|
|
| Harrier
GR.7, RAF No. 4 Sqn., ZG859/91, Kuwait, Spring 2003, "Operation
Telic" |
Air
Power Series. This is a very complicated
model and it must have been murder to engineer. For all that, the
fit and finish is very good, and the pylon loads attach pretty well,
and stay attached better than I expected. However, the pilot barely
fit into the cockpit, and the "sliding" canopy on my model
was crushed down into the cockpit and I like to have never gotten
it out.
You don't have to read this.
I usually don't attached all or even most of the wing loads that come
with these models. That's because I like the look of a clean, unencumbered
aircraft. However, I wasn't sure if the pylons on the real plane were
left on all the time, or only when the loads were attached. So, I
went ahead and put on all the loads that were included with the model.
Seeing the overloaded condition of the wing reminded me of a memo
the captain of our ammunition ship sent around to his various department
heads. I was senior petty officer of the Ship's Office, so got to
see the memo, which pictured an F-4 flying with a bomb and rocket
load that stretched from wing tip to wing tip. In big letters under
the picture he had written "Propaganda!". The memo surprised
me so much that I never forgot it--I thought that hanging all those
weapons under the wing was the way it was done! Ah, youth! Anyway,
the captain was a member of some test pilots association, had flown
a wide variety of Navy jets and prop jobs (including an Avenger during
the Atlantic campaign in WWII), and was getting command experience
at sea in the hopes of becoming the captain of a carrier. With all
this expertise, he probably knew what he was talking about, so I take
with a grain of salt the heavy wing loadings included with all these
models.
You REALLY don't have to read this.
By the way, the captain was a bit of a maverick, allowing beer on
the ship as a reward after an especially hard deployment. He also
wore a pearl-handled pistol and a pilot's leather jacket whenever
he was on the bridge. In addition, he took every opportunity to get
the ship in near the coast of Viet Nam so that the crew could collect
$50 a month combat pay! We sometime got in close enough to pass electronic
gear to river boats, and to supply six-inch and five-inch shells to
cruisers and destroyers shelling the coast. We also watched as the
ships fired at targets inland. As I say, we were close. It's amazing
how alert you become when you're riding an ammunition ship loaded
with several tons of ammo that close inshore! |
| |
|
|
