The Collings Foundation Vietnam Memorial Flight Training

[@raymondlewis2055]

I have over 800 hours in the A4E Skyhawk and 200 missions flown in Vietnam while flying with the Marines. The best jet aircraft ever built! The Marine Air Group that flew TA-4's in Vietnam out of DaNang as fast FAC's, had the Playboy Bunny painted on the aircraft's vertical stabilizer with the permission of Hugh Hefner. The A4E Skyhawk could routinely beat the F4 Phantom in a one-on-one head on dogfight. The Skyhawk could easily turn inside the Phantom and get on its tail and you could see them coming miles away because of all the black smoke their engines emitted. Did it many a time flying out of MCAS Beaufort.

[@TheLeadSled]

On the black smoke wasn't it the fuel they used that made the engines smoke so much?

[@primate4]

@@TheLeadSledit’s the design of the J-79 engine.

[@garthrupert7610]

The world needs more Phantoms brought back to life.

[@necroticism]

Just the thought of being able to write "F-4D" under "type of aircraft" in my logbook entry for this flight is making my heart rate spike. I absolutely will do this one of these years soon. $12,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to what I would be willing to give.

[@USAIRFORCE621]

My 2 favorite Vietnam era aircraft, it is a dream of me to fly in the "Rhino" and to be up close and personal with these 2 amazing pieces of American ingenuity! $12,000 is a small price to pay compared to the outstanding bravery, courage, honor and valor this pair of outstanding aircraft and their crews showed in the skies over Vietnam and throughout their service lives! The last F-4's were sadly retired from the USAF late in 2016! Airworthy A-4's are hard to come by anymore in the USA!

[@garthrupert7610]

What an incredible establishment!!!! Keeping such legendary aircraft in the air is amazing. 👏👏👏

[@johnevans388]

I've flown on the Collings Foundation's B-17, B-24 and B-25. Won't get to fly these now but it's a great operation they have over in the USA.

[@Adair9800]

Good history here on the acquisition and renovation of these two aircraft. Is the program currently available? Am interested in the F-4 training.

[@eranmalloch]

Aweome video, awesome planes. I'd love to fly in them one day. On the bucket list for sure!

[@Coloradocop]

I've flown on the B-17 and P-51 Mustang owned by the Collings Foundation. The jets are a bit out of our budget, but I think it's awesome that they even have them available!

[@garytodd5605]

Maybe not so much at the time. But many years later. I feel privileged to have gotten to work on the TA-4J as a plane captain and an ADJ in the powerplants shop. As a member of VT-21 from Dec of 1972 to may of 1976. Great bunch of young men and women at the time.

[@allgood6760]

Awesome... we flew Skyhawks with our RNZAF.. Thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿

[@Willysmb44]

I've been lucky enough to get some volunteer flights with the Collings folks in their WW2 planes, would of course give anything to take a ride on this.I'm sure the pull for this plane will be greater at shows now that the USAF is no longer flying their QF4s since December, 2016...

[@MrLeugen1]

Extra material ! Thank you v.much

[@henryadams2316]

I worked that very same tail number! I want a ride!

[@bradfordscales3306]

I worked this actual airframe 65-749 at RAF Bentwaters '76-'78 81TFW 81OMS ! They had halted incentive flights for Crew Chiefs in the mid '70s because of the oil embargo. A Major climbed out of this bird one afternoon and I told him I was a Private Pilot and what I needed to do to take her for a spin. He said "Well Chief, you know how to start it, just pore the coals to it and rotate 20 degrees nose up on the roll, she'll take off when she's ready" !!

[@VMA225]

Good to see the old Scooter and the Phantom 2 in action. Worked on the A4 Skyhawks with the Marines in Viet Nam. Check out the VMA 225 You Tube Channel. A bunch of Video's and Slide Shows filmed in country 1965.

[@jrossi9250]

1st place on my bucket list! Thanks. J R

[@crazysundog]

boy, would I love to do this!

[@scandalousrogue]

vury cul! Brought back a lot of memories!

[@nmcowboy1983]

$12,000 for the two day Phantom course.

[@JANDCBEAR]

Is that Scott Gentile from A2A narrating this video?

[@stewscuda]

Wonder if I could get a ride in a F-100F

[@clarkfarrar6683]

If you do, make sure they demonstrate the Sabre dance for you. 🙂

[@woodychadwick9834]

Holy smoke, l need 12 grand.

[@howardhayes6051]

The A-4 was not a fighter! It was strictly a sub-sonic attack aircraft!

[@scottvanaken929]

+Howard Hayes True, but most of the unwashed masses do not realize that. In fact, the only two seat Scooter used in combat were the TA-4Fs of the USMC which operated as fast FACs.

[@johnosbourn4312]

Sir, the A-4 is considered to be a Strike-Fighter, because, both the Navy, and the Marines both deployed Attack Squadrons with an Air Defense Role, as well as their main role of ground attack, during the Vietnam War. If you want to know more about the "Scooter" in the Vietnam War, I recommend you to pick up a copy of Osprey's "US Navy, and Marine A-4 Squadrons of the Vietnam War". Also, New Zealand, Australia, and Brazil flew the "Scooter" as an air defense Fighter.

[@raymondlewis2055]

The Navy Top Gun School used the A-4 Skyhawk to simulate the Migs capability. If you watched the movie Top Gun, you saw the A-4 in action as the aggressor and beating the F-14. Just how many dog fights to do you think were fought at over Mach 1? I would venture to say ZERO. Israel used the A-4 as one of their fighters. They said below 10,000 feet it was the best fighter they had seen during its time. I guess by your standards the old F-86 that shot down so many Migs during the Korean War was not a fighter as it was sub-sonic. Also, as an old A-4E Skyhawk pilot that flew 200 missions in Nam, I can tell you you if you took an A-4E to 35,000 feet, went full throttle and zero G'ed the nose over to about 20 degrees or more, you would exceed Mach 1 with a momentary reversal of control response.

[@merkbo]

Hello Howard, if you asked the many Egyptian and Syrian pilots downed by the A4s flown in the 73 war they might disagree. We had CAT II pilots who were in the training command when this war went down and they flew many A4s directly to Israel. These guys landed, had their jets hooked up to a tow tractor and dragged into a hangar, the next thing they knew they saw their A4s taxing fully armed and painted with the Star of David and heading out to a combat sortie. I've come back from ACM missions on the range and seen my F4 in the windscreen of more than one A4. :-)

[@michelr8817]

merkbo The Israeli Air Force A4 have 2 kills on Syrian mig 17 in 1970 The interesting one was with air to ground rockets The second one with cannons It was in one engagement by the same pilot I only flew the A4 as a advance trainer But I won’t have a problem flying it In dog fight against mig 17,21,23 Good little airplane And enjoy the time on it

[@cavsh00ter]

Boy sorry hunny there went Skippy's college fund Ah yes dear I am going to do that, why? I wanna!

[@erfgoedgidsveenhuizen]

What is wrong with his voice? Inhaled too much Agent Orange?