Embarassed Hellcats

[slinky]

What is up with the large wingtip fairings?

[Mgawa]

Tip tanks as I know.

[Steve Nelson]

Sensor/radio pods? I believe the Privateer and B-17 drones had similar wingtip mods.

SN

[Dan K]

What is up with the large wingtip fairings?

This from a previous post on this very thread:


The third major use was at China Lake and Point Mugu as target aircraft. This appears to have been the requirement that generated “tip tanks” and large wing tip fairings that contained flares to simulate a jet exhaust, and therefore be of appropriate interest to the heat-seeking Sidewinder missile being developed…

China Lake F6Fs were insignia red? Point Mugu F6Fs were repainted in day-glo?


Did that answer the question?

[Mgawa]

Final question- what is the serial number under the horizontal tail on the mahines V1 to V6?

[Tailspin Turtle]

Final question- what is the serial number under the horizontal tail on the mahines V1 to V6?

The only one that's distinct is V1: 79324. V2 might be 78839 but it's hard to distinguish the 8s from the 9s. V5 might be 77833. Those are all valid F6F-5 BuNos.

[Mgawa]

This is it Thank you very much

[Mgawa]

This is it Thank you very much

[Maverick]

Wingtip pods were carried for counter measures such as flares, chaff and ECM. Pt. Mugu deployed both privateers and hellcats to Holloman AFB in the late fifties and early sixties in support of the USS Desert Ship(Navy test facility) at White Sands for testing surface to air missiles.

[tom d. friedman]

some of the drone f6f's were flown though the blast clouds of the atomic bomb testing at bikini, & the hydrogen bomb testing in operation trinity. they carried mounted filters to examine radioactive particles that were in the air.

[John Kerr]

Here is another F6F-5K drone. Photo from USN Museum collection and is by Robert Lawson.