Neat A-6 footage...

[OUSOONER]

I stumbled across this and thought it was cool enough to share.

Not all that action packed but definitely not the typical "stock" Vietnam-era footage I'm used to seeing...and of course the A-6 is my favorite USN aircraft of the war.

Oh yeah, and disregard the theme music...(perhaps some Jimi Hendrix would have been a better fit? )

 

[MasterBates]

That 27C deck offset looks weird for lack of a better term.

 

[A4sForever]

That 27C deck offset looks weird for lack of a better term.

It should look "weird", as that ain't no 27C, bud ... there's birds parked to the left of the landing area (big deck) AND VIGI's and UGLY's never cruised on 27C's AND there's a "64" on the side of the island (another clue that it's a "big" deck ) .... but:

VA-65 "World Famous Fighting Tigers"

Some basic, great ol' footage -- thanks Boomer Sooner -- it looks like VA-65 "World Famous Fighting Tigers" home ported at Apollo Soucek Field (anyone .. ??? anyone ... ???) @ 1966 on their first VN combat cruise according to the end credit(s) ... and some observations/thoughts:


1. At @ 1:18 you see the CUBI Fleet Ramp looking south panning from west to east ...

2. At @ 2:10 you see VA-65's "old school" A-6's w/ the original black radome and the black/blacked out fuselage board panels ...

3. At @ 2:20 you see WW2/Korea vintage "fat boy" bombs ... probably 1000# or 2000# as they are BIG and only one per pylon w/ no MERS installed -- and probably are left over war stores from inventory that appeared on wings early in the Vietnam "police action" ... not like the more streamlined Mk-80 series that followed on later ...

4. At @ 2:45 on you see some of the Fox-4 MiGCAP (escort)/Flak Suppressors up close & personal ... they'll move out and up (MiGCAP) and ahead (Flak Suppressors) as the strike package goes feet dry and/or closer to the target ...

5. At @ 3:15 you see one group of bombs impacting near one of the rail lines SW of the Thanh Hoa Bridge .... Thanh Hoa -- a VERY bad customer -- and one that took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears until the 1972-ish LGB's dropped it -- permanent. Wish they'd been invented 100 years earlier ...

6. At @ 3:30 you see "Winchester, switches off, guns safe" -- A-6 version ...

7. At @ 3:37 you see the first "ain't it GREAT to be alive ... !!!" reactions ...

8. At @ 4:02 you see a LOT of smoke in the groove ... "where's that damn ball ... where in the fuck is lineup??" Lineup ... LINEUP !!!

9. At @ 4:03-4:27 you see a horse-shit pass w/ a gross DLAR landing as a result of #8 (above) ...

10. At @ 4:30-4: 40 you might even get a view of a VIG w/ her vertical stab folded ... a rare sight, if true ...

But then ... you clear Maint. Control ... debrief w/ the spies in IOIC ... get your pass from the LSO in the R/R ... and repair to your stateroom w/ some Amigos to let your sweaty hair down, have a cigarette, some Scotch, and trade some lies ...

Wherein EVERYONE can agree: it's REALLY GREAT to be alive.

 

[scoolbubba]

I always feel like I got the shaft from never having the chance to fly the Skyraider, A-6, or Scooter. This does not translate into wishing I flew them over Vietnam, but i'm damn glad for those guys who did.

 

[Mumbles]

I'm pretty sure I saw a "Saints" A4 at the end of the vid....great one BTW Sooner.

 

[Junkball]

I feel the same about prematurely retiring all these classics of NA. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that President McCain will bring all the scooters out of retirement!

 

[Junkball]

Interface

3. At @ 2:20 you see WW2/Korea vintage "fat boy" bombs ... probably 1000# or 2000# as they are BIG and only one per pylon -- no MERS -- and probably left over war stores that appeared on wings early in the Vietnam "police action" ... not like the more streamlined Mk-80 series that followed on later ...

Were the avionics/attack computer designed to work with the fat boys?

 

[A4sForever]

Were the avionics/attack computer designed to work with the fat boys?

I "think" they were -- don't really remember if WW2/Korean ordnance was maintained in the DIANE system as I carried "slicks & snakes" of the Mk-80 series -- but there were dozens of available and selectable ordnance permutations in the attack system -- everything from bombs to rockets to missiles to mines to gun pods, so I suppose it WAS if the stuff was still in the inventory.

But as this was depicted as a visual roll-in and dive delivery ... all you need is a mil setting appropriate for the planned dive angle, release speed, and ordnance (readily available) and you're good-to-go in this instance.

Pickle ... PAUSE ... PULL !!!!