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‘Danger Aircraft Armed’ placard


DaveJL

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Hello all,

 

Apologies if this has been covered before, but would anyone know where I could get a few of the RAF ‘Danger Aircraft Armed’ placards/signs as seen on the likes of the Phantom FGR2 (example in Hendon), Tornado F3 etc?

 

Cheers 

 

Dave

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6 hours ago, Muzz said:

I believe you get them in this Flightpath set.......

 

https://www.djparkins.com/product.php?productid=17841&cat=277&page=1

 

Be worth phoning and asking.

Quite so; David got back to me promptly and seems to have everything I need.

 

Another question if I may; does anyone have any pictures of Lightnings, Phantoms, Tornados and Typhoons with the placards in the cockpits? I've seen a few of the A frame examples in a hangar and recall seeing an image of one of the jets with the placard sitting under the windshield, I just can't seem to find it now.

 

Thanks again chaps!

 

Dave

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Whilst serving on Lightning's at Binbrook if the Sqn was operating live armed aircraft (Very rare) then the area around the armed aircraft would have the Big "aircraft Armed" signs around the pan/ASP and on the access ladder (like shown in the earlier posts). 

 

As for the Cockpit no placards or signs. The pilot has to look at the F700 this is the servicing document in that is an armament section so the crew should know what there carrying.  this said the Trigger and the missile selection switches has tape applied to them so that any disturbance of switches could be seen.  This practice didn't happen on QRA tho. just the aircraft armed signs on the Q sheds and surrounding area and the access ladder.

Edited by tweeky
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10 minutes ago, tweeky said:

Whilst serving on Lightning's at Binbrook if the Sqn was operating live armed aircraft (Very rare) then the area around the armed aircraft would have the Big "aircraft Armed" signs around the pan/ASP and on the access ladder (like shown in the earlier posts). 

 

As for the Cockpit no placards or signs. The pilot has to look at the F700 this is the servicing document in that is an armament section so the crew should know what there carrying.  this said the Trigger and the missile selection switches has tape applied to them so that any disturbance of switches could be seen.  This practice didn't happen on QRA tho. just the aircraft armed signs on the Q sheds and surrounding area and the access ladder.

Great info, thanks mate!

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Hello Dave,

 

I have done a couple of those placards myself. Use Power Point and a colour printer. Attach the printed placard onto a thin aluminium sheet using two sided tape and you have a very neat placard.

 

Here for example is my Javelin with ladder attached. Those warning signs were created using just PC and a printer.

 

spacer.png

 

Kind Regards,

Antti

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The wording is wrong and the placement would be as close to the bottom of the ladder. Putting them on the bottom rung stops you getting up the ladder.  

Edited by tweeky
typo
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The small aircraft armed signs were usually  hung on the ladder so they were seen  before entering the cockpit.  As stated in other posts there would be large notices at the entrances to the aircraft pan/hardstanding, and  on the approaches to HAS as well, if I remember these were often of the flip over type  allowing a quick change when required.

 

Selwyn

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3 hours ago, tweeky said:

Why Its FOD. We taped the switches up easier to store if needed to remove.

No more a FOD risk than a piece of tape. The placard gets stowed at crew in by the AEO, it also reminds the lineys during flight servicing or power on checks. 

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No more a FOD risk than a piece of tape. The placard gets stowed at crew in by the AEO, it also reminds the lineys during flight servicing or power on checks. 

Try a placard in a Fighter cockpit like as lightning... on a QRA scramble its something else to stop the jet from going. Cockpit was already full of "extra" things.

 

Believe me us Liney's knew when the jets were "final armed"  

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From memory

 

Hawk, small placard could be on the Ladder, hung from the step retract button or inside the cockpit.

Harrier, small placard on the ladder or inside the cockpit.

Lightning, small placard on the ladder.

Typhoon, small placard in cockpit or on ladder.

 

Large Aircraft armed signs were permanent at the approaches to HAS and covered with canvas when not used. other pan/hard standing where a frame of angle iron with Aircraft Armed signs attached that were placed out by the Armourers prior to arming the aircraft.

 

Hope this helps.

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1 hour ago, tweeky said:

Try a placard in a Fighter cockpit like as lightning... on a QRA scramble its something else to stop the jet from going. Cockpit was already full of "extra" things.

 

Believe me us Liney's knew when the jets were "final armed"  

My original observation was from my experience with Nimrod MR2’s to add some additional context to the discussion. 

Still surprised to hear that tape was applied to cockpit switches on fast junk. 

 

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18 hours ago, tweeky said:

The wording is wrong and the placement would be as close to the bottom of the ladder. Putting them on the bottom rung stops you getting up the ladder.  

tweeky,

 

I used a photo from Michael Napier's book "Javelin, an operational history" (see page 201) as a reference for my Javelin.

 

In this photo only one placard is visible (DANGER - ERU'S LOADED)

spacer.png

 

And here is also a second placard A/C CONTAINS AMMUNITION visible.

 

spacer.png

 

So what am I missing?

 

Antti

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Saying "ERU's loaded" does not necessarily mean the aircraft is armed.  An unarmed aircraft parked up with drop tanks fitted for  instance would have live ERU carts fitted. You fit the tank, you fit the cartridges, but the aircraft is not considered as being "Armed." Unarmed aircraft have explosives fitted all  of the time, the ejection seat, and fire bottle initiators  are obvious examples.

 

In the same way "A/C contains ammunition" does not mean the aircraft is armed,  just that it has rounds in the ammunition tank but not necessarily cocked into the gun, it could of course  be full of non explosive ballast ammunition, something the aircrew might need to know as its a weighty item  and  might affect aircraft trim in flight.

The only way you really know if an aircraft is armed, short of checking the F700  is when it has  an "Armed aircraft" notice on it!

 

Selwyn

 

Edited by Selwyn
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6 hours ago, Rickoshea52 said:

Still surprised to hear that tape was applied to cockpit switches on fast junk

Very important was that tape! The lack of it was what was blamed for the aircrew of a certain Phantom that had scrambled from QRA "Battle Flight", forgetting they were fully armed.

Exit, one Jaguar courtesy of a live Sidewinder.

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2 hours ago, Selwyn said:

Saying "ERU's loaded" does not necessarily mean the aircraft is armed.  An unarmed aircraft parked up with drop tanks fitted for  instance would have live ERU carts fitted. You fit the tank, you fit the cartridges, but the aircraft is not considered as being "Armed." Unarmed aircraft have explosives fitted all  of the time, the ejection seat, and fire bottle initiators  are obvious examples.

 

In the same way "A/C contains ammunition" does not mean the aircraft is armed,  just that it has rounds in the ammunition tank but not necessarily cocked into the gun, it could of course  be full of non explosive ballast ammunition, something the aircrew might need to know as its a weighty item  and  might affect aircraft trim in flight.

The only way you really know if an aircraft is armed, short of checking the F700  is when it has  an "Armed aircraft" notice on it!

 

Selwyn

 

A is for armourer,B is for armourer,C is for armourer.....😂👍

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Excellent information, thank you Selwyn🙂

 

Looking at those two Javelin photos I wasn't completely sure if the wording was "ERU'S" or something else. Later a close-up photo of a British Phantom confirmed that. I still don't know what "ERU" means...

 

During my time at the Finnish Air Force (Drakens and MiGs back then) a sign "ASEET LADATTU" (Aircraft Armed) was used when ever live ammunition and/or rockets, missiles etc. were onboard. These placards were placed along the edges of the QRA stand. Not on aircraft ladder.

 

Cheers,

Antti

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6 hours ago, tweeky said:

I think it was used after the toom downed the jag in Germany.

The tape was used long before that, the problem  with this incedent was that the tape wasn ot fitted!

1 hour ago, Antti_K said:

Excellent information, thank you Selwyn🙂

 

Looking at those two Javelin photos I wasn't completely sure if the wording was "ERU'S" or something else. Later a close-up photo of a British Phantom confirmed that. I still don't know what "ERU" means...

 

During my time at the Finnish Air Force (Drakens and MiGs back then) a sign "ASEET LADATTU" (Aircraft Armed) was used when ever live ammunition and/or rockets, missiles etc. were onboard. These placards were placed along the edges of the QRA stand. Not on aircraft ladder.

 

Cheers,

Antti

ERU = Ejector Release Unit.

  On a high speed aircraft pylon mounted stores such as bombs or tanks are not released from an aircraft  by just opening the suspension hooks. There are explosive cartridges in the pylons which blow (eject) the store off to ensure a clean seperation from the aircraft, a similar system is used for  the  under fuselage recessed missiles  as seen under F4 phantoms F15 and Typhoon aircraft. The presence of ERU's  is usually indicated by a painted on warning triangle on or near the release unit.

 

Selwyn

 

 

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I was a liney on Tornados up to the end of 2017, having been away with the jets with them fully armed, i can say we never ever used tape on switches or anything. There was a small sign that would be left under the windscreen if the jet was armed, which would then be stored in the jets pin bag on a see off and then there would be metal signs at any entrance to where the armed jets were e.g. at the entrance of a HAS or at the entrance to the pan the jets were kept on 

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