Rex, quick question- when you say that the MERs were tilted relative to the wing, I take it that you mean a fore/aft tilt, and not side to side?
MJ-1 is the powered loading cart? (okay two questions)
I forgot about the fore to aft tilt,that too. (there is also a for and aft shift for different loads)
I really did mean looking at the MER and pylon from the front, the two different services tilt out away from the landing gear. (for gear clearance with the bombs)
So, if you are standing in front of the aircraft, you see that the innerwing TER is “straight up and down” on both services, and the outerwing is “bent” on the Navair MERs (and MBRs), right at the MER to MER adapter line,while the USAF has all the outerwing parts in a straight line, but, angled out at the wing joint.
lemme go look and see if I have any photos in Photobucket
brb, Rex
geez, I just looked and I don’t see any photos on this specific subject on my Photobucket. (I swear I remember posting the angled USAF head on photo online)
I do have a bunch though,maybe I need to finish that Navair Notes pylon page?
Rex
Guys, thank you. Even when I don’t ask the question I surely do learn a lot.
Thanks again,
Tom
Wow…I’m glad I opened up this thread…way to go guys!! Fantastic amount of info!! So, I’ve decided (despite the bomb shortage…I’m gonna assume they had lots LOL, cuz, it’s just plain wicked) to go with out board MERs, inboard TERs all packing full loads of Mk.82s (I’ll cut off the fuse extenders to increase the amount the Hase kit provides), 4 sidewinder AIM 9Bs, 2 Sparrows mounted aft and the centreline tank, cuz, it needs some range. I want this to me a CAS version with air to air capacity.
Rob, I remember reading a paperback some years back I believe was called “Phantom over Vietnam”? Anyway, it was written by a Marine F-4 pilot about his experiences and he mentioned a configuration he called “Super Bomber”. You took one F-4, put a MER on the centerline and both outer pylons, a TER on both inner pylons, loaded them all up with MK82 slicks for a total of 24 bombs, and prayed she’d get off the ground! Supposedly only REALLY experienced pilots were allowed to fly the airplane configured like that cuz they were an absolute beast to fly.
Another one I heard of used by VMFA-122 only was 3 20mm gun pods on the two outboard and the centerline pylon. Made a great CAS bird!
Seasick,
Not sure if you were serious or not, but a safe bet is 2 sidewinders, 1-3 drop tanks, and AIM-120’s on the remaining stations. That said, it’s a rare loadout nowadays, they usually carry some form of GBU.
Groot
Tarn- for your shelving project, think about 1/4 or 3/8 ply with some 1 inch alum angle underneath it, one front and back with the down leg flush with the edge and a couple more evenly spaced front to back, running side to side. Could do the same with thick plexi, just the front and back angles if you want see through. Can mount some LED strip lights at the rear edges on the plexi or center on the ply ones.
Straycat, that book was written by our very own John Trotti, a former CO of the Black Knights.
The main criteria for the creation of a Superbomber was that the aircraft had to have a “non-repairable malfunction in the outerwing pylon fuel transfer system” Without that malfunction, the load wasn’t approved by Navair, lol. When I bought my Uncle his own copy of that book (I had to, at one time we were both Black Knights together, lol), he roared laughing when he hit that part. He had personally stripped out the fuel line fitting up in the wing that the fuel tank had to attach to, on one aircraft. He was nervous about reporting it, and when he did, he was told “thank you, Corporal” by his Sgt. Those fittings were replaceable, for sure,but, they didn’t have any of them at Chu Lai at the time. So, creating a Superbomber became a perfectly legit deal with that airframe. “Goofy Gas” wasn’t a part of Navair when it came to the Phantom era.
I do believe that later on during that war, some people fielded 22 and 24 bombs on their aircraft without the fuel malfunction.
Sorry,Trotti’s stories always make me nostalgic, even if I was with them a decade after their voyage on the Valley Forge.
Rex
Thanks for the Idea, GoldHammer.
I was thinking about steel conduit tubing, with the “pretty shelf” on top, and the “working shelf” on the bottom, with edge trimming along the front. Sort of a sandwich deal. And just while typing this, I decided to use your idea instead, with the “pretty shelf” on top, and a clear surface on the bottom of your framing, to let the light shine through. Run angle stock all around the three edges of the “box” to set the shelf onto and attach it to.
Then I can do a “Gomer Pyle” scene with Quonset huts and Airfield stuff on it, then a Chu Lai setting on another “shelf” and a Carrier Deck on another. Maybe a WW II shelf while I am at it.
Thanks, you got the “little wheels in my head” spinning in some different directions, always a good thing, lol.
Rex
Tarn, now I think of it, I do believe you are right; Trotti was the guy. I was thinking Jack Broughton but he was the Thud Ridge author.
Strange they made no mention of that mod not being approved by TPTB, but doesn’t surprise me, either. You could get away with a lot more stuff back then.
I had a signed copy of it. I got Trotti to sign it in black magic marker.
Then when I bought another copy for my Uncle, I gave him the signed one and kept the new one for myself. I figured since he made two deployments with them and one was with Trotti, he should have the signed one.
I was in later, during the “post Vietnam force reduction” days,so, I didn’t chew any of the same dirt like they had. (this Thanksgiving, my danged Uncle started calling my time in the Corps “Rex’s black ops days”, lol,because I was with the Black Sheep, the Black Knights and the Ace of Spades,no wonder people think Jarheads aren’t housebroken, why I oughta,)
Rex
I’m pretty impressed that you can communicate coherently in written sentences and paragraphs myself 
Stik, the MJ-1 was a bomb jammer (as known in the AF), or a loader. Here is the AF Museum writeup on them: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=981
“I’m pretty impressed that you can communicate coherently in written sentences and paragraphs myself ;)”
Yuk, Yuk, Yuk.
So says the man that would have tried to enter a partially assembled Amtrack if his FSM buddies hadn’t saved him.
But, yeah,one grunt for water, two grunts for food, three grunts for se,What Sarge?, yes, dear, I won’t type that out, Aye, Aye, Honey. (geeesh, some women)
Rex
Sorry, couldn’t help myself when you left yourself wide open there my friend.
Rich, thank you for the enlightenment on that piece of airfield equipment. That stuff is ALL Greek to me.
I really wish that so many of these photos weren’t copyrighted.
I would love to show you the difference between the Air Force and Navy MJ-1 weapons loaders and the SATS loader developed for the USMC’s use on PSP “airfields”.
Loved those J1’s and J’4s…V4 Wisconsin air cooled with 3 speed manuals. Blew the trans right out of the best one (J1) we had at Udorn on day when I was flying low and fast and an F4 can around the corner, and I downshifted it to try and get turned in to a revetment to get out of his way…
Pod cradle broke on a J4 one day on the taxiway coming back from “fox” with a pod…$over 200k damage to that 119, and we spent 2 hours with the FOD sweep down to get the taxi way reopened…had to get them with a trailer after that.
I’m building a small collection of modern fighters. I have a F/A-18E with Paveways, and a F with GBU-31. I’m building another and I just want to put it in to an interception, combat air patrol, or fighter escort loadout.I have a EA-18G in my stash that is going to be in a SEAD loadout.
The F/A-18F in the picture has been rearmed with JDAMS. It was dropped once and I was never able to line up the drop tanks properly, I also have an aftermarket LAU-115 B/A and LAU-127 fro the AIM-120C. The AIM-120C has cropped tail fins so it can fit inside the F-22 and F-35.
^ Don’t y’all just love looking at aircraft collection shots?