We found an abandoned fighter jet in a field, Vought A7 Corsair II..

[@Tomrryaniv]

I flew the A-7E out of NAS Cecil Field with VA-83 Rampagers. I flew them from 1985-1987 until our squadron transitioned to the F/A-18C Hornet and then we were redesignated as VFA-83. I flew off of the USS Saratoga (CV-60) and had carrier landings on 10 other aircraft carriers. I accumulated over 1600 hours in the Corsair and Hornet and I had 467 carrier landings. I did get to fly the F-14A Tomcat in 1988 as a benefit of being an LSO. I loved my Navy flying days; extremely rewarding and got to learn and be with the cream of the crop in Naval Aviation.

[@SirDrifto]

How did you like flying them?

[@amuxpatch2798]

now you fly a 747 passenger plane right,lol

[@Tomrryaniv]

@@amuxpatch2798 not far from the truth, I flew all the variants of the Boeing 737. My largest passenger load in the 737-900 was 198 people. Not quite like a 747! I finished my flying career with over 17,000 hours of flying. I flew for Alaska Airlines for 28 years after my Naval Aviation years.

[@olentangy74]

I was working at AMARC in the mid 1980’s when the Hornets were being introduced to the fleet, and A-7s were flying into AMARC for desert storage. They have all been scrapped in the last few years.

[@snsixstringerfjb7730]

Thank you for your service Naval aviator!

[@markjannakos503]

I used to fly this jet. when she was assigned to the NMANG. I flew for the Tacos from 1984 to 2001. she was a good bird.

[@luthiermatt]

I'll bet I watched you land on 17 as you flew over UNM

[@MedMikeHawk]

Very, very cool!

[@ZuluFoxtrotBEAR]

Serial # 72-0245 (AF72-245) is an LTV A-7D Corsair II that was with the 188th Tactical Fighter Squadron / New Mexico Air National Guard.

[@SirDrifto]

Learned something new

[@amuxpatch2798]

Would this A7D (last variant) used in the Gulf war one (1991) ?

[@tomsherwood4650]

I think they were in the same wing as OHANG A7D. Weird thing about that.

[@jeffreypeterson7073]

@@amuxpatch2798 Maybe that's the reason for all the apparent battle damage patches!

[@garyodle5663]

This aircraft flew with the New Mexico Air National Guard's 150th Tactical Fighter Group. Negative on afterburner, affirmative on the guns. It was used for ground attack. Originally this type of aircraft flew for the Navy but it did such a good job that the Air Force started flying them too.

[@michaelmagill189]

USAF and Navy ordered them about the same time after flight testing but Air Force wanted changes as it was developed for the Navy and the USAF had somewhat different mission requirements. Therefore the Air Force received their first birds about 16 months later. It was a radical shift in air to mud delivery.

[@retiredmarine3225]

Agreed. Most Air National Guard aircraft will have unique state symbols on the tail. In this case, a famous symbol of the state of NM.

[@stevemidthun3310]

I was a crew Chief for 4 years on the A7D. I was stationed at Davis Monthan in Tucson Az. I was TDY in Korat Thailand in 73-74 to the 354th TFW out of Myrtle Beach SC. We did a lot of traveling with the A7's to other bases for fire power demos etc.The gun on the A7 was a 20mm cannon. It carried several different types of bombs and missles while in the Viet Nam war. The TF-41 engine did not have an afterburner. Thanks for the video!!

[@SirDrifto]

That's pretty dang cool. Thanks for your service.

[@DavidRLentz]

Thank you for your service to our country. And also for your outline here of your own experiences. Whilst I metaphorically have your ear, what is "TDY", please?

[@michaelmagill189]

@@DavidRLentz temporary duty. An off base assignment of 30 days or less

[@jeffaurand2345]

I was sent to MBAFB in '75 out of crew chief school; my first roommate was a sergeant back from Thailand. We transitioned to the brand-new A-10s, shipping the A-7Ds off to depot for refurbish and reassignment to ANG units. MBAFB is a housing development now.

[@stevenl.halesr.6894]

@@jeffaurand2345: I was stationed at Myrtle Beach from 74-77, worked as Crew Chief on A-7D's (241, 242, 990, 994) in Charlie (Green) Section. Was there when we lost Aircraft 306 in a night flying crash, killing the pilot. People I remember while I was there include: Mike Torres, Les Mueller, Elise Herman, Sue Haynes, Tom Laxus, Jim Miller, Ricky Woods, Rick Woods, Lee Bennett, Thomas Jefferson III, Jim White, Pete Pritchard, Kathy Bowden, Tom Sayers, George Stewart, Benny Rice, John Vukovich, Millie Olstein, Joe Blakenship, John Long, Rick Rudd, Tim Tieple, Mike Abrams, Jim Ready, Leo Platon. They've turned the place into a resort, but they did create a Historical Air Park with a Wall of Honor for Air Force Members that were stationed there. I added my name to the wall by contacting the MB City Counsel / Convention Center.

[@thomassmith537]

That Aircraft started my 30 plus year career as a Aviation Maintenance Technician.

[@romine777]

The incident of the sailor being sucked into the intake was probably the February 20, 1991 incident where Petty Officer Bridget, was checking the launch mechanism on a Grumman A-6 Intruder during night flight operations on board the USS Eisenhower. He accidentally stepped in front of jets air intake and got sucked inside. Luckily, his headgear went into the engine first and the quick response by a fellow crewman and the pilot saved his life.

[@SirDrifto]

I bet that's what the incident I was referring too. Amazing he survied.

[@joebarber4030]

It happened more than you know in 1975 the navy issued a maintenance brief calling to not shutdown the engine if someone was sucked up into engine. There wouldn’t be anything left of the person anyway so run the engine to clear itself as much as possible. Nothing worse than cleaning 200 pounds of raw human hamburger out of those engine compressor blades

[@95salois]

That was a A-6 Intruder

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@joebarber4030 Come to think of it There were sailors that avoided eating the ship board sliders. Maybe there was a reason.

[@DavidRLentz]

Oh, thank you for this! I had not heard the consequences.

[@brettblankenship3872]

My dad Cspt. Kenneth Lynn Blankenship was the first A-7D Air Force fatality. He was stationed at Myrtle Beach AFB and training in the Corsair at Luke AFB. His jet flipped over during a PLP maneuver at Gila Bend Auxiliary Field on November 24, 1970. He flew 430 combat missions in Vietnam and the Air Force concluded it was pilot error. I’ve talked to a few of the pilots who knew my dad and they all said my dad was a.better pilot than that. I wish he could still be here.

[@davenehilla9610]

God Bless your dad! The kindest and truest thing I can tell you is that your dad was exceptionally blessed to do what he loved. And I promise you, he knew it. Few people on the planet will ever know that joy. Flying the A-7E off the ship I told my wife….Pilots are pretty merciless when and if we manage to kill ourselves, whether or not it was our fault. Just let it roll off…..because I promise you, there is no better way to go than to go loving what you do. There are worse things than dying…..not living is number one. Your dad lived!!

[@edgein3299]

The A-7 Corsair was derived from the F-8 Crusader. A lot of confusion between the two because they looked very much alike, but the A-7 was much shorter and a subsonic attack aircraft while the F-8, which was known as "The Last Gunfighter" was a supersonic fighter.

[@bdawg8810]

Yessir👍 the phantom took its place

[@dhooter]

Pretty sure the F8 set some speed records as well

[@mikesanservino8306]

A-7 Corsair II. Light attack bomber originally designed to replace the A-4 Skyhawk for the US Navy in the middle of the 1960s and started flying operationally in 1967-68 if I recall.

[@loose-arrow-garage]

I was a crew chief on those from '78 to '89 with the AZANG. All of your questions about seem to have been answered but I will add; despite it's unusual appearance it was a very capable aircraft in the ground attack mode. It could even hold it's own in mock air to air dog fights. It had the capability to carry two AIM-9 sidewinder missiles as well as the Vulcan cannon. There was a later two seat version called the A-7K. I was fortunate to get a backseat ride in one.

[@thekingsilverado3266]

There were a couple of weird variants of the A4 and A6 too. Those were mostly stashed in Hawaii for some reasons. Kind of special operations planes I guess. El Toro held some weird trainers as well as fields in SC had some off the wall models of vintage aircraft.

[@michaelmagill189]

There were 2 dedicated AIM9 pylons. One on either side of the fuselage just below the leading edge of the wing. When properly adjusted, the radar bomb mode could hit a 50 foot target from 20,000 ft on a dark rainy night. We used the term " put an egg in a pickle barrel " but that was a very slight exaggeration. That and that wonderful 20mm were the primary reason we won the TACOMP tactical bombing competition at RAF Lakenheath so many times.

[@elrobo3568]

Hey El Guapo, this is El Robo from the 162nd. How the heck are you? Us old crew chief types never die just go into storage!

[@SirDrifto]

That's fascinating, thanks for the info

[@paulsupronojr.4976]

@@elrobo3568 Lol, 😅 😛 😆 😅

[@CarlBrainerd]

Very interesting find. The plane had obviously been put in the field with at least a little care since there are accurately-placed concrete pads under the wheels. Brings back memories. In 1969/1970 I worked in the aerodynamics department of the Vought Aeronautics Division of LTV in Grand Prairie, TX outside of Dallas, at the Navy Dallas Naval Air Station. At that time the A7 production line was active there. It was a tough old bird and could carry a boat-load of external stores, i.e. bombs & missiles, etc. I had a number of walkthroughs of the assembly line, which is always interesting to see for any aircraft. We did wind tunnel tunnel testing of external store separation using dynamically-scaled models. There was a big net downstream of the model to catch the ordnance after separation. Thanks for posting.

[@turbo-bike7999]

That brings back some damn good memories! I’m sitting here watching the video and going through launch sequence in my head lol. What a sight! My first love!!!!

[@SirDrifto]

Did you fly these or tech on them? Sounds like some great memories.

[@turbo-bike7999]

@@SirDrifto I was a engine mechanic, low and high power qualified so I had the privilege of running/the engine from start up to maximum thrust. I was also a plane captain on the mighty A7 Corsair II! During the launch sequence I would give the pilot hand signals or commands which would also myself and others to visually inspect flight surfaces prior to launch. I can still remember the sound of the Allison TF41 at maximum thrust! How the nose strut would compress under the forward thrust as the engine spooled up. As I’m typing this, I’m reliving my times on the flight line with the A7. That was decades ago in a squadron long since decommissioned. You just rolled up on a A7 sitting in the middle of a field……one day I’ll get to crawl around another one just for old times sake.

[@aj-2savage896]

This one never went to storage at AMARG, but was used for Battle Damage Repair training once grounded for good. I've noted the same "emergency" repairs carried out on retired B-57s, F-101s, and other retired types. This was meant to train for regenerating damaged aircraft during extended fighting when replacements would not be available. Was maybe driven by the accounts of beer cans being used to fix F-105s in Vietnam to make do until something better could be done.

[@SirDrifto]

Fascinating

[@miguellogistics984]

I noted the battle damage repairs on the rear stabilizer.

[@DB-zp9un]

My dad worked on those for 30 years.. Said it proved if you put enough thrust behind a brick, it would fly.

[@SirDrifto]

I like that saying 😁

[@thekingsilverado3266]

There was no place to add a comment like that here but U pulled it off really well. We had a couple nic names 4 em like Flying Dumbos 2 Winged Hippos ect. I actually forget some of the quips. We had master Chief that hated anything with wings unless it was a Tomcat and come to think of I was about the same mentality. The Tomcat was a real brute. I seen em land missing parts and pieces that made ya think real hard how it stayed in the air. It might have been the Saratoga that had a pilot bail out couldn't land for some reasons and when that thing hit the water there was barely a splash splash as U would thing of one. The damn thing just went right down didn't even back up. The A7 was not the aircraft to run out of gas over water.

[@kennethhamilton5633]

That was a description of the F4Js the bent wing bug sucker. We had a NATO exercise where we slick winged an A7E,that is take all the BRU-10 wing pylons off and put a young Gung ho wanna be a fighter pilot in the cockpit. Whut you get is an airplane with no canopy a bent airframe and pilot with a big ish eating grin on his face and some F15 and F16 pilots wondering "whudda fonk wuz zat"???!!!.

[@oregonexpat]

I seem to recall them being referred to as the “Hoover”, after the vacuum cleaner. And they were cool to watch on the catapult.

[@taylorc2542]

That saying is usually said about the F-4.

[@theadventuresofjavier8698]

As a child my older brother took myself and my younger brother fishing at the alameda naval base in the early 80’s. As he drove his black camaro across the end of the runway to get to the fishing spot I noticed a sign that said “ DO NOT CROSS WHEN THE RED LIGHT IS FLASHING “ . I told my brother what it said and asked “ was it flashing?” I told him yes. We looked over our left shoulders and saw 2 A7’s coming our way. They purposely kept it low on the deck and flew over us. The rumble and shaking scared the fire out of us... but how I loved it... I still walk around the retired naval base from time to time. Thank you for stirring my memories of this great aircraft

[@jamesharper7661]

It's an A7D. No afterburner. Had the M61 20mm gatling gun. I worked SLUFF's as a crew chief in the 23rd TFW/76thAMU/ AGS 1978 to 1982. Loved that bird! You get up top on the stabilator.

[@paulharpring2250]

Very cool find! That intake was like a huge vacuum cleaner, when they were running in the rain you could see the water being sucked up off the pavement like a mini tornado. Everyone stayed clear of the front when the engine was running, if not it would be a very bad day!

[@SirDrifto]

oh man, what a sight that would be to see. very cool.

[@DavidRLentz]

The red DANGER arrow with the white letters!

[@sambrooks7510]

I worked A-7D's as an air traffic controller at England AFB back in 1976-77. We got to go over to Peason Ridge range once and watch a flight of 4 do a daisy chain over a static target. They would fly in a circular pattern just above treetop level, and then as each aircraft would ingress on the target (an old truck), it would do a pop-up, roll inverted, pull over into a steep dive onto the target, roll back upright and let go a Mk-82 practice bomb. They were pretty good with those bombs - wasn't unusual for one of the aircraft to "shack" the target. Great memories!!

[@blobert62]

You are correct. Early A-7s had 2 20mm cannons but this model which appears to be the A-7D which carried a Vulcan 20mm cannon

[@TralfazConstruction]

One of the best walk-arounds of an aircraft if not _the_ best.

[@SirDrifto]

Well thank you! 👌

[@TralfazConstruction]

@@SirDrifto You are welcome!

[@SNATCHYDBS]

The Last gun fighter... I guess out to pasture in a field is at least a peacfull retirement. Be nice to see her air worthy again though.👍

[@sppd33398]

Actually "The Last of the Gunfighters" was the Vought F-8 Crusader. The Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) A-7 Corsair II was developed from it through so they look similar.

[@michaelmacdermott6340]

Nope, they didn't have APU's. That is the exhaust for the ECS (environmental control system). I was an AME (aviation structural mechanic egress/environmental technician) with VA-15 Valions stationed at NAS Cecil Field in the Navy from 1984 to 1986 before we transitioned to the F/A-18.

[@geneard639]

Some, just some, A-7D's had APU's.

[@michaelmacdermott6340]

@@geneard639 Yes, few. But that wasn't, and what he was pointing to was not where the exhaust for the APU is located. Like I said that's for the ECS bleed air. Not only did I work on that system, but it was a favorite place the warm hands while the jet was idling in the winter months.

[@stevenchipman3384]

​@@geneard639the auxiliary ram air power turbine/fan was visible on the dorsal spine near the port side of the centerline.

[@gunndish]

I left the "Blue Poodles" in summer of 82 ... went up to CLAW-1 and worked in the maintenance dept and did F/A-18 fleet intro.

[@robertgalletto8186]

Worked on those aboard theUSS Coral Sea From 1979-80. Had a lot hydraulic leak issues, but fairly easy to maintain.

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool

[@Torrestorres2624]

I wish I had an A-7 just sitting in my field.

[@anthonyenos2643]

A7E Corsair first jet to ever have a HUD Heads up Display.It was subsonic.Aircraft industructable.Get a bullet hole patch it up with duct tape.Used heavily in Vietnam.

[@SirDrifto]

I learned something new@

[@amuxpatch2798]

And Gulf war (1991)

[@davenehilla9610]

And Grenada. 1983

[@luthiermatt]

I probably saw that jet fly as I was growing up in Abq. This was where the ANG flew out of Kirtland AFB. They often landed to the south on 17 which brought them low over where I lived.

[@gusm2752]

I was stationed at Kirtland 78 - 80. A-7 was tough bird.

[@lebaillidessavoies3889]

surprising its so well preserved...not vandalized , no graffitis.. cool.

[@Name-ps9fx]

Out in a field, most people respect other's property. "Look, but don't damage!"

[@akroguy]

That's a "Taco Squadron" remnant from the NM Air National Guard. They really excelled with them then were transitioned to the F-16. The Vipers were also moved elsewhere and the NMANG is now supporting spec ops at Kirtland alongside active duty Air Force personnel, maintaining C-130's, CV-22 and helo's. Word is that the NMANG will be assigned it's own C-130's over the next couple of years and the active duty will get C-130 gunships. I would LOVE to have this Corsair in my front yard! I live at an airpark....it wouldn't look unusual here.

[@SirDrifto]

What a name "taco squadron "

[@1951Roy]

Yes it was called the A7 Corsair 1970-1990. Non afterburner. That one looks like it might have been a static display at one time. NM Air National Guard I'm sure flew it. We sold all our A7's to Greece and Taiwan and the Navy replace it with the F18.

[@SirDrifto]

That is very cool. Thank you for the insight

[@turbo-bike7999]

Greece got TA-7C’s from my old squadron and our sister squadron…..our squadron had the best pilots 😉. Kara Hultgreen was my division officer as she flew A7’s before going to the not so cool A6 Intruder and ultimately F14 where sadly she perished.

[@shadvan9494]

you are correct. from researching the tail number it was used by the New Mexico ANG. at some point it sent to Wright Field in Dayton and decommissioned, and then loaned to the city of Santa Rosa as a display for the air port. and it has probably sat their since. it would probably cost more to remove it than the thing is worth in scrap metal. but it is still cool to see an old warbird like that.

[@andrewdonohue1853]

technically it's not a fighter jet, but a light attack aircraft. i wonder how it ended up in the middle of nowhere.

[@craigd1275]

That plane was probably in a children's playground so kids could climb on it. Back in the 1960s there were a lot of old jet planes in playgrounds. Lawyers put an end to that. Kids fell off, and the parks got sued. They probably just moved that plane from the playground to that field. The plane that sucked a guy into the intake was an A6 Intruder. .

[@davidwemyss7303]

WHAT a find! In my 70s LA days, Echo Park had a Vought F-4U Cutlass as a gate guard, it had a cyclone fence surrounding it, sparing it any vandalism & graffiti. It did a cameo in the Roy Scheider movie "Blue Thunder"...

[@kritikos55]

I love these airplanes A7 Corsair II, Never flown one ( I'm not a pilot), but of it's looks & what it could do. The last Corsairs was flown in Greece & were retired on 2014, but I believe they are stashed somewhere ready to fight if needed...!!!

[@SirDrifto]

Would love to see one fly

[@Bulldog1653]

The incident of getting sucked into an intake was on an A-6 Intruder. This is an A-7D variant. The other plane you were referring to at the end of the video would have been the F-8 Crusader. The F-8 was flown by the Navy until F-4's phased them out. I would love to see a Corsair restored to flyable condition.

[@r.a.capell42]

The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was derived from the Vought F-8 Crusader; in comparison with the F-8, the A-7 is both smaller and restricted to subsonic speeds, its airframe being simpler and cheaper to produce.

[@bigg4454]

523rd Fighter Squadron! Inactivated in 2007. That piece must've came from Cannon AFB in New Mexico!

[@stanleyhatfield4902]

I see that the "headknocker" was down on the ejection seat. An Escapac 1c2 I think. after about 50 years, things like that get fuzzy. worked on them in the early 70's while I was in the navy. VA-81 Sunliners. we deployed on the U.S.S. Forrestal.

[@SirDrifto]

That's pretty cool! 👌

[@larrykuhtz8919]

I’m pretty that’s the same squadron my dad was in back in the 70’s on the Forrestal. I remember (vaguely, because I was maybe 5 years old) the family day they had on ship and we got to go onboard for a bit.

[@stanleyhatfield4902]

@@larrykuhtz8919 I was a Sunliner from April 71 to January 4 ,75. It was a good squadron, had some good guys in it.

[@flyXplanes]

Oh wow I love airplanes too I can't get enough of them, in 82 these planes were still flying along with F 4 .Cool video !

[@skipatrollife-southernutah7805]

That is awesome man, thank you for sharing this experience, I appreciate it.

[@SirDrifto]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnmoore256]

A quick way to tell if it's a Navy/Marine or a Air Force A-7 is look for the tow bar on the front if the nose gear. The tow bar is the extention that hooks into the catapult shuttle to lunch off of aircraft carriers.

[@michaelmagill189]

Aerial refueling probe. Only Navy birds had those. Air Force used flying boom with a suck down door just aft of the cockpit right behind the upper avionics bay

[@Retr0racin]

I worked on the flight deck on the Ranger back in early 80`s I was in a EA6B squadron, loved watching these A7`s land on the deck. kinda of like a controlled crash.

[@SirDrifto]

That's awesome 👌

[@terihomer5316]

I served in a A7 Squadron during 1970 and 71. The A7 was subsonic and could carry 36 250lb bombs. Our usual load out was 12 500lb bombs. The gun was a single 20mm.

[@amuxpatch2798]

They only made two seater of the A7 series. But most of the single seater were upgraded with electronics and multiscreens displays and revised engines.

[@amuxpatch2798]

They only made one two seater of the A7 series. But most of the single seater were upgraded with electronics and multiscreens displays and revised engines.

[@kennethhamilton5633]

Nope A7 As and Bs had Two 20mm Auto cannons Ds and Es had M61 20mm gatling and the most I ever saw them loaded out with was 10 82s and 2 150 gal drops 2 winders and full drum of 20mm shells

[@michaelmagill189]

@@kennethhamilton5633 TERs and MERs. Tripple ejection rack and multiple ejection rack which mounted 6 bombs. With 2 drops there were 4 remaining pylons. What loadout totaled 10? I saw them loaded out with 16 500 pounders at Red Flag but most commonly it was 2 drops and 24 BDU33 practice bombs about 12 lbs with a smoke charge. All of our pilots flew 2 missions a month with Maverick missiles (training units, dummies, no motor or explosive) and at Red Flag we would fire at least 2 live missiles

[@charlesmendias6470]

Hay Sir Drifto Viewing your vid about the Corsair. I can’t help notice your RV rig. Enjoy your video and viewing your nice rig. I also have a 1994 Toyota Warrior class w/ the v6 3.0L. I’m in the middle of re-modeling the cabin. Everywhere we travel people ask questions about my rig. Anyway’s just wanted to say Hello to you both. Happy Trails…

[@stevetadlock5223]

I was in the VAST shop on CVN-70 during Westpac 88, we worked on a few of the A7 boxes, this was the last deployment of A7's on the Carl Vinson!

[@williamardenjr116]

The aircraft the sailor was sucked unti was an intruder if I'm not mistaken! They showed us that in A school at NAS Pensacola

[@michaelmagill189]

I worked A7's at England Airplane Patch in 77-78. The "Last Gunfighter" was the F8 Crusader not the A7. There is video of a NAVY deckhand taking the ride. At idle or very low throttle the A7 would not do that. Only at high power. Only the NAVY would have personnel that close at those settings. Air Force personnel would be back at the flight line at that time except for the muzzle fu**ers who pulled pins on the ordinance before the aircraft took the active runway. What it would do, however, is suck up anything loose including pens, headsets/hearing protectors and caps within 15 feet in front of that massive scoop triggering a shutdown, FOD (foreign object damage) inspection and at least an article 15. I watched over an hour of such videos specific to the A7 during familiarization and safety training before joining my unit (76 AMU). The exhaust that is shown I remember as being the jet fuel starter but it could have been climate control unit. Another way to spot a Navy bird was the refueling probe. USAF used the flying boom system with a door behind the cockpit while the Navy used probe and drouge with a retractable probe to the right and slightly forward of the cockpit. The SLUFF was indeed the first aircraft with a HUD but it was also the first to use a moving map display. It used 70mm (I believe) slide film rolls. It was interesting to hear and see it select the next frame as the aircraft flew from one grid to the next. It was controlled by the inertial navigation system and allowed the pilot to concentrate on the job instead of fu**ing with maps. The first A10's I saw had Rand McNally road maps because they always flew IFR ( that's "I follow roads" ) and had only basic navigation systems ( same as a Cessna or Piper ) and TACAN. As a final note, the Weapons Delivery System, which is what I worked on, was also the fire control system on the AC130 Gunship.

[@jeffreypeterson7073]

Haha, Fellow Red Section'er here from '79-'82

[@michaelmagill189]

@@jeffreypeterson7073 hi there

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool 😎

[@101shapshifter]

my dad used to work on the A-7 when he was in the Navy, he was stationed at China Lake with the VX-5

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool 😎

[@benfoot4212]

Cool find, I remember as a kid watching the A7's and F4's flying around Kirtland AFB. BTW, 72 is the year of manufacture and 245 is the tail number. Thanks for showing

[@SirDrifto]

Would have loved to see them fly

[@kennethhamilton5633]

Not even that is the BuNo, look it up

[@benfoot4212]

@@kennethhamilton5633 Not sure what you mean. The BuNo is a Navy/marine numbering system. The USAF is different.

[@ricardocorbie6803]

The “ last Gunfighter” yup 👍🏿 great aircraft!!

[@roberthampton8682]

Excellent find and thanks for sharing! To find one sitting in a filed is weird, I would think. It would be interesting to find out how it got there! The first time I saw A7, I was in the 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing, (Flying Tigers) at England AFB, Alexandria Louisiana, back in 1979. The AFR there had the A7s, and I didn't even know they existed before that, since most of the other Squadrons I was assigned to had F4s. Again, thanks for sharing!

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool!

[@michaelmagill189]

23rd Tactical Fighter Wing. The squadrons were 74th, 75th and 76th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. The maintenance units when I got there were AMU's (I was attached to 76th AMU) but that became AGS, Aircraft Generation Squadron shortly before I left. The Flying Tigers moniker came about as they were the USAAC (Army Air Corps) unit that took over from Claire Chenault's AVG in China when the US entered WW2. They are now stationed at Myrtle Beach flying A10's.

[@ironnoodle7992]

Stationed at England AFB from 78 to 81. Best ground support unit in all of NATO 2 years in a row. In time of war, tiger's claws. In time of peace, tiger's paws. 23rd Supply. "We try harder."

[@roberthampton8682]

@@michaelmagill189 I was assigned to the Data Automation Office. And I have no clue which squadrons were which, besides it's been over 42 years ago. Thanks for correcting me, it's good to know it was it was the "Wing", instead of the Squadron.

[@sergeiprohorov3984]

Greetings to you! I, like you, am a big fan of aviation!!! There are familiar pilots, and when I meet them, I enthusiastically listen to their stories.! I live in Russia and in our city there are two MiG 29A and Su 27sm fighters passing by every time I hug them .... Deck aviation is what I like the most F 14 tomket and F 18 Hornet are the best combat aircraft. Thank you for your video, and for A 7 karsar watched with enthusiasm and I will wait for new releases! Good luck.

[@SirDrifto]

Thanks for watching

[@DaremoKamen]

If you ever get to Camp Dodge in Iowa, just north of the capitol Des Moines in the town of Johnston, you can see another A7D on static display as a gate guard. They have a number of vehicles on display as part of their Gold Star Museum. Other aircraft are an F80 and and F84F.

[@vitsirosh3722]

I'm building an A7k Corsair 2 seat trainer version by Hobby Boss. I wanted to see all the rivets up close and what colors to apply. Gonna go with brown green Vietnam camo. Your girl is a beauty and what a life you two have. Open road frugal living out of a camper. Awesome guys

[@48Ballen]

The A-7C,D,and E models had the first digital computer ( IBM 4Pi TC2) for navigation and weapons delivery. It was a improved version of the computer that flew the Saturn missile ( LVDC) on boost stage of the moon missions. I spent 4 yrs doing software and verification on this computer on this aircraft in the late 1960s and early 70s at China Lake. No afterburner, 20MM cannon with 2 speeds. ( guns high and guns low) , subsonic, computer release calculation either manual or with release enable. Huge bomb load......

[@lorenzomaximo1818]

I was a A7-B jet mechanic and plane captain with VA~155 out of NAS Lemoore CA. Stationed aboard the USS ORISKANY from 71-74. It was a great plane.It could carry 16,000 lbs. of bombs.

[@allgood6760]

Cool find!.. should be in a museum 👍🇳🇿

[@SirDrifto]

Agreed!

[@michaelbailey2764]

My old friend, the A-7D. My first squadron flew them, 124th Fighter Squadron, 132nd Fighter Wing, Iowa Air National Guard.

[@yanktornado5121]

It had a 20 mm Vulcan indeed. It was non afterburner same engine as an F-111 and F-14 just scaled down a bit and tweaked for low level operations

[@SirDrifto]

That is too cool. Learned something new!

[@solidlift]

Actually, this version had the Allison TF-41 which was a license built version of the RR Spey.

[@yanktornado5121]

@@solidlift interesting! I didn’t know that! Thanks! 👌🏼

[@rickmurray7123]

The F 111 and early F 14s had TF 30s which had less thrust than the TF 41 which this A7D had. In the other aircraft they had afterburners which made them suitable for supersonic flight. The A7 was subsonic although in a dive, it would so supersonic, but just barely.

[@melgillham462]

There are a few aircraft of that genre that resemble eachother at a glance. The A-7 Corsair, the A-6 intruder, and the F-8 crusader. My dad was air force, ordinance tech. When Lowry AFB was still operational in Denver we used to go watch when I was knee high. Hed take me and wed get a McD's French fry or an ice cream cone and go plane spotting.

[@merlepatterson]

A7 Corsair and F8 Crusader were both Vought made. The F8 had more of a pointed nose cone as the biggest distinguishing feature, though they both looked very similar.

[@jehb8945]

It's an A7 Corsair II aka the SLUFF(you can look up what that stands for on your own just for the fun of it.) It was powered by a non-afterburning Allison TF-41 turbofan that 15,000lbs of thrust and a maximum speed of 690mph It was armed with an M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon that 1030 rounds and 15,000lbs of bombs and air to ground missiles underneath the wings and fuselage including a couple of infrared guided sidewinders for self-defense

[@TheGentlemanRacer]

Awesome find!!

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you sir

[@racermike1946]

I WORKED ON THE TF41-A2 ENGINES AT ALAMEDA,CALIF. NAVAL AVIATION DEPOT OR NADEP, IN THE EARLY 80'S THEY WENT IN THE NAVY VERSION THE A7E, THE AIR FORCE HAD THE A7D, THEY BOTH USED TH SAME ENGINES, THE NAVY VERSION DID NOT HAVE A GUN, BUT HAD A RETRACTIBLE BOOM FOR IN FLIGHT FUELING. AN ALL AROUND GOOD ATTACK AIRPLANE. THE ONES USED IN VIET NAM WERE THE A7A & B MODELS WITH A TF30 ENGINE, THE SAME ONE AS USED IN THE F14 TOMCAT BUT THE F14 HAS 2 ENGINES WITH AFTER BURNERS

[@iceman6514]

I just came across your channel and found this video to be extremely interesting to watch and have since subscribed. Looking forward to seeing what else you have created, one question, any ideal how this got there and why????????

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you for watching. That is a great question, I’m wondering the same thing aswell

[@alpiinoo135]

This is a masterpiece!

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you!

[@animationcycles7109]

I'm curious what the story was as to why it was stripped down, and just abandoned. There's the aircraft graveyard, not sure why it didn't go there. Is it farmers property, or maybe part of the airports property? Guessing it had it's last days for tech training, stripped, and towed off, then simply forgotten about? ( I'm doubting, it was looted, since the canopy is closed, by treasure finders, but could be possible? ) How visible is it from the closest road? So many questions...

[@marklynch5876]

I used to work on A-7D's in the South Carolina Air National Guard in the early '80's. That is a New Mexico ANG bird. I was a crew chief

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool

[@BADBADGER18]

I live in New Mexico and have never heard of this i need to visit this it also did have a Vulcan cannon if I remember correctly The corsair was a heavily modified attack version of the crusader

[@aaaeee2862]

My father used to build those in the LTV plant in Dallas, Tx in the mid 1960’s for the war in Vietnam.

[@SirDrifto]

Wow what a job

[@aaaeee2862]

@@SirDrifto He retired from the usaf, that’s why I believe he got that good paying job.He was an mp in the usaf and then he became a welder, he welded aircraft, one time him and his friend almost got kill by a crash landed jet’s wheel.

[@cdp200442]

My absolute favorite was the USAF IOWA ANG A7 corsair II .. I so want to get a Cockpit from one for my garage man cave

[@SirDrifto]

Now that would be cool.

[@kyriakos2706]

Fly low hit hard 🇬🇷⚔️

[@shadvan9494]

from researching the tail number it was used by the New Mexico ANG. at some point it sent to Wright Field in Dayton and decommissioned, and then loaned to the city of Santa Rosa as a display for the air port. and it has probably sat their since. it would probably cost more to remove it than the thing is worth in scrap metal. but it is still cool to see an old warbird like that.

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool thanks for the info

[@Polo-Hat]

In 2005 I as passing thru Santa Rosa headed back to California and saw this A-7 sitting in a field. I seem to recall it was near the airfield, but also sitting somewhat remotel by itself, not like it was a static display or memorial.

[@jamesbrewer-lk8te]

Crew chief on the SLUF 74 to 78 England AfB. Great aircraft.

[@tpobrienjr]

I wonder if the explosive bolts are still there - the ones that blow the canopy? I have a rudder pedal that says "VOUGHT". LTV corporate wanted to change it to "LTV", chief test pilot said "Nope."

[@SirDrifto]

That's awesome

[@davenehilla9610]

Canopy did not blow. We ejected thru it. The top of the seat had a device to shatter the canopy on ejection.

[@tpobrienjr]

@@davenehilla9610 I stand corrected sir👍

[@frisk151]

Does the air force version also have the dual front wheels and the shuttle hookup? Also, and more interesting, who owns this plane and why is it out in that field? Sure wish you could tell me where a F-14 is that is abandoned in a field.. lol (I know, there are NONE)... Sorry if this question has already been asked.

[@SirDrifto]

F14would be awesome

[@frisk151]

@@SirDrifto Too bad thanks to Iran... Still think it is BS we scrapped all of them in the 'bone yard' to make sure nobody stole parts, or so the excuses go. The Tomcat of yesteryear would have almost zero chance against any of our stealth aircraft today, and the F-35 could even out dogfight it, if there will ever be a dogfight again - unlikely. A F22 Raptor will kill anything in that case. Just stinks.. F14 was my favorite fighter growing up. Saw Top Gun at 16 in the theater.. SR-71 all time.. F-22... Well, if i had my choice (lol), that would be it. Thanks again for your coverage. Sub'ing up and will be following your adventures.. I'm a bit of an Earth Bouncer as well... I just haven't posted up to YT... (Terabytes of footage going back 20 years.. ;)

[@goofyleo3869]

Actually; there is at least ONE F-14 abandoned in a field. Georgia, maybe? It's with another aircraft way out behind a scrapyard. Look for it on U-tube.

[@MedMikeHawk]

The good and venerable SLUF, Short Little Ugly Fellow. On its time, had a pretty remarkable payload capacity (ordnance load) and target accuracy (ordnance delivery precision.)

[@Gumbytwozeroify]

NM air guard flew A-7s as far as around 1986/7 timeframe. Thier call sign was "Taco". I was outa Luke AFB and they came over to train from time to time.

[@johnross6691]

I would love to come across something like this great fin

[@SirDrifto]

Thanks for watching

[@2000TA]

I haven't seen an A-7 fly since the Spirit of St Louis airshow in '88. I was 5. I remember a demo of F-4s and A-7s doing low passes down the runway.

[@SirDrifto]

I'd kill to see an F14 fly

[@2000TA]

@@SirDrifto I was stationed at Davis-Monthan when the last F-14 came into the bone yard. It was parked next to my shop for a day while it waited to be taken over to AMARC.

[@MichaelRoberts-t7c]

Corsair II, A7E mfg by LTV Vought. I worked on these on the Navy, 1976 - 1980. The gun is a m61a Vulcan, hydraulic spun, electrically fired, 6000 rds a minute.

[@paulvmunix]

0245 (MSN D-367) 1977-88: New Mexico ANG 188th TFS (150th TFG). 1993: Assigned as a ground trainer to Kirtland AFB, NM Was on display outside New Mexico ANG compound, Kirtland AFB, NM. Seen 2007 in field near Santa Rosa MAP, Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Plane marked as 72-0245 outside 150th Fighter Wing, New Mexico ANG, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico from Aug 1993 is actually 72-0177

[@bobleicht5295]

Someone else discovered Joe Baugher!

[@paulvmunix]

@@bobleicht5295 Been reading his stuff for at least 2 decades. Excellent library! One thing i do regularly is take the tail numbers off planes in old movies and look them up at Mr. Baugher's site :)

[@bobleicht5295]

@@paulvmunix Do the same thing. Don’t know how the man does it; amazing resource.

[@shermansquires3979]

This Corsair was developed from the Crusader, which was dubbed ‘the last gun fighter. Interesting that is particular Corsair had a gun. Perhaps a request by the new owner, or a retro fit in the US Navy? This hasn’t been ‘picked over’ just had all the useful/ dangerous equipment removed before being sold .

[@TexansForChrist]

I built those at Vought in Dallas. Great plane

[@billyost1479]

The Cuban missile crises comes to mind. By the time you hear it... it's way gone. Epic

[@brickhouse5897]

Pretty cool it’s not all graffitied up

[@billtodd6509]

They were used in the mid sixties for sure. Our marine squadron shared same carrier going to viet nam 1965. I was in usmc vma 225(sky hawks)(the vagabonds). Those crusadadors had main wing that could raise the leading edge on takeoff for more lift. They were nicknamed the gunfighters(very fast for their time)

[@joebarber4030]

That there is a A-7 D corsair, Which is the Air Force / National Guard version. The A-7 was developed and first flown in 1965 and the navies version deployed on carriers in 1967.

[@jamesburris4078]

You sound like a polite, respectful Ryan Reynolds...

[@SirDrifto]

Hope that's a good thing 😁

[@tomspeed2000]

What is the shipping cost to my backyard?

[@SirDrifto]

Let me check haha

[@bobkeller8899]

I was an AE2 in VA192 Golden Dragons and maintained the Inertial Measurement System (Navigation) of our A7Es at AIMD 62A. I miss the smell of jet fuel in the morning.

[@alejandroalvarez5259]

Unbelievable, where did you find that great plane? Why is it there, is it owned by someone or is it owned by the government?

[@SirDrifto]

It's sitting in a field near Santa Rosa new mexico

[@aidanacebo9529]

I can't believe I missed this. there's a tank, well, an M728 CEV in town that I slept in one night in summer 2020. I wasn't about to pay 130 a night for a roach motel on my cross country motorcycle trip. it's at the west end of town across from the Best Value inn. it's now gone, and the city can't seem to figure out where it went.

[@Uberaroundtheworld530]

Somebody got a really crazy home protection system with the missing machine guns 😂

[@redstingraycorvette]

I know it’s been a year now since you found this have you went back to see if it’s still there I’m sure someone would offer to buy it from them being in a condition it’s in it’s not that bad

[@Pisca-kk5cs]

If you’re looking for aircraft … there is an F 104 at Easton Airport in Easton MD… the airport authorities will let you walk up to it as its general aviation.

[@SirDrifto]

That’s awesome

[@hanskurtmann6781]

What are you doing on my property get away from my fixer upper! 😉🤣

[@dakotaprojectify]

One of the first model airplanes I ever built as a boy. Being a Canadian we never flew them so I've never seen one up close. At least not yet.

[@ronaldaubuchon2535]

Some times especially out west and farm area Some military air craft are set on the ground in large flat areas to indicate the vector to an airport flight path. Pilots can look out window and line up. For approch.

[@SirDrifto]

Fascinating

[@rschris]

Oh man that sucks it’s not at a museum where it could be enjoyed by many and maybe get a small refurbished.

[@tyymclarenfan]

If that aircraft was navy, it most definitely have a rear cable arrestor hook 👍