Naval Aviation

[CWtheMan]

Once upon a time (1972) a long time ago, when America had more than 500,000 personnel actually in the Vietnam combat zone, I was one of them. I was a member of Navy Fighter Squadron 151. Their aircraft (12 of them) were F-4 Phantom II aircraft and I was the aircraft check crew supervisor. Our crew was responsible for performing in-depth periodically scheduled aircraft maintenance inspections, called calendar inspections. Aircraft check flights were required to return the aircraft to full service after completing a calendar inspection.

The Squadron was part of Carrier Air Wing 5 and was operating off the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVA-41). (The Midway is now a popular memorial on the San Diego, CA waterfront).

Our work-center was located on the 01 level in hangar bay 2 and was not air conditioned. There were very few places tall enough in the hangar bays where an F-4 could be jacked in the air, off its wheels, for a drop-check (operating the landing gear). One of them was just below our work-center.

Here are some pictures from that time and place.

[+Ruff Rider]

The Ticinderoga CVS14 was parked next to the Midway more than once, along with the Kitty Hawk. The Kitty Hawk was the newest carrier in 71.
My how old we look now LOL

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by +Ruff Rider

The Ticinderoga CVS14 was parked next to the Midway more than once, along with the Kitty Hawk. The Kitty Hawk was the newest carrier in 71.
My how old we look now LOL

The major 4 year refitting and overhaul was completed on the Midway in 1970. I made two long cruses (7 & 11 mos.) from 1970 to 1973 and we were never on water hours.

[cavediver]

Ah the days of Elmo.

[Fishsizzle]

Fascinating and sad article on some Naval Aviation on the news.

https://ktvz.com/news/oregon-northwe...-on-burma-rim/

[CWtheMan]

The first A6 intruder squadron to deploy into a combat zone was VA-75. They were embarked aboard the USS Independence and deployed to Vietnam early in 1965. Some of the missions they were assigned to were very dangerous low level missions resulting in the loss of aircraft and crew members. The famed retired Rear Admiral and US senator Jeremiah Denton spent nearly 8 years in a Hanoi prison camp after being shot down piloting an A6.

The airwing deployed on the Independence in 1965 was the first to deploy from the Atlantic fleet. The airwing had the distinction of also being the first USN all jet air wing to deploy to Vietnam.

It was a long 7 month cruise and I worked the flight deck for the entire cruise as an airframes troubleshooter for Fighter Squadron 41 (F4 Phantom II aircraft).

A6 file photos.

[Bob R]

One of the Pilots I flew with in VP 46 transitioned to A6s back when. He was doing a low level flight in a training area over the Washington Palouse (south east WA) and missed the egress point by a smidgen and when he pulled up out of the training area his A6 collided with an AgCat that was spraying the fields. He and his instructor pilot ejected and the AgCat crashed. Thankfully (luckily) no one was killed. The pilot I used to fly with suffered a broken arm from the ejection. The AgCat pilot was burned pretty badly.

In other A6 news (actually EA6B) I was able to finagle a back seat ride in one off of the USS Forrestal as a re-enlistment incentive. I also finagled a ride in the back seat of an F4J that same deployment.

In USS Midway news. My final tour was VRC 30 out of North Island. I made what was possibly the last C2 trap and cat from the Midway when she came home the last time from Japan. If not the last it was the second to last for sure.


bob

[CWtheMan]

These are pictures I took from “vulture’s row” on the USS Midway during a Vietnam
combat load, launch and recovery in 1971.

[gearhead]

Is it true the F4 is proof that with enough thrust a rock could fly?

[cavediver]

Given enough power the military can make a house fly.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by cavediver

Given enough power the military can make a house fly.

They have done it several times. Look at the C5A and the C117, and if you prefer "aeroplanes with propedders" the C119 (flying boxcar) and the C130.

[notanlines]

I've escorted USMC prisoners from Blytheville AFB to 29 Palms and from Little Rock AFB to 29 Palms back in 1970-71 on combined forces shuttle flights. All were C-130, all were dead empty, all had box lunches furnished and all were as punishing as any flight I've ever been on. I don't remember ever even looking inside the boxes.

[cavediver]

Yes sir I like airplanes with propellers, much better glide ratios.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by cavediver

Yes sir I like airplanes with propellers, much better glide ratios.

This is a USN O2-A, A two engine (pusher-puller) aircraft. Most commonly seen at the Naval Air Station, Fallon, NV where it’s used/was used as a spotter/observer aircraft during bombing practice and other areal weapon exercises.

[CWtheMan]

There is a huge USAF aircraft museum at Ellsworth AFB located just east of Rapid City in a little town called Box Elder.

Over time I’ll post more pictures of this museum's aircraft and some of actual flight line operations.

[Snoking]

Originally Posted by locomech

The bird you have pictured is a McDonnell F-101B VooDoo, but I'll bet you already knew that. I was a crew chief on the RF-101C model at Ton Son Nhut AFB. The other pic you have of the Super Connie brings back memories of my time in Taiwan pulling alerts for them flying along the coast of China. I was crewing an F-102A back then and we would scramble our alert jets when they were being harassed by the Red Chinese Air Force.

https://books.google.com/books?id=PW...system&f=false

I was part of the construction detail the built the Loran C navigation system in the summer of 1966 in SE Asia. I took this picture of the the B-57 at Tan Son Nhut the end of June 1966.

The RF-4's at Udorn used our Loran. The Loran Monitor was at Udorn next to the garbage dump South of the AFB. I have friend that was there the first year would pick up film that blew out of the dump and look at it. Now he wishes he would have keep some of it as a keepsake. Monitoring the ho chi minh trail was a big deal. Loran allow taking repeat pictures over time along the trail.

Second picture looks like a couple O-1 Bird Dogs.

[CWtheMan]

To the land lovers and other service members not familiar with Navy carrier operations, this picture requires some explanations.

Aircraft carriers must have aircraft airborne at all times during flight operations to assist those aircraft that need a little extra fuel to safely land on the carrier.

Some aircraft such as the one in the lead in this picture are built with a primary mission as tanker. (Lead tanker is an A6, second is an A7).

During cyclic ops – launching and recovering every two hours – there is always a primary tanker available. Other aircraft types that can carry heavy loads will be assigned to carry a refueling tanker package to augment the primary tankers. That’s the mission of the second aircraft in this link.

The third aircraft in this link-up is a F4 Phantom and it looks like it’s losing fuel and may have to take on fuel all the way to final approach. The first aircraft is probably scheduled to return on the same cycle as the Phantom and is insuring his replacement has a full refueling tank after getting the Phantom safely aboard. Just about all of that is my opinion as I’m just making an educated guess as to why that Phantom is dumping fuel.

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by CWtheMan

The third aircraft in this link-up is a F4 Phantom and it looks like it’s losing fuel and may have to take on fuel all the way to final approach. The first aircraft is probably scheduled to return on the same cycle as the Phantom and is insuring his replacement has a full refueling tank after getting the Phantom safely aboard. Just about all of that is my opinion as I’m just making an educated guess as to why that Phantom is dumping fuel.

Attachment 28061

Over flow vent maybe?

[Badbart56]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Is it true the F4 is proof that with enough thrust a rock could fly?

I was told it had so much power because it had the glide path of a toolbox.

[CWtheMan]

Originally Posted by Badbart56

I was told it had so much power because it had the glide path of a toolbox.

A short story about their power.

In 1964 I checked-in to my very first tail hook squadron. They were in the process of transitioning to the F4-B aircraft which were being delivered straight from the factory. When we received one that was slick winged and passed its acceptance inspection, an ADM visited the squadron and requested a ride. Our skipper was quick to oblige. Back then all squadrons that had aircraft that could exceed the speed of sound had to keep a log of every time someone exceeded Mach 1. The book was called a "Boom Log". The skipper logged Mach 2.2 that day. Even with the Parasite drag of pylons the F4-B could still make Mach 2.