FH-1 Pilots Handbook

A copy of Navy Pilot’s Handbook #AN 01-245FA-1, for the McDonnell FH-1 Phantom aircraft, dated September 1, 1949.

Click here to download the handbook in PDF form (61.8 Megs)

F-15 Air Launch of Micro-Satellites

      A feasability paper by Avichai Socher and Alon Gany of the Ireal Institute of Technology on launching micro satelites using a combat aircraft like the F-15 Eagle. Interesting reading and dove tails with the F-15-deployed rocket Boeing was developing under the Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) program. Credit: Sariel Stiller

Click here to download paper in PDF form (0.7 Meg)

Info and video on ALASA here

Fairchild/McDonnell AT-21 “Gunner”

A little known fact about McDonnell Aircraft is that in the early days, they looked for any work they could find in order to keep the doors open!

One of the jobs they found to work was to help build the Fairchild AT-21 “Gunner” for the war effort.

As Aviastar.org puts it: “Of the 175 AT-21’s constructed, 106 were built by Fairchild and, to speed deliveries to the USAAF, 39 were built by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation and 30 by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation at St Louis.”

The first photo above is McDonnell built AT-21 # 42-48413. Credit: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view photos of AT-21's

Much more at here and here

The McDonnell Douglas Suspended Maneuvering System (SMS)–“The Flying Fire Engine” Update

I finally found my selection of SMS photos. Since these were Polaroids, I don’t think that they have been seen before. See original post for description and facts.

Click here to view photos

Original SMS post here

McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee Parts Diagrams–Part II

More pages from the Group Assembly Parts List (AN 01-245FBC-2 and –4) for the F2H-3 Banshee showing the parts breakdown (IPB) of the aircraft. Some duplication to my first post. Still looking for more pages from these two publications. Credit: Dave Lennox on HyperScale Forums

Click here to download pages in PDF form (12.8 Megs)

Click here for original post

Budd C-93 (Navy RB-1) Conestoga

I love any obscure aircraft and we have an unusual one here! Info and photos of the Budd Company’s Conestoga stainless steel aircraft. Credit: The Jean Aker collection via the BoxArt Den

Click here to view info and photos

Many good photos of Pima Air Museum’s Conestoga here

Patches and Stickers V

Another of my soft spots is MDC stickers and patches and Steve Billings has graciously allowed me to share some of his huge sticker collection with you via this blog. Thanks Steve!

Here are seventy three McDonnell Douglas stickers. Credit: Steve Billing collection

Click here to view stickers

Click here to view other MDC stickers

Missouri Air National Guard Open House

The Missouri Air National Guard held an open house on October 11, 1983 on the 131st Tactical Fighter Wing’s facility at Lambert airport in St. Louis, Mo. Had RF-4, F-4C,  CF-101B and A-4 aircraft on hand. Also, I included a nice photo of an MO ANG F-4C flying over the Arch and old Busch stadium.

Click here to view photos

Missouri Air National Guard F-100D and F-100F aircraft are here

Northrop X-4 Three View Drawing

Loft Sheet 275-9, dated November 19, 1970, showing a nice three view and fuselage cuts of the Northrop X-4 “Bantam” experimental aircraft. Credit Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view Loft Sheet

Nice picture collection here

Douglas DC-5–Part II

More Douglas DC-5 photos and drawings of this little know aircraft that I have collected.

Click here to view new info

Good source of DC-5 info here

Part I of DC-5 info here

RF-4B Inboard Profile Drawing

A poor copy of the McAir drawing 32-00047, dated March 3, 1969, with the inboard profile of the RF-4B aircraft. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawing

F-101B Plan, Sheer & Cross Section Cuts

Loft sheets 33-64 and 33-66 showing the F-101B Plan, Sheer & Cross Section Cuts. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawings

AV-8B Harrier II Cross Sections and Loft Lines

Loft Sheet  of AV-8B Cross Sections and Loft Lines. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawing

McDonnell Douglas Corporation Lineage Revised

 Revised the blog entry for MDC lineage. Added Douglas logos and link.

Click here to view revision

AV-8A Cross Sections and Loft Lines

A multi sheet set of Loft Lines drawing #34 from 1979 showing AV-8A Section cuts. (The set is incomplete; but AV-8A LS type info is hard to find!.) Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawings

Sikorsky H-19 and H-34 Helicopter Model Drawings

Sikorsky model drawings for the H-19D/S-55 Chickasaw and H-34A/S-58 Choctaw helicopters. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawings

F-4S Phantom II Standard Aircraft Characteristics Sheets

F-4S Phantom II Standard Aircraft Characteristics (SAC) sheets, dated May 1984.

Click here to download the SAC in PDF form (27.3 Megs)

Grumman Aircraft Model Drawings

Many historical prints from the Grumman Aircraft Company historical collection.

They include: AF-2S, Ag-Cat, WF-2, E2A, F2F-1, F3F-2, F4F-4, F6F-5, F7F-3, F8F-1, F8F-2, F9F-8, F9F-8P, F-11A/F11F-1, FF-1, G-22, G-159 Gulfstream, HU-16B, OV-1A/AO-1AF, S-2A, S-2E, TBF-1 and XF5F-1. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawings

F-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler Report

An except from a Navy progress report on the F-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. This is a “report card” on the project and where it has been and should go. Blog readers say that it is from a year end FY 2013 DOT report. Report number unknown.

 

Click here to view pages

Early F-18 Hornet Advertisement

I have always liked aviation advertisments and Jack Abercrombie send over this one.

Jack says: “Here's an ad from a 19 April 1976 Aviation Week showing the then (early) F-18 configuration.  Note the scaled-up YF-17 LEX, three LEX slots, wing LE snag, short-span ailerons, stabilator with no snag, and strakes on the sides of the nose radome.” It is very interesting to compare this to the later as-built configuration. Enjoy!

Click here to view large sized ad

F4H-1 Rocket Boosted Model Testing

More info on the unusual NACA Rocket Boosted 13% Scale Model F4H-1 tests, mentioned in the blog post here. These tests where measured against the standard wind tunnel tests in order to evaluate the validity of this type of testing.

Jack Abercrombie found some of his old memos and charts from his time as the McAir Chief Aerodynamics Engineer.

As Jack says: “I found some of my work from many years ago regarding the the NACA Rocket Model F4H-1.  Apparently, after the test of Memorandum RM SL57K20, there were at least three more tests the following year (1958).

In 1983, after I became Chief Aerodynamics Engineer, one of the old time VPs remembered the NACA tests, and I was asked to dust off the results. I had extensively examined the NACA data more than 20 years before during a drag investigation when I was still a working Aerodynamicist.  My archives from the earlier period were used to generate the data for the attached memorandum 341-83-313 dated 8 Nov 83.

Note that the rocket model derived data is really no good, particularly subsonically.  Supersonically, the data are better but still not good.

The memo 341-83-313 was presumably passed on; but, I never heard any more on the subject.” 

I have also included a nice photo of a rocket boosted Douglas F4D model. So, this type of test was run on several aircraft models!

Click here to view info

McAir St. Louis Flight Ramp # 1

Wonderful photo of the McAir flight ramp in 1966, filled with F-4’s. This is how I remember the “good times” of F-4 production. In the foreground Navy and Air Force RF’s, along with F-4B’s and C’s. In the far left backgound is an F-4A flight test bird.

Click here for full size photo

Additional aircraft filled ramp photos here, here and here

Boeing B-17G Model Drawing

Another print from the Boeing Historical Services Office on vintage Boeing aircraft and missiles. This time, the B-17G aircraft.

Click here to view B-17G drawing

Many other Boeing model drawings here

B-52A and B-52H Display Model Drawings here

FileFactory Download Problems–Continued

A few people are still having problems downloading while FileFactory straightens out their problem.

Here’s work-a-round download methods:

Using Firefox: click the “Ignore this warning’ words at the lower right hand of the warning box (See above). If you are still sceptical, you should scan each file BEFORE opening and you will see that they are clean.

Using Explorer: Turn off “Smart Screen Filter” – Go to the “Safety” drop down menu on top toolbar, go down to “Smart Screen Filter”, then down to “Turn off Smart Screen Filter” Having this off is no problem as Explorer always scans each download!

Using Chrome: You are on your own here, as I never use it.

FileFactory is still working the problem and I am still in contact with them. They ask for time as the problem is more complex than originally thought!

Douglas Commercial Aircraft Display Model Drawings

Douglas factory display model drawings for the DC-1, DC–3, DC-6, DC-7, DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawings

Factory Floor Photos–Part VII

A couple more Bldg. 002 factory floor assembly photos. This time of the F-4 aircraft taken in October 1960 and September 1963. The early photo is very unusual to find.

Click here to view photos

Earlier blog entries -  Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, and Part VI

F-4 Composite Rudder Testing Aircraft

Several photos of the F-4’s used in early composite rudder testing at St. Louis. Boron and Beryllium epoxy rudders were both tested.

The above photo shows “Old 122” (YRF-4C 62-12200) in “Agile Eagle” configuration with the Beryllium rudder installed during April 1967. Adding leading edge maneuvering slats to F-4’s was evaluated during flight tests known as Project Agile Eagle. And it should come as no surprise that multiple flight test configurations were run at the same time! McDonnell made 45 rudders which were installed on F-4 fighters for service evaluation.

Also included is a Flight International article from June 7, 1973 on Boron Composites. This lists which aircraft used/tested boron componets and a background on Boron development.

Credit: Ramp “122” photo from FFRC Photo Collection

Click here to view photos

F4H-1 Standard Aircraft Characteristics Sheets

Two F4H-1 Standard Aircraft Characteristics (SAC) sheets, one dated April 30,1960 and the other dated February 1, 1963. Credit: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.

Click here to download the 1960 SAC in PDF form (7.8 Megs)

Click here to download the 1963 SAC in PDF form (7.1 Megs)

700 Blog Posts Reached!

I have reached 700 posts on this blog!! Thanks to everyone that has contributed!

F-4K Use of Spey Engine Article

An article on the changes required to use the Rolls-Royce, Mk 201, engines instead of the U.S. J-79’s. From Aviation Week and Space Tecnology, dated July 25, 1966.

Click here to view article

FileFactory Download Problems

I have been getting reports of this kind of problem while attempting to download my files.

Let me be very clear, none of my files are infected as this is a FileFactory server problem!

As proof, ignore the warning and download a file; but, BEFORE opening it, run a virus scan on it and it will come up negative. My computer is scanned daily and once every week using four anti-malware programs. ALL of the files that I have ever uploaded are clean.

I have been in contact with FileFactory for over a week and received this from them:”

“Andy Wong (FileFactory Support)

Apr 1, 14:02

Hi there, thanks for your email.

We have investigated and discovered that some malicious users have been using our servers to host malware programs, and using TrafficShare to distribute the downloads to unsuspecting (but specific) downloaders.

Unfortunately this seems to flag all other files on the same server as potentially harmful. We are hunting down the accounts and files associated with this, and once removed, the warning errors should disappear.

Kind regards,

Andy Wong
Senior Customer Support Agent”

So, while this is troubling, my files are safe and FileFactory is taking steps to correct the problem from the rogue server files. Carry on!

BTW: Using a different browser will allow you to download the files, if your current one won’t.

NOTE: I have put an alternate download site for the “F-4D Gun Module Report”. Let me know if I need to give alternate download sites for other files.

F-4D/E Gun Module Installation Report

  Another McDonnell report number B233, dated November 10 1964. This report investigates the desired installation positions for the F-4D and F-4E Phantom II aircraft for carrying a gun module. Credit: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download the report in PDF form (1.22 Megs)

F-4D Gun Module Report

McDonnell report number B425, dated January 12 1965. This report investigates the desired position on the F-4D Phantom II aircraft for a gun module. Credit: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download the report in PDF form (1 Meg)

Alternate download site

F-15 Aircraft General Orientation Course

The course put together by McAir Product Support for the familiarization of the F-15A Eagle fighter aircraft. This course has everything from 3-view drawings, cockpit, ejection seat, system info; etc. Credit for original file: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download the course in PDF form (7 Megs)