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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

RAZBAM A-7 Sitrep

Some quick screenshots

The Razbam A-7E Corsair II is being readied for sorties "soon"!

Here's some screenshots of the VA-15 (Valions) paint scheme. My first tailhook squadron!

GO NAVAIR, and go RAZBAM!

Navy Chief
 
Remembering maintenance on the A-7 canopy.

The outside edge of the canopy windscreen would fray after so many flight hours, so we would cut the fibreglas"hairs" short, and then paint them down with marine resin.

When deployed, we would go to the "Bosun's Locker" aboard ship to get the stuff. I was tasked with this job one night. When the Aviation Boatswain gave me the resin and hardener, he said, "Now only use a couple drops of hardener, and no more." Well, when I got on the maintenance platform to apply the resin to the canopy edge, I started thinking, "Why not add more hardener to get it to work faster?" So I did just that.

Big mistake.

Within seconds, the cup I was holding, became warm...and then HOT, and started smoking!!! I threw it towards the deck, and it was crystalized before it hit!

I didn't do that again!!!!

This Corsair II model really brings back memories for me. Am sure it will for a lot of fellow shipmates who worked on these birds.

NC
 
Navy Chief said:
Remembering maintenance on the A-7 canopy.

The outside edge of the canopy windscreen would fray after so many flight hours, so we would cut the fibreglas"hairs" short, and then paint them down with marine resin.

When deployed, we would go to the "Bosun's Locker" aboard ship to get the stuff. I was tasked with this job one night. When the Aviation Boatswain gave me the resin and hardener, he said, "Now only use a couple drops of hardener, and no more." Well, when I got on the maintenance platform to apply the resin to the canopy edge, I started thinking, "Why not add more hardener to get it to work faster?" So I did just that.

Big mistake.

Within seconds, the cup I was holding, became warm...and then HOT, and started smoking!!! I threw it towards the deck, and it was crystalized before it hit!

I didn't do that again!!!!

This Corsair II model really brings back memories for me. Am sure it will for a lot of fellow shipmates who worked on these birds.

NC
Click to expand...

Pete, speaking of the A-7 canopy, I remember it was manually operated. Even way back in the 1980s, I think it was the only plane on the flight deck without a motorized canopy opener and closer system. We had to use that canvas strap with the hook on it to prevent the canopy from hitting the stops in the up position. I think I remember that the canopy would sometimes not "go up" by itself after unlatching, and when that happened it was pretty darned heavy... So I'm guessing it was serviced with air or something. I don't remember how it worked.

Awesome VA-122 paint, Ron...
 
DOes anyone else have this issue...

Woops! "Houston we have a problem..." VC lights bursting through the fuselage...:kilroy:

attachment.php


"Does any one else have this same issue; can I get a ffix... Areal A-7 pilot agrees with me. he told me, that its true..." :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:
icon10.gif
Here's me making fun again of those 14 to 20-something-year-old's who usually get into these types of heated debates where people get banned and threads get closed; I know I being rather naughty today but occasionally you have to laugh at these kinds of things.
icon10.gif
LOL :icon_lol:

OK, back to being serious again...

Mr. "Prowler1111,"
Prowler1111 said:
Bicentennial VA-122 fuel tanks only loadout....
Click to expand...
Your repaints are looking might
icon22.gif
. Now get back to work and finish it already... Just Kidding! I'm in a rather strange mood today; I think its called "SLAP HAPPY!"
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Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
From,
James F. Chams
 
Thanks for the comments, some pointers:
VC light issue, yup, it´s there, it´s a bug, not into that just yet, lot of heavy coding left in the aircraft,all these are just WiP´s, and no, i´m not complaining, that´s what WiPs and public posting at forums is all about.
It will have a sound set from IRIS AudioworX, fully 3d sound and LOUD.
I also apologize for posting all these pics here and not in our website´s forum, we are going for a heavy, major, complete website rebuild, support is still given, but i try not to post WiP´s there as most of it will be lost.
Best regards

Prowler
 
"OMG", as they say on "The Internets" ... This ship is looking good!
 
PRB said:
Pete, speaking of the A-7 canopy, I remember it was manually operated. Even way back in the 1980s, I think it was the only plane on the flight deck without a motorized canopy opener and closer system. We had to use that canvas strap with the hook on it to prevent the canopy from hitting the stops in the up position. I think I remember that the canopy would sometimes not "go up" by itself after unlatching, and when that happened it was pretty darned heavy... So I'm guessing it was serviced with air or something. I don't remember how it worked.

Awesome VA-122 paint, Ron...
Click to expand...

Hey Paul,

The canopy on the Corsair II was always manually operated. There was a pneumatic actuator behind the seat, and pressurized to around 50 psi...or something like that. Anyway, when the pressure was low in the actuator, the canopy was indeed heavy!!! And it was very easy to overpressurize that actuator. And usually meant having to replace the darn thing. Once, I had to replace the LOWER actuator mount, which was NOT in the supply system. They had to remove one from an aircraft in the Davis Monthan boneyard.

Also, the strap you mentioned wasn't designed to keep it from hitting the stops per se, but mainly from high winds, which WOULD cause damage!!! Replacing the canopy was a MAJOR job. Just the eccentrics alone for the pivot bolts was sometimes a 2 day job!!!! It was oftimes very difficult to get the canopy to fit properly on the fuselage canopy sill to pressurize. We would use chalk on the canopy sill to verify it.

Pete
 
Not to sound like too much of a simple grunt, but are the airbrakes that huge barn door on the bottom? If so, was it strictly a dive brake or could it be opened partially during landings and such?

BTW, it looks fantastic and truly can't wait to see all of the variants in their splendor.

Matt
 
strykerpsg said:
Not to sound like too much of a simple grunt, but are the airbrakes that huge barn door on the bottom? If so, was it strictly a dive brake or could it be opened partially during landings and such?

BTW, it looks fantastic and truly can't wait to see all of the variants in their splendor.

Matt
Click to expand...


Prowler can best answer your question about when the airbrake was normally used. But yes, it is that huge "barn door" on the bottom of the fuselage. I do know this however, that when the gear is selected "down", the airbrake will automatically retract, and will not extend unless the gear is UP.

NC
 
The speed brake can be used, like most jets, whenever you feel like it, except, as NC pointed out, when the wheels are down, for obvious reasons... You would often see them pop out when the planes were in the break for landing. One of our planes once landed on the ship with that thing hanging down. Pilot couldn't retract it. They cleared the flight deck of most everyone because nobody knew where that huge "barn door" was going to end up after it got sliced off by the end of the ship. As it happened, it broke off and ended up in the water!
 
Thanks Chief and PRB for the info. I could only imagine the deceleration would have to be pretty dramatic. So, if unable to use when the gear are down, was it just a matter of manipulating the AOA and throttle for slowing/speeding up/down? I know the F-8 used a hinged wingroot, and didn't know if that feature carried over into the A-7 or not. Anyway, thanks and very much looking forward to this release and your update to the EA-6. With the Superbug, this and EA-6, carrier aviation will be a mainstay on my PC for quite some time.

Matt
 
strykerpsg said:
So, if unable to use when the gear are down, was it just a matter of manipulating the AOA and throttle for slowing/speeding up/down?
Click to expand...

I don't know the answer, but I DO know a couple former A-7 pilots, and will forward your question to them!

NC
 
An interesting question. Some planes, like the A-6, fly the whole landing pattern with the speed brakes extended. A couple of Air Force "Century Series" types are flown the same way. Whatever it was about the A-7 design, clearly the folks at Vought didn't think they would need the speed brake extended during landing. Here's some words on landing from the A-7E NATOPS:
 
strykerpsg said:
Thanks Chief and PRB for the info. I could only imagine the deceleration would have to be pretty dramatic. So, if unable to use when the gear are down, was it just a matter of manipulating the AOA and throttle for slowing/speeding up/down? I know the F-8 used a hinged wingroot, and didn't know if that feature carried over into the A-7 or not. Anyway, thanks and very much looking forward to this release and your update to the EA-6. With the Superbug, this and EA-6, carrier aviation will be a mainstay on my PC for quite some time.

Matt
Click to expand...

Matt, the following is information that my friend, Fred Sanders, sent me this morning. He flew with VA-46:

The speedbrake on the A-7 was huge, and when deployed, you could really feel the deceleration. Useful in air to air combat scenarios when you wanted to slow down and have the guy on your tail speed on by you. Or, useful on an approach when you wanted to slow to approach speed and lower the gear and flaps. But, when the rollers came down, the speedbrake came up.

Landing approach was 21.5 units Angle of Attack. Actual airspeed depended on configuration, weight, et al, and was controlled, as you said, with throttle and stick. Stick maintained the attitude (AOA) and throttle controlled rate of descent. Really easy, actually.

The A7 was reputed to be hard to bring aboard the boat because of no speedbrake. The difficulty lies in the fact that you have a turbine engine, and landing engine speed is relatively low (rpm). Turbines don't produce a ton of power unless turning near max rpm, so to throttle back for landing on the boat, you are pretty far down on the power curve. If you bolter (which I did alot), you have to wind that engine up quickly, thus when the wheels hit the deck, the throttle goes forward. Every time. If you catch a wire, you'll stop. If you don't, you'll be near or at full power by the time you get to the end of the deck.

Speedbrakes allow the pilot to carry more power (engine rpm) to compensate for the aerodynamic drag induced by the speedbrake, thus having more thrust available if the approach turns brown in a hurry. A-7 drivers didn't have that luxury.
 
That was a great explanation by Mr. Sanders. Here's a couple more cool pics. This thing is too much fun.
 
PRB said:
That was a great explanation by Mr. Sanders. Here's a couple more cool pics. This thing is too much fun.
Click to expand...

Paul,

Were you flying in multiplayer with those screenshots...or did you take with FSRecorder?

Pete

Shipmate, we need to do some online carquals!!!
 
Chief I can't speak for PRB but I use this "Formation Flight Toys" from http://www.mudpond.org.
most easiest program I've used, not as good as fsrecorder but a hell of a lot easier to use. Pm me if you need any guidance mate! :salute:
 
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