F-4E Product Support Slat Article

An in-depth look at the “new” slats put on F-4E’s from a report by McAir Product Support in 1971.

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Click here to download in PDF form

F/A-18 Hornets for Australia

A promotional brochure on the Australian F/A-18. Nice cockpit shot and build breakdown.

Click here to download brochure in PDF form

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C-82 Packet on McAir Ramp

An “Golden Oldie”, this time two photos of a Fairchild C-82 Packet aircraft on the McAir ramp in the early 1950’s. I have include a few shots of preserved C-82’s, also.

Click here to view photos

McAir Modelers “It’s a Small World”

Time for a little self promotion! For years, we received a publication called “Team Talk” and the July 25, 1988 edition had an article on Bob Pukala and myself. Bob was a very good modeling buddy for over 30 years and I miss him and his talent. We did the article to increase our club membership and it worked!

 

Click here to read article

The McDonnell Rotor System

An interesting little brochure on the rotor system used in the XV-1 Convertiplane.

Click here to view brochure

Original post with XV-1 photos and info here

Gemini Big “G”

 Fourteen photos of the proposed large Gemini capsule. “Big Gemini (or "Big G") was proposed to NASA by McDonnell Douglas in August 1969 as an advanced version of the Gemini spacecraft system. It was intended to provide large-capacity, all-purpose access to space, including missions that ultimately used Apollo or the Space Shuttle.” Credit and more info: Wikipedia

Click here to view photos

Additional info and drawings here

McDonnell 25 Year Anniversary Coin

To celebrate the companies 25th anniversary in 1964, McDonnell Aircraft issued the above coin to it’s employees. As we were in the space race, a Mercury capsule was depicted on the coin and the company logo changed to include the capsule.

McDonnell Douglas F-15E-48-MC Strike Eagle

This is a beautiful overhead shot of an McDonnell Douglas F-15E-48-MC Strike Eagle, s/n 89-0502 and c/n 1149/E124. You seldom see such a detailed photo of the top of this aircraft and I had to share it with everyone.

Jeff Rankin-Lowe posted this in the Mil Aviation Group as: “A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducts operations over eastern Afghanistan on November 26, 2009. The Strike Eagle is assigned to the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller/Released)”

Click here to download original photo

Mercury Program Journal

This is a brochure showing the accomplishments of the McAir Mercury program, citing dates and milestones. A nice wrap-up to the program!

Click here to view brochure

F-15 P&W F-100 Engine Photos

Several photos of the F-15 Pratt and Whitney F-100 engines (With tail Feathers).

Click here to view the gallery

Read about the engines here.

RF-101C - Operation Sun Run (Part II)

Robbie Robinson sent along some additional photos of the Operation Sun Run aircraft. Robbie is a member of the U.K., Air -Britain (Historians) Society and specializes in the F/RF-101A and C aircraft. Credit: McDonnell/R.Robinson collection.
He sent along this info:
                                  No.1  RF-101C, 56-0163, Capt.Sweet.,17TRS.
                                  No.2       “           56-0164, Capt. Kilpatrick , 17TRS.
                                  No.3       “           56-0165, Lt. Klatt, 18TRS.
                                  No.4       “           56-0166, Capt.Schrecengost, 18TRS.
                                  No.5       “           56-0167, Capt. Hawkins,  18TRS, ( Spare).
                                  No.6       “           56-0168, Capt. Burkhart,   18TRS, ( Spare).
He thinks that photos of aircraft No.6 must be fairly rare, because very little has been seen of this aircraft. Anyone have any?
Original post here
Click here to view photos

F-15B (TF-4) 73-0109

Photos of the fourth F-15B (TF-4) (TF-15A) number 73-0109 from September 9th, 1974. These show inside a lot of opened panels on the aircraft. These photos are marked as “special weapons configuration”. Good shots of the speed brake and engine turkey feathers.

This aircraft later served at Luke Air Force Base and then with the Louisiana Air National Guard.

Click here to view photos

F-15B (TF-2) 71-0291

June 1983 photos of the second TF-15A, (TF-2) (F-15B), number 71-0291 on the McAir flight ramp showing various missile, bomb and stores loadings.

This is before the aircraft was in the Bi-Centennial and Around-The–World paint schemes and before it was selected to be the F-15E prototype! (See photos)

Click here to view photos

How Low Can You Go!

An interesting photo from Jan 1981 showing a very low flying F-15, 75-0037 over the Missouri countryside. No, it’s not as low as it looks; but, the optical illusion is great. (That is not actually a shadow under the aircraft; but, a water filled shale pond, very common in that area.)

It also has two other interesting features, an unusual tank under the fuselage and an “Air Superiority Blue” radome while the rest of the aircraft is in the “Ghost Gray” scheme.

Click here to see large photo

McDonnell Douglas Model 253 VSTOL

The McDonnell Douglas Model 253 was developed to try to adapt a VTOL fan system to a productive aircraft. Here we have an artist’s drawing and a general arrangement drawing. Both drawings are from the H.J. "Mike" de Garcia collection via Mark Nankivil at the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.

Click here to view larger drawings

MUCH more at Secret Projects here.

Lady Be Good B-24 Photos

An original set of 22 photos from the 1959 inspection of the B-24 called Lady Be Good that was lost in 1943. A sad story of relying to much on early technology. In this case, an ADF (Automated Direction Finder). As the story goes, the crew were reading of the backside of their ADF and went away from their base instead of toward it.

This plane, was AAF serial number 41-24301 with the group identification number 64 stencil-painted on its nose and Lady Be Good was hand-painted on the starboard side of the nose.

Click here to view the photo gallery

Additional information here and here.

Color photos of recovered wreckage here.

F-15A 73-0100 Photos

Here are several photos of F-15A 73-0100 carrying stores and firing a Sparrow missile.

The first photo I took on August 1st 1975 while standing at the end of the main runway at Lambert airport in St. Louis. (No one cared if you took runway photos back then!)

This bird later served with the Louisiana ANG and is now a gate guardian. See last two photos.

Click here to view photos

Luftwaffe RF-4E Camouflage and Photos

Here is several photos of the original RF-4E’s build for Germany. The German Luftwaffe initially ordered the reconnaissance RF-4E in 1969 and received a total of 88 aircraft which were delivered starting in January 1971.

I have also included the article written by Bob Pukala that shows this original camouflage pattern.

If you can find it, “AirDOC - Modern Combat Aircraft No. 08 - Luftwaffe Phantoms (Vol. 3) - The RF-4E Phantom II in Germany” is a great book on this subject.

MDC RF-4E Phantom II Report, No. F972, dated December/01/1967 is here.

Click here to view the gallery

McDonnell Douglas Corp Logo Heritage

As I spent my entire career at MDC, I have always been interested in the ‘Logo’' or “Branding” of the company as I wore each badge or pin with great pride!. Here is an article from the May 1986 issue of our Technical Idea Exchange (TIE) Engineering bulletin on the subject.

Additional posts on this subject here and here.

McDonnell Company Aircraft

In the 1960’s, there were two aircraft commonly seen on the ramp for use in flying the “Big-Wigs” around. The Jetstar (N12121) and the Aero Commander (N6881S).

Our own Model 119 (See photo in gallery) lost out to the Lockheed Jetstar, so I was always amused that old man MAC bought one of the competitors aircraft; but, it was very nice inside and gave pretty good service!

Click here to view photos

RF-101 Striped Voodoos–Part 1

I have always loved this RF-101A paint scheme ever since I saw it on our McAir flight ramp (See sketch in with photos).  It appears to be a trial camouflage for the mostly bare metal or gray Voodoos up until this time; but, before the T.O. 114 SEA Camouflage standardization.  The first photo above seems to have a tan color as well as the green with black stripes, while the second photo has only green with the stripes. Any thoughts?

Click here to view photos and sketch

Bf 109 G-6 "MT-507"

This Bf 109 G-6 "MT-507" is on display in the Aviation Museum of Central Finland at Tikkakoski.  The Bf 109 G-6, Werkenummer 167271, was ex-VO + GI and ex-Finnish AF MT-507 called "Yellow 0".

This print is from a beautiful slide, dated October 1976,  that I received from the Finnish Aviation Museum.

Click here to view photos

More info  and photos are available here and here.

The Aviation Museum of Central Finland web site is here.

Lockheed CL-1665

I found another article by “Fatz”, this time on the Lockheed CL-1665. (Search on Fatz for more of his articles in the above Search Box). More info is available on the CL-1665 from Secret Projects here.

While this may only be Lockheed’s “Competitive Data Group” department’s study of the YF-17/F-18, it is still very interesting! McAir had a similar department as part of the “Threat Assessment Group”.

Missouri ANG F-84F

 

51-9422 was built as a F-84F-30-GK at the General Motors-Fisher Body plant in Kansas, City, Missouri.

This F-84F stood outside the headquarters of the Missouri Air National Guard at Lambert field for many years. I took this shot in Oct 1971. It is now at the American Legion Post 253, in Festus, MO.

McDonnell Douglas Fighter Lineup #1

A very unusual photo with four MDC fighters in one place! F-4 and F-15 chase planes, the F-18 and AV-8B prototypes all together in Bldg. 42, September 1978.

YF-4E 62-12200 Fly by Wire Article and Ad

I found a McAir Product Support article and advertisement on 62-12200 that I thought everyone would enjoy.

Click here to view article and ad

See the other posts here and here.

F-15 Interior Primer Color

A small blurb I wrote about the origins and color composition of the F-15 blue-green interior primer color. This was the  #1 question asked during the 1980’s by write-ins and calls to External Relations! The color shown is an actual paint sample from the Bldg. 48 paint shop!

Additional F-15A 71-0289 Chase Plane Information

More info on F-15A-4-MC-71-0289. This was the tenth  F-15A built.

Click here to view info

Original posting here.

Additional F-15A 71-0283 Chase Plane Information

More info and photo of the F-15A-4-MC-71-0283 chase plane. This was the fourth F-15A built.

Click here to view info

See here and  here for original postings.

F-4 Pylon, Stores and Armament Loft Sheets

Two Loft Sheets from 1967 showing F-4 pylon, stores and armament info. The first is LS 32-0139; but, the second has had it’s number cutoff.

Click here for large scale drawings

F-15A Full Scale Development 72-0120 Photos

These are photos of F-15A-6-MC 72-0120 taken next to bldg. 002 at the St. Louis McAir plant before being sent to Israel.

Initial deliveries to Israel of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 commenced on December 1976 as four Category II, Full-scale Development (FSD) aircraft were accepted under under a Foreign Military Sales project known as Peace Fox. Bearing serial numbers 72-0116 through 72-0118 and 72-0120, the fighters had been updated to full F-15A standard before delivery; but still retained the smaller speed brakes.

Note that in the above photos, the wing tips appear not to be clipped yet.

72-0120 became Baz 648 in the Israeli service.

Click here to see photos