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WHALE of a tale ... the A-3 Skywarrior returns to Whidbey !!!
- Thread starter A4sForever
- Start date
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
I've seen a decent C-9 break a couple times.
Yeah ... well ... well ... well, I've seen 3 Whales (B-747 type) do a decent break out of echelon parade !!!
1979. For the inauguration of our Europe service.
Once ...
Flown by former ATTACK/FIGHTER Bubba's ...
ACTUALLY ... it was SKED & planned (EA-6B, EA-18, EP-3 over Smith Island & Deception Pass) ... whether or not it happened is another question. I didn't talk to the crew or the organizers about that evolution. At the time, nobody cared ... ???
I'll try to get back to you in a few days with the actual answer ...
I'm told by a very reliable source that it was an insurance issue - Whale being operated by contractors.
That's what I learned today as well ...
Odd - flew a lot of form over the years with contractor flown EC-24 and Lears.
That's weird. Plenty of airshows have civilian performers flying in formation with active duty aircraft, like every single heritage flight.
Got the 'TINS' word on the CNX'd formation fly-over from the horse's mouth -- a public relations guy w/ the A-3 Association @ NUW. Apparently insurance was not the only consideration.
According to him, the bottom line: -- it was the FEDs who put the kibosh on the formation join-up/fly-over ... something to do w/ an 'experimental aircraft, one-time flight, aircraft ferry' bit of bureaucratic nonsense. Apparently, it had been all cleared w/ NAVAIR, but the FEDs said "NO" at the 11th hour.
According to him, the bottom line: -- it was the FEDs who put the kibosh on the formation join-up/fly-over ... something to do w/ an 'experimental aircraft, one-time flight, aircraft ferry' bit of bureaucratic nonsense. Apparently, it had been all cleared w/ NAVAIR, but the FEDs said "NO" at the 11th hour.
More from the "TINS" Whale-Deep-Throat:
"The plan is to make her look like a version of the A-3 which was at NAS Whidbey during the 50, 60’s and 70’s as best we can by replacing the nose radome with a “bull nose “ radome, and replacing the bubble butt with a “duck butt” tail. The plan is to link the past with the present by representing the RAG outfits of VAH-123 (past) through VAH-10 which became VAQ129 (present)..."
"The plan is to make her look like a version of the A-3 which was at NAS Whidbey during the 50, 60’s and 70’s as best we can by replacing the nose radome with a “bull nose “ radome, and replacing the bubble butt with a “duck butt” tail. The plan is to link the past with the present by representing the RAG outfits of VAH-123 (past) through VAH-10 which became VAQ129 (present)..."
It looks like the National Naval Aviation Museum just got an EA-3 yesterday!
http://www.pnj.com/article/20110701/NEWS12/107010315/Retired-bomber-lands-new-home-museum
http://www.pnj.com/article/20110701/NEWS12/107010315/Retired-bomber-lands-new-home-museum