Hello!
On many Vietnam aircraft you get to see an antenna like this (I mean the white blade antenna):
It has that black “boomerang” on it and I hear that it’s the manufacturer’s logo. My question to you would be: What company’s logo is that supposed to be? A friend modeller would like to make it a bit more accurate that in the picture above.
Thanks in advance for your help and have a nice day
Paweł
That logo does look familiar, Pawel, but I just can’t place it at the moment. At my age it takes me awhile to recognize anything, but I’ll work on it. I am wondering if it is a stylized antenna. That is a pretty good image- I would think one could make a pretty good decal from it, especially if you have a good graphics program that has good sharpening and upsampling routines.
One method is to upsample, to maybe twice as many pixels- say 600 dpi vs 300 dpi, then create a new layer, and use a pen or brush set at two pixels and draw it in over the picture. Maybe making that second layer a vector layer would help too. Do the outline as a vector, then fill it with color.
Hello Don!
Thanks a lot for your comment. And I thought you had something against me and you avoid answering my post at all costs!
If it was my model, it would be in 1:72 and then I’d probably just freehand the “boomerang” and leave it at that. But my friend has found a color profile of a Huey where the same or similar antenna is explicitly called out:
The caption says:
“…The large vertical VHF antenna mounted on the roof of the cabin was painted white and carried the manufacturer’s logo in black…”
So we’re wondering what company could that be and of course how would that logo look, exactly.
As for creating decals my first choice is always my old Corel 9.0. Of course bitmap manipulations like upsampling the image would of course work, too, but my feeling is that would take more work than Corel to get nice, straight lines, smooth curves and complex geometries in high resolution bitmap.
So, anybody has an idea on the company? I bet it’s a well known brand name.
Thanks in advance for your help and have a nice day
Paweł
Pawel, I work at a large aircraft maintenance/modification facility. I went around to several of the old timers who are involved with avionics installation/modification and asked if any of them knew who’s logo it was. Nobody recognized the logo. Sorry I couldn’t provide any answers but I figured I had good resources available.
learmech - thanks a lot for trying, I appreciate it greatly. I wonder - if the old hands didn’t know, are we ever going to find out?
Thanks again and have a nice day
Paweł
it is a drawing after all. I’d like to see a photo.
EDIT:
Hmmm, this has been driving me crazy. Do you think it could be some warning stencil - maybe for RF transmission? Anyone that has been zapped by RF can appreciate that!
Also - looks a little bit like a missile/rocket being launched - company logo?
GM - the bird dog got me looking
Good pic here: https://www.tinker.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1390170/tinker-history-cessna-l-19-bird-dog-aircraft-profile/
And the Model USA kit I have has the marking #41 and #42
Well, look at that…
I suppose the people who restored that heritage tail dragger would know.
I’m not gonna 'jack this thread, but I did come across an interesting photo of a Skymaster FAC with two foot high letters “DON’T SHOOT” across the wing.
They were common on the aircraft in my Army National Guard unit, and I am certain it is a manufacturer’s logo. Here is one of our CH-37’s with the antenna above the cockpit.
That is a very ugly aircraft, John. Is that at McLelland?
Ah the Mojave… a face only a mother could love.
It’s not Cessna’s logo? They did have their own VHF COMM and Nav line of equipment. Otherwise Bendix/King? …Narco?
Hello everybody!
Ahh, the Mojave… I have to build me one of these… Some day!
Nathan T - I wouldn’t say it’s the Cessna logo… On an UH-1?
Thanks a lot for your great comments here. I believe they have allowed me to make a breakthrough here. I found another photo of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation bird:
After enlarging the photo one starts to see the logo…
Until somebody has a better idea, I have to conclude that we’re talking about a Collins logo here:
Especially considering this:
What do you say?
Thanks again everybody and have a nice day
Paweł
There seems to have once been a connection between Collins and Rockwell.
I meant Cessna made its own VHF Comms To possibly sell to other manufacturers? But Collins seems more likely
Bill, I took that picture at summer camp at Camp San Luis Obispo in 68 or 69 most likely. The logo on the hill is for the California Military Academy which was there at the time. The road to San Luis Obispo in just about under the Mojave, maybe a little behind and it is landing at the parade ground that borders the highway.
You know, my memory was that it was a Collins antenna but I wasn’t sure enough to say so and I couldn’t find any logo like that on the Collins page I found. In the 50’s and 60’s Collins was the gold standard for corporate aircraft radios.
Ah yes I recognize it now. And McLelland doesn’t have big hills.
I moved to SLO in 1974.
BTW, Pawel- are you building the Roden 1:32 Cessna? That is kinda what that section of the fuselage looks like. I have the kit in my stash and hope to get it on my bench soon.
No, Don - I’m researching this for my friend who is building a 1:72 Huey and for myself, for future reference. Many times I have seen that “boomerang” on the antenna and wondered what it is - now I think I know.
So what’s your Cessna going to be? Air Force, Army, Marines? Good luck with your build and have a nice day
Paweł