Hey Wolf!
I gotta question that maybe you, or someone else on here, might be able to help me with.
In the images below, note that the #4 bird has its vertical tail either blacked out or painted black. Do you or does someone else know why this is?
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
Randie [C):-)]
It’s painted because in the Diamond Formation the exhaust from #1s exhaust stains the vertical stab and rudder of #4. If it’s going to be stained black, paint it black and you won’t have to clean it quite as often. A lot of A-26 tankers ended up with black nacelles for the same reason.
What he said… 
[:p]
By the way Randie, I haven’t forgotten about the Enforcer. I came up with nothing in the files and am in the middle of grunging through the rags which is time consuming. Although I really don’t hold out much hope for finding what you need, unfortunately… [V]
Fade to Black…
I didn’t figure you had. I’ve researched a few things in my 51 years and I know how it can be. [censored] Especially, when you KNOW you’ve got the info and no matter how hard you look you just can’t find it. Then one day, when you’re not even thinking about the subject, you find it and can’t remember why you were looking for it in the first place! [banghead]
I thank you, just the same.
Randie [C):-)]
New info (new to me, anyway) on the black tail of the slot aircraft…
Starting in 1960 with the F-100, a decision was made to allow the vertical stab to remain sooty on the slot aircraft; it WAS NOT painted. They simply let the soot build up, and this practice continued through the team’s association with the F-4.
Someone on another forum also remarked that at the beginning of each new season, the newbies on the ground crew had the fun job of cleaning that soot off. Can only take this guys word for it, but from what I know of military ‘traditions’ and people in general, sounds realistic…
Fade to Black…
joys of newbies 