AHA! I knew there was a reason for those super low values of static_compression! I didn't realize the Hornet was that low on the gear when just sitting. I have watched more that a few land, both on a runway and on the boat, and I know they have a good deal of flex during that process, but I never thought to actually go and SEE what they were at when static. This one's going to take some research for me to ferret out, and untill I do, I'll leave things as-is. You seem to have a working solution to a problem, so I'll leave it. By the by, they normally hit the runway as though it were a carrier deck. Navy pilots get "You ever flare, I'll beat you senseless!" (ok, ok, not that bad) from day one 1 flight training.
The main thing is not just amount of flex, but ratio's also. Most aircraft developers seem to
assume a 70-80% static compression. Is this correct for the Hornet? Not a clue. I'd have to measure the oleo's (vertical struts) while the bird was on the deck, and while it was jacked to be certain. I should be able to dig this data up someplace, and once we get those two numbers (Max extension and static compression) the rest falls into line
I think the Airframes shop maintenance directives will lead me to my goal. We shall see asap!
I have all the weights in a small text file for the various "loadable" (?) items, and I'll just zip it up with the other two files, included in this post, if I do it right. Not very big files but a zip file saves time and space.
So you know, MER/TER is the lazy man's shorthand (ME!) for Multiple Ejector Rack/Triple Ejector Rack. It's normal usage in the military, but you know how fond we always are of acronyms and abbreviations
I made a false presumption that you were military and would automatically know these abbreviations, so I apologize. Essentially, yes, they are what you call "pylons", and pylons they are, but for specific uses. Namely, getting a piece of ordnance off the airplane without it impacting the aircraft on the way. They use a small pyrotechnic charge to kick the item away from the plane. Pilot pickles, charge goes off, pushes a piston in the ejector rack (Hence the name), which leads to a "foot" on the rack touching the item to get ejected (bomb, missile, etc), thus kicking it away. If you get a chance sometime, watch a video in slow-mo of a plane either dropping unpowered weapons (bombs) or missiles. You will see the weapon leave the rack, and a very short time later a little "foot" (circular disc about 2-3" in diameter with a shaft in the center) about the center of the bomb's attaching area and about 4" long, if that, will be seen retracting back into the rack where the weapon was. Very quickly, so you have to kind of watch for them. IE, they pretty much snap back in, so try for a good slow-mo video. They are also used as part of the Jettison and Emergency Jettison system, thus hopefully removing the items, by force, if necessary, as quickly as possible. The MER/TERs are used on the wings (normally) with SER or Single Ejector Rack normally used on the fuselage (like the two hip stations) hardpoints.
Fuel tanks are normally mounted on SER's, wing or fuselage, for weight considerations, but the MER/TERs generally have the wiring and plumbing necessary for fuel tank mounting, so the SER or MER/TER can be utilized. Conformal stations, like for the AIM-54's on a F-14, or the Sparrow missiles on the F-4, just have the hardware of a SER built into the fuselage.
Ok, ok, I am off, but hopefully I do this right and the zip file is attached.
Pat☺
