Scooters Forever (A-4 Skyhawk Tribute Thread)

[larbear]

Let me add another: How are you going to get the type rating??

Three words: Bert the Yeller. I think he still flies a TA-4.

 

[Catmando]

ACTUALLY ... being a Lima it's got a substandard engine/airframe combo in my opinion, although he's probably got to dance w/ the one that "brung him". The Lima's (Charlie conversions done for NAVAIRRES use) were provided w/ an "upgraded" Wright J65 -- but the early Wright J65 was generally putting out 10% LESS thrust with @ 30% MORE fuel burn than it's replacement, the P&W J52 series ... i.e., less thrust, more fuel burn, less range, less payload & performance.

Sooooooo ... an "upgraded" Wright would be "correct" on a A4-L converted from a Charlie.

A4s nails it.

I once learned a very rude lesson about the serious difference of thrust between the J-65 and the J-52 engine in an A-4.

(‘Short’ TINS Sea Story follows)

I had been spoiled by three years of being propelled by thundering and powerful, twin J-79’s, and always with lots of AB available, if ever needed. Any worry on takeoff had little if anything to do with performance, or runway length limitations. The main concerns were getting the gear up before gear speed limits were exceeded…. And of course, “looking good.”

Never having flown an A- 4 (aside from a brief VF-126 inst-x under the bag) I needed a quick checkout in Kingsville before reporting to a new duty station that had an old, A-4C test-bed. Of course VT-21 was flying the TA-4J with the J-52 (@9300# thrust I believe), vice my new duty station’s older A-4C J-65 engine with only approx. 7200# thrust. Big difference in performance between the two!

Eventually, at my new duty station, my first flights in that underpowered A4-C were on a great x-country.

My parents were visiting in ABQ, (Kirtland AFB) so I landed short there out of Miramar. Departure was off of RW26, but the RW was severely shortened due to construction on the east end.

No problem, I foolishly thought. I landed there OK, didn't I? So I could take off OK too, right? Wrong!

Having been spoiled by the excellent thrust of J-79’s and even the J-52’s, I suddenly learned a single J-65’s meager 7200# thrust doesn’t work worth a crap at high altitude on an extremely hot day with all drop tanks full of gas, and on a significantly shortened runway in a Scooter.

Fortunately, the terrain drops off rapidly off the end of ABQ’s runway 26.......... or else I would have been dueling sagebrush and giving my parents heart problems, if not funeral arrangements.

Upon RTB on the east coast, I got seriously into the performance charts after that!
Here is a picture of that same A-4C I flew that day, BuNo 145062.

Break, break/

Nevertheless, and of course if I had the money, I would buy that J-65 A-4L on ebay in a heartbeat. Even if a little “underpowered”, you could not find a more fun plane to fly! ....but check your charts.

 

[A4sForever]

..... ABQ, (Kirtland AFB) .... RW26..... Fortunately, the terrain drops off rapidly off the end of ABQ’s runway 26..........

That little fact saved more than one Naval Aviator's bacon & butt. It was always disconcerting when you reached the end of the runway and just kept on going w/ around a 200-300' rate of climb as the airspeed built up .... easy .... easy w/ the stick .... easy ...

Good post, Cat. Interesting trip down runway-memory lane ...

 

[Redux]

"There is absolutely no corrosion anywhere." :icon_roll

Bullshit alert, there is ALWAYS corrosion!

 

[FMRAM]

Bullshit alert, there is ALWAYS corrosion!

Bingo...

 

[brownshoe]

A-4 Skyhawk: Scooter

Also Tinkertoy.

Steve

 

[Schnugg]

The Nuclear delivery profile from an A-4 Skyhawk: One man, one bomb, one way....

or so I was told...

 

[FlyinSpy]

The Nuclear delivery profile from an A-4 Skyhawk: One man, one bomb, one way....
QUOTE]

It's pronounced nuculear....

 

[Old R.O.]

Old R.O. Picture of the Day for 6 Aug 2008

Section of VF-301 F-14A Tomcats is joined by a VC-13 TA-4J Skyhawk over San Diego's Mission Valley as they return to NAS Miramar (mid-right edge of photo) from an ACM hop in W-291. circa 1986.

 

[Deepsea 31]

A4s, You will love these............

EKA-3B Skywarrior from VAQ-130, A-4F Skyhawk from VA-22 and an F-8J Crusader from VF-53 piloted by CDR Dean Kaiser.

These two photos were taken on Oct. 2, 1969 during a sortie off the Bonnie Dick headed for North Vietnam. Photograph was taken by LT Joe Klugg of VFP-63 in an RF-8G Crusader.

Joe was my Uncle who was killed in Nov 1970 off the USS Oriskany. (mentioned on another thread)

Deepsea 31 out.

 

[FLY_USMC]

I refuse to believe in a day where there is(was last time I was there) a frigain A-4 Skyhawk stick as well as what I believe is a T-2 stick acting as beer taps at the VT-9/7 bar, that no one has an extra grip?

Someone just steal one off the taps in Meridian and blame it on L3.

Better yet, next time I get into another jet with the safety wire on the stick not attached and the horse collar un done enough so the f'er can just come off, I'll take it with me.<-------no I would never do that.

I too have an old computer control stick, but unfortunately its an exact replica of an F-15's from like 1990......and I refuse to let something as awesome as this be flown with anything with "Air Farce" on the side of it.

 

[mike bennett]

Help needed on Triple ejection question

Thanks to the replies from Forum members so far I have been able to find two of Jack Douglass's ejections

---------
"single seat"


LTJG J. A. Douglass
21st May 1968 - A-4F Skyhawk - Buno 154988 - VA-93

LT J. A. Douglass
21st February 1969 - A-7B Corsair II - VA-93

Still looking for the T-2 ejection.

-----------------
"huggy bear"

The only mention I have so far found for "Wallace" is
LT W. T. Wallace
3rd December 1970 - A-7E Corsair II - Buno 157483 - VA-25

----------------

"stalk"

I have many entries for A-7 ejections but my files post 1973 do not contain many names of Escapac ejectees.
I haven't yet located any for Mike Twiss. Any help on dates appreciated.

With respect
Mike Bennett

 

[Single Seat]

Thanks to the replies from Forum members so far I have been able to find two of Jack Douglass's ejections

---------
"single seat"


LTJG J. A. Douglass
21st May 1968 - A-4F Skyhawk - Buno 154988 - VA-93

LT J. A. Douglass
21st February 1969 - A-7B Corsair II - VA-93

Still looking for the T-2 ejection.

IIRC correctly, he ejected from at least 2 T-2's as well. One in which the student was killed, and another which is still in the lake next to runway 1R. You can still see it.

 

[brownshoe]

Crap! I turned my computer on, went and got a beer, sat down to watch the post over there this evening, and it’s over. That guy, Ben must have thrown in the towel. It was really getting entertaining. Ah well….

Both Oceana and Lemoore operate the T-34C as spotter aircraft for their respective Type Wing Weapons Schools. Tailcodes give away whose school it belongs to; NJ = Lemoore Weps School (SFWSP) and Oceana Weps school (SFWSL) uses AD

BTW, HJ, my old squadron VA-44, and our sister squadrons, that were also RAG's, used AD as tailcodes. We were all in CAW 4. Is AD still CAW 4?

Steve

 

[MAKE VAPES]

AD was on the VF101 Tomcats while I was in the RAG, believe VFA106 still uses it..