While working on my 'production line' of two Revell F/A-18E's a few questions arose:
- a kit part (to be glued to the arresting hook assembly) is called the ' cable guide' for the ALE-50. I principally know about the ALE-50 but where is the device itself? Is it a fixed installation?
- How will such an aircraft deliver LGB's? What/where is the Laser designator?
- Does the access ladder automatically open when the canopy is opened? Or can I show the a/c with canopy open but ladder retracted?
- On the photographs I have the parked stance of the horizontal stabilators is always trailing edge down. Is that a must when engines are shut down?
May be the one or the other question is a bit silly, but I just don't know... As usual, every answer is appreciated. Ingo
The ALE-50 magazine is in the T-shaped protrusion (Which is missing on the Hasegawa kit...) just aft of the centerline pylon.
Laser designations may be generated in several ways - by someone with a ground laser, by a laser carried onboard the delivering aircraft, or by a laser carried by another aircraft. An airborne laser is typically integrated with a FLIR pod, but not always.
BTW - if your Hornet is equipped with a FLIR and is parked on the ground, the FLIR head should be stowed; not open like most kits have them. Yeah, it looks cool to have the tracking head swung open and that neat little glass face showing, but it's wrong.
No - the ladder does not deploy upon opening the canopy. If you are tall enough (I for one am not...) you can deploy it manually by pressing two latches; one fore and one aft. It must still be fixed in place by the ground crew once it is deployed. (It's also a bugger to stow if you are not tall enough...)
BTW - on-deck emergency egress from the jet is accomplished either by sliding down the flaps (which is probably the REAL reason for parking the jet with them full down, now that I think about it), or by lowering oneself from the leading edge between the pylons.
No - if you see the aircraft shortly after shutdown, they will be level to the ground, unless a certain hydraulic check is perfomed at shutdown. Then one will be level, and one will be drooped depending on which side the check was performed for. The level one will eventually bleed down and droop, though. Takes about 15-20 min if I had to guess...maybe a bit longer.
So - if your jet is fully armed and waiting for a mission, the stabs will be drooped...unless it's being very quickly turned around on a carrier deck, and only then may you see the stabs level to the deck on a fully armed jet.
Hope that answers all. Keep looking at those pictures.
Yeah - I noted that. It's also strange how they got the wheels so messed up in size and proportion...Revell did a much better job with the wheels, other than flattening them.
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