Psyched about that AD-4

[ElAurens]

The last generation of piston fighters and fighter-bombers were amazing aircraft.

Single engine aircraft served by a single crewman that carried bomb loads that would make a B-17 blush. Prop fighters nearing 500mph speeds in level flight. Both types with endurance that was a FAC's dream come true.

I too am giddy about this.

I hope that the T6 Texan "Mosquito" FAC aircraft are modeled as well. Luthier, you do know about this, yes?

http://http://www.nationalmuseum.af....eet.asp?id=287

Mosquito Airborne Forward Air Controllers
During the Korean War, the personnel of the 6147th Tactical Air Control Group, known as the "Mosquitoes," were the first to create a large-scale, comprehensive airborne forward air control system. Since the USAF did not have any airborne FAC units at the beginning of the war, pilots flew the first missions with borrowed Army liaison aircraft only two weeks after the war started. The value of these early Mosquitoes was readily apparent, and the hastily created, squadron-sized unit steadily grew in size while it developed the tactics of airborne forward air control.

The primary missions of the airborne FACs were to direct strike aircraft against enemy targets and conduct visual reconnaissance (initially near the front lines and later farther into enemy territory). These airborne FACs matched the most important targets with the limited resources available, significantly raising the efficiency of air strikes against the enemy. To perform these missions, Mosquito FACs flew "low and slow" over enemy positions so they could spot and mark targets, a practice that left them particularly vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.

By the end of the war, the Mosquitoes flew more than 40,000 sorties in support of United Nations ground forces. In spite of their success during the Korean War, the USAF disbanded the Mosquitoes and their mission in 1956, believing that slow flying airborne FACs were not practical in the supersonic jet age. Ironically, 10 years later in Vietnam, the USAF reexamined the legacy of the Mosquitoes when it once again needed airborne FACs.

Initially, there was no device available to mark targets, but USAF personnel quickly developed a clever solution. They attached a 2.36-inch bazooka white phosphorus or smoke rocket to the front of a 2.25-inch aircraft practice rocket. Early Mosquito T-6s carried six smoke-marking rockets, while later models, like the museum's LT-6G, carried up to 12.

The 6147th Tactical Control Group initially used light liaison aircraft but quickly switched to hastily modified T-6Ds and T-6Fs. In 1952 they received factory-rebuilt LT-6Gs.

The crew of a Mosquito FAC consisted of an USAF pilot and a ground forces observer, usually from the U.S. Army. The enemy quickly learned how important the Mosquito FACs were and targeted them with rifle and anti-aircraft fire. This aircraft managed to make it back safely despite the hole caused by an anti-aircraft shell.