Chance Vought F8U-3 Crusader III Flight Guide

Chance Vought F8U-3 Crusader III Flight Guide, report E8R-11546, dated 1 November 1956. For aircraft BuNo 147085.

Note: This is the aircraft that the F-4 Phantom II beat out for the contract!

Click here to download guide in PDF form (30.4 Megs)

Convair B-58A Hustler Flight Manual

Convair B-58A Hustler Flight Manual, TO 1B-58A-1, dated 28 March 1969.

Click here to download manual in PDF form (80.8 Megs)

Fairchild Republic A-10A Flight Manual

Fairchild Republic A-10A Flight Manual, TO 1A-10A-1, dated 15 March 1988.

Click here to download manual in PDF form ( 26.3 Megs)

F-4C, F-4D, F-4E & RF-4C Structural Repair Manual

A copy of the F-4C, F-4D, F-4E & RF-4C Structural Repair Manual,TO 1F-4C-3-1-1, dated October 15 1971.

Click here to download the repair manual in PDF form (36.3 Megs)

F-4 Phantom II Close Air Support Proposal

McAir report B720, dated 14 May 1965. The introduction says: “The F-4( CAS) is a modification to production F-4C aircraft that provides an aircraft suitable for close air support missions.”

Click here to download report in PDf form (4.3 Megs)

F/A-18A/B/C/D Airborne Weapons Stores Loading Manual

F/A-18A/B/C/D  Airborne Weapons Stores  Loading Manual, A1-F18AE-LWS-000, dated 1 July 2006.

Click here to download the manual in PDF form (35.3 Megs)

F-18E Superhornet Pilot’s Pocket Checklist

F-18E Superhornet Pilot’s Pocket Checklist, USN NFM-000-FA!8E-100, dated 3 March 2003.

Click here to download checklist in PDF form (0.34 Megs)

F-18A/B/C/D Hornet Tactical Manual Pocket Guide

Tactical Manual Pocket Guide, A1-F18AC-TAC-300, for the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A, F/A-18B, F/A-18C, F/A-18D Hornet. Dated August 2001.

Click her to download guide in PDF form (1.1 Megs)

F-4 Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizer Loft Sheet

Loft sheet 53-1349, sht 2 showing the F-4 horizontal and vertical stabilizer section cuts. Dated 1 December 1976.

Click here to view loft sheet

1000 Blog Posts Reached

My how time flies!  I have reached 1000 posts on this blog!! Thanks to all my reader/followers and everyone that has contributed!

F-4 Wing, Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizer Planform Loft Sheet

Loft sheet 32-0518 showing the F-4 Wing, Horizontal and Vertical Stabilizer Planforms. Dated 25 March 1969.

Click here to view loft sheet

MD-17/BC-17X

Both McDonnell Douglas and Boeing tried to market the C-17 as a civilian aircraft (Think Lockheed L-100), without any success. MDC called it the MD-17 and Boeing called it the BC-17X.

From LA Times: “Although the features of an MD-17 would, in part, be determined by customer demands, the commercial planes would certainly be modified. The MD-17 would not be equipped for aerial refueling and would not have an on-board inert gas generator. The MD-17 would also be built without air drop capability and seats that are sometimes used by paratroopers.”

Click here to view photos

Additional BC-17X info here

McDonnell Douglas SST Proposal

Even after Boeing’s SST was cancelled, McDonnell Douglas kept on with there own SST studies for an advanced Super Sonic Transport (AST) as noted in this Flight International article dated 18 December 1975. Their study of an AST (advanced supersonic transport) was designed to carry 237 passengers up to 4.400 nautical miles at a speed of Mach 2.2. The aircraft was to have had a NASA-designed "arrow" wing.

Click here to view article and photos

Douglas Aircraft SST Proposal

An article and drawing on Douglas Aircraft’s SST proposal from the early 1960’s, Project 2229. The article is from Flight magazine’s November 30 1961 edition.

Click here to viewarticle and drawing

Additional info here

YAV-8B Report

An early McDonnell Douglas report outlining the dimensions and details of the YAV-8B aircraft. A poor quality partial report, MDC A7910; but , of historical importance.

Click here to view report

Patches and Stickers VII

A few more F-18 Hornet patches. The Australian patch and the F-18D night fighter patch.

Click here to view these patches

Other patches and stickers here

Convair YF2Y-1 Sea Dart Photos #1

I found a few YF2Y-1 Sea Dart photos in my collection that I thought you might enjoy. A very interesting aircraft/seaplane that going along with the photos I took at the former SST museum.

Click here to view photos

SST Museum Sea Dart here

Douglas Flight Ramp Photo

A nice photo of a Douglas display on the flight ramp at El Segundo, Cal. in November 1954. Looks like an open house. Aircraft included are AD-4/5N Skyraiders, a A4 Skyhawk, a A3D Skywarrior, F4D Skyray , F3D Skyknight, A2D Skyshark and various stores and engines.

Click here to view photo

McAir St. Louis Flight Ramp # 2

Great photo of the McDonnell St. Louis flight ramp in the mid-1950’s showing three types of aircraft!  RF-101’s, F3H-2’s and RCN F2H-3’s.

Click here for large sized photo

McAir St. Louis Flight Ramp #1here

More James S. McDonnell Photos

A few Old Man MAC sketches that I like of my favorite leader and , as above, my favorite aircraft!

Click here to view sketches

Addition photos here and here

F3H-2 Plan, Sheer & Cross Sections

Loft Sheet  L S 25-2 showing F3H-2 Plan, Shear and Cross Station Cuts. Dated November 13 1967. This is sheet 2 to the loft sheet presented here.

Click here to view Loft Sheet

Loft Sheet LS 25-1 is here

F-4E/F & RF-4B/C/E Fuselage and Wing Cross Sections

An unidentified Loft Sheet with F-4E/F & RF-4B/C/E  Fuselage and Wing Cross Sections. A Very nice sheet!

Click here to view drawing

F-111B Production Forward Fuselage Loft Lines

Loft Sheet LS 12-201 showing the F-111B Production Forward Fuselage Loft Lines. Dated 3 May 1967. Credit: Greg Kuklinski

Click here to view Loft Sheet

McDonnell Mercury Spacecraft Clean Room

I was recently asked where the McDonnell Mercury Spacecraft Clean Room was located in St. Louis and since my last office was in the old clean room, I dug out a few photos.

I discovered where the clean room was by comparing old photos using overhead pipes and support columns and some old-timers memories. The room was roughly in the Southeast corner of Bldg. 002, as noted by the white rectangle in the last(6) photo. Enjoy!

Click here to view photos

Douglas A-1H/J Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Douglas A-1H/J Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics sheets, NAVAIR 00-110AA1-5, dated 1 July 1967.

Click here to download SAC in PDF form (21.4 Megs)

Douglas A-1G Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Douglas A-1G (AD-5N) Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics sheets, NAVAIR 00-110AA1-2, dated 1 July 1967.

Click here to download SAC in PDF form (14.8 Megs)

Douglas A-1E Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Douglas A-1E (AD-5) Skyraider Standard Aircraft Characteristics sheets, NAVAIR 00-110AA1-1, dated 1 July 1967.

Click here to download SAC in PDF form (13.4 Megs)

Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket Poster

A very nice poster drawing of the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket. I am a sucker for these lithgraphs and posters!

Click here to download poster

KC-10A Flight Manual

A copy of TO 1C-10(K)A-1, Vol1 of the Douglas KC-10A Flight Manual, dated 15 January 2008. Credit: Irfan S. Hokan

Click here to download the manual in PDF form (26.3 Megs)

My Favorite Aviation History Sites–Revisited

Almost all of my info comes from my own archives; but, when I need some additional info, some clarification or just for entertainment -  I go to these sites:

1. Tailhook Topics - Tommy H. Thomason's wonderful site.

2. Secret and Unbuilt Projects -  Paul Martell-Mead’s forum for the unusual.

3. Replica in Scale – The great Phillip Friddell site.

4. The Hush-Kit - The alternative aviation magazine

5. Aerospace History Blog – By White Eagle Aerospace

6. Stellar-Views – Great photo galleries

7. RetroMechanix – Yesterday’s wings

8.The Phantom Phacts – More F-4 facts

9.Travel for Aircraft – Military and Civilian aircraft photos

For example, The Hush Kit site recently had a great article on the “The 10 coolest cancelled airliners” You will really want to look!

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II Standard Aircraft Characteristics, dated 14 September 1956.

Click here to download the SAS in PDF form (6.4 Megs)

C-124 Globemaster II Descriptive Data Sheet

From AFP 190-2-2, comes the C-124 Globemaster II Descriptive Data Sheet.

Click here to view sheet

Douglas C-124A Globemaster II Standard Aircraft Characteristics

Douglas C-124A Globemaster II Standard Aircraft Characteristics, dated 22 August 1952.

Click here to download the SAC in PDF form (3.3 Megs)

F/A-18 Hornet Strike Fighter Brochure #3

Another F-18 brochure from 1978, this one a nice 36 page offering with a lot of drawings and info.

Click here to view brochure pages

Click here to download the brochure as a PDF (11.2 Megs)