Really post war, but one for the WW2 US Navy Trials aircraft fan!

[Selwyn]

something interesting!

Hellcat on Sparrow missile trials.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F6F-5_Hellcat_with_Sparrow_missile_in_1950.jpeg

http://axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?346

Selwyn

Edited March 9, 2016 by Selwyn

[stevej60]

Now there's an interesting project!

[Graham Boak]

Very nice: but worth noting that these are the smaller Sparrow I not the large missile we are used to. I remember the Frog/Comet F3D Skynight with two of these on each wing.

[Guest]

As a little kid I remember seeing quite a few at the Pacific Missle Test Range at Pt. Mugu on the coast of Ventura County. After WWII there were abundant reserve aircraft since all the old Hellcats were being replaced by jets. One of the great things about the annual air show was that they would fly a drone out over the ocean and a F-8 Crusader would come hauling in over the runway at about 600 kts and pickle off a couple of sidewinders (probably AIM 9D's) and blow the drone out of the sky. The smaller Sparrows were used on the F7U-3M's as well as a lot of other second generation aircraft, but unfortunately the Sparrow had to fly within a very limited envelope, it could easily be out turned by more nimble aircraft, but it was a beginning. Unfortunately, the missiles of the time were just effective enough to give the "Missle Mafia' at the Pentagon enough to find machine guns and cannon antiquated and put all their faith and money into missle systems that had a 50% (or much less) kill ratio when used against fighters. Thusly we saw the consequences of this new paradigm in "gunless" weapons systems, aka F4 Phantom, and we know how well that turned out in Vietnam Nam until the arrival of the F-4E.

Cheers

Edited March 11, 2016 by Spitfire addict

[spaddad]

Anyone got a handle on the colour scheme & bu.no. or any further references enough to make a model of it.

[Graham Boak]

The Bu No is given with the photo, 72933.

Judging from the contrast with the Insignia, the aircraft isn't in Sea Blue Gloss. Beyond that is probably guesswork, but the drone Hellcats were painted Red, and that would appear much the same in b&w photos. I'm tempted to say red with an orange vertical tail, but I'm far from sure where that came from and may just be imagination. Squadron Signal did a series of books on USN colours schemes, so there may be something on trials aircraft in the appropriate one of those.

[Greenshirt]

The fuselage could be Engine Gray, about FS 16118. Some Hellcats were painted that, with Yellow wings.

Tim

[e8n2]

The fuselage could be Engine Gray, about FS 16118. Some Hellcats were painted that, with Yellow wings.

Tim

The change to engine gray from gloss sea blue for drone and drone controller aircraft came about in the mid 50s. I don't have the Squadron book at hand at the moment to find the exact date though.

Later,

Dave

P.S. The China Lake Alumni web site also has some interesting photos of the same variety and at the same time period. It is located here: http://www.chinalakealumni.org/index.htm

Edited March 12, 2016 by e8n2