Wednesday, September 30, 2015

F2H-2N Banshee Inboard Profile

F2H-2N Inboard Profile Aug-16-50a - RDowney An inboard profile drawing from 1950 of the F2H-2N Banshee showing fuel tanks, tail hook and some flight controls.

Click here to view profile

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

F2H-3 Banshee General Arrangement Drawing

F2H-3 General Arrangement 8-18-51a - RDowney 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

Monday, September 28, 2015

500th Blog Post

index 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

F2H-2P 15-00030 Markings & Insignia Stitched - RDowney Still more Banshee drawings. This time the F2H-2P Photo Recon Version General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

Click here to view drawings

Sunday, September 27, 2015

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

F2H-2N 15-00019 GA Stitched - RDowney Some more Banshee blueprint drawings. This time the F2H-2N General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

Click here to view drawings

Saturday, September 26, 2015

F2H-2 Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

F2H-2 15-00017 GA Stitched a - RDowney More Banshee drawings. This time the F2H-2 General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings.

Click here to view drawings

Friday, September 25, 2015

F2H-1 Banshee General Arrangement and Markings/Insignia Drawings

F2H-1 15-00002 GA Stiched - RDowney 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

Thursday, September 24, 2015

McAir Flight Ramp Aerial Photos

D4E-55214 Jun-20-55 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

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Douglas C-132 Update #1

xUntitled-16 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

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

B-58 Escape Capsule Photos and Brochures

Scan0025aEpson009 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

Monday, September 21, 2015

Postwar Aviation Advertisements

Epson030Epson056 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

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Prewar and WWII Aviation Advertisements

Epson025 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

Saturday, September 19, 2015

F-4M/Phantom FGR.2 “XV424”

Epson001(F-4M-35-MC) 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

Friday, September 18, 2015

F-101B Voodoo Landing Gear and Drag Chute Structure

Scan0013 Illustrations of the F-101B drag chute and nose and main landing gear structure and assembly.

Click here to view illustrations

Thursday, September 17, 2015

F4H-1 Forward Fuselage and Landing Gear Structure

Scan0010Scan0011Scan0012 F4H-1 forward fuselage nomenclature and canted and regular fuselage stations. Also, nose and main landing gear illustrations.

Click here to view drawings

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

What Killed Douglas Aircraft

Untitled 2 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

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Convair 240 Series of Aircraft Article

Scan0001Scan0002 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

Monday, September 14, 2015

Phantoms Coming - Thuds Going

Scan0011 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

Sunday, September 13, 2015

F-15 Eagle Flight Leader Magazine

Scan0026 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

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Additional McAir Building 42 Photos

C12-19651-22 Apr-1989 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

Friday, September 11, 2015

AV-8B Italian Navy Article

Scan0007a 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

Thursday, September 10, 2015

F-4 Phantom II Hill AFB “Pharewell”

Epson008 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

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

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

Scan0007 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

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The F-4 Phantoms of Fighter Town

Scan0002 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

Monday, September 7, 2015

McAir Multi-Role Fighter

Article 1 Article 2a 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

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Space Shuttle Transportation System Booklet

Scan0001 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

Saturday, September 5, 2015

T-45 Goshawk Training System Brochure

Untitled 2 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

Friday, September 4, 2015

F-4 Flight Manuals and Guides

NATOPS_F4J_manualUSAF-T-O-1F-4C-1-2F4_Phantom_Guide 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.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

F-4E Flight Manual (Complete)

F-4E Manual-1979 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

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

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

30-1 30-2 30-3 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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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Aerospace Specification Tables - 1960

Scan0001 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.

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