Leading edge wing indents on Black Mike

[mouse808]

First of all sorry, I don't know the correct names for these things.

 

Currently building the Airfix Black Mike Phantom and was lucky enough to pop in and see it at the weekend @ SWAM

Took many many heatshield reference shots

 

One thing I did notice that I can't find any other photos for is this.

Is this just painted like this to stop people wandering into it in the museum or is that what it should be like?
(they're like it both sides)

 

Just wondering?
Cheers

 

 

[Jabba]

These are the outer wing Leading Edge Flaps, and I know at St Athan where I worked on Phantom Majors these were painted but in pink due to the Grey camo scheme. So they more than likely were painted Red on Black Mike. You will also find the Trailing Edge Flaps are painted similarly, but these will only be seen when they are extended.

[72modeler]

Don't know the answer to your question, but somebody forgot to sand the filler on that part! My first guess guess was  that the museum applied the red paint. That being said, see the linked photos below that show red-painted areas on the leading edge maneuvering flaps that I would not have expected to see. I also found one good closeup photo of Mike when he was operational, and you can see the edges of the maneuvering flaps are red. Bet one of our Phantom phanatics can be of more assistance. Best I can do from my limited Phantom Phact Phi!es!

Mike

 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/south-wales-to-be-new-home-of-legendary-phantom-black-mike

 

https://www.facebook.com/BPAGofficial/photos/pcb.620907424953595/620907221620282/

 

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by 72modeler
corrected text

[tweeky]

Quote

outer wing Leading Edge Flaps,

or slats 

[iainpeden]

On XV474 at Duxford all the initially red areas, end of the dog tooth, inner surfaces of ailerons and the inner faces of the deployable airbrakes on the underside are all now a pale pink; I suspect a light coating of light a/c grey  over the red when resprayed from camo to the overall grey scheme.

[Jabba]

3 hours ago, tweeky said:

or slats 

These are not slats. Slats are a different type of leading edge device to help with lift when an aircraft is flying at low speed.

[iainpeden]

On the leading edge of the F-4 they are slats.

 

Flaps:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flap_(aeronautics)

 

Slats:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading-edge_slat

Some Phantoms - E (later model and refitted), F, G and (most) S had manoeuvring slats added to the wings (hard wing v soft wing variants) so the beast would turn within a county boundary.

 

And then it gets confusing because some models of the Phantom had the inner slats inoperable and even more confusing because on some models of the F-4 the tailplanes (or Stabs in American English) had SLOTS which made the rotation on take off slightly less hairy.

[tempestfan]

15 hours ago, iainpeden said:

On the leading edge of the F-4 they are slats.

 

Flaps:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flap_(aeronautics)

 

Slats:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading-edge_slat

Some Phantoms - E (later model and refitted), F, G and (most) S had manoeuvring slats added to the wings (hard wing v soft wing variants) so the beast would turn within a county boundary.

 

And then it gets confusing because some models of the Phantom had the inner slats inoperable and even more confusing because on some models of the F-4 the tailplanes (or Stabs in American English) had SLOTS which made the rotation on take off slightly less hairy.

Traditionally, the devices on the B to early E/J/K/M wings are called leading edge flaps, while the later versions you correctly mention had slats. The flaps are "only" hinged and alter the wing camber when lowered, while the slat is some sort of "second wing" with a distinct slot between it and the wing surface, which I think serves to enhance manoeuvrability by forcing the air through that slot and making it adhere to the wing surface (more or less), while otherwise it would go elsewhere in high AoA manoeuvres.

[iainpeden]

@tempestfan

Happy to accept all that - think I get it now. Wasn't it easier in the days of the Wright brothers!

[Graham Boak]

Perhaps not that easier to the Wright Brothers, generalists rather than having a .range of specialists and their literature to call upon.

[tempestfan]

46 minutes ago, iainpeden said:

@tempestfan

Happy to accept all that - think I get it now. Wasn't it easier in the days of the Wright brothers!

Don't get me wrong, I am no aerodynamicist and have only a very general idea of what happens there. It's just that my first three Detail & Scale books I bought at the innocent age of 16 or something were those on the Phantom, and the distinction of the L/E flaps vs. slats in the description has stuck ever since.

[Ben Brown]

Interesting! I've learned a new Phantom Nerd Phact before I've finished my morning coffee! I assume painting that exposed part of the leading edge flap (not slat!) was an RAF-only practice? Was this done on the RN FG.1s as well? I've never seen this on US F-4s; only on the edges of the leading and trailing edge flaps and ailerons that were hidden when these were retracted. 

 

Ben

[Tony G]

On 08/07/2021 at 09:43, tempestfan said:

Don't get me wrong, I am no aerodynamicist and have only a very general idea of what happens there. It's just that my first three Detail & Scale books I bought at the innocent age of 16 or something were those on the Phantom, and the distinction of the L/E flaps vs. slats in the description has stuck ever since.

es 

 

Definitely Leading Edge Flaps with Boundary Layer Control (BLC)

Edited July 9, 2021 by Tony G

[Duncan B]

As Tony G says, leading edge flaps on the hard wing Phantoms. The "tailplanes" were always referred to as the Stabilator (or stab for short), removable panels were always referred to as doors and were numbered from nose to tail, i.e. door 6 was near the front on either side of the fuselage under the front cockpit (L or R depending on which side you were on), door 22 was a bit further aft under the centre fuselage etc. All names were as per the manuals so everyone was singing from the same "hymn sheet" as it were.

 

Duncan B

[Tony G]

6 hours ago, Duncan B said:

As Tony G says, leading edge flaps on the hard wing Phantoms. The "tailplanes" were always referred to as the Stabilator (or stab for short), removable panels were always referred to as doors and were numbered from nose to tail, i.e. door 6 was near the front on either side of the fuselage under the front cockpit (L or R depending on which side you were on), door 22 was a bit further aft under the centre fuselage etc. All names were as per the manuals so everyone was singing from the same "hymn sheet" as it were.

 

Duncan B

Oh the joys of working up inside panel 22 after all my years on Phantoms I could have qualified as a gynaecologist. 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Tony G
correction