America's Short & Ugly But Well Hung Buccaneer - The Magnificent LTV A-7 Corsair II- (Full Story)

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to watch. Please take a moment to "Subscribe" for more content coming soon. I am working long hours behind the scenes to bring more long-form documentary-style content covering more iconic aircraft of the Cold War era, and maybe I can finally convince my wife that I’m indeed locked away in the garage making content and not as she puts it "Playing bloody Age of Empires again"..........quality game...... :-) Joe

[@foofghtr]

Dick Cheney retired everything named Grumman, that’s all you need to know…😂

[@AviationRepublic]

The F-14 will live on forever in my heart as one of the most gorgeous planes ever, even Cheney can't take that away..

[@foofghtr]

@@AviationRepublic Politicians have some real power to end some great things.. Ya gotta watch the suits, they can crush us.. Voting is important..

[@edwardfletcher7790]

I'm not sure what the problem is, but there's a hell annoying low freq buzzy reverb in your audio from 37:56..

[@AviationRepublic]

I'll check it in a moment

[@Seadog..C5]

VA-56, VA-147, VA-94, veteran. I participated in several of the operations mentioned in your documentary.. Very well done and highly accurate. My compliments.

[@AviationRepublic]

Hello, and thank you very much, great to hear from the veterans. I can imagine you have interesting stories. :-) Joe

[@Seadog..C5]

I added an edit to compliment your accuracy also. This is the first operational documentary where I haven't cringed. 😊

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, this means a lot to me to hear it from guys with first hand experience.

[@andysharlofsky627]

I was VA 87😊

[@brady3474]

@@Seadog..C5 I was in VA-204 in New Orleans and we were beginning our transition to the FA18 when VA46 and 72 deployed to desert storm. Maybe someone can confirm but I remember both squadrons had already started transferring their A7s and the pilots had started F18 training when the Navy told them to put everything back and deploy to the war in A7s. About a year before this we had received the weapons computer update from the Naval Weapons Center. NWC6 program gave the A7 E bombing capability no other bomber in the world ever had to my knowledge, lateral toss CCIP computed bombing. Prior to that CCIP Continuously Computed Impact Point, could only be accomplished at a limited angle of bank to be accurate, maybe a 10 degree AOB? But the last update to the bombing program gave us the capability to use CCIP at up to 60 degrees AOB! And good hits were possible at very high AOB. If course they was towards the end of the dumb bomb error making capability like that obsolete. But it was a testament to the fact the A7 was the most technologically advanced bomber built probably in the world and was till the end. The Hornet, (which I flew for 9 years), the F16, the F14 bombcat, the A6, the A10, or any other tac air bomber, could only out bomb the A7 when the A7 wasn’t in the competition, that is they never could.

[@AC_702]

The A-7 has a special place in my heart. I just love the way it looks, and its combat performance was incredible

[@AviationRepublic]

I have list of aircraft I wanted to write about and the A7 was at the top with the B-58, F-100, Buccaneer, one of the greats.

[@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove]

My father spent his career in the Air Force, he flew in Vietnam, and when he came home the USAF sent him to work with LTV on an A-7 project. This was the mid '70s, so I'm not sure what they were doing with it at that time. We lived in Arlington Texas for that year. It's funny because growing up the year dad worked with LTV was the only time I didn't live on a USAF base, until I went off to college. I still have the desk model of the A-7 they gave him.

[@Francisco_CS]

It eas the backbone of the Portuguese Air Force back in the 80's / 90's, we had some maintenance issues due to internal problems but the pilots loved the A-7! And I loved seeing them in the skies and in airshows 😎

[@arapahoetactical7749]

I was an Air Force Load Toad on A-7D's at DM AFB for a few months before changing over to the A-10A. Later when I left Active to the Air National Guard, in Colorado, I was back working the A-7D again and again, after a year, they were replaced with the F-16C.

[@AviationRepublic]

I can imagine you have a very interesting library of photos and maybe videos? ;-) Joe

[@bobmorgan1575]

ECM tech on them both at about the same time.

[@arthurwright8827]

I worked on the A7-E flight simulators in the late 1970’s at NAS LeMoore California. I love that plane and still think it’s a great looking jet!

[@AviationRepublic]

I have always liked the look of the A7, I would say she is distinctive and definitely a show stopper. :- ) Joe

[@moparsquid]

Spent 2 years with va 97 on the CORAL SEA this brang back many memories

[@AviationRepublic]

I can imagine you have some great stories.

[@timcargile1562]

You did a great job with this video documenting an important historic aircraft. Kudos!

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, got to keep this history alive, doing my part....would you like to know more (Name that film)

[@chris_hisss]

How anyone could call this ugly is beyond me. Especially if they saw it before the A-8 which I guess is what the problem was, as those were on the carrier and this was replacing it as was the F-4 about the same time. I like your channel, you getting footage sourced from a community, and I would guess they help with the data to share and proofreading and such is a great asset to our history edutainment. Thanks!

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, the aviation community have been a great asset, lots of people providing photos and videos where they can. Although not had anyone volunteer to proof read the scripts just yet. :-) Joe

[@zonacrs]

The screen shot at 31:57 brings a happy tear to my eye. 13 years later I was a plane captain with VA-147 on E model Corsairs. One of the hangars in the background was my shore work space when not deployed. What a memory, thank you for sharing.

[@randomdude5079]

Definitely not ugly. One of the most beautiful pieces of machinery ever made❤❤❤

[@tomjohnson5597]

The Corsair and Corsair II are both in my top 5 military aircraft.

[@AviationRepublic]

They are both amazing machines, although it might get grief for this, but the F-4U is too beautiful for words.

[@brothergrimaldus3836]

As much as I love SEA camo, those pictures of the navy hi-vis... Just gorgeous.

[@AviationRepublic]

I totally agree, the Navy colours are very fetching, however, I am also partial to the Greek scheme too. :-) Joe

[@socaljarhead7670]

Gloss Gull Gray over Gloss White. Best there ever was.

[@charlespenny7059]

Having spent over 17 years on the A7-D model, I will say it was one of the greatest close air support aircraft ever, until the A-10, which I also worked on.

[@Laerdaljoe]

@joehuse here. Stationed with you at MBAFB & KRTAFB.

[@AviationRepublic]

That's so cool. Did you collect any "souvenirs" ?

[@charlespenny7059]

@@AviationRepublic I did, unfortunately over the years and many moves, much of it was lost.

[@bobmorgan1575]

@@charlespenny7059 Seems to happen to all of us. Sometimes I wondered if the moving crews were making notes of special items in a box to pilfer later. Only way I can explain individual items coming up missing when every packing carton and big items were all accounted for.

[@usnchief1339]

I loved watching these airplanes back in my early Navy days. They are a mean looking bird when loaded out.

[@AviationRepublic]

For sure, she looks like the business when fully loaded. :-) Joe

[@Curious-Minds]

Fricking epic. Enjoyed every second of this video. Everyone loves the SLUF!!! ❤

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video. More to come :-) Joe

[@rudedog302]

Great video as usual. Learned things I didn't know about the SLUF. You mention at 28:26 that the pilots had to "dive the duct" to inspect the turbine blades. I hear this misspeak often when someone is not versed in jet engine parlance. The pilot would be inspecting the Fan blades, in the case of the TF30, or TF41, and maybe the first stage compressor blades, if he could see them. The turbine blades are in the back of the engine. One would have to dive the tail pipe to inspect the turbines or turbine blades. Sorry I built jet engines for years, can't help myself.

[@georgeburns7251]

I am not aware of any aviators ever entering the air intake. Ever.

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

It was the plane captains job in my day. We dove the duct every post and pre flight inspection. There was often a puddle of water/hydraulic fluid in the intake and it took skill to not land in it chest first during entry. I can’t see a pilot doing it compromising their gear.

[@rudedog302]

@@h.r.puffnstuff8705 I thought that was off also. I was in the military as a jet engine tech. and never saw a pilot diving the duct either, the crew chief, or plane captain did.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much. I will bear this in mind, I heard this being mentioned by an A-7 pilot, I must of mis-heard them.

[@brady3474]

@@georgeburns7251that is because you never went with the pilot on a cross country, which is the only time pilot needed to do it. The plane captain did it normally.

[@noahhess4955]

This channel is truly a hidden gem and I know it will blow up. Absolutely quality content

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, I am working hard to make this happen, I appreciate your support. :-) Joe

[@jeffkiess]

The A-7 is an example of when ugly never looked so beautiful! This is a fantastic documentary packed with detail. The amount of time you put into this labor-of-love was surely copious! Liked, subscribed, and looking forward to watching your other videos!

[@anthonylewis679]

A like was left just for the little snoopy clip !😊👍🐶

[@AviationRepublic]

Snoopy, the numerous happy bunnies and I, all thank you kindly. :-) Joe

[@geraldcarr3626]

I was in VA-27 Royal Maces from August 1974 to December 1978. @ WestPac's aboard the USS Enterprise. This video brings back all kinds of old memories of that era.

[@geraldcarr3626]

Also the A-7's we had were the A-7E's with the TF-41 engines.

[@AviationRepublic]

Hope they are all good memories, I bet you can still hear the jet noise and smell the fuel.....mmmmmm jet fuel.... :-) Joe

[@johnnyallred3753]

Great video on the A-7!. I always Iiked the looks of the Corsair 2. Keep the videos coming.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thanks, will do! I ought to have another one out next week.

[@Slaktrax]

That has a rugged but handsome aircraft. Always liked it a lot.

[@AviationRepublic]

Yes, like the USS Nostromo and USS Sulaco from the Alien films.

[@warrenhagee2755]

That was one epic presentation. Amazing! It included the most creative pronunciation of "Mayaguez" I have ever heard as a bonus 👍 Great work!

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it! I had to google the pronunciation "Ma - Yahoo - Ez" was the sounds my tired old ears heard.

[@raywhitehead730]

I was on Okinawa, as a marine working on airplanes when the Mayaguez incident happened. The military went into overdrive immediately. Lots of assets positioned for immediate transport for battle. At Kadena, hundreds of Marine infantry staged in full battle gear near the run way and about 20 C-130 transports lined up ready to go at a moment's notice.

[@AviationRepublic]

I think i may need to have a chit chat with you at some point.

[@jedibusiness789]

Before receiving the first F18’s at VFA 125, NAS Lemoore, we accepted 4 A7’s from surrounding squadrons to maintained pilot flight proficiency. Fresh out of high school and vacation on an island in Beaufort, SC; first maintenance job was replacing the aft fuel cell.

[@AviationRepublic]

How cool is that, I can imagine you have loads of great memories working on these machines :-) Joe

[@goodfoot7926]

22:14 That A7 was attached to the 121TFW in Columbus Ohio, l was in that unit from 1982-1992. In 1992 the 121TFW retired the A7D and K model and became an Air Refueling Wing flying KC135.

[@raywhitehead730]

My father in law, flew a bird dog in Vietnam. Things went all wrong on his Second tour. He flew with a spotter, a guy who was a sort of ground/air controller The little plane took an exploding round directly into the spotter guy, who blew up. It turned the inside of the plane into red bloody mess. And it unnerved my father in law. He said he had to clean off the windshield with his hands to see out.

[@AviationRepublic]

Holey moley, that's one hell of a story, Those guys went through hell. if your FIL is still around, tell him, welcome home.

[@raywhitehead730]

My father in law did pass away. So you know, after that event he asked to not fly any more. Though he retired after a full twenty years in the Air Force he was not promoted again.

[@timmotel5804]

Good Day. I've always considered this plane to be one of the best-looking military planes. Truly on my list of favourite planes. Excellent. Thank You

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, you are most welcome. She was certainly a head turner. :-) Joe

[@deandennison4687]

She was a beauty.❤

[@johnwebb8707]

I was an A7E mechanic (structure and hydraulic) in the 80's. Very manueuverable and very accurate strikes above all very tough. I saw one land after hitting power lines and one hitting trees. Damage was bad but they kept flying and landed safely. I also witnessed one having a hard time landing on ship like what you noted this one also had a bouncing tail hook took several attempts before finally catching the wire. Nitrogen leak in tail hook was the problem. A.so like you said if they weren't leaking fluid than it was empty. It was a good bird they just got old metal fatigue and parts shortages became a serious problem.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you for your comment, it's always nice to hear from guys who worked on or flew these magnificent birds :-) Joe

[@1020donny]

I worried about being sucked up by a A-7 or an F-8 while working on the flight deck even though we had EA-6Bs which have a history of eating PCs and TSs. Just the idea of going down that tunnel bugged me.

[@AviationRepublic]

I have read that the deck of a carrier is one of the most dangerous working environments in the world. I watch Growler Jams youtube videos, so much going on, it's organised chaos .

[@josephnason8770]

I was first aware of this plane at 9 years of age in 1964. It was an awesome head on in flight view of a fully loaded Corsair ll. A 2 page Chance Vaught advertisement in navy publication. The caption stated, " Here Come the Corsairs!" My dad was a Skyraider pilot and l knew how much you could load on those planes but the Corsair ll is ridiculous. I have loved them ever since.

[@AviationRepublic]

Nice, I love LOVE the Skyraider, that's is the sort of aircraft that should have been in Porco Rosso. (If you have not seen the film, I highly recommend it) I bet you were told so great stories about the A-1. :-) Joe

[@CAPEjkg]

Would love to see an A-7E come back to life. You see people get F-4s and A-4s back in the air mostly.

[@AC_702]

Agree. Wish these were still flying at air shows. I'm a bit disappointed the Marine Corps didn't operate it. At least we operated the original Corsair and the Crusader!

[@poppybonnie]

Spent a day on larissa airbase photographing A7 aircraft The day we were meant to go was a Greek public holiday so the day was changed On the day we visited 1 of 2 squadrons on base disbanded The put up various formations at the end of the day they put a a specially painted A7 in front of a has and the entire squadron including mechanics and office staff stood in front of the aircraft for us to take photos Amazing day

[@AviationRepublic]

Wow, that must have been something special to see. The HAF videos in my A7 video where from a Greek A7 pilot who provided me the permission to use his footage, great people, great aircraft.

[@ahmrahtcheer]

In the early 1990s, ANG A-7s were being cycled through Vought Aircraft for engine replacement. As an employee there, I once got to see 3 of them in Building 76 (a hangar building), along with Vought V.P. Paul Thayer's FG-1 Corsair (Goodyear built under license, and there for it's annual), an F-14A Tomcat being studied for air intake delamination, and Vought's proposal for a jet trainer, the Pampa 2000 (based off the FMA IA-63). The contrast between the technologies was stark. Among the A-7s being re-engined were those of the New Mexico 188th Fight Squadron Air National Guard unit, with their distinctive unit emblem (a roadrunner, bombs clutched in his claws, diving through the New Mexico Zia emblem) on their tails. Fast forward to two years ago, when, recently resettled from the Dallas-Ft Worth area to NM, I realized one of those old NMANG A-7s that I'd seen in Dallas, TX is on static display at the nearby National Guard armory. Around the same time, Vought built 2 supersonic prototypes of the Corsair, designated YA-7F, in an attempt to win a Navy contract. However, as single engine aircraft were by then out of favor with the USN, the proposal went nowhere, other than to create 2 Corsair IIs that did, in fact, break the speed of sound.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you for that, I might cover the YA-7F one day, that would I think make for an interesting story.

[@towgod7985]

I didn't know that Canada wanted to buy the A7. It's a shame we didn't, I knew a few RCAF pilots who despised the CF 5. One routinely referring to it as a gutless P.O.S.

[@Idahoguy10157]

Canada was in Germany flying the ill suited CF-104 for low level strike missions. The A-7 would have a better choice

[@socaljarhead7670]

The F-5 was and still is a good mount.

[@towgod7985]

@socaljarhead7670 Not according to people I know who actually flew the airplane, not just talked about it.

[@RB-bd5tz]

Having seen CF-5s tear up the sky at airshows in Yellowknife in the '80s, I certainly didn't get that impression! Also, an Iranian F-5 shot down an Iraqi MiG-25; it's on Showtime112's channel.

[@kiloalphasierra]

@@RB-bd5tzthe issue with the CF-5 was that it was essentially a 1950’s day fighter in a world were decent day/night capable avionics and BVR missiles were needed. Once the CF-5 got to the merge and the fight degenerated into a dogfight, it was extremely lethal. But it’s like a knife fighter going up against a rifleman with ammo and a bayonet. Any competent rifleman is going to shoot the knife fighter before he gets close enough to use the knife and even if he does get close enough, the rifleman’s got a sharp, pointy stabby thing attached to his rifle.

[@BrokenhornKT]

For some Reason when i was Young, 8-10 years old, I Fell in Love with the Corsair, I made Models, Posters I just found my Old Toy that i played with when i was Young. For some reason I though it was the " Cats Meow" I loved it's nick name, " the Last gun fighter" .

[@AviationRepublic]

There is no logic, when the aviation bug bites, it's for life. I don't remember a time when I was not plane crazy. Maybe it's the stories, the engineering, the noise, the smell......whatever it is, It's a life long love affair for us all. :-) Joe

[@P61widow]

When I first got to Davis-Monthan in 1978, sent there to work on A-10s, the 354th TFS was still flying the A-7. I think many ANG units were flying it also.

[@AviationRepublic]

I would have loved to be able to visit that place, It must have been amazing.

[@bobmorgan1575]

What squadron? I was assigned to 355CRS in the EW branch from 78-80.

[@well-blazeredman6187]

Enjoying this in chunks. Your narration is very good.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you so much, means a lot, I hope you enjoy the rest, more to come. :-) Joe

[@hckyplyr9285]

Love your content. Excellent commentary. They're is an excellent book on the SLUF published by Modellers Datafile. It goes into detail on the VAX competition and the A4D-6, A-6 variant, and the FJ-4 derivative. I'm still gonna quibble with you that USAF didn't "select" the A-7D, they were forced to purchase it in the name of"commonality" by Robert Strange McNamara. USAF was drug into deploying A-7s to Thailand for Linebacker and transferred Corsairs II to the ANG ASAP. Over half the production run went straight to the ANG from the factory once McNamara and his many"whiz kids" were out of the Pentagon. But, I love the SLUF and especially the drastically improved A-7D/E variants. Thanks again for your outstanding content.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much - I don't think i have that book in my collection - I have three others,"Walk around" by Squadron Signal, Osprey Combat Aircraft, and One written by David Anderton, looks like I will be adding another one to the collection. Thank you for your support :-) Joe

[@donq1457]

VA-93 RAVENS CVW-5 Onboard CV-41 NOSLACK IN LIGHT ATTACK....LUV the SLUFF.

[@AviationRepublic]

You flew the SLUF?

[@jackryan152]

Great video, well researched. Pronunciations aside it was well done. I worked on the A-7 for about a little bit at VA-305 before moving to the P-3 Orion. Solid little airplane, easy to work on. Our pilots loved them.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much. I would love to see an A-7 up close, but I don't think we have them here in the UK. Working on the fancy words :-) Joe

[@bobmorgan1575]

I worked on these and the A-10 at Davis-Monthan. We turned the last of our A-7D's over to the AZ ANG in 1979.

[@tedzehnder961]

Liked your research and your delivery.Keep up the documentaries and thanks for uploading .

[@AviationRepublic]

Thanks, will do! I only wish I had more time to research more aircraft to put out more documentaries. :-) Joe

[@chiefjim8178]

Spent many years as a firefighter at an A-7 base, loved that ugly little plane.

[@AviationRepublic]

There is a military fire fighting training video covering how to deal with A7 fires and rescue on KZbin, i am not sure its name but its there.

[@dystopianlucidity4448]

Got yourself a new sub! Quite through video so far. I’ll be looking for a video on the A1 Sky Raider, if you don’t have one, may I ask for one?

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, welcome aboard - I will see what I can rustle up regarding a video on the A1. (I do love the A1, beefy looking bird) :-) Joe

[@bcre8v]

Des Moines ANG flew the A7 for many years after retiring the 105 Thud.

[@AviationRepublic]

There is a huge amount I wanted to write about the ANG, some really interesting stories, but I wanted to leave those for another stand alone video as I think the ANG A7 needs it's own video.

[@andrewtaylor7203]

Another amazing video, love watching these. Well researched and full of interesting information. Not a plane buff, but im starting to turn...

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, I will turn you into one of us, ONE OF US, ONE OF US!!!!

[@John-or9ccUndauntedRaceCars]

Again another vote up for including snoopy ! Good video mate.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, Snoopy is now going to be a permanent fixture, that little fella and the bunnies are just....well, nice and happy. :-) Joe

[@chriskitoo1]

Excellent documentary, very comprehensive and well narrated.

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it! More to come :- )Joe

[@damienhill6383]

Great video, thank you for this, I always liked the look of these and was interested to learn more. It was hard for any aircraft to be as beautiful as a A8 but this has a style of it's own ...

[@denniscruz4991]

Another awesome video. 🙌🏽 Thank you for the great aviation content 🛩️

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it! More to come, I am sat here about to start another one......this time it's a coin toss between an American and British machine....

[@jjock3239]

I didn't fly the aircraft, but I did fly the simulator, and I was so impressed by the avionics , that I felt a pilot could do a low level aerobatics display, and after every loop, roll out on target.

[@AviationRepublic]

I was lost in the pilot notes for the A7. The avionics were amazing for the day, simply amazing. :- )Joe

[@robertalan4717]

One of my all time favourite jets.

[@AviationRepublic]

The tech in the aircraft is amazing, she was a real game changer. :-) Joe

[@JulienGardner]

Nice video as usual. Great channel.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you for your continued support, you guys are the best. :-)Joe

[@RichardCorongiu]

I had a model of an A7 dangling from my ceiling wag back ( as well as a B52 and others ) ...beaut plane

[@AviationRepublic]

Do you still have the models?

[@Benecki]

Perfect! Good work, thank you.

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you liked it! More to come. :-) Joe

[@billyshakespeare17]

Served on the USS Neverdock. Home ported in Bumfuch, Egypt. General quarters station was Rumor Control out of Mess Deck Central, ComCarTray, ComSrvBtr. Before that was in an A7 outfit out of Lemoore in 70- 75

[@holgerdrechsler2145]

Ugly ? why do you say so? I love the way it looks !

[@AviationRepublic]

She is 1 am , five pints in Beautiful. I mentioned this in a previous comment, her ruggedness has always reminded me of the USS Nostromo and USS Sulaco from Alien and Aliens, there is beauty in her purpose. :-) Joe

[@georgeburns7251]

Very complete presentation of the A7. Yours is the first time I heard the smoke abatement system in a KZbin. Also, even books overlook the armor added around the pilot and engine. The A and Bs had this added by a kit before deployment. It seemed you implied the RAT was on D and E, but it was on all versions. It would have been nice to show the clam shell that was installed in the cockpit and automatically deployed in the event of a nuclear explosion to shield the pilots eyes. Excellent detail of the A7 E avionics. Best I’ve ever seen.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, lots of digging around for various nuggets of info on the A7. I must have missed the reference to the clam shell in the cockpit, I will need to go back over my books and notes.

[@georgeburns7251]

@@AviationRepublic I’ve never seen a published reference to the clamshell. There are some photos with it in the undeployed position, and no mention of what it was for. If you get a chance, ask a an A7 aviator. By the way, there were also special goggles that were used in special weapons delivery. There was an inner and outer polycarbonate lens, while the middle layer was glass with a layer of a very weak explosive charge. If the sensor detected a high order explosion, the inner glass would shatter diffuse the light, and protect the pilots eyes.. thankfully we never had to test this idea.

[@vigilantobserver8389]

Wow! Thank you for such an indepth and thorough video!! I always wanted to know more about it. Nowadays, we need another ground attack jet to replace the A-10. They tried the F-16 and that wasn't suitable. It's a niche which will remain unfilled until another skirmish justifies it's need. In the interim, just use the Super Tucano!😂

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, pleased that you enjoyed it. The Super Tucano is a great little machine, on my list to buy when I win the lottery. :-) Joe

[@andysharlofsky627]

This was my plane as a plane captain on the USS Independence 😊

[@AviationRepublic]

Any good stories?

[@lesliemacmillan9932]

7:08: Corporal short-range surface-to-surface missile. (Not a SAM.)

[@Nicolas-v2w]

Bonjour , merci beaucoup . Captivant d'écouter l'histoire peu connu de cet avion .

[@AviationRepublic]

Bonjour, Merci beaucoup, il est important de garder l'histoire vivante :-) Le Joe

[@josephbaehr3695]

Very, very good!

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@luckyguy600]

Good plane. I liked it and it did its job well for the time.

[@AviationRepublic]

A technical marvel of a machine. :-) Joe

[@elijahhodges4405]

I first thought ugly. And then I saw them taking off and landing. Sweet machine. I suspect the pilots were simply more experienced in their jets. I got to where I loved the Corsair I or II.

[@JonathanRossRogers]

57:38 The initialism for "Forward Looking Radar" is "FLR." "FLIR" means "Forward-Looking InfraRed."

[@bettyschnauber8238]

Great video. I can do other stuff while I listen

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, I love doing that to, put on a long video and listen to it like an audio book. :-) Joe

[@socaljarhead7670]

“It isn’t very fast, but it sure is slow!”

[@AviationRepublic]

Haha, I have read that about the A-7, was fast enough to get the job done, at least that's what my wife tells me. ;-) Joe

[@volvogt21]

Awesome video Joe. Just found your channel. Very impressive

[@AviationRepublic]

Thanks and welcome and to the channel, really pleased you have subbed, means a lot, I hope to continue to earn it. :-) Joe

[@volvogt21]

@@AviationRepublic thankyou! I can't pick your accent. Can I ask where you are based? Cheers.

[@ipsit3095]

Crusader is my absolute favorite

[@AviationRepublic]

Stunning piece of aero engineering, that wing is a master piece, a stroke of genius.

[@blaggercoyote]

I remember the Corsair well as a kid.

[@AviationRepublic]

I used to always confuse the F8 with the A7, I was not the quickest of kids :-) Joe

[@fw1421]

We were still flying A-7’s when I enlisted in the USAF in 1974. Great ground attack fighter.

[@AviationRepublic]

One of the all time greats. :- ) Joe

[@paulhiakita251]

Awesome coverage on this excellent air craft. I always thought the A7 Corsair had a great look. It had the look of hunger for action to me.

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it. More to come.

[@6172crew1]

I grew up around the D models, my Dad flew them with the 353rd and 357th USAF.

[@AviationRepublic]

That's pretty cool, i can imagine you were told some interesting stories. Did you get into aviation?

[@6172crew1]

@@AviationRepublic I earned my ticket while I was a US Marine and crew chief on the CH-46E. We had older T-34B planes at the aeroclub. I also did some air show stuff with the Mig17s in on the west coast. The J-5, and JJ-5 that were used in the Mig Magic air shows were owned by a friend who also had the new Yak9s built and brought over to the USA. Most of them now belong to owners in New Zealand from what I'm told.

[@AviationRepublic]

Nice, very nice, I try not to be envious, but I am a little bit. It must have been so much fun flying the Migs, I can imagine you have some great stories.

[@6172crew1]

@@AviationRepublic I it was a fun time in the early 90s. I was hungry most of the time because none of it paid well but I got to fly some neat stuff. My dad flew for Reno Air while I was active duty and I was offered to fly in the seat next to him at one point but I didn’t own a suit and tie so I could look like a FAA guy. I wish I had bought a Napoleon Dynamite suit and rolled, but I made $5 an hour back then lol. Enjoyed the content, M8!

[@AviationRepublic]

Early nineties were peak days indeed. :- )Joe

[@raywhitehead730]

So you know , 11.5 maintenance hours per flight hour is very good for military jets. The last year I worked on USMC Harriers -1977, the maintenance hours to flight hours was right at 35hrs of maintenance to 1 flight hour. And I was the guy who calculated and reported that to the maintenance officer for the Squadron , VMA 513.

[@AviationRepublic]

How cool is that, working with the USMC Harriers. The low maintenance time came up in a few sources while researching for this story, which is pretty impressive. Out of interest, how many hours would it take to remove the engine from a Harrier? - Joe

[@raywhitehead730]

I lead a team that changed engines. Unlike the Air Force that had specialized teams we were all cross trained. As you know the Barrier engine change required defueling, jacking the plane up, lowering the nose, removing the one price wing, removal of the duct ed thrust nozzles then disconnecting all fuel lines, control rods, electrical connections and then the engine mounts. On a good day, with about 7 good workers we could do it in one 17 hours of steady work. That includes reversing the entire process with the new engine. And refueling and towing it to the runway for high power run up tests. I had a high power card.

[@bradmiller9507]

Good Narrative! Thanks!

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@williamlloyd3769]

More A-7 videos!

[@AviationRepublic]

Soon, I promise, I have a fairly long list at the moment, but I will get to the A7.

[@Trindal]

The US military is truly well equipped with some of the best tech and strategy that is available worldwide. I truly think that if we didn’t have to jump through ridiculous hoops we could have saved more of the lives we’ve lost. In some cases even sparing civilian and military personnel by not dragging a battle out for a decade. If the US relied almost solely upon air power with troops on the ground only as instructors for South Korea I feel like the war could have been ended with less human life lost. You don’t have to destroy everything to take the fight out of the enemy. You avoid the fangs and cut off the head. You don’t play with it and toy with it until you get bit. Vietnam is what happens when you let politicians control a battle. To many chefs in the kitchen only creates an overload of dishes that all those chefs feel are above washing. How does the most advanced military in the world spend all those years chasing ghosts in caves In Afghanistan? Just drop the mountain movers and move on to the next hill.. i guess the whole Cold War thing is why we didn’t go all out. The fear of taking out a North Korean SAM sight that was provided by big brother, people feared we would kill a Soviet who was advising and start WWIII. Even air to air combat was restricted for that reason and why we didn’t go straight in for the jugular and destroy their ability to fly altogether. Go from not even visually seeing the target thanks to advanced weapons to requiring guns in a missile fight. Eh, what do I know? I’m just a busted up high school dropout turn (medically retired..)heavy bomber crew chief who posts comments that are way to long on KZbin videos.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you for your comment, I get what you are saying, my next video is not going to improve your mood, that's for sure.

[@charlessorrell1226]

I was on USS SHANGRI LA CV 38 on that WESTPAC cruise

[@AviationRepublic]

I can imagine you have great memories of your time on-board. :-)Joe

[@joevaccaro6655]

Thanks for making the video, very detailed and fascinating stuff 👍. I thought the Air National Guard A7s participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama. If you can make a video on that, that would be awesome as well as the A7s in Operation Prairie Fire.

[@AviationRepublic]

Glad you enjoyed it! I will see what I can do. I have lots of videos lined up, but I will make a note of your request. :-) Joe

[@joevaccaro6655]

Thanks 🙏

[@bobbiecrider6964]

VA 87 40:40 Parachute Rigger/Weapons loading team member A7E USS Franklin D. Rossevelt1973/74 Eastern Med. Kudos for the video. Well done young Men

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you very much, pleased you enjoyed it, more on the way. :-) Joe

[@uberduberdave]

One might note that when the A-7D and E were getting all that high tech avionics, people were just getting color TVs, many of TV shows of era would open with an announcement that show was in color to prompt consumers into buying new color sets...

[@AviationRepublic]

That is very true, and then I get called a conspiracy nut for claiming the government have some high tech gadgets that we won't see for many more years. :-) Joe

[@raywhitehead730]

Excellent!

[@AviationRepublic]

Many thanks! Pleased you enjoyed the video, more to come :-) Joe

[@lindycorgey2743]

The A7 was the Aircraft that the USAF used to train on for the F117 Stealth Fighter. They deployed ot S Korea to simulate a F117 deployment. The A7 carried a fuel tank with fake electric connector on it. People were told it was to make the A7 invisible to N Korean radar.

[@AviationRepublic]

That is correct, it was theorised that the crash in Indianapolis was part of the F-117 project.

[@SSK-27]

Incredible these saw service in the 1st Gulf War. Pretty damn impressive. I wonder how the bomb load on a Corsair II compares to the A-10? Certainly seems like both types had a role with the Corsair II being a faster, longer range bomb truck and the A-10 being a CAS specialist. I suppose the F-16, F-18 and F-15 E could carry out most of the Corsair II strike roles and had better air to air capabilities.

[@AviationRepublic]

I read that many pilots preferred the F/A-18 over the A-7, speed, maneuverability, weapons, tech. But for looks, for me, the A-7 can't be beat.

[@scinanisern9845]

When those guys get that engine wound out, ready to get shot off the carrier you could watch the tornado emerge from the front intake and go sweeping back and forth across the deck in front of it as they awaited the shot.

[@AviationRepublic]

I would love to have seen footage of that, do you have any? :-) Joe

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video...👍 *EDIT→* Subbed. And I like the smell of jet fuel ANY TIME of day...😊

[@AviationRepublic]

Brilliant, thanks, Everyone loves the smell of Jet fuel.......

[@hckyplyr9285]

Deep dive on the A-7F next? And I'd love a video on the SLUF post-75. Thanks!

[@AviationRepublic]

I will see what I can do.

[@Completeaerogeek]

Another great US aircraft powered by a British engine (TF-41= Upgraded RR Spey turbofan) like the Merlin Mustangs, the P&W J-42 and 48 (RR Nene and Tay) in the Cougar/Panther series, the Armstrong Siddely Sapphire (Wright J-65) in the B-57 Canberra and the Skyhawk , and of course the incomparable RR Pegasus Harrier. Good partnerships make great aircraft.

[@RobertGraziose]

Some trivia. Ed Macman from the Johnny Carson Show, flew a Bird dog in Korea. I saw 2 A7s land at Grummans Calverton Plant. Not a Grumman plane, but the Calverton plant was also a navy plant and offered help to all navel aircraft.

[@AviationRepublic]

I am going to have to make a note of that for one of the next scripts :-) Joe

[@RobertGraziose]

@@AviationRepublic I would drive out to Calverton to watch the new F14s leave for their new homes. And some coming back for repairs. On guy wss landing and say us aircraft buffs down on the ground. He swept the wings back went to full afterburner and buzzed us . Cool piolit. While we were waiting for him to take off 2 A7s came in There were 2 policeman who were providing traffic control for an E2C radar dish delivery. Ran over and clocked their take off speed with their Rader gun. They were aircraft buffs also

[@user-rk3yb6nd1n]

Very nice video, thank you. A slight correction regarding the A-7F supersonic variant. There's a prototype on display at the Hill Air Force Base Museum, which I've seen and have pictures of somewhere. Wikipedia says there were two prototypes but I can't say anything about the second airframe.

[@Mitchell7]

In 1968/69 I served with an A7 sq. named the Barn Owls. We liked the aircraft but lost one AC when he came in short and flew into he water just port of the ship. There is a very sad story about the pilot whom we sadly lost... another long story. Gregory USN/USMC Semper Fi

[@cudatom9290]

19:24 it would be interesting to know was obstructing the flap slat tunnels.

[@AviationRepublic]

I was unable to find out what that was, all that I found was what Konrad said after the flight, he simply said "A second flight was performed that same day, after a detailed inspection of the aircraft revealed that the flap slot tunnels were obstructed which most probably caused separated airflow over the trailing edge flaps and disturbed turbulent flow over the horizontal tails" I can probably find out if a dug around a little more. :-) Joe

[@cudatom9290]

@@AviationRepublic Thanks for the reply.

[@lineswine]

Nice work, but one nit-pick at 57.42 FLIR is Forward Looking Infra Red (I was an Air Comms bloke in the R.A.F)

[@JoelLabilles]

Send those flying Machines to the Philippines❤😊

[@socaljarhead7670]

The A-7 and A-4 shared some of the same decks and certainly the same airspace. Imagine having two all-time great attack jets like that at your disposal?😃

[@uberduberdave]

Also, Air Guard A-7Ds starred briefly in the movie "Red Dawn..."

[@AviationRepublic]

Did it, which one? The original?

[@uberduberdave]

@@AviationRepublic Yes, indeed. The part where the colonel tosses a grenade in the Russian tank, first an F-111, next a couple of A-7s, most like CO Air Guard...

[@AviationRepublic]

Now I need to watch it again, Wolverineeeeeees. Patrick Swayze , Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey , i miss those days of reds under the beds.

[@FloridaManMatty]

24:30 140 airframes (sans engines) for roughly $10million LESS than a single F-35B 😂 I love the Lightning II, but come on! Inflation is a real bitch!

[@JulienGardner]

You have to correct with inflation. (I know you know)

[@h.r.puffnstuff8705]

Do the Desert Storm VA46/72 story. No A7 video is complete with out the Final Act covered.

[@AviationRepublic]

Thank you, it's now on the list. :-) Joe

[@osos2020]

she is certainly not ugly!

[@AviationRepublic]

She is a visually interesting aircraft. Very functional.