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Evening all. Great board, first time posting.

I was wondering if you folks would help me out with some information. I have been asked to be a Docent (basically a static tour guide) at an Aviation museum near the old Fairchild plant.

I was assigned the A-10, and I'm overjoyed, as I love this A/C.

I've done my homework, but there are a few nagging questions I cannot find the answers to.

1) What is the TRUE rate of fire of the GAU-8A-GE100? One source says 4200 RPM, another 3900, and a 3rd 2400.
I understand the weapon uses 2 hydrolic motors to power it, and if one is out, it fires at half the speed. Is the rate of fire adjustable?

2) What speed does the A-10 rotate at? Whats it's stall speed?

3) Finally, there is an item inside the cockpit at the museum that i can't figure out to save my life. It sits behind the seat, port side, almost against the canopy. It's dark blue, and looks like a damn thermos, but it's strapped in. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Joe

Joe,
Are you at the Cradle of Aviation Museum by any chance?
Cheers
db

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

Here is the best info I have, but I have never worked on or fired the GAU-8/A:

Two hydraulic motors provide 77hp to run the gun. The gun maximum ROF is specified @ 4200 rounds/min, and can be selected to 2400 as well. If one of the motors fails, the other can run the gun @ 2100 rounds/min. The 3900 figure represents an average ROF based on the slight lag due to the "spin up" or acceleration of the gun barrels. I think it is something like 40 rounds/sec for the first second, and then 70 rounds/sec there after. The 3900 rounds/min is based on a 5 sec burst: (40+70+70+70+70)*60/5=3840 rounds/min (just about 3900).

And on the other item, I read somewhere that it was a thermos of some sort, but I'm sure someone here knows.




"Do, or do not. There is no try."

First of all, the thing behind the set is a thermos. We never carried one there, we used the straps to hold our helmet bags. That whole assembly is gone now, replaced by the DTC for the EGI system.

The gun now fires at a rate of 3900 RPM, +300/-600, due to fluctuations in hydraulic power. We used to be able to select either high rate (4200 RPM) or low rate (2100 RPM), but that was removed in about 1986 with the superkit modification. I can't remember the TCTO number, but someone on this board may, I'm sure. It was the same TCTO that added the barrel cooling and Batelle device.

Rotation speed is based on gross weight at take off. A normally configured A-10 of 42,000 pounds rotates at 130 knots and takes off at 140 knots. Landing speed is also based on weight, a 30,000 pound A-10 flys the final approach at 120 knots and lands at 110 knots.

Hope that helps.

Coach

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Evening all. Great board, first time posting.

I was wondering if you folks would help me out with some information. I have been asked to be a Docent (basically a static tour guide) at an Aviation museum near the old Fairchild plant.

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Joe, if you are doing a tour near the old Fairchild plant you may want to go to my site ( http://warthogpen.com )and pull-down some of the old Fairchild Republic News letters (under the "this month in history" section) and print them, might be a nice addition to the tour.

Which museum is it? I may have some info on the aircraft at that location which may make the tour more... personal.

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Thanks Dice.

It's the Cradle of Aviation Museum at Mitchel Field in Garden City Long Island.

The Aircraft is going top be open to the public on Thursday, April 17th.

One more question, if I may...Under the forward fuelselage, there is what looks like a towel rack, or chin up bar running perpedicular the the aircraft's certerline.

What is this thing?

Thanks!

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One more question, if I may...Under the forward fuelselage, there is what looks like a towel rack, or chin up bar running perpedicular the the aircraft's certerline.
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It's an antenna. Don't recall what system it's for, but it's an antenna.


-=> coming to you "almost live" from Searcy, Arkansas <=-

_________________
-=> Carroll McAllister <=-

coming to you \"almost live\" from Searcy, Arkansas

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One more question, if I may...Under the forward fuelselage, there is what looks like a towel rack, or chin up bar running perpedicular the the aircraft's certerline.
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It's an antenna. Don't recall what system it's for, but it's an antenna.


-=> coming to you "almost live" from Searcy, Arkansas <=-



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It is the FM homing antenna

Approrriately nicknamed....the Towel rack.

LOL

Air2Mudd just told me the tale of the towel rack not two weeks ago.

"US Army Snipers- One shot, one kill"

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Thanks Dice.

It's the Cradle of Aviation Museum at Mitchel Field in Garden City Long Island.

The Aircraft is going top be open to the public on Thursday, April 17th.

One more question, if I may...Under the forward fuelselage, there is what looks like a towel rack, or chin up bar running perpedicular the the aircraft's certerline.

What is this thing?

Thanks!


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Joe, the only info I have on that jet is it's tail # 76-0535 and was the 82 A-10 built. We were in contact with the museum at one time because they were wanting to dedcated the aircraft to "Sam Nelson", lead test pilot for the A-10 program, who die in an A-10 Paris air show mishap in, I think, 1977 or 78.

They wanted to paint it the same gray and place the marking like the A-10 MR. Nelson was flying that day. I don't know if this ever happen or not but the tail number of the aircraft he was flying was 75-0294 so, you may want to check the tail number on the aircraft.



Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Edited by - Dice on Apr 14 2003 1:38 PM

76-0535 is only one number away from my old tail number of 76-0534. I guess I can safely assume mine was the 81st one built then, all manf. difficulties aside?

"face it....perhaps your only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!"

Yes M&M and I'm sure you know your aircraft is at AMARC "bagged and rapped" in invoiolate storage. I need to check and see if it's one of the jets "donating" it's wing to the Hog-up program.

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Dice-

She's tail number 535, alright. They just rolled open hangar 2 today, putting the F-14, A-6, A-10, F-84, F-105, E-2C and one other plane on display. It opens on Thursday officially.

The Cradle likes to do that. They take a plane, and dedicate it to a pilot that flew it from Long Island. I can tell you for a fact, the plane is still paitned in Olive Drab.

Joe, I guess they never found all the data they needed to paint the aircraft the way they wanted it or, maybe just have't gotten around to it yet.
Well, good luck and have fun!

Ugly but well hung!
http://www.warthogpen.com

Hey there,
I was an A-10A crew chief from 1978 - 1982. The rate of fire as I remember was 36 and 72 rounds per second for 1 and two hydraulic motors respectively. I actually flew in an A10 simulator while stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. Again, going from memory, rotation at take-off was at 120 knots. I don't remember what the cylinder you are refering to was for. However, if I was to guess, I would say that it was a charged cylinder that provided the pressure needed to separate the pilot from the ejection seat shortly after ejecting from the aircraft.

He's talking about the thermos bottle that was supposed to be used on the aircraft.

"face it....perhaps your only purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!"