A-4 Skyhawk Walkaround
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- Video sponsored by Airmodels.net
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A-4 Skyhawk pilot J.R. Starch gives us a walkaround of both the A-4 and TA-4 models. These aircraft are some amazing airplanes and have one of the fastest roll rates.
While in the Marines I was at 29 Palms base in California. We had been eating C meals for two weeks. My bowels were locked up from dehydration as 29 Palms is in the desert. I had to go but had been unable for days. On a Sunday morning I found a tire on the top of the nearest hill and decided to not leave until I had finally crapped. I was sitting on the tire and not having much luck. All of a sudden an A4 came over to top of the hill about 25 feet above the hill at what seemed to be at top speed. I was covered in sand and whatever was on the ground. I was shocked at what just happened and looked under the tire and there was all the turds I had been in my bowls. The A4 will always be my favorite plane because of that memory.
Absolutely hilarious aviation story
That's a fair story to tell... seems you had a proper shit time...
I'll get my coat...
glad everything came out ok
Hahaha
29 palms is the most miserable and boring military base ever constructed lol. I'm glad I was stationed in pendleton lol
I love how passionately this man talks about his plane.
You love a lot of things if you live around them, but there isn’t any woman, and there isn’t any horse, nor any before nor any after, that is as lovely as great airplane, and men who love them are faithful to them even though they leave them for others.
A man has only one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely plane he
loses it to, there his heart will ever be.
_Hemingway, 1944
he doesn't read from paper and these guys pilots are not just everyday people they are selected smart , their math is good . He doesn't stop a sec.
Beautiful
Beautiful
@@johnskyleir AMEN,i want this guy coming in hot if I'm every in trouble 😃 he is on the ball.
I was a A-4 plane captain/engine mech at VC-1 Up until our decommissioning in 1992. This really brought back a lot of memories.
Best walkaround and explanation I have ever seen! Well done and thanks for sharing, the A-4, my favorite all-time aircraft!
I'm from Kuwait. My Dad flew the Skyhawk for many many years before he flew the F/A 18 Hornet for the Kuwait Air Force. He's retired now but he always show me his pictures with his Skyhawk.
There s a VERY famous Kuwaiti A4 pilot during Iraq invasion
@Craig Williams you're right my father adored it, after the liberation of Kuwait he was assigned to the committee that was gonna chose the type of aircraft that the air force is going to purchase sence the A4 was getting old. 10 outta 12 pilots picked the F/A 18 over the F-15 and F-16 and the reason was "the hornet feels like a skyhawk" and of course the other reason was the price tag, getting 40 multirole hornets is much better than 16 F-15's or few more than that of F-16's, plus the service was looking for a fighter and an attacker to perform close air support to ground forces in case of another invasion, so the F-18 fulfilled that role. Brazil purchased all of the Kuwait skyhawk fleet after Kuwait got their new hornets and they joined the Brazilian navy and stationed onboard the Brazilian aircraft carrier Sao Paulo.
Now the Kuwait Air Force just upgraded the fleet with 28 super hornets and 28 Eurofighter Typhoon, I always wanted to become a fighter pilot, that was my dream but I have bad eyesight so I became a Marine instead lol.
@@leefithian3704 there's many, do you mind sharing his name?
@Craig Williams thank you for your service brother and man you gave me goosebumps just picturing that 🥰. I can already smell the jet fuel and hear that beast roar 🤩
I had a buddy from Penn State who's father flew Skyhawks and Hornets in the KAF.
Excellent walkaround Sir ...... brings back memories of younger times ..... I was stationed at MCAS Yuma ('65 - '67) with VMT-103 .... I was an "Aviation: Safety & Survival" mechanic (mos 6443 - which doesn't exist today). We took care of Seats, Canopy, Air Conditioning & Pressurization & Oxygen ..... everything that had to do with pilot environment and safety (except pilot g-suits, helmets & com, parachutes and seatpacks - which the riggers took care of)........ since This was a Training Sqn., and I had my "oh my ass card", I was able to get "ride alongs" with our instructors occasionally ...... I had about 3 hrs. in the TA-4F .......loved every minute of it (except: the back seat was REALLY loud - even with ear plugs and cotton) ....... I also got to give the familiarization lectures to the student pilots for the systems we were responsible for ....... Mostly Really Good Times .............. Thnx again ..................... ps - and yes - anyone who ever sat in an A-4 is intimately familiar with the "Head Knocker"
I was in VMT-103 also from 1967 to 1971! SEMPER FI.....!
I was in MCAS Yuma, (as a Marine) from '83-'86,,,,,, and from '87- Present,,,, was with VMAT-103, for those USMC years, and have been with VMFAT-401 since '87,,,,, with Israeli (C-1) Kfirs,,,,, and then from '89- Present with F-5s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've loved this plane since I was a child. Not only because was so popular with the Argentinian Air Force and the Navy, they have been using it since the 60s (with many modifications till the A4AR arrived in the late 90s), but all the amazing stories from the Malvinas war who flew the plane (many planes came home with a lot of holes, leaking fuel, very rugged plane). Also I've been able to be this close with a B model, veteran from the '82 war and I have to say we've got our money's worth with this plane, despite it is a very old one and rather obsolete from modern standards. The AR (based on the M with numerous improvements) model did fine though they are near the end of service life. I enjoyed a lot this video!
Absolutely loved the A4 Skyhawk walk around! Man did it bring back many fond memories of getting many fun opportunities to go flying in them. I was stationed for two years, 1970-72 at NAS Kingsville, Texas and had numerous fun opportunities to go flying with a Lieutenant who was one of the instructor pilots in VT-22, along with other pilots that had their wings. There were also VT-21 and VT-23 squadrons at NAS Kingsville. But had the chance to go up on many different training hops. I-hops down to Dixie target range and J, K, and many others. Never got turned down on a ride. Officers always knew I was having fun, would stay off the mic and let them tend to the business of training students, and they didn’t have to worry about me grabbing for yellow and black handles. I was having a blast. Guess you could say it was a perk for being a baker in the Navy. I kept those officers supplied with all kinds of pastries! But I just loved the informative walk around. It brought back so many great memories and I learn so much more. Now I’ve been an aircraft mechanic for AA for many years in Tulsa. The A4 is a fantastic aircraft. Was a workhorse in Vietnam. Thank you for the fun journey again around the A4 Skyhawk!
I always like hearing about people familiar with Kingsville NAS in the 1970's. My father was the CO of VT-23 in 1969-1970. He actually accepted the new TA-4J's in April 1970. I was only 7 at the time, but I remember watching the air show they did over Kingsville NAS.
Truly outstanding review of this U.S. Naval aircraft. Not only is Erik Johnston knowledgeable but he can explain the full workings of this jet in terms that any civilian can understand. This is a world-class, five-star WalkAround!
Thanks! JR was the pilot giving the explanation, all I did was hold the camera. Haha
@@ErikJohnston Eric: You too did a superb job of filming his walkaround! Without your closeups and completely in-focus video shooting this would have been a loss! Thank you and I appreciate your work and effort. I especially enjoyed your POW interview film about the US Pilot in North Vietnam several years ago.
@@jdpresslasvegas Great video, totally agree with you, Eric is passionate about aviation.
My father was a Naval Aviator for 27 years, 1950 - 1977. He was Navy Acceptance Pilot attached to Douglas in the late 60s. He loved flying this aircraft and putting her through her paces! He was then CO of VA-25 on the USS Ranger, flying the A-7E (Vietnam). He passed in 2009. My hero!
Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts and experiences. Greetins from Mexico City.
Thanks for sharing lad .....greetings from Republica Argentina
I love how passionately this man talks about his plane.
There is a free DCS module for this aircraft. High fidelity. Would be interesting to hear an actual pilot opinion. Great video thanks
Unos de los mejores aviones de combate de la historia...en Argentina tanto la Fuerza Aerea como Naval...hizo muy bien las tareas en las Malvinas 1982
You mean the Falklands.. No Argentinian was ever born there, so it has an English name.
@@stijnvandamme76 jajaja estás errado...
lo conocen muy bien los ingleses, en especial su flota jajaja
Nice video! thanks 4 sharing It!
Ed Heineman should be remembered for this achievement. The A4 is unique! With a handful of these A 4 SkyHawk the Argentine Air Force and the Argentine Navy attacked the British fleet and sunk /damaged Lots of ships. Despiste the unavoidable casualties and loss of unrecoverable equipement on both sides ( loss of lifes which regretably were not nil ) I pay tribute to our aviators who defied the heavy flack and missiles fired at them.
Even we British respect the Argentine A4 pilots, flying a few ft above the water into the heavily defended task force. Of course nobody likes being bombed but they were doing their job like we were, and you have to respect the balls they had to do it. It was a very close war that could have gone either way. Respect to all those on both sides who served their country.
@@xeigen2 What a respectful answer . Thanks for your kind words. British pilots were brave also.
They were brave men indeed but they were acting on the instructions of a murderous military junta who liked to throw their opponents out of an aircraft over the ocean and invaded foreign territory
@@Spookieham Dear friend this channel respects both sides of the war so I don't want to argue with anyone.
UK had to fight the IRA and now the hezbollah . Cuba/ Fidel Castro's regime killed thousands and yet many youngster wear the Che Guevara´s t-shirt as a symbol of freedom. This is an exact example of what an oxymoron means.
From 65-69 I was the aircraft electrician for our A4 planes, mostly A4Bs. I also was part of the group that trained the Argentine AF on the A4, I think they were all A4As. I had the opportunity to work on a few A4Cs that were passing through.
41:00 Aguante el Skyhawk de la V Brigada Aerea de Argentina
Aguante!! Saludos desde Chubut!
Getting the A4 was an excellent choice for Argentina their pilots were very professional and they loved this plane , what is not to love with these planes
I flew the J,M and E while in the Marines in the early 70s. There were no two seat versions of the M at that time and my first flight was briefed and I went alone. It was a real rocket compared to the J model. What a rush! Just the greatest and coolest little fighter in the USMC inventory at the time. Oh, to be 45 years younger and to do it all over again. I love the A-4.
Great video and this really reminded me of all that I had forgotten. Thanks!
6:59 I always thought that the nose-up attitude was to increase the angle of attack for takeoff. Am I wrong about that?
The A4 has always been my favorite jet warbird. It just looks right.
Scott, 45 years younger would put me right back in the powerplants division at VT-21. Best and most interesting job I have had. Didn't pay much monetarily but the memories are gold.
A flood of great memories.I absolutely loved this video. I was a plane captain and later on was in the power plants division of VT-21 from January 1973 to May of 1976. We had the TA-4j with the J52 P6A. Loved seeing the A4 on the deck of the Lexington. I did have the opportunity to fly in the back seat a couple of times. Exciting to say the least. I also got to experience a landing and take off from the Lexington in a C- I (COD, carrier on board delivery). I didn't realize it at the time but being an engine and fuel systems mechanic was by far the most interesting job that I would ever have. I arrived in kingsville, Texas 2 weeks after I turned 18.
When you got into the TA-4, and was discussing how tight of a fit it was. That reminded me that we had a Marine corps instructor that was an extreamly large man, not fat. As part of a plane captain's duties was to assist and verify the proper connection of the pilots in the aircraft. This man was so large he couldn't hook his G suit and radio and O2 hose and cable. This was done by the plane captain. There was barely enough room for me to get my hands between him and the wall to hook him up.It was rumored that he was to large to eject safely without sustaining major injuries. He was a very friendly and curtious person till he would run out of allowed flight hours. He would fly 4 to 5 sorties per day and a cross country on weekends. Then he would be grounded for a week or two. Tried to stay away from him then. He hated flying a desk. Thanks for this video. ADJ-3 Gary Todd
Gary, I was an A-6 Intruder plane captain in VA-42, training squadron, NAS Oceana, Va. Beach, Va. My Navy service time was from Oct.18,1971 to Aug.15,1975. I was in squadron from April 20, 1972 to Aug.15,1975. Went to ADJ A school at Millington, Tennessee from 1/72 to 4/17/72. Trained on the A4s in A school. Went to boot camp at San Diego, co. 356-71. Went to Fallon, Nv. & Yuma. Az. for bombing detachments. Was on the Independence, Lexington & the FDR. Was catapulted off one on a C-1 Trader COD, heloed off the Lex & Indy in a Huey & CH-46. While on the Indy I saw a F-4 phantom nose into the drink on cat shot & an E-2 crash land but hung onto the cable. Like the ad said, It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure !
I was a A-4 mechanic for 8 years. It does my heart good to see these old girls still flying. I was a ADJ in VT-24 and then as a civilian. Skyhawks forever!
what year were you at chase
I worked for GTSI at Chase.
@@huberthuot6251 77 to 81 then 87 thru 90 as a civilian
@@johnbonner4430 I was enlisted 77 to 81 in VT-24 the i worked for Lockheed 87 thru 90. All A-4s.
@Ron Hunter My father was at VT-24 83 - 86. I started with Grumman in 90 and was there until the shutdown.
One question: it looks like if you ejected you would hit your knees on the instrument panel. How was this avoided?
Thats a known problem
I was stationed in Lemoore, and they had one of these things sitting on base. I always thought they looked like mosquitoes. Cool video, thanks!
This is one hell of a review on a Jet. The best so far on the tube.
TRUTH
Agree
Great seeing a video about the A4. I was an avionics tech in VMA211 in Vietnam. Fantastic aircraft.
I was TAD to VA127 at NAS Lemoore for about 6 months in 1983 and we were flying adversary with TA4Js and before I left we got some marine A4M. I worked on the line. Love that Bird.
Lt. Alvey was the division officer for the line when I was there and PO3 Mark Robins An Guerrero and a young girl they called boom boom, cause she pulled canopy ejection handle in the hanger.
Thank you to Mr. Dollarhide for his corrections and comments. I apologize to viewers for any mistakes. They are all mine, so please forgive me! I did this from memory based on my personal experience as well as reading and talking with older Scooter drivers from the past. I guess I should have used a script! Please visit the A-4 Skyhawk Association website for tons of great information, pictures, etc., on the Scooter.
It is an honor to still fly these in support of our military, and thanks to Erik for taking time to make this video. Most importantly, thank you to all the Navy and Marine pilots, maintainers, and engineers who together built the legacy of this jet. A4ever!
J. R. Starch
You did a fantastic job in this video! It’s actually pretty common to mis-speak when one is covering many many facts on one subject. Put a camera in your face and it adds to the chances.
I’m very pleased at how this video turned out and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as JR and I enjoyed making it!!
If you guy's ever need an A&P Mechanic, let me know!! I have had experience working on a lot of different aircraft. You did a fantastic job in the video. 👍👍
J. R. Starch Excellent presentation and professionalism shown here by the way you overview and dip into the systems. It’s easy to see that you are dedicated and love what you do.
At the risk of being called a troll, the hose on the Douglas D-704 inflight refueling store, often called the buddy store, is only 50 feet, although from the cockpit it may seem longer. I was the working Aviation Electrician in the Buddy Store shop at NAS Lemoore from mid 1972 to mid 1973, as Ralph shuffled papers and sharpened pencils. Management kind of stuff. Never heard of Lemoore? Consider yourself fortunate! Nice walk around. I was in A-4F squadrons. Transitioning to the A-7E wasn't painful, but I preferred the A-4!
Hey screw anybody that says anything negative. You are the best so far! Your attention to detail is awesome! Just think years from now when they stop flying you have left a detailed tour including putting on the gear to show what it was like. I’m obviously older and all of us have seen this type of equipment. But just think years from now if it changes up the kids born tomorrow will have a historical reference. So many planes from wwii I wish cameras existed at the level we have today to have detailed tours like you provided for the future. I only wish we had this type of documentation from our wwii planes. I love the passion you have!
An old saying about the A-4. You don't get in it, you strap it on.
Add 2 fuselage plugs fore and aft , new nosecones and hawk tailplane assembly , conformal fuel packs , 3 barrel 30mm centerline cannon , lightweight single screen avionics pack , F404 Engine , enlarged modified wing ...and you end up with a real hotrod ..🤗🔥
The bf109 has auto slats just like those on the Skyhawk, interesting!
US aerospace technology is both directly influenced by the German scientists brought over after the war and indirectly by influential engineers like Ludwig Prandtl. His work influenced all aircraft in existence. All aircraft at least partially trace their roots in some way back to Germany.
That was one of the best reviews ever.
Ask the English soldiers how the A4 works. Especially to the crews of the HMS Antelope, HMS Conventry, HMS Broadsword, HMS Ardent, HMS Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram...
cof , cof santa fe cof ,cof belgrano cof cof isla de los santos aaaandd.... taaran 19 a4 skyhawks hahahaha flaklands
@@peruanohermosoysabrosong8596 aviones casi obsoletos de U$S 50 mil contra navíos de guerra de U$S 50 millones te parece poco? Estás tosiendo porque tenés lechita en la garganta?
I was an AT2 plane captain in VA-209 Blackhawks and this very A4L (BuNo 149851) was assigned to our squadron at NAS Glenview in the early 1970s. We supported the Naval Air Reserve Air Barons tactical flight demonstration team. My hands have been all over this plane, but it looked nothing like it does now. I cannot remember whether or not it ever performed as one of the seven planes we took to the 17 or so air shows in 1971, as a backup to the Blue Angels. We were only seven ground crew members in a C118, compared to the Blues requiring a ground crew of 85 and a C130 in support of the F4J Phantom. Speaks volumes about thr I have provided photos to the Skyhawk Organization.
oops...speaks volumes to the low maintenance and operating costs of the A4 compared to the F4, so much so that the Blues soon switched to A4s. I only wish that I could have gone for a ride in a two seater. Now that I am 70 years old, this bucket list item probably will never get checked off.
Oops, I meant BuNo 148581.
After Aviation Electrician's Mate A School in Jacksonville, FL in 1971 (it was there until 1975), I was stationed at NAS Lemoore, CA with VA-127 shore duty with A-4F, TA-4F and TA-4J Skyhawks. Then it was VA-164 for sea duty aboard CV-19 (USS Hancock) for the final deployment of Hannah. VA-164 had a TA-4F that was used when earlier laser guided bombs were used. The single seater dropped the bomb and the T-bird designated Ironhand guided it to its target. Once we returned stateside, CV-19 and Airwing 21 decommissioned. Our birds went to the Marines, as they didn't want anything to do with the A-7 Corsair II. Neither did I, but I ended up in an A-7E squadron. C'esspool la vie.
Dave Kisor Hey there, Dave. I was also at that school in late 1971 thru early '72. I wonder if we might have seen each other or possibly even been in class together. After 'A' school, I was sent to N.A.S., Alameda, Cal. to school to learn some about the aircraft that I would be working on when I got to my squadron, which was VAQ-33 at N.A.S. Norfolk, Va. In our squadron, we had 4- A-4's, 4- ERA-3B Skywarriors, 2- F-4's, and 1 beautiful old Super Constellation. We were an ECM outfit and all of our planes had all kinds of ECM gear in them. I decided to stay out on the Line and became a Plane Captain for the A-3's. But I spent a lot of time helping the A-4 Plane Captains with their A-4's, and man, did those things leak hydraulic fluid...they were a real mess to maintain...!!
Dave,My father retired in Lemoore in 75. He worked on the Skyhawk when he was young, and then went to the OV-10 in Vietnam. In Lemoore he was a CPO that worked on the A-6 . I remember seeing a Skyhawk when we would pull into our housing. I remember going to a small store that was called the JET MART! Do you remember that store? Oh, my father was a AMSC. His name is Ronald Regan!
Hello, Dave. I'm wondering if we actually might have known or met each other. I was in the Navy from '72 to '76. I was an AT and was stationed with VA-212 at NAS Lemoore. Initially, I was temporarily attached to VA-127 for some training on the ARN-52 TACAN and APX-64 IFF Transponder before joining up with my squadron, which was already deployed on a West Pac cruise aboard the Hancock. I made two West Pac deployments on the Hancock before she was decommissioned. On both deployments I was the Avionics Troubleshooter for my squadron, so I was working up on the Flight Deck during flight ops. YAHOO!. VA-212 was decommissioned not long after returning stateside, and I spent the last 8 or 9 months of my service time in an squadron of A-7s, (VA-155??? I don't remember which squadron). GOOD TIMES! Hope all is well with you, and thanks for the memories! jb
Great walround first time i can see what argentinian pilot saw in malvinas war, just amazing how a simple aircraft could do so much
Those argentine pilots were very brave, and very skilled. Shameful waste.
The A4 did practically nothing in the Falklands war bar get shot down, they were sitting ducks.
@@georgebarnes8163 RFA Sir Galahad, RFA Sir Tristram, HMS Fearless, HMS Antelope, HMS Ardent, HMS Coventry
sir i am a great fan of the a4 so called the scooter i am not so lucky to fly such a beauty i am only a ga 172 skyhawk jockey but at least the name is the same but def not the roll climb or accelleration rate in any way lol....but i fly the scoote on dcs (digital combat simulator) the only disturbing thin is that it has no searable frontwheel and most of the time it gets to a wild zigzaggin becaus to less or to much brake applies to one side and i was yet not able after 450hr of sim practice to air refule the roll rate along the longitudal axis is so sensitive and it ended all the time in pio...so to see tow real the cockpit layout in dcs is i could not figure out how tiny the cockpit is...thanks for that geat introductio best regards a fellow amateur pilot from germany
Although they were shot down big time by the British in the Falklands/Malvinas war these planes still bombed the hell out of their ships.
Scooters forever! Fighter pilots make movies, Attack Aviators make history!
LOL!
The best doc ever seen! No music also very important! Thank you!!!!!!!
This was great. I always love it when SME Pilots are able to talk and walk around their aircraft. Incredibly informative and interesting.
19:08 I've never flown a real A4 but In DCS I was pretty shocked how fast it rolls.
thanks for the great video, and thanks to Mr. Starch for taking the time to show us the aircraft that he clearly enjoys flying! I spent a tour in the Corps working on TA-4s and A-4Ms and have a great affection for these aircraft. I'm also a member of the Skyhawk Association, so it was fun to see Mr. Starch point out his patch. :-)
I wanted to join the Royal Australian Navy in 1978 as a 15 year-old. We had one active (little) Aircraft Carrier at the time and the main strike aircraft was this. The carrier also carried Grumman Trackers (amazing given their size and the tiny flight deck) as well as helicopters.
can't love any more those scooters. greetz from Argentina
Juan aa
I remember shooting at these in the Falklands 82 . No match for our harriers.
@@stephenhowes7542 well they arent really meant for air to air combat. They are ground attack aircraft after all.
@@janko7245 Invalid argument, they are great for Air to Air, hence why TopGun used em for so long. Their problem at the Falklands was lack of fuel.. not flying ability.
@@stephenhowes7542 To bad 800 didn't manage to pick em off on ingress like 801 did...
Lost a couple of ships that way. Sure 800 got more kills shooting on egress, but 801 had the better mission result.
Looooove the Scooter. Thumbs up. They should be building new ones.
The Navy A-4 served the same job as an A-10 before there was an A-10. It saved many marines on the ground.
Lots of good stuff, but some incorrect info also, like the number of loading stations on the Lima. All Limas are modified Charlies, adding a number of things, like the distinctive avionics hump, ground spoilers, upgraded J-65 engine, a CP-841 bombing computer and such, but no Charlie or Lima ever had 5 stations. The Echo model was the first A-4 with 5 stations, none converted to Limas. 200 Charlies were modified to create the Lima model for the Navy/Marine Reserves.
The red nose strut brace is not a tiedown point at all. It's only needed to prevent the strut from bottoming out during long term storage and I never saw it used at the squadron level.
The 15 knot crosswind limit applies to the A-4A/B /C/E models, but all later models, including the Lima, were good to 25kts due to the addition of ground spoilers and dual disk brakes.
The pressure placard on the nose gear door is for shipboard and land based tire pressure and does not apply to strut pressure. Upon leaving the ship to return to land based operations, caution is needed during runway braking, as the high pressure in the tires can cause tire failure during braking. Strut pressure is not changed between ship and runway ops.
That said, thanks for showing us the jet.
Dave Dollarhide A-4B/A-4C/A-4E/A-4L
Dave Dollarhide I was just waiting to see a keyboard pilot in the comments. This guy flys the plane. I’m sure he knows what he’s on about unlike someone pretending he’s a fighter pilot.
Jake D RUclips and the internet is full of people like Dave who will watch a video where professionals are explaining how to do something or what they do for a living just to have people write in the comments say what the said or did is wrong. 9/10 says Dave never actually flew or maintained the A-4.
@@RupertAH ruclips.net/video/yFNZW6PKYi8/видео.html
Hopefully this clears things up...
I think it was the CP-741 bombing system. Loft, toss and over the shoulder for nuclear weapons delivery.
The radome on the TA-4 has the stencil NOYFB. I guess it's not my business.
Thanks... we flew A4 Skyhawks with our RNZAF... thanks from New Zealand 👍🇳🇿
In 1998 he Kiwi Skyhawk pilots at one of RNAF bases sees a buddy of mine standing outside the fence. They asked him what he was up to and he explained he was a recently retired US Marine A-4 pilot. They took him on base, gave him a tour, put him in a bird and also give him Sim time. Exactly what he did for a 14 year kid 4 years earlier. Play it forward and A4s Forever!
Pregunten a los británicos como los argentinos hundían sus barcos con los A4 Skyhawk en la guerra de Malvinas año 1982.
Another good one Erik!
A-4's Forever!
Great informative detail. Thumbs up!
A4 Skyhawk qualifies as one of the best warplanes of all time because it achieved everything is was designed to do and achieved much more! Designed to be small, low cost, simple and efficient. It served with distinction for many decades. To my mind, the pinnacle of it's development came when Israel improved upon the USMC version.
I was an AME in the Navy, RAG squadron, RVAH-3. We had two TA4J's, TA3D's, and RA5C's. These were the easiest to work on. Ha!
Excellent bird ; saludos cordiales desde Argentina 🇦🇷☠️
Straight out of HS I joined the Navy. Boot, AE "A" school and then to Miramar, Ca. when it was still a Navy base. My first command, Navy Fighter Weapons School. I was a PC on the A4 for over a year before getting orders to AC school. Loved working on this jet. This walk around brings back many memories. Worked on several jets but this was and always will be my favorite.
I just really appreciate all these people that take this 1-2-3 hours of their time to explain all this stuff and work around with the camera and such. (cameraman included :) )
Beautifully restored examples. Great to see them still flying. Miss the crackle we once heard in NZ sky’s before a labour govt. removed our strike force altogether! What remains is now at least in the air with Draken international in USA. Cheers👍🇳🇿
The Poms have a few spare tornados
Yeah was a shame when they let Labour in
I've had the misfortune to be attacked by Argentinian A4's on West Falkland and fought alongside Kuwaiti A4's in 1991 Gulf War. I also remember 1991 the NZ AC130 crews spraying their Kiwi stencil on everything stationary on every airfield they visited. Much to the annoyance of the muslims.
Rumour was that the NZ SAS did it because despite the KIWI symbol being literally everywhere, nobody was ever seen doing them.
@@warrenholmar1129 they're still dumb enough to still have labor in power.... . Plus the horse faced socialist will probably win again!!
@@damolux3388 Actually, for 9 years... From 2008 to 2017 we had a centre right National Party led Govt, following the Labour govt who scrapped the air strike wing. And Labour only got to lead the govt at the last election (2017). Because NZ First, a party that won just under 8% of the vote formed a coalition with them - after the election. - At the election itself. Labour polled 2nd behind National, who polled first. So the 3rd place getter NZ First, backed the 2nd pacegetter Labour. That's how Labour got to govern again. And in answer to a previous comment. No - not all the NZ Skyhawks were ex Australian Navy. The original ones were bought new in 1970. The Australian Navy aircraft were bought 2nd hand, in the mid 80s. - After Australia scrapped its only aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. And they were older models than the NZ ones. So it was Australia who put them on the market. NZ decided - OK we'll buy them. Then millions were spent upgrading and modernising both them and the original ones. And that work was done in New Zealand.
IMPRESSIVE. So many of these walk around videos are 10-15 minutes and really nothing that you did't already know. This on the other hand was in-depth, well conveyed and deep. I really appreciated this and subscribed at the hit. Keep em coming!
Diggin the hot paint jobs on these Scooters
What a wonderful detailed walk around and description of these beautiful aircraft. Thanks !
These little hawks had a formidable performance in the war of the Falklands, in the early 80s, sinking several ships of the Royal Navy
Luis ER Luis ER with due respect remember to refer our argentine south Atlantic islands as Malvinas please.
@@astircalix4126 do one!
British harrier jets were slower but had more fire power, resulting in the Argentine army surrendering,thus Britain keeping its sovereign Falkland Islands.
@@astircalix4126 It's the Falklands islands, they do have a British flag flying over them.
Tim Lawrence
where are you from Tim ? I Don't think you would be happy if the Mexican stole California from USA.... would you?
My Dad was E.O. VMFA-121 that carrier qualifications of the A-4 and all weapons delivery. Deployed 13 months. When came back to El Toro promoted and shipped to the Commandant's Company C.
with the term "LOX" it is liquid Oxygen, what the space shuttle uses!!- you can get 3 forms of gas at BOC, or other sources: LOX, the BIG (wide but short) bottles on wheels, Laboratory's use these (liquid Nitrogen) for experiments; Normal 'gas' bottles, a liquid under pressure, aka oxy/acetylene welding bottles ( at 200 Bar pressure); the last is akin to a compressed air tank for air compressors (rattle guns or paint spray gun users use these), aka LOW pressure gas, just blown into the bottle, NOT stored as a liquid, expanding into a gas on exiting the control valve.
Thanks a lot for the video. There is a flight sim called DCS and it has a free, community made, A-4E-C model. So I was going through video tutorials for that game when your video popped up.
It was exciting to see a real representative of my game plane. But I was like "yeah, those are the weapon switches, just bombed a truck convoy using those, ripple single 120ms" and "what do you mean afcs doesn't work well? works for me!". What surprised me was how small is the cockpit actually is. What is the longest time you had to be in one?
If have visitors coming up to look at the planes, they might appreciate a sim flight in one. Cheers!
Fantastic video! Thanks so much! I always dreamt of flying an A-4.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Argentina en Malvinas 1982 le dio vida a este avión lo hizo lusir le saco todo su potencial bueno lo que pudo al tener todo insoportablemente obsoleto así y todo sus pilotos argentinos volaron pilotaron este súper avión que para mí es el mejor y que le dio una paliza a la flota inglesa que era superior en tecnología!
Great walkround! That was the best 59min i just had in front of the laptop, since a long time!
Thanks both the pilot and the camera operator for makeing this outstanding video!
More videos from inside cockpit in flight, from the walkround to the landing would be even greater!!!
In my opinion, whatever is decided for the fate of the A-10, I think the A-4's should be updated and either reproduced, or at least brought back into service to replace the A-10 if needed. One of the most cost effective fighters ever, if not the most.
Bravo ! My favorite aircraft ! I was an A&P in the early 80's and flew a T-34 with another pilot from the Civil Air Patrol behind the Blue Angels' A-4's in a couple of shows prior to their switch to the 18's. Many thanks, Erik, and Commander.Starch. May all pilots, and future pilots, be inspired by this great presentation. Long live the A-4 !
Ask the brits what they think about a-4's.... Remember that little 1982 incident? Surely the RN remembers it
Malvinas
You got fucked up Argentina, don't cry for them😂
Considering we only had a couple of dozon Harriers and no RAF fighter protection we showed Argentina up. Losing a war a few hundred miles from your coast against an opponent 8000miles from its own territory without its main airpower for protection. Pretty pathetic really.
@@danfitz5463 well said, great little plane the harrier😀
@@danfitz5463
Read your own people´s books about the Malvinas conflict, for instance " No Picnic" Julian Thompson.
If you google it , you´ll find them.
👈 If I don't change it.. This one is in Paso Robles California at the Air & Space Museum.
(March 14, 1908 - November 26, 1991) was a noted military aircraft designer for the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Excellent, but I have a discrepancy. In 46:03 the Shirike missile does not have the body of the Sidewinder but of the Sparrow. Greetings from Argentina (the last place where those birds fly)
Fantastic! I'm getting ready to learn a PC simulator version of the A-4 and this was really helpful!
which version? I may be able to give you a hand.
@@FlightSimHistorian There's a community made A4 module for DCS World :) It's really good!
ruclips.net/video/GPdqFUi_yt8/видео.html
@@FlightSimHistorian Thank you friend: DCS and P3D...
@@Senor0Droolcup I use both the Community A-4E for DCS and the Virtavia A-4E/F for FSX/P3D.
@Dmitri Kozlowsky A lot of that is also shortcomings of DCS in general. Are you referring to the game or the module specifically? I'm usually flying the F14, Harrier or JF17.
I operated a Tilly bar on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal CVA 59 that damn bird almost killed me several times cause it wasn’t equipped with front nose wheel steering. Always loved her looks, what do they say if Looks could kill.....
great video, but that comment at 42:50 is a good one, as "electrical engineers look for electronic problems", SAME issue in the "andromeda strain" movie, when the tech was diagnosing the fax machine, and there was a paper on the bell's striker; mechanics and everyone NEED to go back to basic principles, of how it works, and diagnose logically.
in this day of electronics, everyone looks for these problems first, assuming the mechanical reliability of the system, even if it is NOT the cause of the trouble!!
Eric, thanks for filming this very well done.
Ironically in most of the wars we fight now the A-1 Skyraider would still be quite useful.
You are right sir. Google Embraer Super Tucano attack aircraft. A turbo prop very useful for training and multirole aircraft used by Brazil, Phillipines, Nigeria and Colombia in jungle warfare, as illegal air traffic interception and ground attack.
@@eduardolandi6355 Rumors have been around for a few years that U.S. special forces use them too.
Man I'd give my left nut to ride in a jet always wanted to fly my fave was the f15 but all jets are awesome. I have a A4 1/48 model that I am gonna do in that black and white paint.
We need this plane in DCS World. You have all the access to the information they need to get a high fidelity A-4 module out. Some people already made a very good A-4 mod for this sim. But a official module would be so much better.
I wonder if a pilot can pull a bunch of Gs and rip off that long ass refueling probe? Lol like....pull 9 Gs? 9.5Gs? Can a A4 do that? If so, could it rip off that probe? Lol
Immediately you can tell that this man loves his airplane. Great ¡¡¡¡ Greetings from Mexico City.
This guy is 100% ALERT ,FANTASTIC video.💪👌🇺🇸
I really enjoy watch this video tour. Very simple to understand in terms of ordinary persons not aviator. My country Indonesia also operates A4, thats why you make great filling proximity.
As I understand, the off set refuel tube was an improvement by the RNZAF as when it was straight, when separating from the bag, the excess fuel would be sucked into the engine intake and cause a slight fuel explosion within the jet
Outstanding! From 1966 to 1970, I flew all existing models of the beloved Scooter, first in VA-125 (the A-4 RAG at NAS Lemoore), then with the Black Diamonds of VA-216, also based in Lemoore. We flew A-4Bs aboard the USS Saratoga in the Med in 1967 (just in time for the Six-Day War), then A-4Cs for a Vietnam tour aboard the USS Coral Sea in WestPac in 1968-69. This video brought it all back. Bravo Zulu!
Every time I see these A4 Skyhawk I flash back to them doing attack runs on the RN in the Falklands ! They had some balls ! I would like to ask him about the Argy A4s fueled and loaded on their carrier unable to launch their attack on the Brits because of the lack of wind over the deck made them too heavy to launch . If they had been able to launch the war would have been much different this video is about that ruclips.net/video/EvvLxC1rvrQ/видео.html
I constantly see an A-4 fly around Germany on Flightradar24 and it's from topaces if I'm correct
Who supports the ejection seats? I know Martin-Baker is the manufacture of most of them from what I saw on a few other videos they do not support civilian owned jets.
I had to climb up in the intake of those a4s to check the csd and generator while the engine was running at 30 percent ( windmilling) . And look for leaks and fod.
Great video. I've been a fan of the A-4 Skyhawk since I was 8 years old.
This is the first time that I've seen a detailed tour of the flight controls.
And my god, there is a lot going on in that cockpit.
im a flight simmer,i can tell you how to start up and use most weapon systems on the A-4 (its relatively simple compared to more modern jets)
landing on the cable isn't what you might think you gotta hit it full accelerator coz if you miss it you can exit the ships deck safely. tmyk
The best aircraft ever... the A-4
Here in Argentine still operate it, I have the opportunity to visit the V Air Brigade to take thousands of photos... I hope visit ir in the near future...
@@MegaRtty @Jim Anthony WOWWW..!! I love the A-4's In argentina we operate almost 110 A-4, not counting the Navy ones (16 more aircrafts)
Can you tell me any experience during the works on the Argentine aircraft airframes? My email is A4AR@yahoo.com
Thanks..!!
45:50 - I'm no expert. However, a long time ago, I read that the AGM-45 Shrike was based off of the larger AIM-7 Sparrow, not the smaller AIM-9 Sidewinder.
You're right there :)
With modern UAV.s bigger than this, maybe airforces can convert these to UAV.s and save some money
Like 15 years ago those planes were my countries (New Zealand) airforce
They still are in mine, Argentina....well...when they fly. :(
I’m sure PRC Navy will help you out in a pinch-no worries
Sure do enjoy your videos...thank you : )
Great walkaround. What they should be. Look forward to one from a crew chief. Keep up the good work.
I didn't realize there were any a4 scooters still flying love those jets when I was stationed on the Oriskany was a7 and f8 jets 74 76
I think even I could probably run a full maintenance check and taxi out to run way in the a4 after watching this! Lol
Fantastic clip
Im learning the a4 in vr in dcs
Regards
Dave from Scotland
The A-4 roll rate. How can a human snap the stick into full roll deflection and have your brain keep up?