Eight Shades of Blue: July 2018

Part of a large order that includes several special Royal Canadian Air Force liveries, Torbram Satinier requested four aircraft from the 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron "Cougars" in their standard colors. The project was made ahead of the release of market place versions of RCAF CF-188 A and B standards that will belong to another squadron, since this client has the 410 TFS standards exclusive. The two versions, A and B, of the Canadian license built F/A-18's known in Canada as CF-188 are out of factory aircraft without too much wear and tear, hence the almost pristine blue-gray tones on their liveries.

The B models are 410 Cougars replicas and the A models are alternate renditions of the single seat as if flown by the Cougars. Note that serial 188761 is usually a 425 TFS aircraft often used by the RCAF demo team - as was the case with the Battle of Britain demo aircraft in 2015 ( see here! ). Since all the specials ordered by the client were "Cougars" a decision was made to create alternate liveries of the CF-188A's with the requested serials 188757 and 188761.

Click images to enlarge.

410 "Cougars" CF-188 Hornets by Asra Kron.

Both models, A and B, were supplied with all payload options available for cruise and VICE combat models of Shana's F/A-18 single and two seat aircraft.

Real life Cougar 901 all points clean on the tarmac.

410 Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron is the home of Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet pilot training. Its mission is: "To Train World Class Fighter Pilots to Meet Canada's Needs."
410 "Cougar" Squadron runs two ab initio Fighter Pilot Courses (FPC) each year, training up to 20 fighter pilots. Each course comprises seven intense months of academics, simulator flights and flying missions. Graduates are taken from 419 Tactical Fighter (Training) Squadron (also known as NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) Phase IV) and then provided with the tools to develop a solid foundation in both air-to-air and air-to-ground fighter combat.

Real life CF-188A 188757 still with 401 TFS in 2014 deploying landing gear.

Areas covered in depth include basic and advanced aircraft handling, instrument flight, formation flying, night flying, all-weather interception, air-to-air refuelling, Basic Fighter Manoeuvres (BFM - "dogfighting skills") and air combat. The latter half of each FPC comprises academic air-to-ground weapons delivery and Close Air Support (CAS), as well as advanced Air Interdiction (AI) tactics - the former usually completed during a squadron deployment to the south-western United States in the late spring and early fall due to the significantly better weather and the sheer number of bombing ranges available.

Concurrent with this significant mandate, 410 Squadron is also responsible for training and re-certifying approximately five former CF-18 Hornet pilots annually. These are pilots who are returning to the CF-18 cockpit after a ground or exchange tour. Furthermore, 410 Squadron also trains newly arrived foreign exchange officers who will be joining one of Canada's two operational fighter squadrons. As their backgrounds can differ significantly, each course is tailored to the individual based on their experience and demonstrated competencies.

LIVERY COST:
The cost of a Shana Aircraft F/A-18C unique custom livery is 3,000 L$ with guaranteed exclusive and support for 12 months. Auto paint delivery system included. Pilot name modification by the client is possible, though usually included in the work. Additional liveries of this design licensed by the buyer to others will involve a 600 L$ fee due by each of the chosen recipients. A pack of two liveries ordered at the same time for this livery model applied to its F/A-18D counterpart varies from 4,000 L$ to 5,000 L$, depending on the work involved in the transposition of the C model to the D model. Same warranty applicable in all cases.

AIRCRAFT PROFILE COST:
The cost of a Shana Aircraft F/A-18C unique aircraft profile using the unique livery ordered is 500 L$. Supplied with frame. Permissions: no mod, copy, no transfer.

TIME TO COMPLETION:
48 hours from start, 72 hours with profile. Start depending on lined up and ongoing work.

AIRCRAFT INFO:
!SC : F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet - v1.3.5
Shana Aircraft does not have a SL Market Place store. You will need to find the F/A-18C Hornet in a vendor at Shana Carpool's store in Meridas (SLUR here).

Note: Color schemes for this aircraft without U.S.N. Third Fleet S.L. markings but using generic Navy markings are available on demand. U.S.N. Third Fleet S.L. orders have a special discount on this type. See Third Fleet price list here!

Disclaimer:
All references in this entry refer only to the item illustrated.