F2H-2N Banshee Inboard Profile

An inboard profile drawing from 1950 of the F2H-2N Banshee showing fuel tanks, tail hook and some flight controls.

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F2H-3 Banshee General Arrangement Drawing

An F2H-3 Banshee General Arrangement blueprint from 8/18/1951. Since this is an original 64 year old blueprint, I have left the image as it really is and not “Photo shopped it”. Enjoy

Click here to view the blueprint

500th Blog Post

A little self promotion, as I am happy to say that I uploaded my 500th post to this blog yesterday. (And I got a new Grand Daughter as well!)

F2H-2P Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

Still more Banshee drawings. This time the F2H-2P Photo Recon Version General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

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F2H-2N Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

Some more Banshee blueprint drawings. This time the F2H-2N General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

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F2H-2 Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

More Banshee drawings. This time the F2H-2 General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

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F2H-1 Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

Actual F2H-1 McAir Blue Print General Arrangement drawings along with Markings and Insignias. The next few posts are microfilm prints from my collection made some 50 years ago, and the quality varies greatly!

Click here to view drawings

McAir Flight Ramp Aerial Photos

Several nice aerial shots of the McDonnell Aircraft flight ramp during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Demons, Voodoos and F-4 Phantoms are everywhere! Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view photos

Douglas C-132 Update #1

Additional information on the Douglas C-132 proposal. More photos to follow.

The newspaper article comes from Jack Abercrombie who has this to say: "My first job after graduation was as an aerodynamicist on the C-132 at Douglas Tulsa.  The very day before reporting for work, the newspaper in Tulsa reported the contract cancellation.  What an interesting way to start a career."

Credit: Jack Abercrombie

Click here for newspaper article and more photos

Click here for original blog post

B-58 Escape Capsule Photos and Brochures

Convair B-58 Escape Capsule photos and B-58 Hustler News brochures dated May 1961. Also, the Air Force Flight Test Center’s first capsule test report from 1962.
Click here to view photos
Click here to view first brochure
Click here to view second brochure
Click here to view test report

Postwar Aviation Advertisements

More advertisements from the pages of vintage National Geographic Magazines. This time, from the post WWII era of civil aviation. Credit: Bill Lukasik’s Historical Collection

Click here to view ads

Prewar and WWII Aviation Advertisements

A selection of prewar and WWII advertisements from the pages of vintage National Geographic Magazines.      

Some very interesting ads here! Credit: Bill Lukasik’s Historical Collection

Click here to view ads

MDC Product Ad Sheets here

F-4M/Phantom FGR.2 “XV424”

This is a very nice picture of an original F-4M-35-MC (cn 3084/0056) aircraft in a view that is seldom seen. It turns out that this aircraft is some what famous due to the Alcock & Brown's special paint and record breaking run in 1979. It was later converted to an FGR.2.

History from the Thunder and Lightning’s web site: "XV424 served with 6, 29, 54, 56, 92 and 111 Squadrons plus 228 OCU. In 1979 she was painted in a special scheme to mark the anniversary of Alcock & Brown's crossing of the Atlantic, and made a record-breaking commemorative dash across the Atlantic on the 21st of June that year. On retirement she was earmarked for preservation with the RAF Museum and is now on permanent display at Hendon. She is in absolutely superb condition, having never suffered outdoor storage like so many Phantoms, and looks like she was rolled in to the museum yesterday. XV424 is displayed with a nice selection of stores and has steps so you can get a look at the cockpit."

Photos are included that show the aircraft thru the stages of it’s life.

Click here to view photos

F-101B Voodoo Landing Gear and Drag Chute Structure

Illustrations of the F-101B drag chute and nose and main landing gear structure and assembly.

Click here to view illustrations

F4H-1 Forward Fuselage and Landing Gear Structure

F4H-1 forward fuselage nomenclature and canted and regular fuselage stations. Also, nose and main landing gear illustrations.

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What Killed Douglas Aircraft

The involved tale of why McDonnell Aircraft got to buy Douglas Aircraft in 1967. This paper was authored by Jonathan S. Leonard from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley

Having been there at that time, I can say two things: First that old man MAC admired Donald Douglas and, since he had always wanted to build commercial aircraft (Think Model 119/220), he was happy to keep the company in business. Second that he knew how a merge was supposed to go, in that the new company became McDonnell Douglas and the Douglas name (and the “bug”) didn’t disappear! Other companies forgot this!!

Click here to download the paper in PDF form

or download from the University here

Convair 240 Series of Aircraft Article

A nice short article on the piston-engined Convair 240 series of aircraft. These were built as a possible replacement for the Douglas DC-3. This article includes a list of all the 240 series aircraft built.

Click here to view article

Phantoms Coming - Thuds Going

An article by Don Spearing on the 301st TFW (Carswell AFB) conversion to F-4D’s from F-105’s. With two pages of photos.

Click here to view the article

F-15 Eagle Flight Leader Magazine

The summer 1990 issue of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Flight Leader Magazine’'. The article include: One wing F-15, F-15E birdstrike and survivability, F-15 Lantirn, F-15 success on night raids and F-15E advanced cockpit design.
Click here to view magazine

Additional McAir Building 42 Photos

More McDonnell Aircraft Flight Test building 42 photos. These have some very interesting aircraft parked on the ramp!

Click here to view photos

Original post here

AV-8B Italian Navy Article

Another McDonnell Douglas , Aerospace Digest article from 1994. This time it is on the AV-8B in Italian Navy service.

Click here to view article

F-4 Phantom II Hill AFB “Pharewell”

A McDonnell Douglas, Aerospace Digest article from 1994 on the “Pharewell” of the last Programmed Depot Maintenance F/RF-4 aircraft. The last aircraft was an RF-4C going to the Nevada ANG in Reno.

click here to view article

F-4B,C,D and E Front Cockpit Panel Drawings

A nice, simple one-page illustration of the front cockpit instrument panels for the F-4B, F-4C, F-4D and F-4E aircraft. Credit: IPMS Phoenix magazine “Dirty Plastic”

Click here to view drawings

The F-4 Phantoms of Fighter Town

An April 1975 article by Richard P. Lutz, Jr. on the markings of F-4B, F-4J and F-4N aircraft at Miramar, CA. Credit: IPMS:USA Update Vol. 10, No. 4

Click here to view article

McAir Multi-Role Fighter

An article also from the Sept McAir “Team Talk’ on the upcoming McDonnell entry to the Multi-Role Fighter (Which became the F-16, I believe). It is interesting as it details some of the paperwork that we had to deal with, even to just start a new project!

Click here to read the article

Space Shuttle Transportation System Booklet

An “oldie” from Rockwell from when the Shuttle was new. It contains mission parameters, data, 3-view drawings and cross section cuts of the Shuttle.

Click here to view booklet

T-45 Goshawk Training System Brochure

A copy of the 1991(?) T-45 Training System Brochure. It lays out the entire T-45 system and has a lot of facts and figures. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view brochure

F-4 Flight Manuals and Guides

Several additional manuals and guides are available from the F-4 Phantom II Society here.

The Flight Manuals and Guides are at the bottom of the page. I recommend this site for all their good work on my favorite aircraft, the F-4 Phantom II! Stop by and enjoy the riches.

F-4E Flight Manual (Complete)

A complete earlier copy of the F-4E flight manual TO 1F-4E-1, dated 1 February 1979. Credit: The F-4 Phantom II Society

Download here or here or here or here (17.5 Megs)

A later manual (1990) update is here

Mo ANG 110th TFS Farewell to the F-4 Phantom II

An article from the Sept McAir “Team Talk” on the retirement of F-4’s from the 110th Tactical Fighter Squadron (131 TFW). The retirement date was September 14th, 1991 at Lambert Field, St Louis, Missouri. The last aircraft was number 68-338. I have added a picture of it in service and as a St. Louis pole exhibit along with the squadron symbol . In early 2015, this aircraft was transferred to Whiteman Air Force Base for display.

Click here to view photos

 

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Aerospace Specification Tables - 1960

A copy of the Aerospace Specification Tables from 1960. This booklet was the “bible” on aircraft, engines, spacecraft and missiles. Many charts with sizes, dimensions thrust data and manufacture’s data. As a boy, I eagerly awaited this booklet in order to keep up with the world’s aerospace, military and civilian  facts! (And , yes, it really is in the weird color.)

Click her to download the booklet in PDF form.