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Post by dude on Jun 4, 2009 9:56:22 GMT 9
 I've got a question about the F-80. I've seen the ones in the museums at Wright Pat and Hill AFB and if memory serves they both have this strange looking hunk of metal on their bellies that looks like a big can opener. It's maybe 20 inches long and about an inch thick and about 4 inches wide where it attaches to the aircraft. It then tapers to a point. The front edge is saw toothed. It juts down and is angled forward. So in a way it looks like a piece of steak knife sticking out of the belly of the aircraft. I have no idea how securely it was attached. When I was at Wright Pat I asked one of the volunteers about it and he told me that it was a cable cutter used during the Korean war. Evidently it was suppose to be used to cut power lines. So my questions are: #1 - Did he give me the right scoop? #2 - Do you know if, when and how it was ever used? #3 - If it was used, was it really that effective?
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Post by jimpadgett on Jun 4, 2009 11:47:23 GMT 9
Just a guess here but... I know pilots are mostly nuts but, I don't think the most seriously afflicted would try to cut a power line with the belly of an aircraft. May have been a baggage rack or some such attach point. It is obvious I have no idea what it may be.
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Post by dude on Jun 6, 2009 11:28:46 GMT 9
Just a guess here but... I know pilots are mostly nuts but, I don't think the most seriously afflicted would try to cut a power line with the belly of an aircraft. May have been a baggage rack or some such attach point. It is obvious I have no idea what it may be. [/quote ] Well it would probably help if I gave the right aircraft. It wasn't an F-80. It was an F-89. I've seen several photos from various museums and they all have it. Sorry about the confusion, but the questions still stand. What was this thing? |
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az09
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Post by az09 on Jun 8, 2009 18:42:07 GMT 9
I called my uncle who had crewed F-80's at RAF Bentwaters in the 50's. He said it would have had to be a local mod, not an USAF mod.
He did relate that planes flying into cables was a problem at the time. He lost his plane when the pilot was flying the river near Ipswitch and didn't see a suspension bridge cable. The plane was cut between the front and rear cockpits and went on to take off the verticle stab.
Now that you re-identified the plane as a F-89, I will call him again about the F-89 as he also worked those in the 50's.
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Bullhunter
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Post by Bullhunter on Jun 9, 2009 2:16:09 GMT 9
I've looked at several pictures of F-89's and I can't see what you are describing there Dude.
If you have a photo, site, or link would you mind posting it so I could see what it is your talking about.
You have peaked my interest.
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Post by dude on Jun 9, 2009 3:03:14 GMT 9
I've looked at several pictures of F-89's and I can't see what you are describing there Dude. If you have a photo, site, or link would you mind posting it so I could see what it is your talking about. You have peaked my interest. Gladly. Again I apologize for getting the aircraft mixed up. The link below is to the National Museaum (wright pat). It should take you right to the F-89, but if not, just go to the site and select the list of aircraft from the home page, then scroll down until you find the link for the F-89. There are two photos that show it and I was able to download them and then zoom in and see it quite clearly. By the way, in my researching this I learned that not only was the F-89 the plane that shot the one and only Genie test, it was also the first to carry the AIM-4. www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=363 |
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Post by jesup on Jun 9, 2009 3:40:55 GMT 9
 I worked on the f-89d, h, and j for over 3 years and I didn't see anything like you described. Bill :god_bless_usa
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Post by dude on Jun 9, 2009 10:31:08 GMT 9
I worked on the f-89d, h, and j for over 3 years and I didn't see anything like you described. Bill  Try the wright pat link above Bill. There's two photos that show it clearly when you zoom in. I'm pretty sure the one at the Hill museum also had it. I believe they both are J models. Here's another link that has a close-up. www.cybermodeler.net/aircraft/f-89/images/frouch_f-89j_19.jpg |
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Post by jesup on Jun 11, 2009 5:47:25 GMT 9
:us_flag
Hey Dude
I looked at several pictures of the 89 and some have what ever the thing is and some don't. None of the planes in flight showed it. I don't have a clue but I'm taking some people to Robbins afb museum soon and the static 89 shows this device. Maybe I can find out there.
Bill
:salute
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Post by Bullhunter on Jun 11, 2009 6:40:50 GMT 9
Could that be a type of tail hook ?
I've never seen anything like it before.
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Post by jimpadgett on Jun 11, 2009 9:29:10 GMT 9
Might be morning wood!
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Post by dude on Jun 11, 2009 12:32:07 GMT 9
Don't think it would work well as a tail hook unless you did it wheels up. As far as the wood... well we could only wish. From what I can tell this thing only showed up on the J model. The J was a D modified to carry the Genie and AIM-4. But those mods were underwing. If the above is true, then the plane would have been married to ADC and the idea of it being a cable/power line cutter in Korea doesn't fit the timeline. This blows the story I got from the "expert" at Wright Pat. I'll be interested in hearing if you get a better story at Robins.
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Post by Jim on Jun 11, 2009 21:14:13 GMT 9
If I am not mistaken, it is and was a barrier cable pickup..........I don't remember that all of the 465thFIS (49th) birds at Griffiss had them... They had about as many varinets as Japanese girls had GI boyfriends.... The Old Sarge
BTW, it wouldn't show in the stowed position............ Believe that it was intended to catch the cable after the nose gear pased over it and caused it to bounce.........Not all bases had the same type of barrier
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Post by Bullhunter on Jun 12, 2009 4:49:20 GMT 9
That was my guess also. If it's not that, then its an ice-pick for landing on iceburgs. :  |
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Post by dude on Jun 12, 2009 5:21:38 GMT 9
Don't know. You guys might be on the right track (barrier, not ice pick). I ran across a small reference by a guy that was reviewing of all things an F-89 model kit. He mentioned the kit was very complete, but was missing the barrier hooks on the nose and the belly of the aircraft. He went further to say the hooks were on all J models and some D models. I've since seen a couple D model pictures with it. So maybe that's it although I've never seen anything on the nose and can't imagine that being too practical.
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Post by Mark O on Jun 12, 2009 9:58:33 GMT 9
Don't know. You guys might be on the right track (barrier, not ice pick). I ran across a small reference by a guy that was reviewing of all things an F-89 model kit. He mentioned the kit was very complete, but was missing the barrier hooks on the nose and the belly of the aircraft. He went further to say the hooks were on all J models and some D models. I've since seen a couple D model pictures with it. So maybe that's it although I've never seen anything on the nose and can't imagine that being too practical. Does anyone have photos they can post of these "hooks"? This is the kit of the F-89 I have that I'll get around to building some day. www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/rm/kit_rm_4548.shtmlI like this quote about the Genie from this guy's review... "...an atomic bomb with a rocket motor."  Mark |
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Post by Jim Scanlon (deceased) on Jun 12, 2009 12:37:25 GMT 9
:scratch_head
The article about the F89D/J model says the J could carry FFRs in with tip pods. Not on any J model I worked on. They all had a fuel tank on the wing tip, with no rocket pods in front like the D model.
The Js we had at Goose, and ones I worked on at Minot, from Hector Field ND ANG, all had only fuel in the tips.
They carried two Genies and four guided rockets.
Maybe there were some Js with the FFR pods on the front of the tip tanks, I just never saw one.
:god_bless_usa
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Post by dude on Jun 12, 2009 13:15:59 GMT 9
-[ [/quote] Does anyone have photos they can post of these "hooks"? This is the kit of the F-89 I have that I'll get around to building some day. www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/rm/kit_rm_4548.shtmlI like this quote about the Genie from this guy's review... "...an atomic bomb with a rocket motor." Mark[/quote] Look for a couple of my prior posts on this thread. There's two or three links with photos. One is even the same cybermodeler site you cited for your model kit. Jim, One thing I've learned about the F-89 trying to chase this down. Seems like any idea, good or bad, was worth a try on a Scorpion. I'll be there was a lot of little black book maintenance on these jets. |
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Post by jesup on Jun 27, 2009 11:12:05 GMT 9
:us_flag
The hangy down thang is called an arrestor barrier hook and is not retractable. It just hangs there.
I found it on planes in 2 0f the 3 books on 89s that I have but none on the planes at Griffiss. It shows them on H and J models.
Bill :
:god_bless_usa
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I've got a question about the F-80. I've seen the ones in the museums at Wright Pat and Hill AFB and if memory serves they both have this strange looking hunk of metal on their bellies that looks like a big can opener. It's maybe 20 inches long and about an inch thick and about 4 inches wide where it attaches to the aircraft. It then tapers to a point. The front edge is saw toothed. It juts down and is angled forward. So in a way it looks like a piece of steak knife sticking out of the belly of the aircraft. I have no idea how securely it was attached.
