Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Fighter Writer is back on the air!

Good evening, fighter fans!

Having moved a little over a year ago, unpacking, embarking on a new career and basically settling in, I've neglected my blog and after much trouble have regained access to it--after establishing that the malfunction was caused by an operator headspace error.

I've continued expanding the original manuscript for my F-101 book and have been assisting a couple of other authors with their own research projects.  As time allows, I am continuing to research USAF and Communist night fighter operations in the Korean War.  The manuscript on a new book on the F3H Demon is on the back burner but continuing to simmer away.  I've also been delving deep into ECM development for SAC bombers from the Korean War to the early years over Vietnam.

Things have been a little crazy and for those who may be following me in this dusty little corner of the Internet, my apologies for the absence.  But in any case, look for more Voodoo and fighter goodness to come your way soon!

8 comments:

  1. Good to read you are back. Purchased your book about the Voodoo; excellently researched. Some time ago you mentioned you might write something about early us airborne interception radars. Any work in progress? Regards Roman

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  2. Hi Roman,

    Very sorry for this extremely late response. Thank you for your continuing interest in what I have written here, and trust that your research on turboprops and supersonic propellers has been productive. With regard to writing and associated research, I have to admit that certain aspects have been discouraging—especially what little return I have had financially for all the effort put into the book. On the other hand, it continues to sell steadily, so there remains some interest. I haven’t done much on fire control systems but am thinking of picking that project up again as time permits, as well as continued research for a new book on the McDonnell F3H Demon. Recently, both Tony Buttler and Bert Kinsey have written excellent books on the F3H, but there are important parts to the story that both have missed. My aim is to use the story of the Demon to talk about transonic design, early axial turbojet development, the competition between Westinghouse and Hughes in fire control system development, and the development of radar-guided missiles from what was little more than a toy in the form of the Sparrow I to the first truly successful weapon, the Sparrow III, which has enjoyed tremendous longevity. Always great to hear from you, and now that this e-mail account is tied into my phone, you can expect a more timely response from now on!

    Cheers!

    Ron

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  3. Ron I flew the RF101C in Meridian Ms ( the 186 TRG ) it is a great Aircraft just had to watch the pitch up . It had a very comfortable cockpit and long legs. I have your book it is very good and accurate. Rich Richards gave me my checkout . I also flew the RF-4C

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jack, please accept my profound apologies for this very delayed response. Writing and research have taken a backseat to job, family, etc., so have had little to add here, hence have not been spending much time.

      I am very gratified that you have enjoyed my book and find the content accurate. I had written this mainly as a developmental history and relied a great deal on official histories where I could find them. One of the weaknesses of this book is that I did not have the benefit of as many interviews of pilots and crew as I would have liked. A lot of authors would have waited to develop that, but in the case of the F-101 I had developed a lot of new and unknown information, so you take what you’ve got and just go with it.

      I’ve never flown a Voodoo, of course, but can only imagine what it must have been like to taxi up to the end of the runway, plug in the burners, and hang on as you point the nose skyward! You, sir, have enjoyed a very rare and memorable privilege!

      Cheers!

      Ron

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    2. Hi Jack!
      I want to find the answer to the question to accurately reproduce the appearance of the RF-101C model during use in Vietnam. What color were the wheels well of the RF-101 painted? There is different information, in some cases they say in white, in others - green color. I have seen silver and white coloring, but it seems to me the color of the museum restoration and it cannot be considered as reliable information. Unfortunately, I did not find a photos with confirmation that the color of wheels well was visible in Vietnam.
      Best regards!

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  4. Hi Ron,
    any chance for continuation of this excellent blog?

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    1. Hi Basil!

      I suppose that you might be my only regular reader! ;-)

      Life gets really busy, especially when one has small kids, so my research and writing has, unfortunately, ground to a slow, rusty halt. I haven’t developed much in the way of new information or anything “juicy” to write about, but suppose I will turn back to it someday.

      I hope that what I published on supersonic propellers was helpful and has perhaps spurred some research and writing of your own. I suppose that if I get more good questions here than spam (I logged on to clean it up!), I might start posting more.

      Your interest and kind words are both encouraging and appreciated. Truly.

      Cheers!

      Ron

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