Here's something you don't see very often. I'm currently rescribing the old Revell/Monogram Voodoo kit and this would certainly make an interesting conversion. I took this photo 20+ years ago when this was the view from my window at work.


http://img28.echo.cx/img28/2904/elv3mz.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us/)

I worked for an aero engine company but it was the company next door to us that overhauled the Voodoos. However, the run-up stand was on our side of the fence. I used to arrive every morning with one of these things was usually screaming away and I had to make a mad dash for the door before my ears started to bleed.

This is the EW-101 Electric Voodoo. In it's earlier incarnation, it had flown out of Tyndall AFB and was due for retirement when the USAF got out of the Voodoo business. We decided we could use it in Canada so it came up here and got further modifications (including this snazzy black paint job) to become our "brute force" electronic warfare jammer.

Preeety!

I can see where you get your passion for aircraft from Brent, what a machine...!

Are you going to be using Belcher's Decal sheet for this?? I have it on the bench (OK, started, and stashed away in a box).

You just gatta love an airplane in gloss black!! ANd a cool looking airplane to boot!

Honestly, I wasn't even aware that Belcher had decals for this airplane! I do have to pick up some decals for another project or two so I will have to check that out.

I actually have quite a few pictures of this particular aircraft. In fact, I photographed it with a Bronica ETR medium format camera and a Gossen Lunasix light meter so the negatives are quite good. Unfortunately the folks printing the pictures had a hard time with the black airplane on light grey concrete in the middle of the sunny day. The contrast range is so extreme that a lot of aircraft details are lost in the prints.

This is part of the interesting history of where I live (which happens to be right beside the airport). This was where the very last full NATO squadron of C-47's operated through the mid 80's. And, because all of the Canadian Voodoos were overhauled and maintained here, they were also test flown here. So the circuit on any given day was a constantly alternating stream of C-47's and Voodoos.

When I was in Jr. high school, there was a big Voodoo swap (Operation Peace Wings) between Canada and the U.S. The USAF wanted our older Voodoos because they had inflight refueling probes. So we swapped 58 older ones for 66 newer models and Winnipeg (where I am) was the transfer point...58 Voodoos southbound from Winnipeg and 66 inbound. Those were the good old days!

I sure loved those Voodoo's.

I really miss them.

The thing that always especially fascinated me about the Voodoo is that it was really the only TRUE interceptor of the jet age. The F-106 had big wings and was a pretty good dog fighter. The 104 made a decent strike fighter. The only thing a 101 could do was go like a bat out of hell in a straight line.

It had those tiny wings with useless split flaps. It had an absolutely insane approach speed which I recall as being in excess of 200 knots. Because the afterburners had a bad habit of exploding (and taking the aircraft with them), they used to depart Winnipeg under military power (full throttle without burner). Trouble is, it was a heavy plane with no wing area and without afterburner it couldn't climb until it built up an enormous head of steam. So these things would eat up 8,000 feet of runway and then clear the local rooftops by barely 100 feet while going about 400 knots.

Once they cleared the neighbourhood, you could hear the distinctive BOOM, BOOM as the afterburners engaged.

Never heard that Voo-doo Swap story. Sounds like a good deal which is hard to believe in light of our (Canada's) recent submarine deal.