F-15 Eagle Weapons, Pods and Tanks

A collection of stores that go under the F-15 Eagle’s wings - weapons, pods and tanks. Enjoy!

Click here to view photos

F-15 Global Strike Eagle Proposal

An interesting Boeing proposal to launch a ballistic missile from the F-15E Strike Eagle. Covering the need for an on-demand, responsive space launch. This paper (AIAA-RS4-2006-2001) was presented at the AIAA 4th Responsive Space Conferance in April 2006.

The abstract says: ”A near term military need exists for a capability to execute global strike, responsive spacelift and space control missions. An innovative solution concept was developed based on integrating off-the shelf components to provide this capability, while avoiding technology development risk. The paper presents a concept that would utilize an F-15E with minimal modifications to provide a reusable first stage for the F-15GSE (Global Strike Eagle). The upper stages of the F-15GSE would consist of currently available solid rocket motors packaged to meet the mission requirements…”

Two versions of the paper are below. Anyone have any other info?

Click here to download the first paper in PDF form (4.5 Megs)

Click here to download the second paper in PDF form (0.5 Meg)

Lockheed C-130T Flight Manual

NATOP flight manual for the Lockheed C-130T  Logistics Support aircraft. NavAir 01-75GAL-1, dated 15 November 2006.

Click here to download the manual in PDF form (21.5 Megs)

North American OV-10 Maintenance Instructions

A copy of the North American OV-10 Maintenance Instructions for airframe systems, NAVAIR 01-60GCB-2-2. This is a technical manual and is dated 15 January 1977.

Click here to download manual in PDF form (36.4 Megs)

F-15B (TF-2) Bicentennial/World Tour Photos

Additional photos sent to me on the F-15B (TF-2) Bicentennial or World Tour. Credit: FFRC Photo Collection and as marked

Click here to view photos

Original posts here and here

Skylab Reference Booklet

The Skylab reference booklet handed out by McDonnell Douglas

Click here to download booklet in PDF form (42.8 Megs)

Skylab press releases and photos here.

F-15 Korean Media Tour Briefing Report

As part of South Korea's F-X III fighter program competition, Boeing proposed the F-15SE Silent Eagle (or the F-15 Slam Eagle) and prepared this report for use during a media tour Of South Korea. (I can’t get use to the canted verticals on an F-15!) Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download report in PDF form (2.6 Megs)

More F-16 Fighting Falcon Lithographs

A couple more of original General Dynamic lithographs on the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Click here to view Lithographs

Original F-16 Litho post here

F/A-18A General Arrangement Drawing

A 1/20th scale drawing of the F/A-18A aircraft, dated 10/6/81. Great general dimensions. I also included a nice tri-view F/A-18A drawing. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view drawings

The First German RF-4E (35+01) Photo Article

Dick Powers wrote a this short photo article on the first German RF-4E. Number 35+01, the Spirit of St. Louis.

Click here to view article

More German Rf-4E info here

Douglas C-132 Update #3

  Speaking of the C-132 project, for a definitive work on the Douglas C-132, get Scott Lowther’s Aerospace Projects Review EV3N3, here, at a very reasonable cost.

Douglas KC-132 Refueling Tanker

A last “gasp” of the Douglas C-132 program was the proposed KC-132 tanker. Not much is know about it and very little data remains.

Click here to see KC-132 history

Design, Intergration and Testing of the F-15

Herman Cole’s presentation to the SAE Aerospace Engineering and Manufacturing Meeting in September 1974. McAir report 74-013. A lot of good F-15 information!

Click here to download report in PDF form (88 Megs)

Douglas D-558-3 (Model 671/684)

To complete the D-558 family, this is the Douglas proposal for a D-558 follow-on (Model 671) and then for an early X-15 configuration (Model 684). Credit: Steeljaw Scribe

Click here to view info

Read the story here and here or here

Toward Mach 2 - The Douglas D-558 Program

  A nice report from a NASA/Dryden Flight Reasearch Center Symposium, with reports dating from 1948 to 1998 and edited by J. D. Hunley. Part of the great NASA History Series. The report covers both the Douglas D-558-1 and D-558-2 aircraft. Lots of photos, graphs and design info.

Click here to download the report in PDF form (20.5 Megs)

Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket Photos

Photos of the D-558-1’s successor, the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket. Another beautiful Douglas aircraft. Credit: NACA/NASA, et al

Click here to view photos

Skyrocket Walk-a-Round photos here and here

Skyrocket movie here

More Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak Photos–Part II

A few more Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak photos. (What can I say, I like the aircraft!)

Click here to view photos

More Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak Photos–Part I

 

  More Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak photos from my collection.

Click here to view photos

Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak Photos

A few Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak photos. Credit: The Jean Aker archive collection via the BoxArt Den

Click here to view photos

“Fly Douglas” Mural

While looking for Douglas DC-8 drawing, I found this wonderful Douglas mural. I have included both the finished mural and the working sketch.

“The Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport in November of 2012, unveiled its "Fly Douglas" mural, created by aviation artist, author and historian Mike Machat. The mural was commisioned by the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California. The mural depicts the Douglas Aircraft Company’s DC series of aircraft from the DC-1 to the DC-10.”

Click here to view mural

Avro Vulcan B.2 Photo Feature

An Avro Vulcan B.2 Photo Feature, on my favorite British bomber, from MDC model club’s Phantom Flyer. Gary Bevan wrote the article.

Click here to view the photo feature

F-4 Wing Bumps and IR Seeker Fairing Cuts

A poor copy of Loft Sheet 32-0488, Sht 3, dated June 28,1968, showing the F-4 wing bumps. Also Loft Sheet 32-0359, dated June 30, 1970, is included showing the F-4 IR Seeker fairing cuts. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view the drawings

Additional wing bump info here

Phantom Flyer Feature Aircraft of the Month

A Phantom Flyer Feature Aircraft of the Month article. This time, from the July/August issue of 1981 comes a Fred Roos article on the US-2C and C-1A “Blue Ghost” aircraft.

Click here to view article

F-4K AGM-12 General Arrangement Drawing

A general arrangement drawing for mounting the AGM-12B on F-4K aircraft. From Engineering Change Proposal ECP-MDA-F-4K-9010.

Click here to view drawing

F-4 and RF-4 Waterlines, Buttock Lines and Fuselage Stations

The small Quality Planning pocket card that I carried for many years with all the F-4 and RF-4 Waterlines, Buttock Lines, Stabilator Stations and Fuselage Stations. A valuable card to have when doing F-4 repairs. Cards are dated March 2, 1967.

Click here to view enlarged cards

Another F-4 Stores Drawing

Another F-4 drawing showing some of the stores it could carry. This time, the Bullpup missile, centerline gun, several LAU rocket launchers and BLU/smoke bombs. Unfortunately, the Loft Sheet number has been cut off! Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view drawing

Additional stores post here

General Dynamics F-111 External Paint Specifations

Part of the General Dynamics F-111 External Paint Specifations no. FPS-1000B, dated 5 July 1963.

Click here to view the specifations

Aviation Archives Newsletter #2

Time for vacation!

General Dynamics F-111 Escape Module Works

Details of the first time the McDonnell Douglas designed F-111escape capsule needed to be used. Additional info and credit to: Combat Reform

Click here to view articles

Much more on the escape module here

General Dynamics F-111 and B-36 Lithographs

A copy of the December 1980 General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and B-36 peacemaker company lithographs. It is always interesting to see what the aircraft builders have to say about their products!

Click here to view lithographs

General Dynamics F-111 Brochure

An General Dynamics company brochure to introduce the General Dynamics F-111 aircraft. Lots of facts and figures.

Click here to download the brochure in PDF form (50 Megs)

General Dynamics F-111 Photos and Info

A number (40) of General Dynamics F-111 Photos and other Information that I have gathered. Enjoy!

Click here to view photos and info

Douglas DC-4 Operating Manual

A copy of the Douglas DC-4 (C-54B-DC) Operating Manual from Resort Airlines, dated April 15, 1951. Credit: Irfan S. Hokan Collection

Click here to download manual in PDF form (12.3 Megs)

Douglas DC-8-63 Technical Training Handbook

A copy of the Canadian Pacific Air Lines (CP Air) Douglas DC-8-63 Technical Training Handbook, dated November 30, 1975. Credit: Irfan S. Hokan Collection

Click here to download handbook in PDF form (16 Megs)

Douglas DC-8 Flight Operating Manual and Checklist

  A Douglas DC-8 Flight Operating Manual from American International Airways, dated May10, 1999. Also, their DC-8 Check List. Credit: Irfan S. Hokan Collection

Click here to download the manual in PDF form (18.8 Megs)

Click here to view check list

DC-10 Aircraft Charateristics for Airport Planning Report

A Douglas Company generated report meant to be sent to airports in order for the airports to plan for the DC-10. Contains a lot of aircraft charteristics and dimensions. Credit: Irfan S. Hokan

Click here to download report in PDF form (6.2 Megs)

800 Posts Today!

Today is my 800th post! How time flies!

Thanks to all the people who have given kind words, encouraged me and helped with material to publish.

Ron

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Introduction Report

A Douglas Company report for the introduction of the DC-10. Lots of detail info on the “Care and Feeding” of a DC-10 aircraft.

Click here to download report in PDF form (7.2 Megs)

F-15B Eagle IFFC/Firefly

McDonnell Douglas F-15B-20-MC-77-0166 c/n 0430/B057 used in the Integrated Flight Fire Control (IFFC)/Firefly III program.

Joe Baugher has this to say about this aircraft and program:

“In 1981, a late production F-15B (serial number 77-0166) was modified as the test vehicle for the Integrated Flight Fire Control (IFFC)/Firefly III program. The IFFC program was undertaken by McDonnell under a contract from the Air Force for the development of a system which would modify the Eagle's fire control and flight control systems to accept control inputs from both the pilot and the IFFC flight control system and to tailor flight control response to the various weapons delivery modes. The parallel Firefly III program was conducted by General Electric under an Air Force contract for further development of the fire control system for use against air-to-ground targets.

The coupling of IFFC with Firefly III allows for automatic positioning of the aircraft in order to attack targets that are detected by an electro-optical target designation pod. As part of the program, the F-15B carried a Martin Marietta ATLIS (Automatic Tracking Laser Illumination System) II designation pod in the port forward missile well, linked to the aircraft's fly-by-wire system via a computer. The designation pod enabled the aircraft to release air-to-ground weapons while maneuvering along a three-dimensional flight path, avoiding having to fly directly over the target and thus exposing itself to enemy ground fire.”

The IFFC/Firefly III system was never adopted for production F-15s. However, the work done on the system was helpful in development of the LANTIRN navigation and targeting system which was adopted for the F-15E Strike Eagle.

Click here to view photos

Good article on INTEGRATED FLIGHT AND FIRE CONTROL here

F-15 Conformal Fuel Tank (Fast Pack) Brochure

McAir company brochure on the F-15 Conformal Fuel Tank called Fast Packs. Good general info and weapons loading stations.

Click here to download brochure in PDF form (103 Megs)

Previous posts are here, here, here, here and here

Additional Eliminate Range Zero System (EROS) Information

  A photo of the actual panel used in the EROS project.

Tommy Thomason commented on my last post with info that all should read:

“Two McAir F-101s collided on 8 June 1960 during production flight test from St. Louis. Because of the nature of these flights, the pilots of the Voodoos were 1) operating in a block of assigned air space rather than at ATC assigned altitudes on airways and 2) focusing on instrument readings, manually recording data, and making changes to switches and knobs: i.e. head down in the cockpit to a greater extent than usual.
As a result of the accident, Mr. Mac immediately implemented a company-funded program to develop a collision-warning system. This resulted in EROS. Once it was developed and qualified, McAir aircraft conducting experimental and and production flight test out of St. Louis routinely carried an EROS pod that communicated with the pods on other airplanes to provide collision warning.”

Also, he found a PDF from 1971 in the Clay Whitehead collection that contains several Collision Avoidance System Letters and Memoranda concerning the EROS project. Note page 10, especially.

Click here to download memos in PDF form (104.3 Megs)

Previous posts here, here and here

A nice overview from Popular Science (Aug 1988) of all companies efforts in this field is here

Additional James S. McDonnell Photos

Another couple of “Old Man MAC” photos that I like. Younger days, this time.

Click here to view photos

Original post here

Piaggio-Douglas PD-808 Article #1

A nice article from Aviation Week & Space Technology. dated 26 September 1966 on the Piaggio-Douglas PD-808, An aircraft that has always interested me.

From Wikipedia: “The Piaggio PD.808 was designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California, as a business jet.

No orders were received by Douglas, and the complete project was bought by Piaggio Aero, which flew the first prototype in August 1965. Piaggio also failed to secure any worthwhile commercial interest, but a few examples were taken by the Italian Air Force.

Only 24 examples of this type, with low-set wings and aft-mounted turbojet engines, were produced, and 22 of these went to the Italian Air Force.”

Click here to view article and aircraft photos