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More Tugs, More Troubles | F-4 Phantom
We had to go back to pick up our T-33. In order to do that, we need a working tug. So here we are trying to get at least one of them working. Also got to teach our youngest how to change a tire!
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Пікірлер: 32
Ahh, brake bleeding, always a pleasure... Nice job man, thanks for sharing it o7.
Twice a week ? What have we done to deserve such a treat ? 😄 Good call on stopping and asking on the stiff lug nut. Servicing grimy oily ground equipment might not be as glamorouse as working on fighter jets, but it's just as important to have good servicable support equipment you can reley on. Always take pride in a job well done 👍
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Thanks, had the opportunity to be out there twice this weekend so I thought, why not make another video! That's our youngest son, and also his first tire change! Taught him to start the lug nuts by hand to make sure they aren't cross threaded before using the cordless impact (set with low torque) to run them down. Takes a little longer but beats having to press out a stripped lug from the spindle.
@trespire
4 ай бұрын
@@DieselThunderAviation I thought he was your son, but wasn't sure. A fine young man 👍. 100% on board with starting any threads by hand, and the use of hand tools to feel what's going on with the threads. It's common practice to use a manual crank handle to open & close panel screws, just as fast and works well with the POZIDRIVE fastners on F-4 and F-16 panels.
Good to see a young man get his fingers dirty!!
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Indeed!
just found your channel. cant wait to watch some videos. usmc 86 to 94 F4/F18 flight line
@DieselThunderAviation
3 ай бұрын
Semper Fi! My two oldest sons are Marines. Welcome to the channel!
As always, thanks for sharing.
sounds like the starter solenoid
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
The solenoids (both of them) are functioning, and the starter motor spins. The bendix drive on the starter isn't pushing the starter gear into the flywheel to crank the engine. The spring on the bendix may have broken. In any case, we have to pull the starter to figure that out.
Something you might consider for future electrical bench testing that requires only single phase 120v 400hz is using a static inverter powered by a DC bench-top adjustable power supply. You'll not have to fire up the cart, burn fuel, and make a ton of noise for a quick test unless you need 3 phase. I'm guessing there's probably a couple static inverters sitting on the parts shelves in one of the hangers, and maybe even a fixed 28v DC supply of some sort as well.
Sorry new to the channel. Are you guys making this Phantom air worthy again? Might be a dumb question but it would be cool to see a F-4 civilian demonstration. I haven’t seen a Phantom fly for 25yrs probably. I saw a weasel flight the last time I believe. Still remember the first time I heard and saw a F-4 when I was 8 in 1990. J-79 full burner take off at night to an unrestricted climb it was so crazy for my little brain to figure out what was happening. The noise from those two 79s could be felt. Your chest, feet even the hair on your body was vibrating. To see 20ft or more of flame coming out the back like a blow torch truly had a huge impact on my life. Love the channel
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Love that about fighter aircraft, you feel those burners! Our Phantom has always been airworthy, she just hasn't flown since 2019 and sat dormant for a while. So we're getting her fixed up and complete the annual inspection so she can take to the skies again!
@shawnomack45
3 ай бұрын
Can't wait for that video. I'm considering flying down for one of your airshows.
Problem solving all the time, welcome to engineering. 101...
Hi ppl here is an F4-E question for yall (I know you dont have the E but perhaps its similar) Q: If both engines fail can the APU still work the stabs or is it dependent on at least one engine ? Ty and great work, keep it up !
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Thanks, and good question! Short answer, the APU will not work with both engines out. Long answer: As I understand that system (and not all F-4E have it), it's a hydraulic pump powered by the right main 115 Volt AC bus and controlled by the main 28 Volt DC bus. It's only connected to the PC1 hydraulic system (normally operated by the PC1 pump on the left engine). The way the manual reads is that if PC1 pressure falls below 1,000 PSI (normal pressure is 3,000 PSI), then the APU will activate and provide about 1,700 PSI to the PC1 system. It does depend on the right engine and generator still running in order to operate, and PC2 should still be operating. In a dual engine out, both generators will drop offline, and also take the main transformer-rectifiers off with them so you just lost your main AC and DC buses. The Essential Bus Tie Relay (the one we changed a couple weeks ago), will open to isolate the battery to the Essential DC bus, which will now be the only source of power in the aircraft. Since the E doesn't have a RAT or an AC inverter, there won't be any AC power at all. In this scenario, the APU wouldn't even function with both engines out. Lastly, in the emergency procedures for a dual engine out, the procedure is simple for the crew. If there is sufficient altitude, they should try to restart the engines. If that doesn't work, they are directed to eject.
@trespire
4 ай бұрын
Hi, I maintained E's (Kurnass), structural/airframe. I don't recall an APU / ram air generator on the E, but I presume there must have been one somewhere. Isn't the whole idea of an APU to supply critical electrical & hydraulical power in the event of no engines ? Hence it must work when both engines are lost ?
@stepstv4466
4 ай бұрын
@@trespire The F4 has 3 different hydraulic lines PC1 and 2 powered by each engine + a utility line that acts as a backup however this utility line isnt connected to the stabs, so incase of a dual engine loss the F-4-E loses pitch authority. Because there is an APU within the F4s systems I thought they must have put it in for that exact reason, but it seems as if the APU itself needs at least one engine for it to function as its electrical.
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
@trespire This is where McDonnell Douglas could have used better terminology. It's not an APU in the normal sense like most aircraft have these days. It was just a electric hydraulic pump hooked up to the PC1 system and would only come one if PC1 fell below 1,000 PSI, and really only helped drive the stabilator, not the entire PC1 system. Think it was located somewhere in the tail, and not all F-4E had them.
@trespire
4 ай бұрын
@@stepstv4466 @DeiselThunderAviation Thanks guys for sharing. Learn something now everyday. I do vagually recall a red borderd panel on our RF-4s, but it was a long time ago and I didn't get to work on them as often. (Albeit the all gray livery RF was the most beautiful jet, even nicer looking than an F-15C/D).
Wednesday upload? 😱
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Yep! Not often that I have a mid-week video from the hangar, but since we had to go get the T-33 on Sunday I thought I'd film some more! Normally I like to have a DCS video out during the week, but work has been eating up my spare time lately.
What's making the tug so heavy? Are there some concrete blocks in this thing? Thanks for the mid week video.
@SkyhawkSteve
4 ай бұрын
I'm not sure about these tugs, but when I worked on A-4's in the Marines, our tugs used 1" thick steel plate on some parts of the exterior. There were also heavy steel weights over the rear axle, IIRC.
@trespire
4 ай бұрын
These tugs are purpously constructed to be heavy. Pulling and pushing large jets requires good traction for go and stop. There is a lot of heavy gauge steel, not unlike a fork lift truck.
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
Pretty much what SkyhawkSteve and trespire said. There's a lot of thick steel plating used on the tugs. If it was too light with the same power, the tires would just spin on the pavement when hooked up to something heavy like the Phantom (in our case she typically is between 35,000 and 45,000 lbs). An easy way to increase traction is to increase the weight of the vehicle (need stronger tires with that), which is why they tend to be heavy.
@jr0815_aka_gulredrel
4 ай бұрын
Okay thanks, the need for being heavy is clear. Thick steel plates is reasonable. Had the idea that it could be same kind of tug for different purpose, some having ballast and some not. But so they all would need the same strong frame which is probably not needed for just towing luggage.
@trespire
4 ай бұрын
@@jr0815_aka_gulredrel Once you understand how such vehicles as forklift trucks & towing tugs, operate. Being much heavier than a family car or even some trucks, and having unforgiving body heavy gauge panels and high pressure rock hard tires, extra caution needs to be used, as these tires will crush feet even with safety shoes, and getting ones self trapped between a tug/forklift and a hard obsticle will not end well. That's why we need to keep our whits about us on the flight line and around material handling equipmpent. Aircraft tires are also inflated till they're rock hard. ( yeah, I know I'm a safety Sally ! )
Does this F-4 still have her gun sight?
@DieselThunderAviation
4 ай бұрын
She has the combiner glass and projector still installed. The control panel for it was removed to allow for a GPS to be installed. We still have the original control panel for it though. Not sure if it still works.