on of the many moves. 

 

Trumpeter even has the spring contraption that holds the holdback. Look at the little spring at the bottom of the gear on the backside. 

 

At the base of the spring is a little receptacle that some poor kid put the holdback in. Its shaped like a barbell and snaps at a predetermined weight when the catapult fires. Literally the only thing holding the jet to the catapult.  Pretty impressive,  especially when you consider a fighter in max afterburner waiting for the cat shot.

 

On a side note, here's one that was given to me after my first cat shot in the fleet. One part stays with the jet till landing, before its tossed and the part that stays on deck usually is tossed over the side immediately. There was a chief in my first squadron that was from my hometown, so he orchestrated the effort to save both. It almost never happens,  so pretty cool little momento.  

 

-Peter

[JayW]

Awesome LG!  Cannot wait to see it on the aircraft.  I meant to ask - you show a very high AOA on your display.   Like past stall range I think.  Please explain.   

[JeepsGunsTanks]

That's a pretty cool memento!  I read somewhere, back in the days of parachutes, where you manually had to pull the cord, guys like to save the pull handle. 

[Collin]

Funny....I have half of a white holdback fitting sitting here on my desk in the CAOC.  

 

Collin

Edited February 22, 2022 by Collin

[Derek B]

That is really cool Peter - well done!

 

Derek

[easixpedro]

12 hours ago, JayW said:

Awesome LG!  Cannot wait to see it on the aircraft.  I meant to ask - you show a very high AOA on your display.   Like past stall range I think.  Please explain.   

I think that's really an optical illusion. Earlier photos I took were merely to test the hook strength, so I didn't have the attitude dialed in. But that being said, the Prowler had a rather ungainly approach. It was a modified A-6 after all, (take a perfectly good airframe and modify it, mess up the CG etc.--it handled like it). So the stretched fuselage makes it seem like the approach angle is even worse than it is.  Don't remember exactly, but the hook to eye clearance was something 27 feet? Meaning that the moment the hook hit the deck, the pilot was 27 feet above that point. A huge factor landing at the boat, because what the pilot sees isn't where the hook is. Just look at the recent accident a few weeks back where the F-35 hit the ramp. I can measure tonight, but my SWAG (math in public) means the pilot should be at 10.13" or 10 1/8". It's pretty close just from my eyeballing it.  If it's off, he's either fast or slow!  

9 hours ago, JeepsGunsTanks said:

That's a pretty cool memento!  I read somewhere, back in the days of parachutes, where you manually had to pull the cord, guys like to save the pull handle. 

Have heard the same. Is kind of a thing still.  Anyone 'lucky' enough to use a Martin Baker ejection seat becomes a member of a very unique club--think they're up to ~7,600 lives saved. They get a little lapel pin and a tie. They used to give out patches too, which would get sewn onto flight jackets.  Have known a few folks that are members (a club I never wanted to join for certain!) Ejection Tie Club - Martin-Baker

[JayW]

Ejection Tie club - oh man I could read that link all day!  Thanks!  

[JeepsGunsTanks]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:25 AM, easixpedro said:

I think that's really an optical illusion. Earlier photos I took were merely to test the hook strength, so I didn't have the attitude dialed in. But that being said, the Prowler had a rather ungainly approach. It was a modified A-6 after all, (take a perfectly good airframe and modify it, mess up the CG etc.--it handled like it). So the stretched fuselage makes it seem like the approach angle is even worse than it is.  Don't remember exactly, but the hook to eye clearance was something 27 feet? Meaning that the moment the hook hit the deck, the pilot was 27 feet above that point. A huge factor landing at the boat, because what the pilot sees isn't where the hook is. Just look at the recent accident a few weeks back where the F-35 hit the ramp. I can measure tonight, but my SWAG (math in public) means the pilot should be at 10.13" or 10 1/8". It's pretty close just from my eyeballing it.  If it's off, he's either fast or slow!  

Have heard the same. Is kind of a thing still.  Anyone 'lucky' enough to use a Martin Baker ejection seat becomes a member of a very unique club--think they're up to ~7,600 lives saved. They get a little lapel pin and a tie. They used to give out patches too, which would get sewn onto flight jackets.  Have known a few folks that are members (a club I never wanted to join for certain!) Ejection Tie Club - Martin-Baker

 

 

Dang, that's a cool link. 

 

Do the other seat makers do something similar?  

[easixpedro]

Dug into some old photo albums and found these. Thought I'd share,

 

And some good tail chase shots as we messed around at the boat. Flying at sea is unlike any other flying, in that its pretty much uncontrolled airspace. You launch with a full bag of gas and get an hour plus of flight time to rage around with your hair on fire. Depending on the flight, you might not even talk on the radio, just show back up overhead Mom at the appropriate time to land. Pure unadulterated freedom.

 

 

The reason I was digging for pics, is cause I was looking for this picture. 

 

Did some messing around with printing decals last night. Not 100%...want to give it another go to really recreate that old-school metal stencil look. 

 

Putting your name on a model is probably seen as arrogant by some. Probably is, but I don't care and its pretty dang cool to have made it this far!

Onward and upward!

-Peter

[JayW]

Booger?   

 

[LSP_Kevin]

That's so cool.

 

Kev