Refueling Basket (current) dimensions???

[A4sForever]

I always thought that the A-3 looked massively underpowered for it's size and weight. Any truth to that thought from your time in the seat?

It was underpowered ... on one occasion during my VQ-1 'LSO X-train checkout' ... I took off on RW25 @ CUBI ... hot ... not extraordinarily heavy ... and Grande Island just sat there ... and sat there ... and sat there in the windscreen ... "IT'S GETTING AWFUL BIG, ISN'T IT ??!!" I opined ... and then ... we found our 'wings' and up & away we went ...

And then again one time ... while following a VQ Whale from CUBI back to USS BOAT @ Yankee ... I had to almost pull max EGT just to keep up w/ her -- at altitude. She was 'fast' ..

Bottom line: a 'tough & fussy' bird down low and in the pattern ... but at altitude ... she was makin' bacon ...

 

[Flash]

And then again one time ... while following a VQ Whale from CUBI back to USS BOAT @ Yankee ... I had to almost pull max EGT just to keep up w/ her -- at altitude. She was 'fast' ..

Bottom line: a 'tough & fussy' bird down low and in the pattern ... but at altitude ... she was makin' bacon ...

That is what all of the old Whale guys said in in my first squadron, she could haul ass up high, once she got there. Kinda the opposite of the Prowler....... It was fast and easy to get from point A to point B, though that was all they really did, going back and forth, back and forth.......

 

[zipmartin]

Some more old pics from deep within the archives. First practice plugs in the A-7E (VA-174), TA-4J tanker (VA-45), February 1978.

Tanking during CAG-20 ACDUTRA, NAS Fallon, early 1987. VC-13 A-4E's, VAK-208 KA-3.

 

[rondebmar]

It was underpowered ...
Bottom line: a 'tough & fussy' bird down low and in the pattern ...

True dat!! We had a DET from "Heavy Nine", out of Sanford, aboard Sara on my first cruise...was a "nugget" just out of the RAG, early 1960's. As I recall, most of the "Whale" guys did not appreciate the bird...to the point that at least one of their pilots, possibly two, DOR'ed right on the spot after a tough night recovery...also had a Whale parked on the flight deck, forward of the island, for much of the cruise, awaiting off-load (by crane)...a/c had no nose gear, was resting on the forward fuselage...skin all wrinkled up on the star'd side...

On that cruise, during an ORI, I was invited to be an "observer" on an A3 for a "special weapons" delivery...a loft type maneuver, much like what we did with the A1 & A4...but the whale didn't get flat on her back...somewhat like 150*...halfway through, I concluded that I DID NOT like that event!!

Had a friend (qualified A3 crewman) a few years back...told me this story...he was out on one, (test hop)...they experienced a major engine problem...ordered to bail out...he did, over the LAX area...drifting down in the chute, watched the crew recover power, and fade into the distance. Joe landed in an elderly lady's back yard...made one required call to the local police, then settled back on the gal's patio for hot tea & cookies...when the local po-po arrived, began busting him for the bailout...they thought it was for sport!! The whale landed safely...

 

[ACowboyinTexas]

Couldn't resist a little KA-6D love. First plugs while in VA-42 somewhere over Nevada desert, scared to death and smilin' the whole time. You can just see the "fuzzbuster" mount in the second pic. Remember those?

 

[Dawgfan]

Various.

 

[Catmando]

A pod of whales.....

 

[brownshoe]

A pod of whales.....

Funny, we (east coast at, Cecil, 60's) never saw any of these planes operate, we knew they existed, we just never saw them. After all these years... I'm now wondering why we never saw them?

Steve

 

[BusyBee604]

The "Elephant"

The A-4s externally carried the 300 gl. D-704 refueling "Buddy" store. The store control panel had a unique switch labled "GUILLITINE". When the drogue & hose could not be retracted after a refueling event, upon return to base over a clear area, the guillitine switch would be activated...slicing the hose in the store, jettisoning hose /drogue.
Over the years, a number of inadvertent jettisons occurred, usually with a receiving A/C plugged in when the tanker pilot inadvertantly flipped the guillitine switch lnstead of the transfer switch. (If it CAN happen, eventually it WILL)

Most surprising to the receiver aircraft, as he has to go back and land with the drogue locked into his probe and some 30 feet of hose hanging down. This rare type of incident became known as the infamous "elephant landing" in A-4 circles!

Funny, we (east coast at, Cecil, 60's) never saw any of these planes operate, we knew they existed, we just never saw them. After all these years... I'm now wondering why we never saw them?

Steve

Blackshoe: We rarely saw Whales at Cecil (or Lemoore) because none were home-based there. The West Coast Whales were at Whidbey and only joined us for CarQuals or deployment. I am not sure where the East Coast A-3s were based.
BzB

 

[Catmando]

More A-3 Whale love. Gotta love Texaco!

 

[teabag53]

Not that it's the same basket but still nice...

A couple from a few years ago. Big Iron on the hose

 

[squeeze]

Getting gas in Harrier land... (random pics by yours truly)

huge pics available upon request

 

[rondebmar]

Blackshoe: We rarely saw Whales at Cecil (or Lemoore) because none were home-based there. The West Coast Whales were at Whidbey and only joined us for CarQuals or deployment. I am not sure where the East Coast A-3s were based.
BzB

BzB & Brownshoe..."Heavys" were at Sanford FL...just north of Orlando...USN gave it to the city many years ago...now a pretty popular commercial airport...read all about NAS Sanford here:

http://www.orlandosanfordairport.com/history.htm

 

[Citation3]

Thanks again...

citation - out of curiosity, how exactly are you going to put this together, and what are you modeling? Are you going to put each a/c on its own stand, or are you going to put one on a stand and make the hose support the other?

I ask because I tinkered with a KA-6 to A-6 "in the basket" model a few years ago and could never come up with something to use for the hose that would support the model's weight but not look grossly out of scale.

Thanks to all of you for the great images and stories.

The display is going to be just the Super Hornet. I'll be lucky enough to get that built alone. Adding a second tanking A/C would be nice but not too practical. The plan is to have the SH on a base mounted in flight with the fueling probe extended. The scratchbuilt basket will be attached to it with about 1-2" of hose extended. The foucs will really be the probe/basket connection. The image on the base will be the sky with some dotted clouds or over the desert. I'm unable to track down a clear enough image yet.

Anyway, here is the Hornet with the probe opening cut in an built. Making a bit of progress.

 

[scoolbubba]

Damn squeeze. I don't know anything about AAR or dissimilar form, but you could stay plugged into the basket, flying with the herc, and still had time to take a picture?!