FWIW the 102 could be fired automatically (by the computer) or
manually - pilot squeezed the trigger. In either case he had to use
the trigger. In auto mode he kept the steering dot centred and at 20
seconds to go the timing circle tarted collapsing, he touched up the
steering, and the computer sent the firing signal through the trigger
switch to the selected armament. Best Pk for missiels was about a 70
degree crossing angle - unless the target was dropping chaff. Then it
was down the nose or up the tail. The best automatic rocket pass was a
crossing angle of 90 to about 110 degrees. The higher the speed ratio
between interceptor and target the lesser the miss distance on a
rocket pass. On a 0 or 180 crossing angle the miss distance was about
the distance the rockets dropped due to gravity during their flight
time of about 1.5 seconds. IE not much.
Also FWIW there was no speed limit on firing ordnance. The Deuces
converted to carry the Fat Falcon (AIM26) lost the rockets normally
carried in the two inner doors because of the increased girth of the
nuke missile(s), which were only carried on the inner launchers.
Cross- countrys - we were supposed to take at least 4 XCs every six
months. Of course you could take more if nobody wanted to go (rare!).
IN ADC we stopped at our war-time recovery bases to exercise the
trooops in turning around a Deuce. We also went almost anywhere we
could get 3000 psi air for a start. One wingco nitcied 'his' aircraft
scattered all over the US on a weekend and promptly put out an edict
that we could go no more than two hops from home (KC, MO). Much
grousing until one troop idly scanning our wall-sized map commented
"Two hops? With tanks we can get to Puerto Rico or Alaska in two
hops!" Grousing stopped.
Nellis (Las Vegas) was a favorite stop - just one hop even with a
clean bird from RG AFB. Deuce was a good XC bird - autopilot, altitude
hold, heading hold; could cruise clean at .93 and 46000 if you weren't
interested in getting max range out of it. Back then only the 106 and
the Navy F8 (2000 pounds more fuel) could outcruise it. Nice aircraft,
nice radar, wimpy missiles, no gun. (Although my bird did hit a
Firebee with a single obsolete Gar1 radar Falcon. Killed the mother
even though the warhead fuzing had been disabled. Hit it squarely in
the middle.)
Walt BJ