Launched hundreds of A7's off USS KITTY HAWK during Vietnam war 71-72. Work horse airplane. Stay away from that intake for sure. Great experience on CAT ONE. ABE 2 MIKE GEARY
I remember being in Greece a few years ago when the Hellenic Air Force retired the A-7 after decades of service. They had some flybys, static displays and answered a lot of questions. They loved operating the A-7 and it is my understanding they miss it to this day. They were the last A-7 operator 49 years after the first flight.
FlightStar operates out of old Cecil these days. Heavy mtc on Boeing and Airbus. My dad was there in VA 106 Gladiators in late 60s. Was on Board with them on the Forrestal in 67 when the tragedy happened.
I worked the AF A-7's at depot McClellan AFB for years as an Avionics tech. Then OKC sent one to DM and the dam wing fell off inflight!! After investigation they found many had cracks in the wings at the fuselage attach point. Well we retired them all after that. Too bad too, we had just installed a TFR system and a new radar altimeter. I have a very rare YA7F mug from when we were going to start elongating the fuselage and installing a bigger engine. That was a pretty nice jet to work and my first experience with "Moving Map"
The YA-7F was IMHO such a good looking airplane and a really cool concept. I guess it just came a little bit too late and no one wanted to reduce spending on the F-16.
I also worked on A7Ds at Myrtle Beach AFB as an avionics tech back in the early to mid-70s. AFCS (automatic flight controls system specialist) which was basically power steering and auto pilot systems for the plane. Peace
@@PasleyAviationPhotography yep, publicly released government training or informational films that are public domain according to law, but slap watermarks and icons all over it in order to pretend they are the film's original copyright holder.
Armed Services of US, for whatever reason , have a policy of declassifying or not even classifying any training material having to do with aviation safety. Maybe it's politics or them being nice guys. They figure that aviation safety should benefit everyone, friend and foe alike. Myself, if our enemies loose people , aircraft, and material due to poor safety , that is in our interest. Even if indirectly.
I remember the Iowa Air National Guard flying A-7s out of Des Moines and Sioux City back in the late 1980s. I once witnessed several of them flying overhead in central Iowa somewhere along Hwy. U.S. 30 circling and apparently performing mock dogfights.
They were just transferring them to the Air National Guard when I enlisted. I remember seeing a bunch with Mississippi Air National Guard camo paint on them in Pascagoula in the early 1990's. They still had tail hooks.
..for a Kiwi, getting to see these aircraft over the friendly skies of the northern Philippines, in the late 70's was a thrill. Knowing that a few years earlier, they were over the not so friendly skies of Vietnam, was sobering.
I was like 4 at the time. Do you recall an aborted takeoff of an A-7 or F-8 that took out the fence, crossed the highway and ended up in the LTV employee parking lot? My dad's old Galaxy got splashed with burning JP. It bubbled the right quarter panel. The Navy paid him for the car and let him keep it. I'll forever remember that smell. 😂
WOW! That's my old squadron VA-125 from NAS Lemoore. I was an AMH assigned to the Air Frames shop, and later re-assigned as a Troubleshooter in the Line Division. I'll always remember those hot Lemoore nights in the San Joaquin Valley. Crickets everywhere and they'd always wind up in the drip pans full of hydraulic fluid, MIL-H-5606B. Night shift was best, getting secured just before midnight, stopping at the galley for mid-rats, then heading out the back gate past the jar head and lighting a joint. A stop at Ernie's liquor store, then I'd head down Grangeville road on my way home to Armona. That's how I fought the Vietnam war 1970 to 1973.
Glad you got to see this -- yes the A-7 is a classic design! Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Subscribe and consider becoming a channel member th-cam.com/video/ODBW3pVahUE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you just for uploading this video! Used to work on A-7Ds back in the day. Posting this comment even before watching the entire video. I know it will be great. It's really nice to see something like this on TH-cam. Thank you!
Same here at myrtle Beach AFB back in the early to mid-70s as an automatic flight control systems specialist (basically power steering and autopilot). A7D was the air force version. Infantry in Vietnam were happy to see these planes providing protection.
My first live experience with the A7-E was with VA-122 at NAS Lemoore back in 1975. Those were the days. Sadly, I liked the Navy but they didn't like me.
Brought back memories of 16 hrs days on the flight deck. I really liked the A7 when they would make there strafing run on the spar . We would stand around the island and hear that BURRRRRP that was the sound before A10's were cool.
You guys on the flightdeck worked your ass off and the pay was never commensurate with the hours worked and the time away. I always wished the general public only knew your sacrifices, and on in-port tours, I made certain they did. Greatly appreciate your service my friend and shipmate! Least we could do was strafe the wake, drop some blue bombs in it and do as many low flybys as they’d allow. As for that gun…..scared the living crap out of me as I was preflighting one day on the fantail and the A-7 was staffing the wake. 😂 USS Independence CV-62 1981-85
Used to see Ohio ANG A-7's all the time in 1988 when I was learning to fly in the Toledo area. People call it the SLUF but I always loved the Corsair. This was such a great video, thank you!
I remember watching them from vulture's row on the Independence back in 1989. Watching the ribbon of steam from the catapult lazily wisp around until the aviator went full military power and that intake "hoovered" up the steam like a coke fiend in the 80's was a hoot.
IMHO, these films are too good! I can see PLAN aviation officers writing their deck procedures, note for note, adjusted for ramp launch, and PLAN specific aircraft. J-15 for now. These films should have remained classified. However, Chinese can steal and harvest information. But experience has to be earned. For naval aviation, that experience is counted in blood and wrecked airframes. I wonder how PLAN deck crew would handle their equivalent of major deck fire caused by ordinance detonation? Enterprise fire, Forrestal disaster, etc..
I am curious why Field Carrier Practice uses 3 deg. glide slope, while carrier uses 3.5 deg. Also when is 3.5 deg glide slope = 3.5 units AOA? I was thinking that sweet AOA for traps is abiout 8 or 8.1/ But maybe that is type dependent. In DCS F/A-18C it is 8.1 AOA. Similar to DCS: A-4E-C in 2.0 EFM with 6 to 7 AOA. 5 AOA in DCS A-4E-C 2.0 will get you a bolter.
I always thought the A-7 Corsair II is a beautiful aircraft. I've heard it referred to before as the "maneater" because the bottom of the intake was so low to the deck. A few feet, I think. At power, pull you right up off your feet and straight down that intake. I was on submarines. Much quieter environment.😂🇺🇸
Down disarms the seat and knocks you in the back of the head, thus prompting you to arm the seat after manually closing the canopy. USS Independence 1981-85.
the canopy strap kept the canopy from opening too far back and damaging the hinge bolts. the head knocker was a safety device to keep the seat from firing. I worked on both.
If you mean by scary to be around, they weren't that bad, the hawkeyes scared me the most. I was in a squadron during the transition to hornets, gotta say the hornets were much easier to work on
Well hell, I got cheated as they never showed me this! And I flew the A-7E from 1981-1985. They did however manage to have the wives come out one night for field bounces and managed to show them the Carrier mishap film as we manned up. Dumbasses 😂 Three cruises aboard the USS Independence CV-62
Launched hundreds of A7's off USS KITTY HAWK during Vietnam war 71-72. Work horse airplane. Stay away from that intake for sure. Great experience on CAT ONE. ABE 2 MIKE GEARY
Thanks for your service to our great nation.
My fathers squadron was on the kitty hawk. VA-93. A-4 skyhawk.
🇺🇲🫡🇺🇲
🇺🇲🫡🇺🇲
I remember being in Greece a few years ago when the Hellenic Air Force retired the A-7 after decades of service. They had some flybys, static displays and answered a lot of questions. They loved operating the A-7 and it is my understanding they miss it to this day. They were the last A-7 operator 49 years after the first flight.
Loved this aircraft. VA 174, A7-A, A7-B and A7-E. Plane Captain, Cecil Field,FL.
Went thru FRAMP at 174, then transferred to VA-46 and later VA-37. Really liked Cecil Field.
FlightStar operates out of old Cecil these days. Heavy mtc on Boeing and Airbus. My dad was there in VA 106 Gladiators in late 60s. Was on Board with them on the Forrestal in 67 when the tragedy happened.
I think u we're my PC when I was rag.
Fly seeds beeka valley 82
I love the Corsair II. I wish it was more recognized by historians.
My dad worked on the E variant when he was in the Navy.
as a historian I can tell you that 99.9% of us do not care about the tools of the tools of politics. Still interesting though.
I worked the AF A-7's at depot McClellan AFB for years as an Avionics tech. Then OKC sent one to DM and the dam wing fell off inflight!! After investigation they found many had cracks in the wings at the fuselage attach point. Well we retired them all after that. Too bad too, we had just installed a TFR system and a new radar altimeter. I have a very rare YA7F mug from when we were going to start elongating the fuselage and installing a bigger engine. That was a pretty nice jet to work and my first experience with "Moving Map"
thanks for your service, I was WCS "slick" I never got a chance to work A7's
The YA-7F was IMHO such a good looking airplane and a really cool concept.
I guess it just came a little bit too late and no one wanted to reduce spending on the F-16.
I also worked on A7Ds at Myrtle Beach AFB as an avionics tech back in the early to mid-70s. AFCS (automatic flight controls system specialist) which was basically power steering and auto pilot systems for the plane. Peace
How do you get so many awesome training films? This is bloody incredible. Love it. Thanks a mil!
It's public domain stuff but they like to pretend it's theirs and charge for copies
@@PasleyAviationPhotography yep, publicly released government training or informational films that are public domain according to law, but slap watermarks and icons all over it in order to pretend they are the film's original copyright holder.
Armed Services of US, for whatever reason , have a policy of declassifying or not even classifying any training material having to do with aviation safety. Maybe it's politics or them being nice guys. They figure that aviation safety should benefit everyone, friend and foe alike. Myself, if our enemies loose people , aircraft, and material due to poor safety , that is in our interest. Even if indirectly.
At great risk….he’s a very brave man
I remember the Iowa Air National Guard flying A-7s out of Des Moines and Sioux City back in the late 1980s. I once witnessed several of them flying overhead in central Iowa somewhere along Hwy. U.S. 30 circling and apparently performing mock dogfights.
That would have been a site to behold.😳
They were just transferring them to the Air National Guard when I enlisted. I remember seeing a bunch with Mississippi Air National Guard camo paint on them in Pascagoula in the early 1990's. They still had tail hooks.
..for a Kiwi, getting to see these aircraft over the friendly skies of the northern Philippines, in the late 70's was a thrill. Knowing that a few years earlier, they were over the not so friendly skies of Vietnam, was sobering.
Built a few back in the 60's. LTV in Dallas. Solid aircraft!👍🇺🇸
My dad worked for LTV and the A-7 program back in the late 60s. He was really proud of being part of the team.
I was like 4 at the time. Do you recall an aborted takeoff of an A-7 or F-8 that took out the fence, crossed the highway and ended up in the LTV employee parking lot? My dad's old Galaxy got splashed with burning JP. It bubbled the right quarter panel. The Navy paid him for the car and let him keep it. I'll forever remember that smell. 😂
@@tstahler5420 Was there! Amazing coincidence!😆🤣
@@michaelhowell2541 We were living on Squire Ct in Grand Prairie. Funny the things we remember.
I was a Maneater tech: chaff, flares, ALR-45, ALR-50. Cecil Field, FL.
WOW! That's my old squadron VA-125 from NAS Lemoore. I was an AMH assigned to the Air Frames shop, and later re-assigned as a Troubleshooter in the Line Division. I'll always remember those hot Lemoore nights in the San Joaquin Valley. Crickets everywhere and they'd always wind up in the drip pans full of hydraulic fluid, MIL-H-5606B. Night shift was best, getting secured just before midnight, stopping at the galley for mid-rats, then heading out the back gate past the jar head and lighting a joint. A stop at Ernie's liquor store, then I'd head down Grangeville road on my way home to Armona. That's how I fought the Vietnam war 1970 to 1973.
Thanks for your service to our great nation. Please subscribe and consider becoming a channel member th-cam.com/video/ODBW3pVahUE/w-d-xo.html
back when MEN ran and worked in the military...
Whats the canopy strap and seat bar for?
A-7 is a cool plane✈️.. thanks 👍
Glad you got to see this -- yes the A-7 is a classic design! Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm
Subscribe and consider becoming a channel member th-cam.com/video/ODBW3pVahUE/w-d-xo.html
Gotta love the pics of The Mighty-O, CV-34!
Thank you just for uploading this video! Used to work on A-7Ds back in the day. Posting this comment even before watching the entire video. I know it will be great. It's really nice to see something like this on TH-cam. Thank you!
You grew up in a golden era. You were lucky
Same here at myrtle Beach AFB back in the early to mid-70s as an automatic flight control systems specialist (basically power steering and autopilot). A7D was the air force version. Infantry in Vietnam were happy to see these planes providing protection.
My first live experience with the A7-E was with VA-122 at NAS Lemoore back in 1975. Those were the days. Sadly, I liked the Navy but they didn't like me.
I was also attached to VA122 in 1968-1971
VA-22 1985-1988 Nas Lemoore
@@Jimmy-bm3xy Rhea VA-94 AIMD 75-79 NAS Lemoore plus 2 years reserve.
Brought back memories of 16 hrs days on the flight deck. I really liked the A7 when they would make there strafing run on the spar . We would stand around the island and hear that BURRRRRP that was the sound before A10's were cool.
Thanks for your service to our great nation.
You guys on the flightdeck worked your ass off and the pay was never commensurate with the hours worked and the time away. I always wished the general public only knew your sacrifices, and on in-port tours, I made certain they did. Greatly appreciate your service my friend and shipmate! Least we could do was strafe the wake, drop some blue bombs in it and do as many low flybys as they’d allow.
As for that gun…..scared the living crap out of me as I was preflighting one day on the fantail and the A-7 was staffing the wake. 😂
USS Independence CV-62 1981-85
Just what I needed! Now I just need to find that damn carrier.
I can tell you as someone who can only fly in sims that we lap this stuff up. Brilliant to see.
I worked on the A-7D at ENGLAND AFB Louisiana. I maintained the ejection seats on them.
How many beer bottles did you collect?
What is the head knocker?
@@ChileMiPais Ejection seat safety device.
One of my all time favorite aircraft. The 178th with the Ohio ANG used to do a simulated assault at the Dayton Air Show a long time ago.
I worked on SLUF avionics(Doppler radar ,INS ,and Moving Map.
A big thanks from Amsterdam.
Used to see Ohio ANG A-7's all the time in 1988 when I was learning to fly in the Toledo area. People call it the SLUF but I always loved the Corsair. This was such a great video, thank you!
Sluf - slow little ugly fellow but a different word was used instead of fellow. Trying to keep my comment PG rated.
Great looking aircraft
I remember watching this film in 1985 in Lemoore's.
VA-25 NAS Lemoore, mid 70's. Was attached to AIMD working on the APQ-126 radar. Good memories.
Watched THIS film at NAS PENSACOLA,CRASH CREW 1978-2005,NASPFD
Ok, I'm ready to test my new skills at landing a plane on an aircraft carrier!!!
No slack in light attack!
I worked ECM with the 121st TFW for about four years...the wing cracks spelled the end of the D model...too bad...we were kings of the air...
My favorite plane when I was a kid.
Used to watch these planes fly at treetop level over my house on their to practice bombing range at the Jefferson Proving Grounds in the late 70s.
Very interesting and I like this airplane very much! Great 👍👍
I flew these in the Arizona Air National Guard. Never once landed on a carrier, though. That wasn't our thing.
I remember watching them from vulture's row on the Independence back in 1989. Watching the ribbon of steam from the catapult lazily wisp around until the aviator went full military power and that intake "hoovered" up the steam like a coke fiend in the 80's was a hoot.
Can't wait to fly on it in dcs.
And look at his systems.
GEEEZ, the rolling takeoff took forever.
I dont recall pilot switch ever happening during our early 80s West Pac on Enterprise.
Excelente documentário, parabéns
IMHO, these films are too good! I can see PLAN aviation officers writing their deck procedures, note for note, adjusted for ramp launch, and PLAN specific aircraft. J-15 for now. These films should have remained classified. However, Chinese can steal and harvest information. But experience has to be earned. For naval aviation, that experience is counted in blood and wrecked airframes. I wonder how PLAN deck crew would handle their equivalent of major deck fire caused by ordinance detonation? Enterprise fire, Forrestal disaster, etc..
The A-7 is interesting in that it was a replacement for the A-4 which to me looks like a more modern aircraft.
I'm shin kazama and i approve this message
Wow, Area88, haven't seen/read that in forever
Ahhh, the "Ensign Eater"!
Wasn't it the nickname of the Corsair F-4U ?
@@12345fowler I think that was the Ensign Eliminator. The Ens. Eater came about due to the gaping intake.
I am curious why Field Carrier Practice uses 3 deg. glide slope, while carrier uses 3.5 deg. Also when is 3.5 deg glide slope = 3.5 units AOA? I was thinking that sweet AOA for traps is abiout 8 or 8.1/ But maybe that is type dependent. In DCS F/A-18C it is 8.1 AOA. Similar to DCS: A-4E-C in 2.0 EFM with 6 to 7 AOA. 5 AOA in DCS A-4E-C 2.0 will get you a bolter.
I always thought the A-7 Corsair II is a beautiful aircraft. I've heard it referred to before as the "maneater" because the bottom of the intake was so low to the deck. A few feet, I think. At power, pull you right up off your feet and straight down that intake. I was on submarines. Much quieter environment.😂🇺🇸
Does anyone know the purpose of the ejection seat head knocker? Is it a reminder to the pilot of something?
For arming and disarming the ejection seat.
What is this "Head knocker" on the ejection seat's headrest?
Down disarms the seat and knocks you in the back of the head, thus prompting you to arm the seat after manually closing the canopy. USS Independence 1981-85.
At 2:22 there's a black puff of smoke from the lead plane.
Normal, due to a throttle adjustment.
@@Mishn0 Ok, thanks.
cool....I feel as if I got all the infos to do it by myself now 😅
Whats the canopy strap and seat bar for?
the canopy strap kept the canopy from opening too far back and damaging the hinge bolts. the head knocker was a safety device to keep the seat from firing. I worked on both.
good ole days of NO fly by wire!...
When the only wire involved was the one the pilot trapped on landing 😉
2:20 : What comes out of the exhaust?
Is it the meatball he keeps talking about?
A puff of smoke
"If you see a large swirling blue phenomenon approaching the ship, prepare to prevent the attacks on Pearl Harbor."
It would've been funny if the title of the film was "SLUFF Familiarisation"😉😁.
VA 82 1960, 1970 A7 E
VA-46. A-7 USS America early 80's
I want a model of that jet
I'm damn glad they took these out of service right before my time on the flight deck.
Thanks for your service to our great nation.
Why?, I thought they were a well thought of aircraft.
If you mean by scary to be around, they weren't that bad, the hawkeyes scared me the most. I was in a squadron during the transition to hornets, gotta say the hornets were much easier to work on
Yup, they were definitely potential man eaters. If we lost sight of someone crossing our nose it was an instant shutdown.
The SLUF! "Ugly", but deadly.
The A7 Corsair:Ugly but well Hung.😄
A fat and sluggish F-8🤣
This was during Americas Hey Day, then everything went to s***.
Well hell, I got cheated as they never showed me this! And I flew the A-7E from 1981-1985. They did however manage to have the wives come out one night for field bounces and managed to show them the Carrier mishap film as we manned up. Dumbasses 😂 Three cruises aboard the USS Independence CV-62
You remember "Bud" Orr?
IMO, one of, if not the ugliest plane to ever be in our military. The Crusader is right behind.
That was changed with the F-35 Abortions being brought into service.
I think the RA-5C Vigilante was the sexiest jet the Navy operated. That thing looked like it was going Mach 2 just sitting on the flight deck. 🤪