Litvyak's profiles

[Litvyak]

Gimper: I don't... but I do have Sketchup! I can try poking about and seeing if I can't come up with a 3D model of it.

Apophenia: Glad you liked them - I had fun making them! That's the last of the ones I've had planned, though as inspiration strikes, you may be seeing more in white/green/orange...

[elmayerle]

A question, if I may.   Is the Archer based on the studied, but never built, CF-104?

[Litvyak]

A question, if I may.   Is the Archer based on the studied, but never built, CF-104?

Of course you may!

No... or, not really.

The backstory is that Avro got together with Dassault to work on a project, as initially it seemed that the RCAF and AdA requirements were very similar. So they worked together developing the fighter, but as the time passed, there were more frequent disagreements, and, too, the requirements of the respective air forces changed and diverged... so the two companies stopped the co-development venture but continued the project separately, which ultimately led to the Avro Archer and the Dassault Mirage III.

As the profiles show, the Archer and the Mirage III have some noticeable differences, especially the Archer Mk. I. What I did was to use a Mirage III fuselage with Arrow-like intakes and cockpit/canopy, a Nesher nose and a few other minor detail changes.

Having just made my very first ever eBay purchase - the old Hasegawa Kfir kit - I'll have most of what I need to get started on an Archer in plastic. A Mk. I, to get the nifty (if a bit clumsy) Arrow canopy... but I'm thinking I may do it as a CEF-108A instead of a CF-108A... because I want to build a pink airplane.

On another note, the /second/-ever eBay purchase came within moments of the first, I found an Aeroclub vacform fuselage for an F-86D/K... so as soon as I can find an FJ-4 kit in 1/72 I can start building a Jacktar, too!

[elmayerle]

The Emhar kit is the only one available in 1/72, save for q couple vacfomrs, an old Airmodel vacform  and a slightly newer Rareplanes vacform(I've got both, actually).  I'm tempted to do one as a Jacktar and one as a "Night Fury" in USN nightfighter markings.  Of course, then there are the various Super Fury proposals for further modelling using various bits and pieces (the FJ-5 that the gent behidn RetroMechanix has a bok on looks particularly appealing with bits of FJ-4, F-107, and F-100 in it).  I'm also wondering how an ultimate FUry/Sabre would look, combining the F-86H fuselage with the FJ-4 wings.

[Litvyak]

http://www.72nd.webs.com/aircraft/NA/FJ-4.htm ... says there was a Revell kit, too? I assume then that that's way, way long OOP...

[elmayerle]

http://www.72nd.webs.com/aircraft/NA/FJ-4.htm ... says there was a Revell kit, too? I assume then that that's way, way long OOP...

Might be the reboxed Emhar kit.  It is the Emhar molds; I just checked my local stash and I had examples of both.  IMHO, Revell did a better job of packaging and has more attractive decals.

[elmayerle]

There's this on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AVIATION-North-Amrican-FJ-4B-Fury-Model-Kit-/190492323263?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item2c5a3a2dbf

and

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EMHAR-1-72-NORTH-AMERICAN-FJ-4B-FURY-MODEL-KIT-/390416034808?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item5ae69bebf8

It's amusing, there are far more, and varied, 1/48 kits of it for sale.

[Litvyak]

Thanks for those links. I'll think about it - though I'll probably hold out until I can find one on this continent.

In the meantime been putzing around in gimp, fixed up some Canberra profiles, and I've started eyeing that RoG Mustang and an Airfix Firefly I have in the stash... thinking I should hack /those/ up first into some combo-monstrosity to get a feel for doing a major cut-up job like that, /before/ I try doing so with the Jacktar; the Archer bash should be rather more straightforward, though...

[Litvyak]

Felt like doing something a bit different, so here's the Avro Canada C.102 Jetliner. Four versions for now - two CPAL, one pre-revolution Cubana and one from one of my favourite airlines of all time, Panagra. More will come later...


CP delivery scheme.


CP early 1960s.


Cubana.


Pan American - Grace Airways. This Panagra scheme has long been one of my favourites, it looked great on the DC-6 and DC-7 and I think it looks right at home on the Jetliner, too!

[Litvyak]

And some new stuff from AltCan:  The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 (CC-111) Caribou was designed in response to a Canadian Army Aviation requirement for a STOL-capable transport aircraft. Though it was found satisfactory, in the event only 8 were delivered of an initial plan for 25 for the CAA; the other 17 were diverted to the Government of Canada and ended up with various government departments.


Army Aviation's DHC-4s were designated Caribou AC.2, with the eight aircraft delivered in 1961 and numbered 701-708. All eight  were deployed to Europe and thus wore the standard CAA Euro camouflage straight from the factory.


In 1965, the Canadian Red Ensign previously used as a fin flash was replaced with the new Canadian flag, and the roundel was replaced with the new RCAF standard roundel. The Army's Caribous all retained this scheme until they were transferred to the RCAF as part of the Armed Forces Rationalisation Plan in 1968.


The RCAF ordered only a single Caribou in 1961, designating it Caribou Mk. I. After a brief period at RCAF Winnipeg, it was sent to RCAF Zweibruecken in Germany, where it served as part of the base flight, transporting the senior officers of the 1st Canadian Air Division between RCAF stations and other points in Europe.


In 1964, the RCAF's lone Caribou was redesignated CC-111 Caribou. Apart from the change in lettering, the aircraft's appearance remained unchanged.

[apophenia]

Love the C.102 in CPAL livery (especially with the Goose)! And Cubana as a customer is very clever. But Pan Am? Poor Howard Hughes will be spinning even faster in his grave 

[Litvyak]

In 1965, the single CC-111 - like the rest of the RCAF's aircraft - received the new roundel based on the maple leaf in the new Canadian flag. After this change, the Zweibruecken Caribou's appearance remained unchanged for over two decades.


In 1968 under the terms of the Armed Forces Rationalisation Plan the RCAF took over the eight Caribous that had been delivered to Army Aviation. They were assigned to 413 (Transport) Sqn initially, though that was only a paper assignment: by the time the air force actually took delivery of the aircraft several weeks later, it had been decided that they would be assigned to base flight duties. RCAF bases at Cold Lake (Alta.), Terrace (BC), Bagotville (Que.), Winnipeg (Man.), Gander (Nfld.), Inuvik (NWT), Borden (Ont.) and Trenton (Ont.) each received a single Caribou. These were painted into the standard base-flight scheme of white and yellow, with the base assignment indicated with a flash.


With the introduction of loviz schemes in 1988, the Zweibruecken Caribou was repainted into the new standard scheme for transport aircraft. 111001 was the only CC-111 to wear this scheme. Another interesting fact about RCAF Caribous is that none of them ever left the hemisphere they were initially deployed to: the eight taken over from the Army and assigned to base flight duties never left North America and only seldom ventured to the United States, while 111001, after arriving in Europe, never returned to North America: after it was withdrawn in 1991 it was sold to an airline in Namibia, where it continues working to this day.


Aircraft assigned to base flight duties were repainted to overall black with white lettering in 1988. The CC-111s all remained at the same posting they started their RCAF careers with until their retirement; the last one, 111006 of RCAF Terrace, was retired with a small ceremony on November 20, 1993.

[Litvyak]

Love the C.102 in CPAL livery (especially with the Goose)! And Cubana as a customer is very clever. But Pan Am? Poor Howard Hughes will be spinning even faster in his grave 

Glad you like! I'm planning a few other schemes, too - CP Air orange, three Pacific Western schemes (red-white-red tail, overall white, blue wedge) and a variety of other second-hand and original Canadian operators (Eastern Provincial, Wardair, Nordair, Quebecair...). Hughes will get his, too - I've got TWA on the list, too, along with National and Northeast for US customers. Only one customer on my list outside of the Americas, though - TEAL of New Zealand, but then a list of interesting Latin Americans - Varig, Real, Faucett... it just struck me that the Jetliner would be idea for Latin America.

As for Pan Am/Grace, Hughes here or there, I had to! It's just such a great scheme, it looks good on everything. I've got a series of Tupolevs (104, 114, 124, 134, 144, 154) that are all started (but not finished) in Panagra livery (and all four Pacific Western ones).

[Empty Handed]

Nice C.102s!

[apophenia]

Taste is a personal thing ... except when it comes to CP Air orange. It looked great on everything from DC-3s to Jumbos!

Actually, the C.102 would've been perfect for some of CP's longer, thin routes ... Whitehorse comes to mind.

I love the lo-viz Caribou but that Cold Lake base flight scheme is really sharp!

[Litvyak]

Taste is a personal thing ... except when it comes to CP Air orange. It looked great on everything from DC-3s to Jumbos!

Actually, the C.102 would've been perfect for some of CP's longer, thin routes ... Whitehorse comes to mind.

Yeah, that's why I was thinking it'd be pretty popular as a second-hand aircraft with regionals like Nordair and Quebecair...

...as for the orange, it's one of my favourites. The first airplane I flew on was an orange DC-8 (YVR-AMS) (followed by a Malev Il-18, AMS-BUD). I don't /remember/ anything about these flights, as I was around 18 months old - but the first flight I /do/ remember was also in orange - a 747, YVR-AMS again, in 1979 (again followed by a Malev flight; the return was a year later, Bremen-London via Pan Am 727, then LHR-YYZ via Air Canada L1011). Anyways, the point is, whenever we had reason to go to the airport, there were two things I loved to see: CP orange and PWAL blue. And this gives me yet more airliner-whiffery ideas...

I love the lo-viz Caribou but that Cold Lake base flight scheme is really sharp!

Which one, the black? I got the idea for that from the CT-133 that was done up in all black with white lettering including roundels (I'm actually planning to build that, have the decals and the Sword kit but am a bit intimidated by the PE and resin in it...)

[Alvis 3.1]

Woo hoo! My fave airplane and fave airline, a CP C.102! :)

Awesome!
Alvis 3.1

[Litvyak]

And here some orange goodness, just to make it orange!


C.102


Tu-104

:)

[Litvyak]

So here's another batch of AltCan stuff - in world, unique oddities.

The Canadian Army tested a wide array of helicopters over the years, and developed a process whereby if a type was sufficiently interesting after preliminary review and testing, a single example would be leased for extended in-service trials.


A single Bristol Sycamore was taken up for extended testing in 1948, and given the placeholder serial number 999 (this number became somewhat traditional for extended-test aircraft over the years). Operated for six months during 1948 with the designation Sycamore, the Army eventually decided in favour of the Hiller H-23 Nomad and the Sycamore was returned to Bristol.


In 1960 the Canadian Army leased a preproduction example of the Sud Aviation SE3160 for a test period scheduled to last one year. Given the designation AHX.1 Alouette, it crashed during a mission near Petawawa, Ontario. Though the cause was found to have been a combination of pilot error in severe weather, the Army abandoned its interest in the type.


In 1961, the Army took on a Bristol Type 191 for testing over a 12-month period. Given the designation AHX.2 Belvedere, the helicopter was tested in a variety of roles - search and rescue, assault transport, etc. Bristol made an offer of 25 of the aircraft in October of 1961; however, a month earlier, Vertol had proposed their CH-46 Sea Knight then in development as an alternative, and in the end the Army decided to wait for the Sea Knight, and the Belvedere returned to the UK in March 1962. As an aside, Bristol offered a variant, the Type 193, to the Royal Canadian Navy, but the RCN was at that point quite satisfied with its Piasecki Retrievers, and no Belvederes of any version were ever delivered to Canada.

[Litvyak]

The Army leased a Sikorsky UH-60A in 1981 for a twelve-month test period, giving it the designation CH-160 Blackhawk. The results of the testing were positive, and the Army wanted to place an order for 40, but funding could not be secured, and the single CH-160 was returned to the US Army.


The Army tested a single Sokol W-3 for six months in 2002. Designated CH-153 for the duration of the test period, the response of the crews to the helicopter was lukewarm, and no orders were placed.


Needing a heavy-lift capability for the initial deployment to Afghanistan, the Canadian Army leased a single Mil Mi-26 "Halo" from the Ukraine in 2001. Given the designation CH-166 Halo, it was well-liked by its crew. The Army in Afghanistan found great utility in the helicopter, and the lease was extended from the initial 12 month period, remaining in use by the CAA until it was finally returned to the Ukraine in 2005. The positive experience with the Mi-26 was a significant contributing factor to the decision made that same year to place a sizable order for another Mil product, the CH-178 Hurricane.

[GTX_Admin]

Nice ones - love them all.

[Litvyak]

More AltCan stuff... I got on a roll this morning...


The RCAF had 34 Fairchild Cornell Mk. III on strength in 1946. These were all trainers assigned to the Central Flying School (as the VC-era squadron code "CB" indicates). After the decision was made to standardise basic training on the Chipmunk, the Cornells were retired fairly quickly, with the last block of 12 being withdrawn in 1950. These were sold off to private buyers, and several are still airworthy today, making the rounds at airshows - some in RCAF markings.


Canadair delivered ten CL-66 transports to the RCAF in 1960 - a Canadair-built version of the Convair CV-440 Metropolitan. Given the designation Cosmopolitan Mk. I, they were assigned to 412 Sqn and used for VIP flights. Over the years, only some of the lettering changed, otherwise the CC-109s - as they were redesignated in 1964 - retained this basic appearance until their retirement in 1988.

For nearly 30 years, Canadian military pilots from all branches of service received their basic flight training on one airplane: the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk.


Army Aviation took delivery of eight DHC-1 trainers in 1949. Designating them Chipmunk, they were based at Fort Kaministiquia in Port Arthur, Ontario, where they were used to give CAA pilots their basic flight training. In 1951 they were redesignated Chipmunk AT.1, and they remained in use by CAA until 1968, when they were transferred to the RCAF. Since then, Army pilots receive basic training alongside RCAF recruits at the RCAF's Central Flying School at RCAF Portage la Prairie (Man.). The illustration shows a Chipmunk as it appeared prior to 1965.


The RCAF started taking delivery of the Chipmunk from 1946, with a total of 78 being delivered. Designated Chipmunk Mk. I - the last 50 being fitted with a new engine and thus designated Chipmunk Mk. II - these served as the air force's basic trainers from 1946 all the way to 1972; they were redesignated CT-120 Chipmunk in 1964. The illustration shows a Chipmunk Mk. II as it appeared between 1951 and 1958.


The RCN Fleet Air Arm received 24 Chipmunk Mk. II between December 1946 and March 1947. Assigned to the VT 900 training squadron at HMCS Port Hardy (BC), they were used in the training of RCNAS pilots until 1973. In 1950 the type was redesignated CTD1 Chipmunk, and in 1958, VT 900 was redeployed to HMCS Debert (NS). Under the AFRP the CTD1s received the RCAF's designation, CT-120, in 1968, and remained in use at Debert until 1973, when the aircraft were retired and basic training of pilots was moved to the Central Flying School at RCAF Portage. The illustration depicts a CT-120 as it appeared from 1964 until retirement in 1973.

[Litvyak]

In 1974, the Canadian Army found itself needing more assault-transport ability during its participation in the Vietnam War. With Canadair's factories filled to capacity building Dynaverts and other aircraft. CAA was thus forced to look elsewhere, and they turned to Boeing Vertol, a company whose products Army Aviation was very familiar with. Since the Sea Knight (CH-113A Voyageur in Canadian parlance) had been out of production for several years, Vertol delivered 14 CH-47s to the Army in 1974. Designated CH-147 Chinook, these were delivered from the factory in the Southeast Asia camouflage scheme, and were delivered to Vietnam. Upon arrival, the crews were given crash familiarisation courses with assistance from US Chinook units. Six were lost during their near-year in theatre; these were subsequently replaced.


After the war's end in 1975, the "Chooks" returned to Canada, where they were repainted into the standard green scheme with yellow lettering.


In 1984, the Army made a minor change to the markings on its aircraft, substituting the yellow lettering for black.


The black lettering didn't last very long, however, as in 1988, the loviz scheme was introduced that year. Though several years newer than the CH-113s, the Army withdrew the Chinooks in 1991, selling them to the Netherlands.

[Litvyak]

72 Dakota Mk. III were on strength in 1946, serial numbers 898-969, forming the backbone of the RCAF's air transport capability. Like in the Sabre and Canuck squadrons, the pre-1958 period showed great variance in the schemes applied to the Dakotas, with each squadron having their own appearance. Some were more creative than others - 412 Sqn, as illustrated here, had an airline-like look to their aircraft from the time the squadron was re-established in 1947.


413 Sqn used a white over bare metal scheme accented with a red arrow through the window line. The unit was reformed in 1946 with Mitchells in the transport role, which were supplemented with Dakotas in 1948. This scheme lasted only a brief time, however, as the unit's aircraft were transferred away in late 1950 in preparation for reformation as a fighter squadron operating the Sabre.


The Black Knights were another squadron that operated Dakotas only briefly: reformed in 1948, they flew Dakotas until 1950, when they were stood down again to reform two years later as a Sabre squadron. Though short-lived, this scheme nevertheless was significant, as it was the main inspiration for the standardised scheme introduced in 1960.


426 Sqn's Dakotas were left unpainted after the wartime camouflage was stripped.


435 Sqn operated two Dakotas from 1946, both painted in yellow and black tiger stripes like this, as they were used as target tugs.

[Litvyak]

After transitioning to the Dakota in 1957 and becoming a transport unit, 402 Sqn was deployed to Europe, and their aircraft received the standard 1st Canadian Air Division camouflage scheme - the only Canadian Daks to do so. They remained this way until the unit returned to Canada in 1963.


The only change to 412 Sqn's aircraft made in 1951 was the replacement of the VC-era unit and aircraft codes with the newly introduced AB+3 scheme.


426 Sqn's aircraft retained their bare metal finish after the change to AB+3 in 1951.


435 Sqn continued to operate their two Dakotas in the target-tug role until 1952, when the unit transitioned to the Boxcar and became a transport squadron; the two C-47s were retired and sold.


In 1958 the RCAF introduced the current 4+RCAF identification codes, and at the same time, standards for painting were strengthened, and the colourful variety that had existed from 1946 through to the late 1950s came to an end. The new standard for transports from 1958 on was this overall bare metal finish.