mppd

Thanks to all for spending the time on this. It got me motivated to get back to my own F-4D 3D project again. All the birds assigned to PACAF would have had the tape lights by then. Some of the TDY TAC unit airplanes were still in the process of getting them (I think about half of the Holloman airplanes TDY to Takhli had them, but I only have very few photos of those), a few Seymour-Johnson and Homestead planes were still missing them also.

Streak, I would be interested in what you have on Oyster Flight, serials and unit assignments if possible.

Even tougher to figure out tailcodes and such when crews from the same unit would use aircraft from multiple squadrons in the same flight. Wasn't one of Ritchies mig kills in an E- model TDY from Homestead?

The photo with ECM pods on an intermediate pylon as well as a fwd Sparrow well is very rare. One almost never sees this combo, usually on the pylons or in the wells, but not one at each location. Wish I had a million photos of F-4s in those days. I was trying to get out of High School and over to Thailand to do just that, but could not graduate in time for the fun and games. Enclosed art from Mark Styling shows no fin tip color on the airplane at the time of the shootdown by the way. Warning placard on left intake splitter plate indicates Combat Tree self-destruct installed. 4-position AN/APS-107A RHAW antenna housings on nose just behind radome would not have been present at this time, nor would triangular reinforcing plate on stabs, nor black antenna on leading edge of wing...

Could not remember a reason that a squadron could not have a small number of aircraft in a campaign. (Like a separate "squadron" with two historical recon aircraft assigned). Would it simply not appear unless you fly the campaign with it? Thanks, Mike D.

Thanks. Might work with only a few then.

Wonderfully talented slight of hand work, but seriously...no video editing here...

I watched this gentleman speak on TV several times, and my thoughts were always that he would have made a superb president of the United States. How to compare such a great man with the poor, pathetic excuse for leaders that we have in power now.

Wow - that almost looked real...

The GPU-2 is a three-barreled pod, but the single barreled pod with the long barrel is a bit of a mystery wep. I also found a photo on the Internet of the HIPEG with the goofy squarish muzzle brake at Da Nang, so apparently it was indeed used in Vietnam, although probably a later mod.

Thanks for the info on the mystery gun pod. Nothing at all on the Internet that I could find. We could use a 3D model of one. I have a new Mk4 HIPEG almost done with the early Vietnam-era muzzle brake, but look at the Marine photo Charlie posted - it looks like it has a hood over the top portion of the muzzle. Anyone have better close-up photos? The SF2 one that TK made you guys has some kind of squareish muzzle brake that the Israelis used, but was not is Marine service in SEA as far as I can tell. I am working on a new 3D OV-10A also in case someone wants to contribute on the project or perhaps already has one started. For 1st gen for my own use of course for starters... Mike D.

What is the designation of the single-barreled gun seen on the centerline in some photos? I cannot remember ever seeing this before.

A slideshow video well worth the watch for the schemes, BuNos and ordnance: http://www.blackpony.org/bpss.wmv

Wiki says 24 were evacuated from Iraq, during the 1991 Gulf War.

http://www.uskowioniran.com/2013/08/iran-overhauls-two-mirage-f1eq6-fighter.html#!/2013/08/iran-overhauls-two-mirage-f1eq6-fighter.html

What is The Modder's Depository? Have I missed something or was that intended as a joke?

The Skywarrior model looks very, very good to me also. I think perhaps more detailed than the Skunkworks version. I have not checked, but are these already UVW mapped?

In my humble opinion, having access to these models is a wonderful way for a beginner to see how an airplane is constructed. Of course, simple objects are the way to start - drop tanks and weps, etc. - but at some point, one yearns to know just how an airplane is put together, and this is a great way to see. 99.9% of all 3D modelers on this forum are terrified to think that someone else might have access to their Max artwork - oh, it might be the end of western civilization as we all know it...and they would not share a 3D model if they had a gun put to their head. I still stand by what I said in my first submission to this forum - anyone is welcome to do anything they want with my work. It is all just for fun, and to treat it any more seriously than that is really taking yourself way too seriously. I applaud Alphasim for sharing these models. And I think that taking one and adding animations to it and mapping it is a great way to figure out how they are made. And looking them over, they are constructed very well - if perhaps a little low in polygon count in some areas and high in poly count in others. There are no reversed normals that I have found. They are made very well indeed. Someone still needs to explain to me why so many 3D models are cut up into triangles instead of rectangles where it is not necessary. Does this not double the polygon count? The Third Wire game engine seems very forgiving of 3D models made up of rectangular polys when it is actual display time in-game.

It is funny that you posted this - I was also thinking about this just last night, after viewing a photo of a real fighter in flight from above - and the heat blur that was so visible behind the aircraft (not so much the A/B cone). Easily done in Photoshop to a screenshot, but would be interesting to see in-game.

I am no pilot, but there is no such animal. The brevity codes were to give a radio warning to unsuspecting friendlies that missiles were in the air. When laying ordnance on a ground target, the FAC clears the plane in hot - clearing him to release on the designated target because there are no friendly aircraft in the immediate area - no "bombs away" or such needed. The next action is a loud noise and likely bright flash, and the radio call from the attacking aircraft that he is off the target.

I met him a few years ago when he flew into BDL with his son(?) in a green and yellow DHC-2 Beaver. A real gentleman, glad to have some photos taken next to the plane - arm in arm with a couple gals from behind the counter at the FBO (who he bought lunch for). The bird is reportedly an ex-Air America plane. (Not my photo).

Very useful. Thanks very much. What would it take to make a Windows XP-compatible version?

My desktop hard drive recently failed, but I had months of notice. It started as slow disk access - I was told it might be a bad RAM stick. But finally was unable to copy a file from the drive to an external. Started the Checkdsk routine with daily bad sectors and bad files. It was only a matter of time and it finally refused to boot - blue stop screen saying bad boot sector. Backup is routine.