Another great episode of Wings. Back in the early 90's. 90,91,92,93,94, when we had real educational programs to watch about aviation and history. And talk about it with other students at school. And do research and learn. Now it's a joke. The middle schoolers and high school kids don't know their left from their right. If their phone or tablet told them otherwise. Miss my times.
***** I agree whole heartedly - Wings used to come on here at like two in the morning right before Discovery went off the air for the night. Then the show got all commercialized and stupid. Remember the new year's eve Wings marathons? I would run my VCR (yeah waaaay back then) all day.
***** Funny, I've watched EVERY episode of Wings from 1995 through 98, and I do NOT remember ever having seen this one. BTW, I second what you said about educational programs -- except that in my case, I was pretty much the only one in my class who liked this show. (I remember sometimes right after I'd come into my 8th grade social studies class, I'd annoy my classmates by imitating the sounds of an X-7 launch...)
Gotta chime in here re: the educational aspect of cable TV...On basic cable there is precious little important history to be learned on the History channel, nothing of any value to be learned on TLC or the Discovery channel ,and the Arts and Entertainment Channel have become purveyors of worthless 'fluff''...because all the interesting and informative programming has been shunted over to digital (more expensive) cable, it might fairly be said that these networks are no better than money-bagging pimps and are guilty of actual "class warfare" against families who can't afford digital. Thanx for nothing, SOB's....
But it's all "Progressive Education" , right? Meaning, talk a lot but say nothing. that's why kids today don't know their left from their right. They don't "learn", they "appreciate", meaning they learn "nada". My Drill Sgt used to yell, "Your military right, dumb ass!" I learned all my background of military and world history because my Dad, a WW2 GI, got me interested, and I went from there on my own. The schools taught me nothing.
I was a USAF radio maintenance tech on these in the early 70's. Finally, we had an aircraft that was a maintenance man's dream. No longer did we have to be acrobats to get to our equipment. We just dropped a panel on the side of the fuselage and there is was. The high point for me was when they reactivated the 23rd TFW in Alexandria, La. The ceremony was attended by Gen. Chenault's widow and featured the fly in of a brand new A-7D painted with the shark teeth markings of Chenault's China fighter group from WWII.
This was a pretty impressive attack aircraft for its day, it could carry a whopping payload and it was fast, good range and tough - carrier tough. My dad ran an A-7 Squadron (Commanding Officer) after Vietnam War ended.
Tulsa, Ok ANG had A-7's in the 80's. I used to see them up close all the time when I was in CAP. One time, one was in the hangar surrounded by caution tape in quarantine. The story was that a pilot lost control of it in training maneuvers and it flat spun, and tumbled violently. He wanted to eject, but couldn't get to the ejection handles. Somehow the plane settled enough to allow him to regain control. After an emergency landing, they said it had registered +/- 13 g! They couldn't believe it didn't break apart. They tore it down, and x-rays of a lot of the parts revealed tons of stress cracks throughout the airframe. It was decommissioned, and scrapped. It was amazing that it brought him home, and that he managed to survive the forces himself. This was all second hand, so I can't say the account, and figures were accurate. They were damn tough planes though, especially for their already advanced age at the time!
I worked on A7 A,B, and E from 1971 to 1975 while in Navy. The turbofan engine had a major flaw in hot section that was believed to have caused catastrophic engine failure, way to often. In 1974 nearly every A7 was grounded and the engines pulled and hot sections replaced. This did not solve underlying problem because in less than 12hrs of flight time the flaw returned. I think this might have been the cause of an Air Force A7 crash in Indianapolis that hit a hotel. There were at least two crashes in the Jacksonville area caused by engine failure,that I can recall clearly, while I stationed there.
That's how I stumbled onto this video. For some reason, that Ramada Inn crash memory popped into my head out of nowhere. It happened back in 1987, I was like 12 year old. I forget how many died, I almost want to say 12, but that sounds really conservative, I think it was more dead than that.
Every so often, a TF-30 powered airplane fell out of the sky and usually ended up in the drink. One day, a Reserve Commander took up one of our A-7Bs and no sooner then his gear was up, he lost power, declared an emergency, went around and took the wire. It was a textbook recovery.
Man those bus a been some Memorable times Work in the flight deck during The Vietnam war. Thank you everyone for your service. You guys Bust have sub great stories.
I used to love watching the A7 shoot its gun at a target are ship towed on are Med cruses. They also dropped these blue practice bombs with a smoke charge in the middle. The A6, Tomcats and Phantoms did same. CVA-62 75-79
Worked A7D's as a crew chief 1978-81 23rd TFW AGS 76AMU Bflt. The USAF D models used the Allison TF41 engine. The last mods were referred to as "bullfin" engines. My unit was the last active duty unit to operate the A7 in the air force. 74-1747 was the last bird transfered to the guard.
Flew A-7s 1980-81 for the 74th TFS at Alex. You guys did good work. Only problem I had was when the left main gear extended in the wheel well. Was able to "fix" it in the air after two hours trying. Loved the gun and the 9-foot speed brake.
I was at England AFB the same time you were (1976 - 1980). I was with the 23 CRS (in-shop engine repair). Went to Red Flag and Cope Elite exercises -- good times.
I hated working on the flight deck at night when those things were around. Under darkened ship conditions (i.e., night flight ops), you can't see very well and the A-7 had an intake vortex that would suck you up if you got to within about 20 feet of it while it was taxing. The exhaust was just as bad. When that thing taxied past you, you got well outside of the exhaust cone (it could knock you down at 75 feet away or more). The A-7 was a very unforgiving plane to work around.
CaesarInVa Tomcats, big engines, high exhaust (easy to duck under when it swung around). Phantoms, almost as easy to work around as TC's. A-6 Intruder (annoying engine whine at full military. Made my chest hurt! Funky engine frequency or something! But, the nastiest plane on the deck was one of the smallest! The aforementioned A-7 Corsair! For all the reasons you cited! Pay attention when you're near one! Unforgiving!
One of the things that made working the deck at night particularly dicey for me is that I don't have very good night vision. Add to that darkened ship conditions and the fact that I had to wear tinted goggles (when I went over to night shift I couldn't find a clear set of goggles for love or money!) and I think you get my point. For me, being practically blind and being in close proximity to turning A-7s made working the deck a memorable experience. I knew when I was getting near an A-7 at night, or it was nearing me, when my jersey and vest would started undulating...then it was time to grab a pad-eye and hold on for dear life!!!
CaesarInVa Wow i love the first hand accounts from dudes like you about how it really was out there serving your country in frightening and dangerous, ok, INSANE conditions. Thanks for your service and your stories.
Todd: You're quite welcome but risky though it was, my service was nothing compared to what service members have been enduring for the last 10 years in god-forsaken hellholes like Iraq and Afghanistan.
CaesarInVa I would have given my left nut to be on the flight deck, especially with A-7s. Aircraft carrier was on my three wishes. but I got the green-wienie, they stuck me in a little room full of electronics.
This was a pretty decent plane to work on. It could carry nearly anything that could be attached to an aircraft, including (but don't remember it being mentioned here) tactical nukes. 4 of the 6 wing pylons could carry either weapons or drop tanks, exchange one of the 4 tanks with a refuelling pod and the aircraft became a tanker. Multi-mode radar with terrain following/terrain avoidance modes allowed it to fly all-weather, day/night missions, such as nap of the earth close ground support. The laser ring gyros in its inertial nav system was incredibly accurate, and its tactical computer system integrated data from the nav system, radar, doppler radar, air speed and angle of attack sensors and even magnetic compass and infrared imaging system to allow the pilot to drop his weapons on target. The weapons computer was programmed with the flight characteristics of every weapon the aircraft could carry, which was another input to the tactical computer. The pilot was actually instructed to push and hold the "pickle" button a little early; the tactical computer actually provided the final release. VA-46 CVA-66 82-85
I was VA46 in 75-76 NAS Cecil Field, sea-based on John F Kennedy, CQs on Rosie as a loaner squadron. They were a pretty cool plane. Too bad I was such a DF and never really picked up on that at the time.
The A-7D was a dangerous aircraft to work around even when the engine was shut down. If you walked under the radome just after shutdown and the crew chief hadn't run a grounding rod around on the radome, you'd get shocked by static electricity enough to drop you to your knees. Strange but the radar on the A-7 and the friction of the air caused the radome to collect and hold static.
Floating ground is a real problem on aircraft that have been cruising along at high speeds. It happens on the Space Station too, believe it or not. The ISS has a PCU to discharge that via plasma so the spacewalkers don't get zapped.
I was a jet engine mechanic assigned to the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing, 23rd Component Repair Squadron (in-shop), at England AFB, Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1976 to 1980. I still have (and use) a pair of safety wire pliers the shop gave me when I left.
you gotta love how the narrator, when he talks about the F7U Cutlass, merely states that it suffered "high attrition and engine failures" and glosses over that over 20 pilots were killed in accidents involving the type.
I bet he did and You enjoyed hearing every one of them. My Dad started working at the plant in Grand Prairie Texas when it was North American, building the P51s during WWII. Then he worked there when Chance Vaught was building the F4U Corsair. Later he worked on the Vaught F8 and finished his time at the Grand Prairie plant on the A7s for the Navy and the Air Force. He retired in 1981, the same year I discharged from the USAF, I was also an aircraft mechanic, Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician, 7 years 1974-1981. I worked heavy aircraft which served in Military Airlift Command C141s and C5s. My first flight line job was on April 30 1975, I retired from aircraft work in August 2016. I loved drinking a cold beer with my Dad and listening to his stories about working on all the different aircraft he worked on. His two favorite airplanes were the F4U and the A7.
I remember 1982-1983 an Air Wing of A7s from Jax, Fl had 3 total turban failures in about 3 weeks they grounded the aircraft, don't know how it was repaired but the squadrons went on cruise. The 3rd crash the engine started failing at 36,000ft. Pilot didn't eject until about 3,600ft while in the parachute he saw the turban freeze up made an abrupt turn. Crashed full of fuel on a cross country burned for 3 days. I liked the A7 it was 1st to have a Heads Up Display!!
The Iowa Air National Guard operated the A-7D for a long time. The unit did very well in Red Flag exercises. The wing boxes though were showing signs of serious structural fatigue. The F-16C replaced them, and those were serving until around 5 years ago when the unit was deactivated.
My dad avionics specialist with Iowa ANG 185th Sioux City,during the mid 70's thru the 80's thru the transition to the F16.....I was in Crash Rescue .....the A7 and guard pilots kicked the USAF Pilots add at Red Flag
An A-7 Driver surprised me at sea 1973. I was the Corpsman aboard USS Claude V ricketts DDG 5 in the Med. Sittin' under the aft gun turrets reading my Zane Gray novel, nice, quiet day when this jet came by on port site at deck level, and, scaired me out of ten years life, I jumped so high I hit my head on an overhang! Still love my fellow Sailors though. even dang "jet jockeys"! Doc Mike USN
Wow, I was surprised the USAF was willing to spend time and money using such an old airframe to develop a new prototype aircraft in 1985. At first I thought it was just another error but it was not.
I was at NAVNDEPOT JAX for Radome Repair school while they were finishing up the refurbs of my first commands EA-7L's into TA-7C configurations for the Greeks. Was sad to see those old beasties go.
My A7E experience in VA 192 Dragons in NAS Lemoore in 1975 consisted of a lot of FOD walkdowns to ensure little pieces of litter on the ground would not be sucked up into the low intake and damage the engine. I was an avionics tech and worked on a primitive GPS cassette film used for navigation...GPS in 1975 in the A7E...can you believe it?
Yep, the old Projected Map Display System ( PMDS ). I used to calibrate it by punching in 38' N and 118' W, which are coordinates on an island in Mono Lake, CA
πολύ καλή δουλειά με τους υπότιτλους... μπράβο και πάλι μπράβο.. όχι σαν κάποιους άλλους που, διαβάζοντάς τους, θα ξεχάσουμε όσους τεχνικούς όρους ξέρουμε...
Chance Vought was founded in 1917 by Chance M Vought, an American aeronautical engineer, and Birdseye Lewis, a New York investor. Don't know where you got the idea this was a French manufacturer.
The A-7 was built by Ling-Temco-Vought company. It was most definitely NOT French. lol James Ling bought up Chance Vought, and then ran the company into the ground messing around and losing his butt in the steel biz.
@@tpowell453 I worked there during those years. The company (LTV) was buying up smaller companies that had nothing to do with the aerospace business. At one time they bought out Wilson Foods, Wilson Sporting Goods and also some pharmaceutical company. One newspaper reported that LTV was now a purveyor of "meatballs, golf balls and goofballs".
Μιας και ήμουν στην αεροπορία, σε κάτι ερωτήσεις μου μου είχαν πει ότι στην Ελλάδα τα κάνουμε και αφαλάτωση!!!! (λόγω χαμηλής πτήσης) Επίσης στην εισαγωγή αέρα έχει τύχει να βγάλουν κουκουνάρια, κομμάτια πεύκων και φράχτη. Μιας και πετάνε ΠΟΛΥ χαμηλά τυχαίνει να αρπάξουν και τίποτα. Για την κάθε δουλειά έχουμε το κατάλληλο αεροπλάνο.
Just watching this video is like time travel. What a cool little plane. I can't see why the F-5 would ever have been chosen over the Corsair as the F5 was so tiny and limited compared to the Corsair. I guess maybe they figured they could buy 3 F5s for one Corsair. I dunno.
I remember when F-14s hit the fleets, there was a shot period of time when the Navy grounded all the “Tomcats”. The mid engine seals were failing and we were losing quite a few. So for alert aircraft we had to use F-4s and A-7s with sidewinders on them for cap aircraft.
I got into the Navy just when these were being phased out. I saw one in the documentary from my first fleet squadron VA-87 which became VFA-87 when we received F/A-18 Hornets.
my dad was a rodeo clown...who gives a crap about what anyone's daddy supposedly did? What do YOU do, watch low resolution youtube stolen documentaries while munching on mcdonald's value dinner and get fat?
Late 80's few the A-7D and it was under powered and needed more thrust. On a hot humid day you would roll forever before you got sufficient flying speed. Once up to speed it did just fine but it was no rocket ship and in comparison to B52's I flew before this they were much slower to get flying. I think the after burning jet engine would have really made this plane more robust but at the cost of increased fuel consumption...
εξαιρετικο! τα τελευταια α-7ε παραμενουν ακομη και σημερα εν εν στην πατριδα μας (προφανως λογω οικονομικης κρισης).....οσο και αν τα αγαπαμε και τα θαυμαζουμε, πρεπει να παραδεχτουμε οτι , πλεον ειναι παρωχημενα και αναποτελεσματικα στο συγχρονο πεδιο της μαχης.....
The Hellenic Air Force received five two- seater and not six. The sixth was modified at the Tanagra facilities by a single car. Apart from the accessories and the headlights for the aircraft carriers, they did not have the aerial fuel system.I"ve been mechanical at TF-41A400 ALISSON...ATTACK-7HELLENIC.CORSAIR II.
I had a classmate killed in this platform at the Academy, during training, early 80's. A fucking ride-along. Engine failure, low level; compressor failure/explosion; they never had a chance to punch out. RIP, Ensign Steve Herning.
Two planes, two missions. The A-7 was a light attack, daytime, A-1 & A-4 replacement. The A-6 was a all weather, day or night, precision weapons, longer range bomber.
@@WALTERBROADDUS The A7E was all weather day and night as well, but carried less and was probably not as accurate in the radar drop modes. The A6 had a much larger radar and more comprehensive computer system. It did not have a visual drop capability, relying on offset aimpoint computed release in level flight (easy target in clear weather). They usually flew alone to preassigned targets and since they did not operate under direction of forward air controllers, they reported their own BDA (bomb damage assessment) which was always excellent.
One of these crashed into a Ramada Inn here in Indianapolis back in 1987 or so. For some reason, the memory popped into my head. Only reason I'm here now, was looking for footage of that wreck.
This was the first A/C that I ever worked on. VA-147 NAS Lemoore Ca .1978 NAS Lemoore Ca. Va-147, CV-64 , Plane Capt. AE-5, AIMD Excellent A/C ! Excellent training from the Navy! Thanks Uncle Sam! I've used my training and became an airline avionics technician! You people out there that are skittish about serving your country, well I'd say do it no matter what, and suck up your balls or uterus and join! I'm not no R Lee Ermey , (rest his sou)l ..but I'd say if your looking for your next paycheck and McDonald's isnt your stlye, WTF is your problem.. don't be scared, just do it! You'll thank yourself in the years to come. Believe me you will!
Hmmm, why would the USAF try to procure a 20-yr old plane in 1987? Maybe it was to justify flying attack aircraft in the same area the USAF was actually testing the F-117?
Just wonder why they didn't carry the variable incidence wing over. I would've added more weight, but what would it have done for approach speeds. (Not that it seemed to have a problem getting on the deck. I'd imagine the thicker wing and larger flaps helped, but would adding the VI wing and it's weight penalty have a greater payoff in performance?) I also like the Crusader III, but it looks huge! Judging by the size of the pilot in the cockpit, it looks about the size of a Skywarrior! Thanks for posting! I miss these shows and would buy them on DVD if available!
jpatt1000 F-8 is an anorexic Skywarrior! A-3 Skywarriors were affectionately (and appropriately) called Whales! A-3 had wing mounted engines. F-8 had fuselage engine.
Another (unflattering) name given to the Skywarrior (mainly applicable when it was still designated the A3D) was All Three Dead stemming from the fact that when they went down the entire crew usually went with it. There's a nice Skywarrior video titled "All Three Dead" with some great footage here on TH-cam. TheF3D Skyknight was also christened "Willy the Whale" though it was nowhere near as big as a Skywarrior.
The Demon was the F3H, the F3D was the Skyknight. Naval designations could be confusing before 1964 as each manufacturer had its own letter designation. A was Brewster, F was Grumman, D was Douglas, H was McDonnell, U was Vought and J was North American and C was Curtiss. Subtypes were then identified with a dash and a number. (F9F-5) It was even more confusing during WWII when there were even more manufacturers. An example of the designation alignment in 1964, the F3D Skyknight became the F-10 and the F4D Skyray became the F-6 so there were quite a few planes that were identified by two separate designations by veterans depending on when they flew them.
I'm confused by your explanation. I worked on F-4J's, F-4S's and occasionally an F-4N. Obviously these were all McDonnell products so I guess there is an H somewhere in the bowels of their official designations. I'm just not sure where to put it! If that isn't a set-up line there never was one! LOL!
From wikipedia: 'Pilots quipped that the Corsair "is not very fast, but it sure is slow."' LOL I never could quite get my head around what the A-7 was good for. It had a gun, and it was 50 mph (ish) faster than the A-6, but it had much less range, power and ord capacity. Apparently, it had some pretty cool electronics and the first production HUD. They sure built a bunch of them, but I think it was the last big contract Vought ever landed. Strange plane.
Ima SuperPerson Yes and no. USN primary was SAM and AAGun suppression. USAF called this Wild Weasel. Chairforce punters used fast afterburner equipped aircraft for this job. USN used the A7 for this role. Vietnam was a different show with A7 use much of it precision strikes and CAS. Gulf war shows how A7 tactics and use evolved. The last two USN A7 squadrons opened the airwar. Trolling out Iraqi AA systems ahead of the coalition strike package.
Re "cool electronics": I worked on the HUD for A7D and A7E at Elliots Rochester and Borehamwood which was very advanced for 1968 (OK, I'm 76). This was a triumph for a UK company beating USA contractors like Sylvania and Sperry. The type had license-built RR Speys and Marconi radar. As for the plane's appearance (SLUF), handsome is as handsome does.
The A-7 was good for what it was designed to do: haul bombs. The A-7 was one of only two aircraft in the world which could carry its own weight in ordnance, the other being the A-1 Skyraider. The A-7 was so precise in its ordnance delivery the Marines sometimes called it in to drop ordnance as close as 50 meters from their position with great confidence. Don't try this at home.
The A6 did not have a gun for close air support, nor did it have a visual dive delivery bomb aiming capability. So for CAS, it was useless. The A7 was specifically intended to excel at this, and it did. However, smart bombs are even better. Different wars.
What's with the extremely loud music starting at 31:13? Can hardly hear the narration. Why do we need music in EVERY TH-cam video, no matter what the subject? Just tell us what is happening and stop all the extra noise.
Love the SLUF short little ugly fucker. I love the way it looks zI can hold almost 20.000 thousand pounds of ordinance that a hard hitting attack aircraft. Awesome jet. The A4 is great as well.
The A-7 is not a Crusader. The A-7 appearance resembles the Crusader but the similarity ends there. The A-7 is smaller, totally different airframe, has no variable incidence wing, does not carry four 20mm cannons, is subsonic (the F-8 was mach 1.5+), uses a different engine without afterburner, has a fixed refueling probe, different landing gear, different radar, etc. ad nauseum. Both birds were built by the same company under different corporate banners (F-8: Chance Vought Corporation; A-7: Ling-Temco-Vought).
There is much footage of A-7's. Why did you slip in videos of F-8s? Most of the folk who watch these videos know the difference. Is it possible you do not?
@@foxtrot312 It's been a long time since my plane captain training, but IIRC that fuselage location housed the pilot's oxygen bottle, so I believe that F-8 is being charged with LOX (Liquid Oxygen). In my day we had no "Magic 2 missiles" and no "MIghty Mouse" rocket pack under the speedbrake like the "A" models started out with (our squadron flew F-8Ds, aka F8U-2N). In fact, the only other cryogenic bottle I can recall is the liquid nitrogen bottle for the AN/AAS-15 Infrared system (notice the bulbous seeker head just below the pilot's windscreen/above the radome on some models) and the pilot's emergency oxygen bottle in the seat pan. Just my two cents, FWIW.
ha ha! Our VA-46 motto was Don't Tread on Me with a snake. And the other motto we used was that: Cut no slack in light attack. Sea-based on JFK, loaner on Rosie... 1975/76 NAS Cecil Field.
I flew this from the USS Midway (Viet Nam) is 1971. What a great aircraft: excellent bomber, carried a huge bomb load and was fun to fly!
Midway scored the first prop vs jet kill of the Vietnam war and also the last air to air kill. You are a SLUF-driver Sir.
Awesome and congrats David. Thank you for your service!
F4FWildcat
Thank you for your service sir
Thank you for your service sir
Another great episode of Wings. Back in the early 90's. 90,91,92,93,94, when we had real educational programs to watch about aviation and history. And talk about it with other students at school. And do research and learn. Now it's a joke. The middle schoolers and high school kids don't know their left from their right. If their phone or tablet told them otherwise. Miss my times.
***** I agree whole heartedly - Wings used to come on here at like two in the morning right before Discovery went off the air for the night. Then the show got all commercialized and stupid. Remember the new year's eve
Wings marathons? I would run my VCR (yeah waaaay back then) all day.
***** Funny, I've watched EVERY episode of Wings from 1995 through 98, and I do NOT remember ever having seen this one. BTW, I second what you said about educational programs -- except that in my case, I was pretty much the only one in my class who liked this show. (I remember sometimes right after I'd come into my 8th grade social studies class, I'd annoy my classmates by imitating the sounds of an X-7 launch...)
I disagree, real educational television involves pawn shops and fake ghosts...
*I hope you realize this is sarcasm, I wholeheartedly agree with you*
Gotta chime in here re: the educational aspect of cable TV...On basic cable there is precious little important history to be learned on the History channel, nothing of any value to be learned on TLC or the Discovery channel ,and the Arts and Entertainment Channel have become purveyors of worthless 'fluff''...because all the interesting and informative programming has been shunted over to digital (more expensive) cable, it might fairly be said that these networks are no better than money-bagging pimps and are guilty of actual "class warfare" against families who can't afford digital. Thanx for nothing, SOB's....
But it's all "Progressive Education" , right? Meaning, talk a lot but say nothing. that's why kids today don't know their left from their right. They don't "learn", they "appreciate", meaning they learn "nada". My Drill Sgt used to yell, "Your military right, dumb ass!" I learned all my background of military and world history because my Dad, a WW2 GI, got me interested, and I went from there on my own. The schools taught me nothing.
I was a USAF radio maintenance tech on these in the early 70's. Finally, we had an aircraft that was a maintenance man's dream. No longer did we have to be acrobats to get to our equipment. We just dropped a panel on the side of the fuselage and there is was. The high point for me was when they reactivated the 23rd TFW in Alexandria, La. The ceremony was attended by Gen. Chenault's widow and featured the fly in of a brand new A-7D painted with the shark teeth markings of Chenault's China fighter group from WWII.
Thank you for your service sir!
My father was a test pilot for the A7 program certifying the aircraft prior to delivery to the Navy. Great plane great company.
This was a pretty impressive attack aircraft for its day, it could carry a whopping payload and it was fast, good range and tough - carrier tough. My dad ran an A-7 Squadron (Commanding Officer) after Vietnam War ended.
Tulsa, Ok ANG had A-7's in the 80's. I used to see them up close all the time when I was in CAP. One time, one was in the hangar surrounded by caution tape in quarantine. The story was that a pilot lost control of it in training maneuvers and it flat spun, and tumbled violently. He wanted to eject, but couldn't get to the ejection handles. Somehow the plane settled enough to allow him to regain control. After an emergency landing, they said it had registered +/- 13 g! They couldn't believe it didn't break apart. They tore it down, and x-rays of a lot of the parts revealed tons of stress cracks throughout the airframe. It was decommissioned, and scrapped. It was amazing that it brought him home, and that he managed to survive the forces himself. This was all second hand, so I can't say the account, and figures were accurate. They were damn tough planes though, especially for their already advanced age at the time!
I worked on A7 A,B, and E from 1971 to 1975 while in Navy. The turbofan engine had a major flaw in hot section that was believed to have caused catastrophic engine failure, way to often. In 1974 nearly every A7 was grounded and the engines pulled and hot sections replaced. This did not solve underlying problem because in less than 12hrs of flight time the flaw returned. I think this might have been the cause of an Air Force A7 crash in Indianapolis that hit a hotel. There were at least two crashes in the Jacksonville area caused by engine failure,that I can recall clearly, while I stationed there.
Indy crash was determined to be a faulty oil pump shaft.
I'm from indy and I know the back story to that little incident. The truth is rarely seen publicly.
That's how I stumbled onto this video. For some reason, that Ramada Inn crash memory popped into my head out of nowhere. It happened back in 1987, I was like 12 year old. I forget how many died, I almost want to say 12, but that sounds really conservative, I think it was more dead than that.
Just read the Wikipedia page on that Ramada Inn crash.
Only 10 people died.
Every so often, a TF-30 powered airplane fell out of the sky and usually ended up in the drink. One day, a Reserve Commander took up one of our A-7Bs and no sooner then his gear was up, he lost power, declared an emergency, went around and took the wire. It was a textbook recovery.
I miss these days of awesome television when you actually could learn something
Man those bus a been some Memorable times Work in the flight deck during The Vietnam war.
Thank you everyone for your service.
You guys Bust have sub great stories.
I used to love watching the A7 shoot its gun at a target are ship towed on are Med cruses. They also dropped these blue practice bombs with a smoke charge in the middle. The A6, Tomcats and Phantoms did same. CVA-62 75-79
Worked A7D's as a crew chief 1978-81 23rd TFW AGS 76AMU Bflt. The USAF D models used the Allison TF41 engine. The last mods were referred to as "bullfin" engines. My unit was the last active duty unit to operate the A7 in the air force. 74-1747 was the last bird transfered to the guard.
Flew A-7s 1980-81 for the 74th TFS at Alex. You guys did good work. Only problem I had was when the left main gear extended in the wheel well. Was able to "fix" it in the air after two hours trying. Loved the gun and the 9-foot speed brake.
@@clintonkendall2915 Did you know Capt Taylor and the admin clerk Kami Krause?
I was at England AFB the same time you were (1976 - 1980). I was with the 23 CRS (in-shop engine repair). Went to Red Flag and Cope Elite exercises -- good times.
A7E had the same TF41. Much improved over the Pratt TF30 in the A & B models. Had much more thrust, but also higher fuel consumption.
I hated working on the flight deck at night when those things were around. Under darkened ship conditions (i.e., night flight ops), you can't see very well and the A-7 had an intake vortex that would suck you up if you got to within about 20 feet of it while it was taxing. The exhaust was just as bad. When that thing taxied past you, you got well outside of the exhaust cone (it could knock you down at 75 feet away or more). The A-7 was a very unforgiving plane to work around.
CaesarInVa Tomcats, big engines, high exhaust (easy to duck under when it swung around). Phantoms, almost as easy to work around as TC's. A-6 Intruder (annoying engine whine at full military. Made my chest hurt! Funky engine frequency or something! But, the nastiest plane on the deck was one of the smallest! The aforementioned A-7 Corsair! For all the reasons you cited! Pay attention when you're near one! Unforgiving!
One of the things that made working the deck at night particularly dicey for me is that I don't have very good night vision. Add to that darkened ship conditions and the fact that I had to wear tinted goggles (when I went over to night shift I couldn't find a clear set of goggles for love or money!) and I think you get my point. For me, being practically blind and being in close proximity to turning A-7s made working the deck a memorable experience. I knew when I was getting near an A-7 at night, or it was nearing me, when my jersey and vest would started undulating...then it was time to grab a pad-eye and hold on for dear life!!!
CaesarInVa Wow i love the first hand accounts from dudes like you about how it really was out there serving your country in frightening and dangerous, ok, INSANE conditions. Thanks for your service and your stories.
Todd: You're quite welcome but risky though it was, my service was nothing compared to what service members have been enduring for the last 10 years in god-forsaken hellholes like Iraq and Afghanistan.
CaesarInVa I would have given my left nut to be on the flight deck, especially with A-7s. Aircraft carrier was on my three wishes. but I got the green-wienie, they stuck me in a little room full of electronics.
This was a pretty decent plane to work on. It could carry nearly anything that could be attached to an aircraft, including (but don't remember it being mentioned here) tactical nukes. 4 of the 6 wing pylons could carry either weapons or drop tanks, exchange one of the 4 tanks with a refuelling pod and the aircraft became a tanker. Multi-mode radar with terrain following/terrain avoidance modes allowed it to fly all-weather, day/night missions, such as nap of the earth close ground support. The laser ring gyros in its inertial nav system was incredibly accurate, and its tactical computer system integrated data from the nav system, radar, doppler radar, air speed and angle of attack sensors and even magnetic compass and infrared imaging system to allow the pilot to drop his weapons on target. The weapons computer was programmed with the flight characteristics of every weapon the aircraft could carry, which was another input to the tactical computer. The pilot was actually instructed to push and hold the "pickle" button a little early; the tactical computer actually provided the final release.
VA-46 CVA-66 82-85
I was VA46 in 75-76 NAS Cecil Field, sea-based on John F Kennedy, CQs on Rosie as a loaner squadron. They were a pretty cool plane. Too bad I was such a DF and never really picked up on that at the time.
VA 37.
The A-7D was a dangerous aircraft to work around even when the engine was shut down. If you walked under the radome just after shutdown and the crew chief hadn't run a grounding rod around on the radome, you'd get shocked by static electricity enough to drop you to your knees. Strange but the radar on the A-7 and the friction of the air caused the radome to collect and hold static.
Floating ground is a real problem on aircraft that have been cruising along at high speeds. It happens on the Space Station too, believe it or not. The ISS has a PCU to discharge that via plasma so the spacewalkers don't get zapped.
Ejection seat system was dicey also.
I was a jet engine mechanic assigned to the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing, 23rd Component Repair Squadron (in-shop), at England AFB, Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1976 to 1980. I still have (and use) a pair of safety wire pliers the shop gave me when I left.
Worked on A-7E and TA-7C at VA-122 NAS Lemoore 1978 - 1980. AD in Powerplants shop.
Served same place 10 years earlier, almost exactly. AME
Uppity White Man, I was in VA-122 from Mar 68 to Jul 70. I also was an AME. Might we have known each other?
My Father worked on them ( F-7 Corsair 2) In the 1960’s in LTV Dallas Tx.
you gotta love how the narrator, when he talks about the F7U Cutlass, merely states that it suffered "high attrition and engine failures" and glosses over that over 20 pilots were killed in accidents involving the type.
My dad worked on the F8 and loved it. He has some interesting stories about it.
I bet he did and You enjoyed hearing every one of them. My Dad started working at the plant in Grand Prairie Texas when it was North American, building the P51s during WWII. Then he worked there when Chance Vaught was building the F4U Corsair. Later he worked on the Vaught F8 and finished his time at the Grand Prairie plant on the A7s for the Navy and the Air Force. He retired in 1981, the same year I discharged from the USAF, I was also an aircraft mechanic, Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician, 7 years 1974-1981. I worked heavy aircraft which served in Military Airlift Command C141s and C5s. My first flight line job was on April 30 1975, I retired from aircraft work in August 2016. I loved drinking a cold beer with my Dad and listening to his stories about working on all the different aircraft he worked on. His two favorite airplanes were the F4U and the A7.
I worked on the A7 B during the Vietnam war VA 155 as a plane captain Ordnance Handler and finally a jet mechanic
Ευχαριστουμε ΠΟΛΥ για τους υποτιτλους. Ευχομαι και σε αλλα ντοκιματερ με πολεμικα αεροπλανα.
I remember 1982-1983 an Air Wing of A7s from Jax, Fl had 3 total turban failures in about 3 weeks they grounded the aircraft, don't know how it was repaired but the squadrons went on cruise. The 3rd crash the engine started failing at 36,000ft. Pilot didn't eject until about 3,600ft while in the parachute he saw the turban freeze up made an abrupt turn. Crashed full of fuel on a cross country burned for 3 days. I liked the A7 it was 1st to have a Heads Up Display!!
A pilot will learn to love any plane (like this one) that will get them home. :)
The Iowa Air National Guard operated the A-7D for a long time. The unit did very well in Red Flag exercises. The wing boxes though were showing signs of serious structural fatigue. The F-16C replaced them, and those were serving until around 5 years ago when the unit was deactivated.
My dad avionics specialist with Iowa ANG 185th Sioux City,during the mid 70's thru the 80's thru the transition to the F16.....I was in Crash Rescue .....the A7 and guard pilots kicked the USAF Pilots add at Red Flag
In Greece the A7 is a legend. It was in 2016 when we decided to stop flyinh them
I was initially unimpressed, but since then , Ive come to love them!
Ive never seen a plane so excited to go to war.
Imagine buiding something that complex only for it to be rejected. Being a designer during those times must've been a true gamble
The A-7 was my plane in the first several years in the US navy. I was a maintainer. The good old days!
The Greeks loved this thing
An A-7 Driver surprised me at sea 1973. I was the Corpsman aboard USS Claude V ricketts DDG 5 in the Med. Sittin' under the aft gun turrets reading my Zane Gray novel, nice, quiet day when this jet came by on port site at deck level, and, scaired me out of ten years life, I jumped so high I hit my head on an overhang! Still love my fellow Sailors though. even dang "jet jockeys"! Doc Mike USN
I was an AQ at an AIMD shop (or IMA) in Pt Mugu. Use to fix the HUD, tactical computer, doppler radar, IMU and PMDS. And the benches.
Wow, I was surprised the USAF was willing to spend time and money using such an old airframe to develop
a new prototype aircraft in 1985. At first I thought it was just another error but it was not.
I was at NAVNDEPOT JAX for Radome Repair school while they were finishing up the refurbs of my first commands EA-7L's into TA-7C configurations for the Greeks. Was sad to see those old beasties go.
i worked as chief radar engineer at those things in seatle. we had a lot of new tech put in those planes
Thank you for your service sir!
My A7E experience in VA 192 Dragons in NAS Lemoore in 1975 consisted of a lot of FOD walkdowns to ensure little pieces of litter on the ground would not be sucked up into the low intake and damage the engine. I was an avionics tech and worked on a primitive GPS cassette film used for navigation...GPS in 1975 in the A7E...can you believe it?
Thanks for sharing your experience! I never worked on the A-7. I was an AT in the 2nd half of the 80's
Yep, the old Projected Map Display System ( PMDS ). I used to calibrate it by punching in 38' N and 118' W, which are coordinates on an island in Mono Lake, CA
R J Ferry it may have been the first computer assisted navy plane
Good bird
Scooter good too
Adding this to my DCS wishlist. (Along with AH-1, A-6. ;) )
πολύ καλή δουλειά με τους υπότιτλους... μπράβο και πάλι μπράβο.. όχι σαν κάποιους άλλους που, διαβάζοντάς τους, θα ξεχάσουμε όσους τεχνικούς όρους ξέρουμε...
Great looking plane, in my opinion.
So Vought built both the Corsair, the Corsair I and the Corsair II!
***** F-8 Crusader too! A-7's big brother!
***** it also French aircraft manufacturer! Vought says it all as its origin.
Chance Vought was founded in 1917 by Chance M Vought, an American aeronautical engineer, and Birdseye Lewis, a New York investor. Don't know where you got the idea this was a French manufacturer.
The A-7 was built by Ling-Temco-Vought company. It was most definitely NOT French. lol James Ling bought up Chance Vought, and then ran the company into the ground messing around and losing his butt in the steel biz.
@@tpowell453 I worked there during those years. The company (LTV) was buying up smaller companies that had nothing to do with the aerospace business. At one time they bought out Wilson Foods, Wilson Sporting Goods and also some pharmaceutical company. One newspaper reported that LTV was now a purveyor of "meatballs, golf balls and goofballs".
ωραιοτατα , ευχαριστουμε για τα videos
What an era for beefy looking monster jets. A7s, it’s bigger brothers the F8s, and F4s, is there anything better?
the most beautiful fighter for me!!!!
there was a badge in the USAF that said: "A-7, ugly but well hung" and has a picture of an A-7 overloades with bombs and rockets...
What a beautiful machine
Μιας και ήμουν στην αεροπορία, σε κάτι ερωτήσεις μου μου είχαν πει ότι στην Ελλάδα τα κάνουμε και αφαλάτωση!!!! (λόγω χαμηλής πτήσης) Επίσης στην εισαγωγή αέρα έχει τύχει να βγάλουν κουκουνάρια, κομμάτια πεύκων και φράχτη. Μιας και πετάνε ΠΟΛΥ χαμηλά τυχαίνει να αρπάξουν και τίποτα. Για την κάθε δουλειά έχουμε το κατάλληλο αεροπλάνο.
Just watching this video is like time travel. What a cool little plane. I can't see why the F-5 would ever have been chosen over the Corsair as the F5 was so tiny and limited compared to the Corsair. I guess maybe they figured they could buy 3 F5s for one Corsair. I dunno.
Or now buy how many a-7's compared to one f-35
My dad was a crew chief on these in the mid 70's... Flying tigers in Louisiana. Retired in '76
My first Base was at England AFB, Alexandria Louisiana. I was there from Feb 1977 to Sep 1980 and worked in 23 CRS (in-shop engine repair).
I remember when F-14s hit the fleets, there was a shot period of time when the Navy grounded all the “Tomcats”. The mid engine seals were failing and we were losing quite a few. So for alert aircraft we had to use F-4s and A-7s with sidewinders on them for cap aircraft.
I got into the Navy just when these were being phased out. I saw one in the documentary from my first fleet squadron VA-87 which became VFA-87 when we received F/A-18 Hornets.
My Dad was the design engineer for the fuel system on this aircraft, as well as the F-111 Aardvark. And some others.
my dad was a rodeo clown...who gives a crap about what anyone's daddy supposedly did? What do YOU do, watch low resolution youtube stolen documentaries while munching on mcdonald's value dinner and get fat?
I am quite proud of him. have a nice life asshole.
@@toddtomaszewski6820 Good response.
Truly a BADASS looking plane!!!✈
A7s forever !!
yeah!
Late 80's few the A-7D and it was under powered and needed more thrust. On a hot humid day you would roll forever before you got sufficient flying speed. Once up to speed it did just fine but it was no rocket ship and in comparison to B52's I flew before this they were much slower to get flying. I think the after burning jet engine would have really made this plane more robust but at the cost of increased fuel consumption...
εξαιρετικο!
τα τελευταια α-7ε παραμενουν ακομη και σημερα εν εν στην πατριδα μας (προφανως λογω οικονομικης κρισης).....οσο και αν τα αγαπαμε και τα θαυμαζουμε, πρεπει να παραδεχτουμε οτι , πλεον ειναι παρωχημενα και αναποτελεσματικα στο συγχρονο πεδιο της μαχης.....
Awesome planes.... we used to operate A4 Skyhawks with our RNZAF 🇳🇿👍
The Hellenic Air Force received five two- seater and not six. The sixth was modified at the Tanagra facilities by a single car. Apart from the accessories and the headlights for the aircraft carriers, they did not have the aerial fuel system.I"ve been mechanical at TF-41A400 ALISSON...ATTACK-7HELLENIC.CORSAIR II.
Interesting documentary.
FAR, FAR too kind to the F7U. That plane damn near drove the Navy away from Vought.
If you like military aircraft you should come down to Robins AFB and check out the museum.
Were at
I have...it's great!
What a fine aircraft.
Always remembered
So much of this narration is the same as the episode on the F8 Crusader. I just finished watching that episode
Love this jet!!
Cool video, and plane.
Beautiful sleek aircraft. Its compact profile probably dictated by the requirements of a carrier plane.
Try flight dynamics, the mission, and NEEDS of the Navy. Form Follows Function.
Shown are operations aboard CVA-42 U.S.S. F.D.Roosevelt in Med. CVA-42 was a Med Fleet asset and only did one tour of coast of Vietnam.
I had a classmate killed in this platform at the Academy, during training, early 80's. A fucking ride-along. Engine failure, low level; compressor failure/explosion; they never had a chance to punch out. RIP, Ensign Steve Herning.
I was a seat mech on the A7. Second squadron to get them. VA 37, Kitty Hawk and Saratoga.
Was the A-6 earlier than the A-7? And why did the navy need both models?
Two planes, two missions. The A-7 was a light attack, daytime, A-1 & A-4 replacement. The A-6 was a all weather, day or night, precision weapons, longer range bomber.
@@WALTERBROADDUS The A7E was all weather day and night as well, but carried less and was probably not as accurate in the radar drop modes. The A6 had a much larger radar and more comprehensive computer system. It did not have a visual drop capability, relying on offset aimpoint computed release in level flight (easy target in clear weather). They usually flew alone to preassigned targets and since they did not operate under direction of forward air controllers, they reported their own BDA (bomb damage assessment) which was always excellent.
One of these crashed into a Ramada Inn here in Indianapolis back in 1987 or so. For some reason, the memory popped into my head. Only reason I'm here now, was looking for footage of that wreck.
My dad flew these in the navy, he was on the USS SARATOGA
This was the first A/C that I ever worked on.
VA-147 NAS Lemoore Ca .1978 NAS Lemoore Ca. Va-147, CV-64 , Plane Capt. AE-5, AIMD
Excellent A/C !
Excellent training from the Navy!
Thanks Uncle Sam!
I've used my training and became an airline avionics technician!
You people out there that are skittish about serving your country, well I'd say do it no matter what, and suck up your balls or uterus and join!
I'm not no R Lee Ermey , (rest his sou)l ..but I'd say if your looking for your next paycheck and McDonald's isnt your stlye, WTF is your problem.. don't be scared, just do it!
You'll thank yourself in the years to come.
Believe me you will!
Me too. VA97 Lemoore. CVA 64,1968-69. Hydraulic leaks often made A model look like it was bleedin
Love. I know they are dinosaurs but I love the men and women that flew them.
Corsair for ever
Soon we will have her on DCS. My money is standing by!
Weird choice of music,but interesting documentary.
Amazing planes...A6 intruder and A7 Corsair they look better than the F35
I image just one of the fore-mentioned aircraft could carry three times the ordinance, four times as far as their latest successor.
vaught made some beautiful aircraft
Hmmm, why would the USAF try to procure a 20-yr old plane in 1987? Maybe it was to justify flying attack aircraft in the same area the USAF was actually testing the F-117?
I worked the flight deck on Nimitz along side these sharks on my airplane the EA6B
Prowler
Just wonder why they didn't carry the variable incidence wing over. I would've added more weight, but what would it have done for approach speeds. (Not that it seemed to have a problem getting on the deck. I'd imagine the thicker wing and larger flaps helped, but would adding the VI wing and it's weight penalty have a greater payoff in performance?) I also like the Crusader III, but it looks huge! Judging by the size of the pilot in the cockpit, it looks about the size of a Skywarrior!
Thanks for posting! I miss these shows and would buy them on DVD if available!
jpatt1000 F-8 is an anorexic Skywarrior! A-3 Skywarriors were affectionately (and appropriately) called Whales! A-3 had wing mounted engines. F-8 had fuselage engine.
Another (unflattering) name given to the Skywarrior (mainly applicable when it was still designated the A3D) was All Three Dead stemming from the fact that when they went down the entire crew usually went with it. There's a nice Skywarrior video titled "All Three Dead" with some great footage here on TH-cam. TheF3D Skyknight was also christened "Willy the Whale" though it was nowhere near as big as a Skywarrior.
Thought the F-3 was the "Demon"?
The Demon was the F3H, the F3D was the Skyknight. Naval designations could be confusing before 1964 as each manufacturer had its own letter designation. A was Brewster, F was Grumman, D was Douglas, H was McDonnell, U was Vought and J was North American and C was Curtiss. Subtypes were then identified with a dash and a number. (F9F-5) It was even more confusing during WWII when there were even more manufacturers. An example of the designation alignment in 1964, the F3D Skyknight became the F-10 and the F4D Skyray became the F-6 so there were quite a few planes that were identified by two separate designations by veterans depending on when they flew them.
I'm confused by your explanation. I worked on F-4J's, F-4S's and occasionally an F-4N. Obviously these were all McDonnell products so I guess there is an H somewhere in the bowels of their official designations. I'm just not sure where to put it! If that isn't a set-up line there never was one! LOL!
Nice footage!!!
From wikipedia: 'Pilots quipped that the Corsair "is not very fast, but it sure is slow."' LOL I never could quite get my head around what the A-7 was good for. It had a gun, and it was 50 mph (ish) faster than the A-6, but it had much less range, power and ord capacity. Apparently, it had some pretty cool electronics and the first production HUD. They sure built a bunch of them, but I think it was the last big contract Vought ever landed. Strange plane.
Close-air support. Duh. I guess I could have watched the video before talking smack. lol
Ima SuperPerson Yes and no. USN primary was SAM and AAGun suppression. USAF called this Wild Weasel. Chairforce punters used fast afterburner equipped aircraft for this job. USN used the A7 for this role. Vietnam was a different show with A7 use much of it precision strikes and CAS.
Gulf war shows how A7 tactics and use evolved. The last two USN A7 squadrons opened the airwar. Trolling out Iraqi AA systems ahead of the coalition strike package.
Re "cool electronics": I worked on the HUD for A7D and A7E at Elliots Rochester and Borehamwood which was very advanced for 1968 (OK, I'm 76). This was a triumph for a UK company beating USA contractors like Sylvania and Sperry. The type had license-built RR Speys and Marconi radar. As for the plane's appearance (SLUF), handsome is as handsome does.
The A-7 was good for what it was designed to do: haul bombs. The A-7 was one of only two aircraft in the world which could carry its own weight in ordnance, the other being the A-1 Skyraider. The A-7 was so precise in its ordnance delivery the Marines sometimes called it in to drop ordnance as close as 50 meters from their position with great confidence. Don't try this at home.
The A6 did not have a gun for close air support, nor did it have a visual dive delivery bomb aiming capability. So for CAS, it was useless. The A7 was specifically intended to excel at this, and it did. However, smart bombs are even better. Different wars.
Just as when a new aircraft is just released on War Thunder, I had to get this video.
F8 with Radar sounds deadly AF!!
Put the Greek subs in the middle of the screen so we can see it better , very distracting in this video !
Ehis provlima re malaka..???
Upscaled SD is not really HD but nice documentary anyway.
what's the name of the song at the beginning?
What's with the extremely loud music starting at 31:13? Can hardly hear the narration. Why do we need music in EVERY TH-cam video, no matter what the subject? Just tell us what is happening and stop all the extra noise.
Weren’t they called the last gunfighter?
That was the F-8 Crusader, mentioned/showed in the beginning of the vid.
The actual saying back in the day was "Last Of The Gunfighters", a play on old western movies which used that phrase.
Love the SLUF short little ugly fucker. I love the way it looks zI can hold almost 20.000 thousand pounds of ordinance that a hard hitting attack aircraft. Awesome jet. The A4 is great as well.
Why does every A7 Corsair video involve a crusader.
Thanks. Looks a lot like F8U Crusader.
+jay capp it is a crusader... airframe, modified a bit into a dedicated GA aircraft. Quite successfully might I add
The A-7 is not a Crusader. The A-7 appearance resembles the Crusader but the similarity ends there. The A-7 is smaller, totally different airframe, has no variable incidence wing, does not carry four 20mm cannons, is subsonic (the F-8 was mach 1.5+), uses a different engine without afterburner, has a fixed refueling probe, different landing gear, different radar, etc. ad nauseum. Both birds were built by the same company under different corporate banners (F-8: Chance Vought Corporation; A-7: Ling-Temco-Vought).
When I was in the Air Force we'd watch this series in the barracks TV room.
sreggird60 the gutless
Guns
You all don’t know
There is much footage of A-7's. Why did you slip in videos of F-8s? Most of the folk who watch these videos know the difference. Is it possible you do not?
You need to watch again.
With what is the A-7 being fueled at 33:36?
+fpm1979 Not an A-7 in that shot, its the F-8 Crusader and they are loading liquid nitrogen for the Magic 2 missile seekers.
Liquid O2 for pilot
Not an A-7.
Which was it Nitrogen or oxygen?
@@foxtrot312 It's been a long time since my plane captain training, but IIRC that fuselage location housed the pilot's oxygen bottle, so I believe that F-8 is being charged with LOX (Liquid Oxygen). In my day we had no "Magic 2 missiles" and no "MIghty Mouse" rocket pack under the speedbrake like the "A" models started out with (our squadron flew F-8Ds, aka F8U-2N). In fact, the only other cryogenic bottle I can recall is the liquid nitrogen bottle for the AN/AAS-15 Infrared system (notice the bulbous seeker head just below the pilot's windscreen/above the radome on some models) and the pilot's emergency oxygen bottle in the seat pan. Just my two cents, FWIW.
Funky bomb dropping music!
I never understood the "looks" point.If an aircraft is depemdable and reliable if in two words it does what its designed for then its good,period
The coolest war plane the US ever built.
No slack in light attack.
ha ha! Our VA-46 motto was Don't Tread on Me with a snake. And the other motto we used was that: Cut no slack in light attack. Sea-based on JFK, loaner on Rosie... 1975/76 NAS Cecil Field.
I see the doc often speak about the A7, showing an A8
F8 Crusader. No A8.
You lack a comprehension of information. They Show the history of the design. You need to talk about both.