tomcat Canards

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

Can someone enlight me, does they appear only on the A model? How does they work and when do they appear?! And what are they good for something similar like the Mirage III canards?!

[+streakeagle 871]

Google "F-14 Tomcat glove vanes" to get lots of links.

This is from Wikipedia:

 

Two retractable surfaces, called glove vanes, were originally mounted in the forward part of the wing glove, and could be automatically extended by the flight control system at high Mach numbers. They were used to generate additional lift ahead of the aircraft's center of gravity, thus helping to compensate for the nose-down pitching tendencies at supersonic speeds. Automatically deployed at above Mach 1.4, they allowed the F-14 to pull 7.5 g at Mach 2 and could be manually extended at above Mach 1. They were later disabled, however, owing to their additional weight and complexity.

[Caesar 305]

To quote a Tomcat Driver:

"In addition to reducing "the excessive longitudinal stability [sic] encountered in the supersonic regime" [from the F-14A NATOPS], they had other functions, also.

 

Originally designed with an unfulfilled air-to-ground role for the Marines, the F-14A's glove vanes deployed automatically when the Wing Sweep BOMB mode was selected. This was to increase weapon platform stability in delivering air-to-ground weapons. . . . (which of course it never did when the Marines pulled out of the F-14 buy).

 

Also, the glove vanes automatically extended with the maneuver flaps and slats, and with the wings swept aft of 25 degrees.

 

Personally, I used to extend the glove vanes manually on low-levels. They made for a more comfortable and stable ride, bouncing at high speed through low-level turbulence and desert thermals.

 

Finally, we used to manually put the glove vanes out coming into the "break" . . . . just because it looked "cool". "

 

The maintainer's perspective, later on when they started locking them:

"The best that I can remember is that if the gloves were working properly we didn't mess with them. If it's not broke don't fix it. However if they failed then they were disabled."

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

Ok thanks for this info! would be cool to attach this animation a one of the animation keys!

[gbnavy61 1]

Only the A's used them. They were deactivated on the A+/B's and rebuild D's. I don't think they were even included on the new build D's.

[Falcon161 3]

Never knew the Marines were interested in the Tomcat! Now we need to see some Marine Corps Skins for the TomCat oorah!

[ironroad 218]

Never knew the Marines were interested in the Tomcat! Now we need to see some Marine Corps Skins for the TomCat oorah!

 

 

Supposedly Marine Corps Aviators did some training in VF-124 RAG.

[+Jarhead1 27]

Yeah, why in the hell we bought the hornet when we could have had the tomkitty i will never know, but hey, whatever, i just wish we had invested in a few cause i would have loved to have seen the sqdrn paint schemes on it and instead of NAVY it said MARINES. That would have looked pretty tight.

[serverandenforcer 33]

Maybe it would have been over-kill if the Marines had the cat; violating some kind of international arms agreement?

[+Jarhead1 27]

HA HA HA, lol, that just would have made our CAS pilots even MORE deadly and on the ball, thats all, hehehehehehehe

[turkeydriver 4]

HA HA HA, lol, that just would have made our CAS pilots even MORE deadly and on the ball, thats all, hehehehehehehe

 

The Navy however did use the glove vanes in A-G mode on its F-14As. Namely pretty much every A unit in some fashion before they upgraded, except for VF-103 Sluggers(before they took over the Jolley Rogers), and VF-74 when they got F-14A+and maybe VF-31 and VF-11 when they took the brand new F-14D's in the early 1990s. VF-154 and VF-211 continued to use the glove vanes(at least in the bombing mode) until they converted to Super Hornets in 2003-4.

 

The glove vanes were removed from the F-14B and D rebuilds when they went through the rebuild process. The new build F-14A+(F-14B) and F-14D never had them.

 

Interestingly the AST-21 model had a Super Hornet like "hood" that filled the area taken by extended glove vanes a larger LERX.......but back to topic, sorry, I just like to drivel about tomcats.

[serverandenforcer 33]

Interestingly the AST-21 model had a Super Hornet like "hood" that filled the area taken by extended glove vanes a larger LERX.......but back to topic, sorry, I just like to drivel about tomcats.

 

 

You mean this... http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-history-f14x.htm

[Talos 0]

The Navy however did use the glove vanes in A-G mode on its F-14As. Namely pretty much every A unit in some fashion before they upgraded, except for VF-103 Sluggers(before they took over the Jolley Rogers), and VF-74 when they got F-14A+and maybe VF-31 and VF-11 when they took the brand new F-14D's in the early 1990s. VF-154 and VF-211 continued to use the glove vanes(at least in the bombing mode) until they converted to Super Hornets in 2003-4.

 

The glove vanes were removed from the F-14B and D rebuilds when they went through the rebuild process. The new build F-14A+(F-14B) and F-14D never had them.

 

Interestingly the AST-21 model had a Super Hornet like "hood" that filled the area taken by extended glove vanes a larger LERX.......but back to topic, sorry, I just like to drivel about tomcats.

 

The AST-21's extended gloves performed multiple tasks. One, increased fuel capacity. Two, performed the same role as the vanes. Three, cured a structural weakness, and I think a fatigue problem, with that area of the plane. I added them to the F-14NGs I showed in the other thread, so I'm posting this old and outdated top-view of the EF-14G to show them for the people who haven't seen them before.