Subject: Re: Walk Arounds
From: [email-masked]
To: "Steve Bamford" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 11:35:28 -0400

Hi Steve.

Before I get into other topics, I noted some of the e-mail links for me on
ARC are for my work address of "[email-masked]".  I need you to
change these to my home address of "[email-masked]".  I can be
reached at my work address (like now, while conversing with you), but I
(and my employer) would prefer if most of the mail was going to my home
address.  It is my fault that I did not mention this in my earlier e-mails.

>>
>> ...you interested in doing all the walkarounds for ARC?...
>>

HELLO!!!  What a wake-up call.  "Put up or shut up", huh?  I'm honored
(flattered, surprised, shocked, amazed) that you would think enough of me
to ask such a question.  The offer is more than a little tempting.  I'd be
lying to say that I wasn't interested.

The trouble is the time investment.  Like the rest of the world, I don't
have a lot of free time.  Like you, I also have two preschool children
(boys, ages 3 and 5).  I have a home to care for and a full-time day job.
You sound (from your writing) like one of those rare people that can
operate on 3 to 5 hours of sleep per night.  I, on the other hand, am the
other end of the spectrum and can't function on less than 7 hours.  An
occasional late night won't kill me, but a regular late night schedule will
knock me out.  I know because I have tried this before.

If the work-load were a bit less (like 1 to 2 Walk Around postings per
week), I'd be more inclined to say "Yes".  But then (a little reality,
here), if the work load at that level was do-able for me, you would already
have the A-4M Walk Around pictures and several others over the summer.  I
am going to have to decline taking on the task of doing all the Walk Around
postings, but I would like to try to help.  Let me know if there are some
lesser tasks I could help you with.  One way I know I can help is with
shorter, less frequent e-mails ... :-)

In the interest of helping, here's another set of captions.  I am keeping
with the F-4 stuff for now as I am most familiar with it.  These captions
go to the F-4F Walk Around from Oshkosh.  This was another great Walk
Around with tremendous pictures that were just begging for captions.

Some general notes to place at the top of the page:

This aircraft is one a the German owed F-4Fs based in the US at Holloman
AFB.  Germany does most of its F-4 (and Tornado) advanced training in the
US at Holloman AFB using these aircraft.  As the aircraft are US based,
they get painted into US camouflage and markings.  (Ironically, the
Tornadoes maintain German camouflage and markings -- go figure.)  These
F-4F are immaculately maintained.  You could actually eat off of most of
the surfaces of the aircraft.  The engine exhaust areas and interiors of
the wheel wells have to be seen to be appreciated.  There is hardly a spec
of dirt anywhere on the airframe.  It is a credit to the men and women that
maintain these aircraft that they are so well kept.

Now, on to the captions...

1.  Left nose, showing the front of the gun muzzle.

2.  Left, nose, showing the left air conditioner / avionics cooling intake.

3.  Left nose, showing the engine intake and intake splitter plate.  The
splitter plate is divided into two sections.  The forward section is fixed
(non-moving).  the rear sections pivots to limit the amount of air flowing
into the intake at high speeds.

4.  Left nose detail.  The large thing to the lower left of the picture is
the previously mentioned air conditioner / avionics cooling intake.  Of
note are the small strakes between the engine intake and fuselage that
brace the intake splitter plate.  The two upper ones are visible.  There
are two more in the shadows on the lower half of the splitter plate.

5.  Left engine intake.

6.  Left engine intake.

7.  Left engine intake.  Note how far back the gray paint goes before the
white paint starts.  Note also the airspeed sensor inside the duct.
Information gathered by this sensor controls the pivoting of the moving
splitter plate sections.  This sensor is present inside both intakes (left
and right).

8.  Left engine intake.  Just visible in the shadows is the face of the
J79-17 engine.  The intake trunk is rather deep and snakes upward a bit
from the lower intake lip.

9.  Lower left wing, showing the center one of the three inboard wing slat
actuator fairings.  Note the plumbing attachment points and cleats on the
lower wing surface where the outboard weapons pylon attaches.  Also note
the angle of the small, upper main wheel well door and its proximity to the
landing gear and main wheel well door.

10.  Left wing leading edge.  This is the view rotated to the left of the
previous picture.  The third inboard wing slat actuator fairing is visible,
as are details of the inboard portion of the outer wing slat.  Note that
the inboard slat does not overhang the wing leading edge in the closed
position.

11.  Left wing aileron, seen in the typical, drooped position.  Both
ailerons droop on the ground after the hydraulic pressure bleeds off.  Note
that the wing flap is fully up, though.  A mechanical lock holds the flaps
up so that they do not droop on the ground.  You may notice that this
mirrors the control surface behavior of another McDonnell Douglas aircraft
-- the F-15 Eagle.

12.  Left engine exhaust.  Note the varying colors of the bare metal and
the polished plate on the base of the arresting hook.

13.  Arresting hook, seen from the left.  Note the relative cleanliness of
the entire rear fuselage.  The Rhinos at Holloman AFB get extremely well
cared for nowadays.  In years gone by, this are would be filthy with
built-up soot from the engines.

14.  Fuel dump mast and para-brake door, viewed from the right, at the rear
base of the vertical tail..

15.  Right rear elevator, topside detail.  Note the lack of an "arrow head"
reinforcing plate on the top center of the elevator.

16.  Right rear fuselage detail.  Again, note the relative cleanliness of
the area.  Also not the presence of an "arrow head" reinforcing plate on
the bottom of the left elevator.  Generally, these reinforcing plates are
on both elevators, top and bottom, for Air Force versions of the Phantom,
but not always.

17.  Right engine exhaust.  Not the sag of the lower irises compared to the
upper.  The engine does slope upwards inside the fuselage, but not as much
as is indicated by the canted exhaust cone.  I have yet to find a model of
the Phantom (or any other jet) that captures this canting (downward sag) of
the exhaust cones correctly.

18.  Small inspection window on the right rear fuselage, just above the
engine exhaust.

19.  Right wing leading edge, showing the outboard details of the outer
wing slat.  Note the six attachment points along the slat.  The second and
fifth ones are the actuators the cause the movement of the slat.  The other
four are fixed pivot points.  The slat does not actually move anywhere.  It
just rocks on the pivot points, increasing and decreasing the space between
itself and the outer wing panel.  Even fully "retracted", there is a gap
between the outer wing panel and the slat.

20.  Right wing tip detail.  Shown is the placement of the low-intensity
formation light ("tape light") and the green navigation light.  The black
thing is an RHAW antenna.  The left wing tip is the same, only with a red
light.  Note the darkness of the green in the navigation light.  Clear
green paint over a silver base coat is way to bright for an unlighted
light.  Use a dark gloss green for modeling the green lights and a gloss
maroon for the red lights.

21.  Two things visible here.  The first is the center actuator fairing for
the right inboard wing slat.  The other is the flare / chaff dispenser
mounted onto the rear of the weapons pylon.  Note the details of this
dispenser as Hasegawa does not capture it correctly on their 1/48th scale
kits.

22.  Right engine intake.

23.  Overview of the center right fuselage.

24.  Overview of the forward right fuselage.

25.  Detail of the forward right fuselage.  Visible are the low-intensity
formation light ("tape light"), AOA sensor spike, and right side air
conditioner / avionics cooling intake.

26.  Nose landing gear, viewed from the right.  The red item is the
retraction lock to prevent the landing gear from retraction on the ground.
The green bag is the storage bag for all the airframe "Remove Before
Flight" pins and streamers.

27.  Closer view of the AOA sensor spike and right side air conditioner /
avionics cooling intake.

28.  Right side of the nose.  The small intake on the top of the nose is
the gun gas purge vent.  This vent is normally open on the ground.

29.  Upper half of the left main landing gear, viewed from the front.  The
red item is the retraction lock to prevent the landing gear from retraction
on the ground.

30.  Left main wheel well, front side.  The angle is facing outboard from
under the wing at about a 10 o'clock angle.

31.  Left main wheel well, front side.  The angle is facing outboard from
under the wing at about a 11 o'clock angle.

32.  Left main wheel well, rear side.  The angle is facing inboard from
under the wing at about a 4 o'clock angle.

33.  Inside of the inboard left main wheel well door.

34.  Left main landing gear, inboard.

35.  Right main landing gear, outboard.

36.  Left main landing gear, from the front.

37.  Left speed brake, viewed from the outboard side.  Note the angle of
the sag in the speed brake.  This angle varies from aircraft to aircraft,
even between the left and right sides of the some aircraft.

38.  Left speed brake, viewed from behind.  Note the colors.  The speed
brake interior side is red.  The actuator strut is red.  The speed brake
well is whatever the underside color of the aircraft is.

39.  Left speed brake, viewed from behind.

40.  Right speed brake, viewed from behind.  Note this one is sagging open
more than the left one is -- not uncommon.

41.  Left speed brake, viewed from behind.

42.  Right engine intake underside.  Note the bleed air points present on
the rear of the splitter plate.  These are present on the upper side of the
splitter plate, too.

43.  Left nose close-up showing the location of where the integrated
boarding ladder is found.  Also in the picture are the low-intensity
formation light ("tape light") and front end of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile
well.

44.  Inside of the larger nose wheel well door.  Note the retraction
linkage attached to the center portion of the door.  The linkage is
mechanical.  As the landing gear strut retracts into the "C" shaped
actuator fitting, it pulls the wheel well door shut.

45.  Nose wheel well, looking forward.  Prominent in the picture are the
retraction arm for the nose landing gear, the "C" fitting of the door
actuator, and a slew of wires and pipes.  The red item is the retraction
lock to prevent the landing gear from retraction on the ground.

46.  Nose landing gear, viewed from the left rear side.

47.  Nose landing gear from behind.

48.  Nose landing gear from the front.  Note the dual lights, one in the
door and one below the door.  All of the F-4E/F/G versions use this light
configuration.

49.  Auxiliary air intake for the engine.  These doors are on either side
of the centerline fuel tank and open automatically when the landing gear is
lowered.

50.  Another view of the auxiliary air intake for the engine.  Visible
inside are plumbing and wiring for the engine.  Inside the right side door
(on Air Force Phantoms) is where the hookup is found for the APU starter
cart.

51.  Rear of the centerline fuel tank.  Note the attachment of the rear fin
to the lower fuselage.  This is the newer F-15 style fuel tank.  The older
F-4 style tank did not have this rear attachment.

52.  Left inboard weapons pylon, viewed from behind.  Visible are the flare
/ chaff dispenser fairings on both sides of the pylon.  Note that the
actual flare / chaff dispensers were not installed on this aircraft when
the picture was taken, only the fairings are present.  Note also that the
fairings have different shapes between the inboard and outboard.  The
outboard dispenser mounts at an angle downward.  The inboard dispenser
mounts facing straight aft.

53.  Left inboard weapons pylon, viewed from the front, left.  The pylon is
carrying a MXU-648 luggage pod.  Note that only one AIM-9 Sidewinder
missile rail is mounted on the pylon.  Note also the style of the rail
attachment.  This is very different from the style used on Navy Phantoms.

54.  Left inboard weapons pylon, viewed from the front.

55.  Left inboard weapons pylon, viewed from the front, right.

Long enough...  My boss will not appreciate the time I spent on this.  Take
care.

DWA