A-37 Super Tweet - Cessna with a 3,000 Rounds per Minute Minigun - Vietnam War Legend

[@InvestmentJoy]

In person the a37 is crazy. It's about the size of a medium sized car with wings. The amount of firepower it carries is amazing.

[@geronimo5537]

its an awesome bird

[@dylanwachowski4395]

I knew you watched the same stuff as me lol

[@thomasridley8675]

Ya, i was at Bein Hoa AFB when they changed from the f100d to the a37b. That was earIy 1970. It could carry one hell of a load out. And was easy too maintain. At least as far as the avionics systems was concerned.

[@nichfeiock802]

May I introduce you to mini death. The only plane that improves your credit score & fear factor.

[@InvestmentJoy]

@@thomasridley8675 I really would not be surprised if we don't see a re-creation of this very very soon. My dad knew a ton of Vietnam pilots who were flying around in either Huey's or cobras that could fire a 2.75" rocket into enemy spider holes very effectively. Of course these guys were top-of-the-line Pilots. With modern technology anybody that can fly and pulled the trigger can have that same kind of effect. Imagine a super tweet flying around the battlefield with about a hundred of those babies on it

[@richardroddenberry2079]

I am an Air Force retired Vet. A good friend piloted Super tweet in Vietnam. He went down & went MISSING - for ever. I faced his 4 kids afterwards, they missed there dad terribly. Jack Held's name is on the Vietnam Wall.

[@Alvan81]

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them."

[@aaaeee2862]

I heard none of them were shot down. Was it mechanical failure?

[@mrnickbig1]

It was called a Dragonfly, not super Tweet. And, it took balls to fly a Cessna trainer into combat!

[@donarthiazi2443]

​@@mrnickbig1 It was called both

[@jcheck6]

Rich I had a friend shot down as well in the A-37 in th late '60's or early '70's. He went on to be the commander of the A-10 FWS. I flew the Super Tweet '82-'85 at DM.

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

So essentially, this cute little plane is one of the A-10's parents.

[@xxxoregonxxx8276]

Yes

[@bruhdo3892]

Yes

[@dkfanboi0993]

Yes

[@mknewlan67]

Maybe 😁

[@donscheid97]

Unit I was in converted from A-37 to A-10.

[@dienekesn9312]

this guy sounds like his house is about to blow up and he needs to bring this video up ASAP.

[@MadMiff]

He only has five minutes to narrate because they are coming to get him for all the bad things he keeps doing.

[@Tencargo]

Lay off the coffee. The rapid fire monologue become distracting

[@paracellgaming2665]

He just speaks to fast

[@jesperohlrich7090]

i usually put him on x.75 speed so he sounds normal, but i like his content so i keep coming back :)

[@DavidVerbout]

@@paracellgaming2665 He does not speak too fast. He speaks as fast as most of us read. I love it.

[@charlesmak534]

Super Tweet has to be one of the best nicknames in military aircraft history.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

Haha... exactly. Someone at Cessna had a great sense of humor, lol.

[@TN-jb4jk]

Hush! The US could sue Twitter for stealing the word Tweet 😂

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

Good nickname, but I always thought "Flying Volkswagons" was better. (16" rounds weighed about what a Volkswagon Beetle did). Not as subtle as the small stuff from aircraft though - one broadside tended to destroy entire villages.

[@AndresMUy-vd2fy]

*Dragonfly

[@jerrylitzza8842]

You missed that all of the Tweeties were grounded in 1967 because of wing spar cracks. The wingtip fuel tanks and consistent bomb overloading coupled with the slight flex and flap of the wings damaged them all. Leaving a large part of them grounded during Tet that year. I was at Bien Hoa at that time.

[@davidbradley3227]

Thank you for your service 👍🏽 best wishes from Australia

[@allanzentz9302]

At Bien Hoa in 72 we had a A37 loaded and ready to go took a direct hit during a rocket attack one flew in thru the back of the back of the revetment i think they would be a fun plane to fly

[@ponyxpress3]

My pop was at Bien Hoa at the same time during Tet. Served 2 tours, and said that even with the enemy breaching perimeter, wasn’t allowed to have m16, MP said his weapons were on the runway. He worked on F4, F111, T-37, T-38, U2s. Thanks for your service and welcome home!

[@russellbritain4861]

The same fate befell the BAC Strikemaster although that did enjoy a longer period of service

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

My father was on the ground during Tet. He wasn’t a pilot though lol. He worked with dogs, trained them to do all sorts of work with the men. He taught several Boxers and Rottweilers (both have short hair) to go into the hidy holes instead of sending a tunnel rat with a 1911 and a flashlight. Both of those breeds don’t have to turn their head to bite because of their flat snout. And dogs don’t really need light to make their way around, they use hearing and smell. He had a bunch of pictures on the wall in the den when I was growing up of the dogs. If you can imagine a big Rottweiler wearing a chest plate, an extra wide thick collar to protect his throat, and kind of a leather shirt you get the idea lol Now imagine you’re 120 lb little Vietnamese guy crouching down in the dark when you suddenly hear a low rumbling sound in the dark. So you decide to use a little flashlight to see what it is, what you see is about a foot from your face and all teeth attached to 140 lb dog wearing basically leather armor. And his only mission in life is to either shred your throat or rip your face off. Wow, sorry for the long comment, its been ten years this week since my dad passed. He knew he was sick because of agent orange but the VA doctors wouldn’t put it in writing in his medical file, bastards. Anyway, I guess I was just missing him. Again sorry guys. Cheers mates

[@axvarela]

In 1989 I saw it from my house dropping bombs and machine-gunning the guerrilla in San Salvador. Watching it spinning and twisting before bombing was amazing and terrifying at the same time.

[@phoenix_radio]

Scary but fascinating, thanks for sharing

[@BeardedFrog]

I'm sure that was a scary and terrible time to live in but just picturing chilling outside your house, drinking a beer, and watching this little plane acrobatically bomb stuff in the distance sounds pretty cool.

[@jamesu223]

@@ethand3577 yes you seen this also during all conflicts with communist involvement look at the drug trade through Vietnam war , and look at the power house of china manufacturing fentanyl and distribution of it through the world.

[@peekaboopeekaboo1165]

@@jamesu223 Fake news and False flag Ops mastermind by US Gov-Mil.

[@manny6113]

Amigo. I also remember the same thing. I think it might have been around Verapaz near the San Vicente volcano. Will never forget. Saludos paisano.

[@jamesharrison6201]

I'm a Cessna kid. Dad worked for 20 yrs. 37 was the only jet in AF inventory that you could practically step into, no ladder or escalator needed. Birddog was a sweet flying machine too.

[@mbmann3892]

I notice. It’s so sleek. Low, long , with wide wings . It’s a great looking aircraft. Like a corvette

[@Decybello]

@@mbmann3892 corvette isn't really a great looking aicraft... but it's made out of plastic - like most other Cessna models, so fair enough

[@LuvBorderCollies]

I remember the first time I saw an A-37. Wasn't sure if it was a joke, or some prototype or some homebuilder with money designed a baby jet. lol Later on i found out a brother of a buddy had piloted one. He said it was a sweet aircraft, far more capable than its size would lead you to believe.

[@thomasridley8675]

I only remember one teething problem they had not long after they arrived. There was a problem with the lighting system for the instrument panel. It restricted some aircraft to day missions only. But they apparently got that fixed finally. Hint: always keep both lighting systems completely independent. 🙄

[@museves]

A37 is like saying keeping it classy

[@williammoeglin6191]

I served in the USAF and was stationed at Bien Hoa AB, SVN during 1969-70 as a weapons specialist working on the weapons systems of F100s and A-37Bs. I had never even heard of the A-37B until I arrived for duty at Bien Hoa. It was a great "bird" for close air support and routine bombing missions, as well. It was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory that started out as a trainer and ended up being an attack aircraft. It was normally the other way around. The A-37B could carry it's empty weight in weapons and since it was not supersonic, it could stay on target for longer periods of time in support of troops in contact. In addition to the Mini-gun in the nose, the normal weapons load was either four Mk 82 500 lb. bombs, or four Napalm bombs, or sometimes two Mk 82s and two Napalm bombs, plus the external fuel tanks and wing tip-tanks for fuel, as well. It was a great, al-be-it small attack aircraft. I was at Bien Hoa when the Army invaded Cambodia om May1, 1970. We flew 80% of all air cover for that operation out of Bien Hoa. The F-100s and A-37s were flying multiple missions daily, as well as regular bombing runs and regular calls for Tac Air flights. Have memories of a couple of A-37s coming back with leaves in the intake screens from missions in Cambodia! What a great "bird" and nobody has ever heard of them.

[@hrdley911]

Thanks for the insight, and also for your service.

[@ivanthomas8250]

This is my first time hearing about them!

[@williammoeglin6191]

I'm glad you enjoyed my comments on the A-37B. It is a shame that it never got the recognition it truly deserved. The old A-1 Skyraider and the A-37B were hands down the best Close Air Support aircraft of the Vietnam War. Both were well armed, especially the A-1, both could get down to very low altitudes to support ground troops and both had the ability to make pass after pass with their weapons before running low on fuel and having to leave the fight. That is a key element in Close Air Support. The longer they stay on the scene, the better the chances of survival are for the "grunts."

[@barbaradavis393]

Thanks for the kind words. I worked at Cessna in that time period and all we (grunts) ever heard was that the Vietnamese wanted was the Skyraiders back. We were all proud that our airplane was serving.

[@manny6113]

This Is one of my favorite aircrafts. I was fascinated by it every time I saw them flying over our house during civil war in El Salvador. This was the very first fighter jet I ever saw and will never forget about it. I still remember clearly this one time they were attacking the guerrilla in a rural town not too far from my house. I think the town might have been Verapaz near by the San Vicente volcano. My brother and I climb a mango tree just to see everything. The battle lasted for a few hours and we could hear the machine guns and bombs going off. Will never forget that moment.

[@nickp97]

Cessnas are the unsung heroes of combat and reconnaissance.

[@briancooper2112]

@@soonerfrac4611 Thank Liberals

[@assassin_rk42]

@@briancooper2112 The way we procure stuff is pretty stupid tbh.

[@mewantkrinkov4206]

Antonov an2 the eternal bi-plane is best plane.

[@NutjobGTO]

And the Toyota Hilux is the world's most effective weapons platform

[@martinyt4465]

We still run the A-37 Dragonfly on Uruguay

[@pclayton5063]

As a FAC radio operator in Vietnam in 1970 I always liked to acquire A1's and A37's as their hang around time greatly exceeded the F-100's and F4's time on station.

[@davecrupel2817]

Can definitely understand that. Thanks for your service! How did they acquire targets once they got on-scene? Did they use laser targeting (if that was available yet)? Grid-based callouts from you guys?

[@pclayton5063]

@@davecrupel2817 No laser targeting back then. I would order up air from the III DASC (Direct Air Support Center) and usually just got what was available. The airborne FAC would be in contact with the ground forces and they would identify and mark the targets for the air support.

[@assassin_rk42]

@@pclayton5063 I thought we had laser targeting because we used Laser Guided Bombs in Vietnam.

[@NefariousKoel]

@@assassin_rk42 - The guided bombs and missiles in Vietnam were TV/Optical guided IIRC. Like the Walleye and early Maverick. Not used in large numbers compared to dumb bombs however, being rather new technology.

[@pclayton5063]

@@assassin_rk42 My experience was all conventional (dumb) munitions. It was all up to the deliverer to hit the target.

[@safarisloth]

My grandfather flew the A-37 in Vietnam, providing CAS to ground troops and special forces. Colonel Edsel "Coupe" De Ville left behind a memoir with his most memorable missions during his two tours. Great video! :)

[@seanwilkinson8696]

Seriously, Edsel "Coupe" DeVille is way up there on the list of most badass names, and it sounds like he did a most kickass job in flying the A-37.

[@safarisloth]

@@seanwilkinson8696 Thanks for the kind words. He was an incredible storyteller. They also called him "The Flying Coonass," because he came from a Cajun heritage in Louisiana, USA.

[@safarisloth]

He went on to become a base commander in Myrtle Beach, SC and achieve Top Gun status with the then prototype A-10 Warthog.

[@elzarcho]

I'd like to read that memoir if it's available to buy! I saw the A-37 at the AF Museum in Dayton, and was almost as pleased with it as I was with the B-58 Hustler. Lovely little machine. Much respect to your grandpa.

[@truebluemiata]

@@seanwilkinson8696 Edsel Coupe DeVille. What a mash-up!

[@andresvazquez9710]

I think this might be a fun fact for some people here, but in my country, Uruguay, this little plane is still in service, you sometimes see them running maneuvers or training. Its somewhat inspiring to see that it had such a understated yet surprisingly effective reputation.

[@stephencannon3140]

During the early 90’s we had a A-37 ground trainer. The airframe had long been retired but some lived on as ground trainers for maintenance. The Trainer version T-37 lived on until around the mid 2000’s as a initial pilot trainer.

[@majscrap2629]

We had a frame to train on too. Sheppard "78. Also Operationally at MAFB early 80's. They were around a while!

[@midwestlegacy1919]

THIS is the Cessa they need to have at flight school for my check ride lol

[@johnalderson1678]

🤥

[@Gay_Nigga_Hoodmoments]

Biggest lie since iraq have WMD's

[@whocares6574]

🧢

[@checker1o125]

I hope not bro😅

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

It was if you were an officer in the USAF....

[@McFingal]

The nose of them was nearly thee feet off the ground. They are great little trainers too. The T-37 & T-38’s are still flying today.

[@annabellemontgomery2036]

The T6 texan ii replaced the T37 tweet ( six thousand pound dog whise)l several years ago. I flew the T37 at Williams AFB in 70!s I was a great Trainer

[@McFingal]

@@annabellemontgomery2036 what a shame, the tweet was just an easy plane.

[@riverstratton4477]

I got to fly in a T37 at Reese AFB Texas in 65 and 66, it was a little plane.

[@McFingal]

It's like a jet powered rucksack, they are tiny. Still a cool little plane.

[@jasonj1376]

Sheppard AFB was the last base to transition from the T37 to the T6. But the T38c is still flying today and will be for some time.

[@m1k3droid]

love the T-37, always wished they'd sold it as a small personal jet

[@sofielee4122]

i bet they'd sell a bunch too, im sure there are enough rich people out there that want to feel like a fighter pilot to make it worth cessna's time to restart production

[@HazzyBeats]

..........

[@isaacreicin4836]

I would try and get intercepted by su 35s and then scare them by punching off the tanks and shooting a few hundred rounds into the sky. I think that would be just as exiting as landing a Cessna on red square

[@Year2047]

It looks like it would be fun to fly

[@paulmallonee8735]

Cessna did explore making a 4 seat version for civilian use but decided the market was not there. I saw a picture of it in a book of designs that never made it. My father, an engineer at Cessna, called it the "4000 pound dog whistle"

[@alfredbabinsky9463]

I was stationed at Bien Hoa Vietnam in 1969 to 1970 with the 3rd Tac Fighter Wing. This wing was deactivated during 1970 and we recieved the A-37s which I'm sure were Super tweets. I was not part of the aircraft squadron but in Field Maintenance working on Ground Support Equipment. Great video Al Babinsky

[@lord.d1_]

My uncle did not die during the War. He flew an A-37 as well, achieved Top Gun trophy on April 1970 after he finished transferring from the A-1 to the A-37. He was a Captain at that time.

[@vinniemoreno704]

Growing up in southwest Texas my childhood was awesome with T-37 tweets filling the sky.

[@robertspence831]

The Air and Space article was really good. Worth looking up for a quick read.

[@bthsr7113]

May have to dig that one out of storage.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Article? Mind if I ask what you are referring to?

[@jakelandry5645]

There was an old T37 tweet parked in the hangar when I went to usaf tech school. I loved that little plane. It looks cool as hell.

[@merricc5218]

my grandpa flew the A-37 in the South Vietnamese Air Force, he said he completed over 600 missions before being put into re-education camp after the war.

[@sam8742]

Poor fella

[@andrestimmermanis7346]

Sad fate for a hero defending his people....

[@peekaboopeekaboo1165]

Republic of Vietnam < you meant to say?

[@njm3211]

LOL

[@ricwilson6612]

My dad flew them out of Da Nang 69-70. Over 340 missions, two DFC's and somehow never even took a bullet in the airplane.

[@williamthenoah5277]

I can’t believe somebody finally made a video on this plane it’s my favorite plane of all time!

[@darylcav6285]

Same here, I saw a national guard one on a navy base when I worked as a fueler, asked the crew why there were grates over the intakes and he gave me the whole story of them in Vietnam and how low they would fly over the jungle, loved them ever since

[@ORLY911]

This thing really is small up close, saw it USAF Museum, one could probably disassemble it and store it in a semi trailer if they wished, and it'd probably be easy to get it back together. One of my favorite air support units.

[@m.pearce3273]

A great story about the lesser known planes built and used widely.

[@amak1131]

The grand-dad of the A10. Ain't pretty or advanced, but it gets the job done!

[@bthsr7113]

Not really. A-10 has different lineage.

[@ratagris21]

Brrrrttttttt omitted

[@petionville9359]

P 47

[@taiming71]

No The Granddad of the A10 was the P-47 it was a flying tank and destroyer of everything on the ground.

[@ratagris21]

@@taiming71 the original Thunderbolt P-47 WW2

[@AgentJayZ]

At 5:22, the engine shown is a J47. It was much larger, and one of them would produce as much thrust as two J85s, but it was an older design, and not very fuel efficient. It was used in the F-86 Sabre.

[@krondarr8865]

Today if you were tell someone that you flew a Cessna in combat they would probably think you were either lying or crazy. Of course the guys that did were probably a little crazy anyway but man they sure have my respect.

[@nivekyerac]

My friend Mike was killed piloting an A-37 that was shot up and crashed upon attempted landing. I though of him as soon as I saw this vid pop up. I was sad when I heard the news and it still makes me sad and angry at the waste of many of our very best.

[@datadavis]

It wasn't wasted, they killed millions of communists.

[@rhubarbpie2027]

@@datadavis tell me you can't show sympathy, without telling me you can't show sympathy.

[@uberkloden]

A futile waste of life.

[@urbaneriksson9781]

I fully understand your feelings around the death of Mike. My grandfather was killed in action defending his country against Soviet invasion. In general I think the deaths of vietnamese civilians and military personal is horrendously neglected, perhaps especially among those that dropped bombs on them. I recognize that a lot from crews on airplanes from allied air forces neglecting to accept that they mostly killed and wonded civilians, a lot of them german minorities fleeing from eastern europe and one of the worst genocide i europe.

[@cheddar2648]

@@rhubarbpie2027 Any Communist deserves worse than death, and we should be ready to deliver it upon them.

[@aaronmills4238]

Are there any super tweets flying today ? What a brilliant little plane

[@HazzyBeats]

............

[@stephenketcham4179]

The El Salvadoran Air Force has about 15 of them with 9 flying.

[@Pablo_Uru37]

Still in service in Uruguay

[@johnalderson1678]

Don’t be daft

[@bcarm16]

2 in Temora NSW Australia

[@cajunsniper8051]

So it was Cessna that actually sent out the first “Tweets” 😏

[@Joshua_N-A]

That tweet post was a killer.

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

I see what you did there Cajun... very nice, lol. 🍻

[@spooderdoggy]

Jack Dorsey, eat your heart out!😂

[@thebronzetoo]

LOLOL

[@justme11bexray3]

That is toooooo funneh!! 😂😂

[@michaelkottler]

Thank you, Dark Skies, for this informative documentary on an airborne weapon system which hasn't received a ton of coverage. The Super-Tweet was amazing and seems like a precursor (along, in some ways, w/the OV-10 Bronco) to the A-10. Love that engineers found grass and tree limbs in the undercarriage! Epic aircraft and great doc.

[@jasonj1376]

I worked on the T-37 till they were retired. They were simple yet reliable all the way to the bone yard.

[@ATFprdepartment]

This thing looks really cool, honestly it’s one of the nicest looking Jets I’ve seen

[@majscrap2629]

Scrappy looking all decked out as a warbird.

[@jimchape]

Tweets were also nicknamed "The Converter" because they converted fuel to noise. They were one of the loudest fighter aircraft flown in Vietnam or since. They were also notable as the only aircraft that was louder in front of the aircraft than behind it. One of THE BEST light attack aircraft the Air Force ever flew, it and the A1 Skyraider aka "The Spad" were the parents of today's A-10 Thunderbolt 2 aka "The Warthog".

[@captaingyro3912]

I flew the A-37B for a few years. The J-85 engines were the same ones installed in the T-38, without the afterburners. On a jet that small the J-85 was a lot of engine, although when loaded down with external tanks and bomb racks the jet wasn't terribly nimble until some of the tanks were emptied. The aircraft sat so low on the landing gear that we had screens that covered the intakes during ground ops. Also, operating on concrete was OK, but if taxiing on asphalt (or tarmac, as it's now known) we couldn't stop for more than a few seconds because the jet blast would dig big divots in the pavement behind us.

[@es330td]

If you are allowed to share, did this plane require an external starter cart or could it power up on its own?

[@captaingyro3912]

@@es330td As far as I can remember it had electric starter-generators and used battery power to start.

[@es330td]

@@captaingyro3912 Thanks. I used to live near Randolph AFB and saw the T-37's flying pretty regularly. Now that I fly Cessna 172 and 182 I really like the side by side configuration of the plane for general flying. It feels like the T-37 would be a great recreational plane.

[@joshuatan3353]

This guys talks faster than the super tweets 😂

[@Juntasification]

It's just sped up about 15%. Try's to greate some mystique I gues. Settings->playback speed->custom.

[@idleonlooker1078]

I've always considered the A-37 Dragonfly as a beautiful little aircraft!! 👍

[@brentflora8965]

I LOVED the reference of KISS 🤣! Keep It Simple Stupid is 1 reason why the Air force can't junk the A10 Warthog, as is desired!!

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

actualy one of the arguements against the A-10 is that it isn't simple and is rather expensive to maintain. which is why they want to partially replace it with A29s, AT-6Es or a combat varient of the winner of the T-X program (with the remainder being replaced by F-35s)

[@michaelking550]

You can thank Kelly Johnson@ Lockheed, for the KISS principle..

[@brentflora8965]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 the only thing about the replacements you mentioned is that NONE of them have a titanium tub, as much fire power or be able to keep flying after being shot up

[@bthsr7113]

@@brentflora8965 And the F-35 is less accurate, on top of damaging itself with its own cannon and shells.

[@bobbys4327]

politicians and big mil brass gotta get some kickback $$$$$

[@gunnarsmith2273]

He’s going over all my favorites now

[@kdrapertrucker]

That's it! I WANT AN INTERDICTION/STRIKE VERSION OF THE CESSNA 172.

[@jedironin380]

A C-182 or 207 would be better choices- bigger and stronger. ;) I've flown C-172's before, too, with the IO-180 HP engines.

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

I'd prefer that the one Scaled Composites came up with had gotten picked up and put into production.

[@kdrapertrucker]

No, the next Cessna warplane: the A-308 combat caravan.

[@kdrapertrucker]

Next: the Robinson AH-44 combat Raven.

[@kdrapertrucker]

@@bricefleckenstein9666 the ares, it would not have been able to take the pounding an A-10 could take, but it's a cool plane.

[@micahrogers4928]

I had the pleasure of watching the Super Tweet doing a live fire run using the gun, my dad was an Air Force COIN instructor at Camp Bullis outside San Antonio in the mid to late 70s

[@waynemetzger6251]

The neatest little jet i ever saw !!! What an aircraft both tweet and super tweet!!

[@gjswilson]

My advice set playback at .75% so the narration sounds normal

[@semco72057]

I remember seeing a few of the A-37's while in the Air Force and the first one I saw was at Lackland AFB, Texas on static display. I never worked on them since I was working on the B-52 Stratofortresses at the time and the only fighter aircraft I saw was the F-106 fighter which was at my first duty station.

[@Stigstigster]

I love the little gecko lookin' thing. What a cool and capable little warplane.

[@MrTonyharrell]

I finally know what that strange aircraft I saw mixed in with F4s and F15s on the 33rd flightline at Eglin in 1979. I never forgot it. It hugged the ground unlike all the other aircraft.

[@georgemallory797]

One of my ground instructors in college also flew A-37's for the Michigan ANG. He taxied it onto or ramp so the students in our aviation program could see it. Nice guy. Vietnam Veteran who flew KC-135's.

[@rzober89biologia]

We have one in a museum in Kraków, Poland. It came with F-5E from Vietnam in 1977 :)

[@jamesbaker7112]

Hello from Texas.

[@robertmoran7024]

"A nice low velocity aircraft, you'll survive the crash" is how it was described to me by a former USAF F4 pilot who flew over RVN

[@desertpunk7588]

@0:31 That right there, is a bonafide CH-53A Sea Stallion! I wish I was able to see the tail number and Squadron Markings; it may have been one of the aircraft I worked on. It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times; one old-timer said it better, "It's that million dollar experience you wouldn't pay a dime to have!"

[@rtchow3000]

this is not a cH53A Sea Stallion. look again. it is a CH3 Jolly Green Giant rescue chopper. i know bc i worked on them at 302 SOS Luke AFB using GE J-58 twin engines.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

Never thought I'd see a tail flash from the base I work at in one of these videos. The Tweet's legacy here is that it was a fucking loud little bastard, and they had a unique harmonic effect where if you had a flight line full of the little fuckers, like say, at a training base, they'd somehow manage to be even louder than the sum of their parts. You can easily spot buildings from the Tweet era on USAF UPT bases because they're built like fortified bunkers.

[@billwellford376]

My father flew the A-37 out of Bien Hoa in 1969 when he was assigned to the 604th Special Operations Squadron. He did a total of 4 tours in Southeast Asia. This was his second. His last two tours were flying B-52s. After he retired, his favorite reunions were always with the 604th.

[@markaustin643]

My father, Lt.Col. Coy Austin, was an A-37 squadron ops officer and squadron commander at Bien Hoa, late 1969 to late 1970. I don't remember the squadron numbers, but one of them had a dragon on the helmet and the other had a pair of dice.

[@billwellford376]

@@markaustin643 The 604th Special Operations Squadron had a Dragon on their squadron patch.

[@bondgabebond4907]

Father takes little daughter to an air shore at the local airbase. He points to the F-4A Phantom II, mentioning how mean and nasty it was at war. Daughter looks off and sees the A-37 and tells dad, "Those are so cute!" Can you imagine the look on dad's face!

[@olliefoxx7165]

Lol. Well, it is a good looking plane.

[@riverstratton4477]

It looked like a frog

[@lonebikeroftheapocalypse9527]

F4 looks like a boxcar on the ground

[@seanwilkinson8696]

@@riverstratton4477 If it looks like a frog, it needs a punny frog nickname: - The Killer Keroppi (one of the Hello Kitty cast of characters) - The Remarkable Flaming Frog of Cessna's Bounty (Twain's "The Remarkable Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" story) - Missile-Can J. Frog (Looney Tunes' Michigan J. Frog)

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

@@seanwilkinson8696 Killer Kermit.

[@skip123davis]

i've flown in a T37 when i was usaf. got airman of the quarter, and an "orientation flight." best thing i ever did. that plane has amazing aerobatic capability! i had a choice between a T37 and T38, and i chose the former, because: aerobatics yay! from motorcycling, i knew that going fast wears off fast, but the thrill of poking holes in the clouds really got to me. glad i did.

[@mikepierson7447]

Wow I suggested this plane a while ago and I am sure many others but I love this thing I am so excited thank you thank you thank you

[@HazzyBeats]

.........

[@williamscoggin1509]

I remember when I was about 12 or 13 years old walking out on the flight line at Randolph field in San Antonio taking pictures of them with my Kodak instamatic camera with black and white film. We had gone down to visit my uncle he was in the Air Force. When he retired he was the senior enlisted man of all of the Air Force. William H Scoggin with 37 years active service.

[@Ruteger100]

I love the Black and white stock footage of the aircraft engineers standing around smoking pipes and nodding. Classic.

[@FyodorUshakovSuka]

Great video. Beautiful plane to see... Super Tucanos father...

[@samobispo1527]

This is one of the best Dark Skies episodes! Saw a lot of the plane in Central America in the 1980s. Unfortunately, the region's air forces really need a replacement. Is there anything the A-37 can do that the A-29 Super Tucano can't?

[@cheaptaco7479]

you cant look your copilot in the eyes and tell him how much you appreciate his company

[@turbo1gts]

I loved seeing the C-141 in its natural metal state. I only ever saw them in person in black and white, then camo coloring.

[@darvinclement3250]

I've never heard of them before, thanks for this video! That's a slick little jet.

[@juanfermin8173]

I remember getting excited hearing the engines roar of the a37b's back in the 90's while i was a kid in the Dominican Republic, i wanted to become a pilot back then and fly one of them.

[@truebonnie2666]

"the kiss principle. keep it simple stupid" best thing I have heard today

[@realdeathpony]

Looks like your comment is light on KISS.

[@jimchape]

Its where the A-10 came from.

[@krondarr8865]

Yeah too bad it has fallen out of common use, it would probably make some sjw cry.

[@MarcG7424]

Was true then is true now

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

@@jimchape the A-10 is not really simple, the US airforce has been trying to get its hands on an actually simple light attack aircraft to partially replace the A-10 since atleast 2010.

[@jerrycallison6125]

Our Air Force tends to be enamored with the big, high, and fast. They have since their inception had little interest or concern for close air support or for the guy in the dirt. Tactical/nuclear warfare became their focus. They have no concept that is is the man with the rifle in his hands who takes and holds the land. The fact that is was higher than expected losses (hence a need for something more simple that could be built more quickly) that caused them to rethink the A-37 should be a wake-up call, but unfortunately, little planes have no cachet when one is seeking general's stars.

[@scottw5315]

Hence, multiple USAF efforts to cancel the A=10.

[@djay6651]

This bird was also known as the "Dragonfly".

[@tauceti8341]

that a cool moniker

[@verbotn]

Makes sense given how its canopy looks

[@bossco09]

That's what i know these aircraft by....

[@alpha51omega38]

Yes, 'Tweet' was sort of a slap in the face to be called. Dragonfly was much better and deserving.

[@marlinus64]

Thank you.

[@mcburcke]

On the flightline we used to call those things the "A-37 Converter" ... what they did best was to convert fuel into noise.

[@Phoenix-xn3sf]

One of the coolest looking jets out there, it has that rare quality of possibly looking even more bad-ass while on the ground.

[@fking3635]

Yep a engine change took a good crew less than 3 hours... that including run up....

[@Joshua_N-A]

Same goes to the F-5.

[@Bubba-zu6yr]

Interesting bird… kind of a precursor to the Warthog!

[@JC130676]

A-10 sees A-37. A-10: "Awww how cute, a mini-me." Or: A-10 and A-37 meet. A-10: "Wow, you're tiny." A-37: "Maybe, but that's better than looking like a warthog."

[@darrenq.campbell3505]

I love your videos men, keep it up!

[@HazzyBeats]

................

[@stevebiddell2839]

Got to love all these COIN specials, Bronco, mohawk, Super Tucano and now this, theyre great.

[@lonnieclifton8307]

LOVED THE ANTENNA STICKING OUT THE TOP OF IT....LIKE SOME KIND OF 1960'S SPORTS CAR LOL

[@rtarouca]

They were also used by the portuguese Air force. As a child I saw the "Wings of Portugal" (Asas de Portugal) train their acrobatic routine. They sure do loop but those engines really struggled.

[@LadnoMuun]

The moment the dude started spiting I had to double check the playback speed ffs 🤣

[@harleyb.birdwhisperer]

I hauled the first one into Viet Nam in a crate aboard a C-141.

[@johnalderson1678]

Bet ya didn’t

[@terry_willis]

@@johnalderson1678 He did. I saw him do it.

[@harleyb.birdwhisperer]

@@johnalderson1678 I did.

[@jsbarrus]

The T-37 was called the Tweet because of the sound it made, a high pitch scream. The A-37 was called the Super Tweet because it was a T-37 with T-38 engines, bombs, screens over the intake for rough field Take offs and a 7.62 mini gun in the nose. Definitely a Super version of the T-37!

[@MRptwrench]

A sweet treat to get this deep dive on the Super Tweet! I loved this little plane from my teenage modeling days. When scouring for images and relatively rare videos I was amazed by its incredible profile, especially take-off and landings. Hell, even taxiing the '37 looks as if it's sci-fi!

[@davidwatson2399]

2 were bought by an Australian war bird collector, Colin Pay, at Scone NSW.

[@bronsonperich9430]

I used to live in Singleton and would vist Scone... it's not that big a town, where did he keep em? I'm curious!

[@ethanlow4688]

@@bronsonperich9430 they’re at the Temora Aviation Museum NSW, I’ve seen one of them fly and they keep the other in the hanger

[@bronsonperich9430]

@@ethanlow4688 wow! Thanks!

[@davidwatson2399]

@@bronsonperich9430 The used to be at Scone Airport. sadly Colin died in a crash while testing fire bombing equipment. The Dragonflies arrived in the early 90's with spare engines still in their sealed pods. They were still in US green.

[@bronsonperich9430]

@@davidwatson2399 May Colin rest in peace. Sounds like he was a great bloke.

[@davecrupel2817]

*sees Dark Skies* K im just gonna adjust video speed to .75....

[@a64738]

LOL same ;)

[@heba2711]

He talks so damn fast. English is my second language and I use it very often, but he is in a league for himself. Nice voice though, but WAY too fast for my understanding of what he is saying.

[@bobuboi4643]

@@heba2711 in my opinion i can easily understand what he is saying but at 0.75 it basically sounds like someone made him chug 5 bottles of alcohol and he got drunk.........

[@duncanidaho2130]

American National living in Guatemala : This country's Air Force primarily uses this type of plane. They call it Quatzalito, little quetzal.

[@crazysilly2914]

To this day?

[@duncanidaho2130]

@@crazysilly2914 Yes. Kinda like the one in Quantum of Solace.

[@richardlockwitch6915]

The guys that flew these were awesome!

[@Fudgieguys1969]

I was an avionics tech on the OA-37B in the 23 TASS at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and when the unit was finally deactivated, we were all assigned the A-10 Units at DMAFB. Many times I had the opportunity to sit with the pilot on check rides after an engine change, and I would monitor the instruments, love riding in the OA-37B. I retired in 1989, so the 23TASS was deactivated around 1986 or 1987.

[@eaglekeeper7737]

I was in the 358th at that time and got a ride in the 37 around 85,86. Good time.

[@TheMadVulpen]

My dad used to fly the A-37, he told me how he had to train agains't with tomcat's, hornet's and mirages. he loves that aircraft

[@mills9402]

Aye why not make a plane crazy tutorial

[@dragonsbreath1984]

Tell me this plane ain’t a “babe getter” when you do a fly-in at an airshow.

[@toddsmith8608]

Dragons breath: for sure a babe getter! Blue Angels be standing around with no one to talk to while the Tweety Bird pilots get all the attention.

[@alpha51omega38]

Think of that....you've got a nice side by side offer when you say' Hey baby, wanna go up for a fun ride'?

[@toddsmith8608]

@@alpha51omega38 so you're saying the tweet is air-head friendly? Makes sense. Hard to get a beej in a tandem seat.

[@apeshitcrazyman]

Great video, but i now, literally watch this whole channel at 75% speed and it's SOOO MUCH better. I can't believe how consistently fast this guy talks!

[@blargblarghonk]

I work with guys that used to maintain these and t-37's. They loved working on them.

[@haroldwilkes6608]

From a forward air controller: ("Thank God," one blurted over an open mike on one sortie when F-4s were replaced by A-37s; "now I have somebody who can actually hit the damn target.") It actually flew like pilots move their hands when talking...swoop, swoop, dip, swoop.

[@thegamerdoc1]

Dude.. talk a bit slowly please.

[@mrdynamic8678]

Listen faster 👂

[@ForceOfChaos1776]

@@mrdynamic8678yes

[@MJD016]

If you set the speed to .75, he sounds like a drunk guy telling you a cool story. On other videos it sounds like normal conversational speech. I start most Dark Skies videos at .75. Regardless, the content is excellent, as always.

[@Vico649]

​@@mrdynamic8678maybe he should go slow on weed.

[@barrybend7189]

So this is the craft the VA-3 from Macross plus and 7 were based off of.

[@skywarp1]

I'm a Macross/Robotech fan as well, but the VA-3 looks more like an A-6 Intruder

[@barrybend7189]

@@skywarp1 look at its wing and engine configuration.

[@lonebikeroftheapocalypse9527]

Looks like something 1960's Batman would fly.

[@ex-engineer6657]

I don't usually rewatch youtube videos, but this plane was great. Thanks for posting.

[@ronaldagresott8436]

I'm from colombia and i still see them flying in formations over my house

[@ditzydoo4378]

The sad thing is the the close air/counter interdiction mission has never gone away. If anything it is far more prevalent today, than in the past. And the Cessna A37B Dragonfly is still one, if not the best in the game. However most defense spending is going toward more expensive and less capable aircraft to fill the mission that the A37B could easily do, and cheaper.

[@olliefoxx7165]

Ah yes, the old political pork barrel way of doing business. Why do something cheaper and easier when you can goge the taxpayer for much more. How does it stack up against the Warthog?

[@a64738]

First thing I do when watching a "Dark Skies" video is set playback speed at 0,75...

[@stevelewis7263]

SLOW DOWN when talking, you're not in a race

[@MyEyesBled]

Loved this plane so much I built several scale model versions as a young man...

[@tedolphbundler724]

Me too.

[@Sgtwilson9024]

I was stationed at Howard AFB, Panama Canal Zone 3/89-6/90. The Air Force used these little plane in Operation Just cause. They carried an awesome amount ordinance.