Military Aircraft Pictures & Stories

[FL420]

Originally Posted by Traildust

When I was onboard Oriskany 71-74 we had both A5's and A3's and the O boat being an older carrier those things took up a lot of flight deck space.
I love the A5 it's the only aircraft I ever saw that looks like it's going 500 knots just setting there. The Whale not so much.
Bill

I'm not trying to question your account Bill but I'm a little surprised the "O boat" had enough room to store either aircraft and have deck space for other than a handful of fighters, attack or other "cats and dogs" necessary to prosecute a war.
My first cruise on the "Coral Sea," a much larger boat than the 27-Charlie "Oriskany," we didn't have enough room to operate the RA-5C and the KA-3D tanker off the same deck. We got RF-8As for photo recon and kept the "Whales" which were much more useful when we were conducting daily cyclic operations during the interminable bombing halts up north instead of bombing pre-determined hard targets in North Vietnam.
Eventually, we sent all the "Whales," their aircrews, their maintenance crews and support people to live and operate from DaNang. Most of them didn't object. We still needed ready tankers at the boat to cover contingencies during launches and recoveries so they trained A-6 "Intruder" crews in a new mission as "gas passers" to give the fighters primarily fuel near the boat when needed. It worked out so well that the Navy bought some KA-6Ds which had an extendable/retractable "probe and drogue" system in the belly and carried four external fuel tanks, two under each wing.
Although it was very comfortable tanking from a whale and they could always top you off if you needed it the KA-6D was faster and eventually more plentiful and were better trained and experienced operating near Indian Country if necessary.
My second cruise was on the "Midway" right after it came out of a 5 year long overhaul with the largest flight deck in the fleet at the time. It could easily launch, recover and park both the Viggie and the Whale but by that time the KA-6D proved it could handle the tanking mission satisfactorily and the RF-8A did the same with the photo recon mission foretelling the end of the Viggie and the Whale in combat operations.
The "Intruders" were grounded for several months for bleed air leaks and the LTV A-7s were pressed into service as tankers. A buddy store containing some fuel and a drogue on a short extendable/retractable hose was hung on an inboard stores pylon while an external fuel tank was mounted under the opposite wing. Tanking from a short hose under the high-mounted wing on a slow aircraft was not much fun. He didn't have much fuel to give and you had to fight the asymmetrical turbulent air from his wing while getting it.
I have also tanked from a hose and drogue behind the boom on a USAF KC-135(thanks for the gas, zoomies)[emoji106] and from a wingtip hose and drogue on a USMC KC-130(thanks for the gas, jarheads.)[emoji106]
Both were quite comfortable but the "Herky's" top fueling speed was a tad slow as we got heavier from the fuel download. Military power on both engines wasn't quite enough to keep us in the basket at our altitude and gross weight. The Herky crew even helped a little by bunting the nose and picking up some speed in a shallow descent. I finally had to put one engine in minimum after burner and that allowed us to top off, disconnect and go drop a few tons of MK-82s on some bad guys.
[emoji40]

[Hooligan]

Originally Posted by FL420

It's been close to 50 years since I strapped on a T-28 so I may be wrong about this but IIRC the one or two T-28C's assigned as station aircraft to NAS Miramar had 4 blade props for better deck clearance during carrier ops. Try as I might I can't find any information or photos to verify that.
Can anyone confirm or disprove my recollection? ..............

Both the B and C models had 3 bladed props. The Charlie model prop had a square end and was 9 inch smaller diameter. because of nose dip catching a wire. The Bravo prop was rounded on the end.
I went thru flight training in 64-65, was an helo instructor there in 73-75 and flew T-39 there 1982-85. Been awhile too...
Charlie model:

[garry1p]

Vietnam 1960 the Vietnamese pilots were having a tough time flying WWII fighters they were loosing aircraft during take off and landings the pilots were to short to see over the cowlings.

The answer was aircraft with tricycle landing gear when I arrived in 1961 our pilots had trained them to fly T6 Texans and T28 Trojans with hard points for bombs, napalm, rockets, and machine gun pods. Later we received some B26 or A26 bombers however, I never saw Vietnamese fly them. This was in Bien Hoa the runway was PSP felt like WWII.

One one occasion I had the opportunity to ride along in the back seat of the T-28.

[akeagle]

Originally Posted by Grandpa5x

The VA told me in 2014 that being on the flight line for close to 5 years out of my 7 1/2 years had no bearing on my hearing loss and denied my request for hearing aids, of course that was in the Obama years. My dad got hearing aids through them for WW II and that was in the Bush 2 years. Go figure!

I suggest the denial of hearing disability had very little to do with the Obama administration. As an air traffic controller it was common knowledge that proximity to the flightline and wearing headsets for hours at a time took a toll on one's hearing. I asked for a hearing evaluation upon my retirement in 1997 and was told that while I did have some hearing loss, they rated the disability at zero percent.

I also suggest it has been the unofficial VA mission since its inception to save the government as much money as possible by denial of services. My father-in-law was essentially kept on rather than effective treatment for psychiatric issues. My father was a WWII veteran and will always believe he suffered from PTSD, but the VA dragged their feet for more than 20 years before offering even a definition of it, let alone any treatment for it. He died well before the VA was forced to deal with PTSD.

The baffling part for me is that about every president since Eisenhower has promised improvement in the VA's treatment of vets. Few have succeeded, even a little bit. The VA seems to be just another of several entrenched government bureaucracies whose normal mode of operation is resisting change.

Presidents can talk a good line but the VA is a master of resistance and Congress seems to be rather uninterested properly funding it.

[Traildust]

FL420 - We had VAQ-130 and a RVAH Detachment but I cannot remember which one. They had two or three A5s and very rarely did you see one on the flight deck. Also had 3 A7, 2 F8 plus a photo F8 squadron VFP-63. Long live the 27 charlie.
Funny thing is I made my last cruise on the Coral Maru CV-43 back in 1985-86 Med cruise. I was with VFA-132.
Bill

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by Traildust

FL420 - We had VAQ-130 and a RVAH Detachment but I cannot remember which one. They had two or three A5s and very rarely did you see one on the flight deck. Also had 3 A7, 2 F8 plus a photo F8 squadron VFP-63. Long live the 27 charlie.
Funny thing is I made my last cruise on the Coral Maru CV-43 back in 1985-86 Med cruise. I was with VFA-132.
Bill

I transferred to VFA-132 from CLAW1 and became their maintenance chief in late 1986.

[FastEagle]

About the same time as the A6 Intruder made its first combat cruise aboard the USS Independence (1965); accessory in-flight tanker packages were also being introduced. Once developed almost all shipboard jet aircraft could carry one. Here is a picture of an FA-18 refueling another FA-18.

[FL420]

One thing I forgot about tanking from the KC-135 was the short hose was attached to the end of the boom and it didn't retract to take up the slack when the probe contacted the basket like every other tanker before or since. I had never been briefed on the KC-135 system. I didn't know that when I plugged in.
Luckily I had a clean plug on my first try and a slow enough closure rate that I didn't push the basket too far. I could very easily have made the basket disengage, flail around and slap me up aside my head while breaking my canopy.
The proper technique was to push the basket forward just a foot or two enough to have the slack in the hose make a small U shape and then fly very precisely to maintain it until you had your gas.
Ahh.......OJT. Ain't it great?[emoji16]
[emoji40]

[Traildust]

FastEagle I transferred from VFA-132 right after we returned from the med cruise early 86. Transferred to Namtradet Cecil Field, retired from there. I'll bet we crossed paths somewhere.
Bill S.

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by Traildust

FastEagle I transferred from VFA-132 right after we returned from the med cruise early 86. Transferred to Namtradet Cecil Field, retired from there. I'll bet we crossed paths somewhere.
Bill S.

When I reported to VFA-132 CDR Scott Ronnie was the skipper.

I retired at the Cecil Field CPO club in March of 1988. VFA-132 had already deployed to Korea. Officially I was still a member of VFA-132. CDR Peterson was the wing commander and officiated my retirement. He had been the Skipper of VA-46 when I was their maintenance chief (1983 - 1985).

[FL420]

I was born too late and never made enough money to get to fly one of these. It is my favorite piston-powered fighter, the F-8F "Bearcat." I loved to watch Bill and his son Corkey Fornof fly their Bearcats at airshows. My GF, now DW, rode my Triumph Bonneville to Mojave Airport to watch the Unlimited Class air races one weekend. We camped on the ground in the first canvas Thermos Pop Tent.
It was a great show with Bob Hoover performing in his yellow P-51 Mustang, Shrike Turbo Commander and F-86 Sabrejet. He started and recovered from a multi-turn spin in the F-86 all below 10,000', an altitude below which us F-4 guys were required to eject if out-of-control.
The championship race was great until an F-8 Bearcat started billowing heavy black smoke from the engine. The pilot maneuvered onto a right downwind leg opposite the crowd for landing when he must have been overcome by the smoke or heat. He was midfield when the F-8 slowly nosed over about 45° and crashed into the desert abeam the end of the runway.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_F8F_Bearcat
http://www.corkeyfornof.com/about.html

[zipmart]

When I was a young LTJG flying A-7's, I approached my CO about setting up a photo op with a Corsair II and an F4U Corsair. I had worked for Rudy Frasca (Frasca Aviation) part-time in college and he was a member of the Warbirds of America and owned an FM2 Wildcat. I knew he could put me in contact with one of his buds with an F4U. Skipper said to go with it. Pete Parrish of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo ended up being my contact so we set up the op. Flew into Ft. Wayne (had Air Guard F-4's and 8000' runway which Kalamazoo didn't have at that time) and brought along a TA-4 from VA-45 at NAS Cecil Field to act as photo plane. Pete and friends came in the F4U and brought along a T-28 to also be a photo platform. Flew around on a murky, hazy day, taking turns taking pics from different angles. This was probably the best shot. Years later after Kalamazoo had lengthened their runway, I took an A-4M from NAS Dallas up to Kalamazoo for a static display at an airshow. I visited the book store/souvenir shop at their museum and this pic was enlarged and hanging over the main entrance door.

[FL420]

Originally Posted by zipmart

When I was a young LTJG flying A-7's, I approached my CO about setting up a photo op with a Corsair II and an F4U Corsair. I had worked for Rudy Frasca (Frasca Aviation) part-time in college and he was a member of the Warbirds of America and owned an FM2 Wildcat. I knew he could put me in contact with one of his buds with an F4U. Skipper said to go with it. Pete Parrish of the Kalamazoo Air Zoo ended up being my contact so we set up the op. Flew into Ft. Wayne (had Air Guard F-4's and 8000' runway which Kalamazoo didn't have at that time) and brought along a TA-4 from VA-45 at NAS Cecil Field to act as photo plane. Pete and friends came in the F4U and brought along a T-28 to also be a photo platform. Flew around on a murky, hazy day, taking turns taking pics from different angles. This was probably the best shot. Years later after Kalamazoo had lengthened their runway, I took an A-4M from NAS Dallas up to Kalamazoo for a static display at an airshow. I visited the book store/souvenir shop at their museum and this pic was enlarged and hanging over the main entrance door.

Bravo Zulu, Zip!... very cool [emoji41]

[zipmart]

Another pic from our photo op.