1/7th F-14D Scratch build thread *building started*
01-23-2015, 09:42 AM
#1553
But all in all, a solid "Grumman Iron Works" jet. Even the much-maligned TF-30 could take some damage. I once had the ammo drum return belt break when strafing, and dump 20mm casings out the gun gas purge door and down the left intake. Had no idea it had happened. That engine never missed a beat. It was a just-after-dark trap (day launch/night recovery), and my flight lead (I was on my 'nugget' cruise) on approach behind me saw sparks when I trapped, thinking it was the hook skipping along, and a typical rookie on a night bolter. But then my lights went out. He thought that was odd...and it was. It was the left engine coming from together to apart when I went to Mil power at touchdown.
When the Ordie's went to safe the gun after I trapped, casings came spilling out of the opened-door (the safety pin went up in there) and started bouncing around the flight deck. Saw sailors scrambling around the jet like they were hunting Easter eggs, had no idea what the commotion was about until we were shutdown/chained down and had gone down below. Next day, at the behest of the maintenance officer, I went to the hangar bay to look at the jet. You could see daylight all the way through that engine. Wow.
Last edited by VF84sluggo; 01-23-2015 at 09:45 AM.
01-23-2015, 09:56 AM
#1554
Sluggo, I just love those stories, such a good read.... again, I have always lover this plane, sadly enough I only say one once on static display at a Belgian Air Show, never had the provilige to see one fly........must have been such a mighty machine, would have been honoured just to be around one, let alone fly one............you could say I'm a bit jealous..... in a good way, that is.... I swear I was born in the wrong country!!!!
01-23-2015, 10:36 AM
#1556
My Feedback: (6)
Wm,
The zero and neg g were pretty standard for all the military stuff I flew. The A-6 Intruder and EA-6B Prowler were the same 10 seconds zero G and 30 seconds neg G. Maybe that's what the contract specified.
I know the Hornets that the Blue Angels (stunt pilots) are modified to do more of that crap. I saw first hand about using AB in Neg g flight, the engines quit. Which was a limit that they were told about, but when you are slow upside down pushing to the vertical and need to go faster it slipped the guys mind and PFITT! Mighty quiet.... Oh and in the Hornet you have to start the APU to do a relight no airstart in "normal conditions" so it was a good chute.
I think that was 85 the first year for the Hornets in the Blues we were in El Centro doing a squadron level weapons det.
We were flying the Intruder in VA-95 and for the first few weeks were coming into the break in a Diamond tighter than the Blues..... Halcyon days for the Tomcat and Intruder.
Hey Sluggo did you have any issues firing the gun at 0 or neg G? I remember reading the WWll fighters would get gun jams doing that.
Sparky
The zero and neg g were pretty standard for all the military stuff I flew. The A-6 Intruder and EA-6B Prowler were the same 10 seconds zero G and 30 seconds neg G. Maybe that's what the contract specified.
I know the Hornets that the Blue Angels (stunt pilots) are modified to do more of that crap. I saw first hand about using AB in Neg g flight, the engines quit. Which was a limit that they were told about, but when you are slow upside down pushing to the vertical and need to go faster it slipped the guys mind and PFITT! Mighty quiet.... Oh and in the Hornet you have to start the APU to do a relight no airstart in "normal conditions" so it was a good chute.
I think that was 85 the first year for the Hornets in the Blues we were in El Centro doing a squadron level weapons det.
We were flying the Intruder in VA-95 and for the first few weeks were coming into the break in a Diamond tighter than the Blues..... Halcyon days for the Tomcat and Intruder.
Hey Sluggo did you have any issues firing the gun at 0 or neg G? I remember reading the WWll fighters would get gun jams doing that.
Sparky
01-23-2015, 11:10 AM
#1557
Thanks for the kind words, WimB! Yep, the Tomcat was a great machine. I'll never forget my last flight, savored every minute of it, from the moment I put my hands on it to preflight, to the final step down off of the boarding ladder. Seemed like such a short time since I'd done those very things on my first flight in it!
The way things have been going the last few years in the USA, I've been thinking the same thing...
@BigFrank: I recall a modeler bringing us a beautiful VF-84 'Jolly Roger' model to an open-house at Oceana. There was also a VF-17 Corsair there (real one), that did a photo shoot with one of our Tomcats flying over the Wright Memorial at Kittyhawk. Still have a copy of that photo on the wall. Waaaay cool!
@Sparky: I don't recall any issues or limitations with 0/neg g gun ops. I just remember the 'real time gun sight' deflecting in the HUD according to g-load/aoa and side-slip. I think you're right: the 10sec/30sec zero-neg g limits are probably a Navy-mandated design MilSpec.
Oh, the Blues switched to the F/A-18 after the 1986 season (A-4F) was finished. First flew the Hornet in the 1987 demo season. I am intimately familiar with when that happened.
Sluggo
The way things have been going the last few years in the USA, I've been thinking the same thing...
@BigFrank: I recall a modeler bringing us a beautiful VF-84 'Jolly Roger' model to an open-house at Oceana. There was also a VF-17 Corsair there (real one), that did a photo shoot with one of our Tomcats flying over the Wright Memorial at Kittyhawk. Still have a copy of that photo on the wall. Waaaay cool!
@Sparky: I don't recall any issues or limitations with 0/neg g gun ops. I just remember the 'real time gun sight' deflecting in the HUD according to g-load/aoa and side-slip. I think you're right: the 10sec/30sec zero-neg g limits are probably a Navy-mandated design MilSpec.
Oh, the Blues switched to the F/A-18 after the 1986 season (A-4F) was finished. First flew the Hornet in the 1987 demo season. I am intimately familiar with when that happened.
Sluggo
Last edited by VF84sluggo; 01-23-2015 at 11:14 AM.
01-23-2015, 02:10 PM
#1559
My Feedback: (6)
Sluggo,
I could check my log books but 87 could be the year the Blues transitioned to the Hornet. Pretty neat to see their evolution on how to incorporate the advance capability of the Hornet into the show.
MY Fraternity Brother (Bert or Fuse) was the Pax river test pilot who did the envelope expansion for the Blues on the Hornet so he gave me the lowdown on how that all went down.
I still think the Canadian Snow Birds are my favorite for squeezing every once of performance out of the plane and pilot. Can you imaging being on the inside of one of those big gaggle turns at a few knots above stall and the guy on the outside of the turn at MRT trying to keep up!
I don't know if the Snow Birds are still operational their Government keeps trying to cut their funding, that would be a pity.
Sparky
I could check my log books but 87 could be the year the Blues transitioned to the Hornet. Pretty neat to see their evolution on how to incorporate the advance capability of the Hornet into the show.
MY Fraternity Brother (Bert or Fuse) was the Pax river test pilot who did the envelope expansion for the Blues on the Hornet so he gave me the lowdown on how that all went down.
I still think the Canadian Snow Birds are my favorite for squeezing every once of performance out of the plane and pilot. Can you imaging being on the inside of one of those big gaggle turns at a few knots above stall and the guy on the outside of the turn at MRT trying to keep up!
I don't know if the Snow Birds are still operational their Government keeps trying to cut their funding, that would be a pity.
Sparky
01-23-2015, 04:25 PM
#1560
Wow, small world, Frank. I remember thinking, wow, this model sure puts to shame the one's I built!
And for sure Sparky, winter training El Centro 1987 was the beginning of the Hornet era for the Blues (well, actually mid-November '86 @NPA, but why quibble over a month or so)...I guarantee it.
Sluggo
And for sure Sparky, winter training El Centro 1987 was the beginning of the Hornet era for the Blues (well, actually mid-November '86 @NPA, but why quibble over a month or so)...I guarantee it.
Sluggo
01-25-2015, 01:02 AM
#1561
Thanks for the kind words, WimB! Yep, the Tomcat was a great machine. I'll never forget my last flight, savored every minute of it, from the moment I put my hands on it to preflight, to the final step down off of the boarding ladder. Seemed like such a short time since I'd done those very things on my first flight in it!
Sluggo
Sluggo
Wim
01-25-2015, 04:46 AM
#1562
Wim, about 7 years, 1981-1987...it was a great ride!
What a great era in Naval Aviation, too! Ronald Reagan, John Lehman as SecNav, 600-ship navy...man. And when the movie 'TopGun' hit the streets...say baby! I remember being an instructor on a -101 Key West det during spring break, couldn't get the Dire Straits "Money for nothing, chicks for free" song out of my head!...lol
Sluggo
EDIT: Hope my wife doesn't read that last sentence!
What a great era in Naval Aviation, too! Ronald Reagan, John Lehman as SecNav, 600-ship navy...man. And when the movie 'TopGun' hit the streets...say baby! I remember being an instructor on a -101 Key West det during spring break, couldn't get the Dire Straits "Money for nothing, chicks for free" song out of my head!...lol
Sluggo
EDIT: Hope my wife doesn't read that last sentence!
08-30-2018, 08:20 PM
#1565
Ive been commissioned for a 1/4.5 T-38 at a JWM/TopGun level of detail, so once that project is done (which its nearly ready to start printing the plugs) the. The F14 will be next on the table.
If someone has a Used K210 for a good deal, let me know, i need one for the prototype F14.
08-31-2018, 07:35 AM
#1566
If you can hang in there a few more weeks, im about to start on my F-18, I got most of the paint and a REALLY REALLY nice set of detailed decals and paint mask from tailormade to slap on it. As of yesterday I have everything to finish it minus my battery backer, turbines and two servos.
08-31-2018, 01:58 PM
#1567
Keep up the good work Thomas!!!
Angelo
08-31-2018, 04:35 PM
#1568
id post photos, but the mobile device uploader sucks.
Last edited by invertmast; 08-31-2018 at 04:44 PM.
09-01-2018, 12:51 AM
#1569
It's pretty crazy how the technology has moved on - even in the time this thread has been going. How you can now laser print parts to make plugs etc. Really cool to see the project coming back to life 
09-01-2018, 09:41 AM
#1570
3D printing has opened up an entirely new direction with modeling. I now have two 3D printers. One is a run of the mill Robo3D R1 with some minor upgrades. It has a 7x8x9in build volume. Plenty large for most stuff. The latest printer is completely of my own design and has an enormous 23”x24”x28” build volume. The 28” direction is easily upgraded to as much as 36-48” if i so desired. It will literally be able to print anything i want. With a 1.2mm hole in the nozzle, i can print objects at a 1mm layer height very quickly or reduce the nozzle hole and drop down to a 25micron layer height (the zero sensor and Z travel has a resolution of .0001mm).
The third printer will likely arrive around christmas time and will provide the meat n taters of all the detail items as its a SLA printer and the parts are literally paint ready once printed.
09-02-2018, 01:25 AM
#1573
I just think at what you made with your bare hands years ago, so I can't imagine what you can achieve with those 3D printers you have now: I was highly interested in your project but now I'm even more eager, period!!!
