A-12 Avenger II

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by habu2 » 05 Nov 2003, 22:13

OK this isn't really F-16 related but I just wanted to blow my own horn :D I just got my November issue of Fine Scale Modeler magazine, and they did a review of a resin kit of the A-12 Avenger II. In the article they printed a link to my website as a source for A-12 reference material!!! :D :D :D I think this link will point to the online article: http://www.finescale.com/fsm/article.aspx?aID=1220 , my website is in the next to last paragraph.

Sorry for the self-patronizing, but I don't stand a snowball's chance in h*ll of ever getting one of my models in their magazine, but I'll settle for getting my website mentioned... :P

OK F-16 content - a lot of F-16 engineers went on to work on the A-12 program before it was cancelled. Does that count? :oops:

GregD


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by Habu » 06 Nov 2003, 00:49

Heh, so it's a little OT, no biggie. Doesn't HAVE to have F-16 content in it, every time ya know. I just find it interesting that it was the second aircraft with the A-12 designation.

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by habu2 » 07 Nov 2003, 17:11



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by Habu » 07 Nov 2003, 19:18

Ahhh....my fave of the Blackbirds. Ya know I haven't had a chance to get out there yet. Closest I got was last year when I was in Columbus for the national flying competition. Never did get a chance to get to Dayton though. I will make it out there one day.

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by Ace02 » 03 Feb 2004, 22:35

As long as you guys are talking about an un-viper... do either of you know if someone makes a 'Have Blue', the F-117 concept demonstrator? Seems like it mighth be a pretty interesting kit ... maybe from some place that does resin high end kits?

jus askin...


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by Habu » 03 Feb 2004, 23:01

Pegasus Models makes a 1/72 injection kit. There is also a resin 1/48 kit out there, but for the life of me can't think of the name of the company.
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by habu2 » 03 Feb 2004, 23:22

I've seen the Pegasus kit built up - it is very very basic (and very small). I don't think it's cheap either. Haven't heard about a 1:48 Have Blue...
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by Gums » 04 Feb 2004, 00:44

Salute all!

I would be very interested in the Northrop-Grumann entry.

I was hired by a small engineering firm to work with the prime contractors.

Our specialty was armament systems, and Control Data had lottsa computer expertise, but didn't know a BDU-33 from a B-61.

I briefed the airframe team a few times about the pilot-vehicle interface and the store control algorithms. Never got to actually see the bird, and was sorely peed off.

Security was awesome, and the first time I actually confirmed what we were working on and who we were working for was when the contract was cancelled by the Navy. I had my suspicions, and they were very accurate.

Maybe somebody has a pic of the Northrop design. I doubt it was a delta like the GD-MacAir design. I also think it would likely be a tough bird as Grumann had built so many times.

let's talk!

Gums
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by Habu » 04 Feb 2004, 01:05

Why am I not surprised, Gums? You got your hands in a lot of jelly back in the day eh? :P
The only pic I've seen of the N-G entry is in the new 'Black Jets' book by Airtime. VERY nice book btw...
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by Lawman » 04 Feb 2004, 01:37

Very little was done with this aircraft passed the brainstorming and drawing board stages. It would have been a brilliant peice of hardware had it come to be. But budgets and mismanagement along with the idea that the Navy didnt need a stealth aircraft by some morons in congress helped can the bird.


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by Habu » 04 Feb 2004, 01:50

edit: nm
Last edited by Habu on 04 Feb 2004, 03:17, edited 1 time in total.
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by habu2 » 04 Feb 2004, 03:11

Very little was done with this aircraft passed the brainstorming and drawing board stages.

I must disagree. I can't prove you wrong (for reasons that should be obvious), but trust me, the Dorito's legacy lives on. :mrgreen:
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by Ace02 » 04 Feb 2004, 13:43

an editor here at the mag has a company model of the 'Dorito' it's very nice. He said he actually fished it out of a trash can after the program went TU. Can't believe someone was gonna throw it away!! He cleaned it up and it's looking nice on a shelf in his office. I can't imagine how much the sucker is worth!?


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by habu2 » 04 Feb 2004, 15:27

There is a guy here who still has one of the A-12 company promo models on his desk - see it every day. He got it when he worked on the program.
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by Gums » 04 Feb 2004, 17:24

Salute!

You guys talking about the N-G entry? A 'dorito'? GASP!

Some of our team got to see the mockup or prototype in a hangar someplace, so I am confident that work was well beyond the 'drawing board' stage.

I also knew of a 'special' building at the Hawthorne Plant ( my TDY base of ops for a few months). I can also state that the Pico site was visited several times by folks I worked with.

My briefing on the armament system was at a hotel in Dallas, and everybody used first names only (hell, they were prolly aliases). There were at least a few Navy folks there, as the haircuts and questions thay asked me provided a clue.

So I worked on the thing from fall of '85 until the program was cancelled.

There were discussions about range being a problem for the GD-MacAir entry. I also have a suspicion that the N-G entry was really stealthy, as Nortrop's experience seemed very credible.

Oh well, those were the days.......



Would really like to see that model if someone has a pic to post.
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