biow@sonne.cs.umd.edu (Christopher Biow) (04/17/91)
From: biow@sonne.cs.umd.edu (Christopher Biow) >scott@bigbang.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Silvey) writes: > That is incorrect. Weight is not the problem, but rather clearance >of the missiles from the carrier deck. The landing gear of the Tomcat >compress a considerable distance on landing. Phoenix missiles mounted on >the fuse bottom stations would be crushed on landing, thus damaging the >missiles, the aircraft, and the carrier deck. This problem is detailed >in the F-14 NATOP manual. With a copy of NAVAIR 01-F14AAA-1 in front of me, I can find no warnings about doing carrier landings with Phoenix on _any_ stations. In three years with VF-41 on the Nimitz and T. Roosevelt, we regularly flew with Phoenix on the forward stations. The missiles did not stick out below the level of the intakes. I've not seen a Phoenix on a rear fuselage station, but it would be no problem, either. The only concern with skagging the deck is on the ventral fins and engine nozzles, and that's due to over-rotation, not strut compression. Even with fully compressed struts, nothing touches. I never saw a Phoenix on a wing/pylon station, and it's doubful we ever will. Six Phoenix most certainly would put an F-14 over max carrier landing weight, even at emergency landing fuel (2000 pounds). And that would leave zero spaces for Sparrows--not a good idea. The 4-2-2 mix (4 Phoenix, two Sparrows, two 'Winders) is the most you'd ever want to carry, and even then you'd have to fire off the Phoenix before you got into a maneuvering engagement, or decided to fly fast. Chris