Ryan F2R 'Dark Shark'; aircraft "117" of VF 870 , Royal Canadian Navy, 1951

[Dizzyfugu]

Ah - nice work on THAT kit, even though I wondered how the missiles were to be fired without ripping the propeller off? 

[Ed S]

Ah - nice work on THAT kit, even though I wondered how the missiles were to be fired without ripping the propeller off? 

The same way the F4U Corsairs fired them. They have a lanyard (IIRC about 15-20 ft long), so that when the rocket is released, it drops below the propeller arc before the lanyard pulls the pin and the rocket motor fires.

Ed

[Go4fun]

I wonder if they ever 'lit off' pointed upward and flew into the launching aircraft's exhaust pipe(s)? 
"So this guy had me dead to rights and launched on me"! "So how did you escape JoHann"? "You'll never, ever, EVER guess"!

[Dizzyfugu]

Ah - nice work on THAT kit, even though I wondered how the missiles were to be fired without ripping the propeller off? 

The same way the F4U Corsairs fired them. They have a lanyard (IIRC about 15-20 ft long), so that when the rocket is released, it drops below the propeller arc before the lanyard pulls the pin and the rocket motor fires.

Ed

Ah, interesting. I have never seen that - I read that the F6F could also carry the Tiny Tim missile, but I always wondered where the hell it would be carried... Thanks a lot for the info!

[NARSES2]

Ah - nice work on THAT kit, even though I wondered how the missiles were to be fired without ripping the propeller off? 

The same way the F4U Corsairs fired them. They have a lanyard (IIRC about 15-20 ft long), so that when the rocket is released, it drops below the propeller arc before the lanyard pulls the pin and the rocket motor fires.

Ed

You learn something new every day - thanks Ed 

[PR19_Kit]

Amazing what you can do with bits of string! 

[CANSO]

The same way the F4U Corsairs fired them. They have a lanyard (IIRC about 15-20 ft long), so that when the rocket is released, it drops below the propeller arc before the lanyard pulls the pin and the rocket motor fires.
Ed

This was the standard way to fire Tiny Tims from the PBJ-1 too. There is a famous sequence of photos showing how it works:

[Dizzyfugu]

Cool. Thanks a lot for posting!

[Caveman]

what happens if the lanyard doesnt fully release...? Looks like it is just long enough to swing the rocket into the cockpit...

[Cliffy B]

It probably hangs there, bouncing around in the slipstream until it either smacks the plane, possibly detonating (not sure when its "armed") or the lanyard snaps sending the big arse thing into free fall.  What was the lanyard made out of?

[aerofan]

The Dark Shark looks good in RCN livery. I like your BW images makes it seem that Canada really had them in service. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Didn't they...? 

Thanks a lot - I try to add those pics since I think that displaying a whif in some "realistic setting" adds much to the mood, as well as a respective story. And I learn with every project.