Phantom II pylons project

[mppd 16]

An ongoing Phantom II project I've been working on is correct and detailed pylon/rails for the F-4, lately with the kind help of Crab_02. This is close to release as an add-on for existing WOV Phantoms, but I was looking for just a little more feedback from anyone who is interested.

 

I have made the pylon setup as a separate weaponstation entry in the pull-down weapon selection list. It will require you to know what you want to load for ordnance first, then a corresponding pylon setup selected in the pull-down menu. I will enclose diagrams to clarify the choise. Select the wrong one, and you will have missiles/bomb racks sitting in space. I will enclose stock loadout.ini files which include the pylon setup. The weps entry can be done two ways - "Pylons A1" or perhaps a cryptic description in the small space available - "3Tnks,NoAAM" or "2Wngtnks,2AIM-4", or something to that effect.

 

My question is: Is this just way too complex for most folks to bother with? The only other option would be to make multiple airplanes - each with its own pylon setup. I'd appreciate any feedback on this. Looks pretty good on screen, but just may not be worth bothering with for evryone.

 

Thanks for any feedback,

Mike D.

[+starfighter2 112]

Hmmm...very nice. I hope that you will include early F-4B loadout with 6xAIM-7

 

Cheers and lookin' forward

[mppd 16]

The Navy F-4 LAU-7 pylons are not finished - so this will be for USAF F-4C/D/E Phantom IIs for now. (Did the Navy fly Phantoms also...?)

[+Gunrunner 313]

Surely you are joking, right ? The Phantom is a navy bird...

[mppd 16]

Surely you are joking, right ? The Phantom is a navy bird...

 

A common misconception because the airplane happens to have a tailhook....

[+starfighter2 112]

Hmmm I think that attempt to hit somethin' with AIM-4 (USAF Phantoms - tail hooked), will result with LOL from MiG-17/19/21 pilot..... unless you flyin' F-102 and aim ground troops with them (known F-102 engagement armed with AIM-4). :yes:

 

hehe...........

[+Gunrunner 313]

Wait, were Falcons ever meant to hit a target ?

 

I never ever managed to hit anything with, not even nice slow bombers, the damn thing managed to miss them...

[+starfighter2 112]

That's my point - yea. Falcons look good (interesting though), and that's about it.

 

EDIT> You can hit something with them yea - by mistake only

Edited February 19, 2009 by starfighter2

[+starfighter2 112]

Anyway - I'm sure mppd that your work will be excellent one (please consider Navy kites loadouts)

[mppd 16]

I would take that story about PACAF deuces in Vietnam attacking campfires with AIM-4s with a very LARGE grain of salt. I have only read that in ONE account on the Internet, and have been hanging around ADC and interceptor pilot types all of my adult life and no one has ever heard of that being done. Just because it is in print on the Net does NOT make it instantly true. I would bet that PACAF 7th AF command authorities would have frowned on this practice - whose campfire are you atacking anyway? With the abundance of much better armed and capable ground support aircraft in use throughout Southeast Aasia in the 60s and 70s, I highly doubt the truth of this story.

 

The deuce stood alert at Tan Son Nhut, Da Nang, Bien Hoa, Don Muang and Udorn just like it did at Naha and Clark in that time frame, with the occasional practice intercept or ID pass at someone inbound with radio problems perhaps. The B-52 escort duties also reported were pretty rare too - the plane had legs way too short, and was not capable of being air-to-air refueled (that was a bolt-on deal done at SAALC for the deployment of both the 64th FIS and 82nd FIS from the states to the Pacific, then was removed. Yes, one deuce was reportedly whacked by a Mig also. Some sources also say possible SAM on that day though.

 

The Falcon worked pretty good according to all the guys who did live fire exercises annually at Tyndall against (usually non-maneuvering) Firebee drones carrying flares, with missiles tweaked by dedicated ADC maintenance guys, and fired from internal weapons bays under perfect conditions. It would have worked fine against TU-95s against a cold dark blue high altitude sky. If the Third Wire series projects the Falcon AAM as not working in those conditions, then the AIM-4 PK needs to be adjusted upwards. As Robin Olds said, carried externally in a rain-soaked tropical climate with minimal maintenance against an aggressively maneuvering fighter-sized target, fired out of parameters by a pilot with no previous air combat training, it had an even lower kill rate than the AIM-9 or AIM-7 - both of which were almost as useless.

 

Read exerpts from the Ault Report and Project Red Baron portions which have been declassified and are readable on the Net why all those missiles never hit anything.

 

Mike D.

[+hgbn 91]

Have you considered making a inboard pylon with multiple LAU-3 Like the Marines used in Nam??

[mppd 16]

Have you considered making a inboard pylon with multiple LAU-3 Like the Marines used in Nam??

 

Sundowner has this mod already I think. Let me see if we can get it released for everyone to enjoy.

 

Mike

[Badfrank 5]

Nice idea!

 

The way to select the loadout is ok.

[+ST0RM 145]

Nice idea, but I think it might be lost on all, but the few Phanatics. Knowing what rack went with what bomb/missile combo would be a real PITA without a visual diagram in front of you.

 

While this is probably an obvious question, can you simply hardcode the pylon/rack to the loadout.ini? For example, the AGM-65. You can specify the LAU-88 rail in the loadout.ini and it will use that. Or is there a way to force the pylon/weapons either through the actual weapon station in the data.ini like with the aux fuel tanks?

 

Great work though Mike. Love the passion you show for making the Phantom perfect.

 

-Jeff

[mppd 16]

Thanks for the replies you guys. Yes of course, the rack can be selected in the new loadout.ini for wingmen or you in a scripted mission. But if you fly a random mission and wish to change loadout, you need to select the correct combo or it looks goofy... Hardcoding it is beyond me though. Just curious if anyone had any thoughts that this was going to be more of a pain than the accuracuy is worth - in which case I won't bother putting it out for everyone.

 

Mike

[+starfighter2 112]

Regarding truth mppd.... I do not trust instantly to everything what I read in books or Net. Communist past of my Country learned me that(thrust no one). I do not trust to West sources either, often they are "not complete" or "partly classified". Truth is always "something in the middle".

 

Cheers and keep up with excellent work.

 

 

EDIT > Just make that damn LAU-7 pylons

Edited February 19, 2009 by starfighter2