Thanks for posting this. Cool to watch after so many years. My father died in bad carrier landing at night in Sea of Japan VAH13, 3/14/1963 BU138934. He loved flying his entire life and died doing what he wanted to do. Unfortunately he want not alone in his death and other’s injuries caused by a heavy carrier landing on the Kitty Hawk.
My condolences. I knew many of the Heavy 13 crews that were lost over Vietnam. It was a dangerous business that our fathers engaged in. Growing up, I was surrounded by heroes.
Logged 2400+ hrs flying this great airplane . Attached to VAP-61, VAH-123 at Whidbey logged 221 cats. Flew as crewman/ nav, coffee barista and whatever else needed to be done. Miss it??? OHHHH Yeah!!!!!!!! John Duddek AQ1/AC
It had to be great flying in the A3-D, John. I was an enlisted air crewman in the E2 C VAW 124 aboard America 1975 - 1978. Always wanted to get a tour inside the whale, never did have a chance to do that. Probably all I had to do was ask but I never did. The A3 was a great airplane.
I was a plane captain for our ERA-3B's in VAQ-33 at N.A.S., Norfolk,Va. 1971-75. A very hands-on plane, each with it's own personality. I really enjoyed helping take care of them.
The good old whale, longest serving navy aircraft, served with VAH-4 Det golf from 1961 to 1965. The aircraft performed many different roles for the Navy. In the sixties heavy 4 flew the bomber version, I had the honor of being a nuclear weapons crew chief, it was a great bird for orddies as it was loading drills most of the time, made 3 westpac cruises, 2 on the big “ O” (Uss Oriskany) 1on the Bonnie Dick. In and out of Cubi Pt a lot as the ships liked to get us off the boat when ever they could which was alright by me. My last ride in an A-3, I had several, was from NAS Atsugi Japan to Wake Island to Hawaii then into Whidbey for discharge as I was a month over my discharge. The whole flight back was about the crew trying to talk me into shipping over and going to aircrew school. Earned my A/C wings later with VP-915 reserve outfit P2V-5s while attending college. Loved Naval Aviation as it grew me up quick and gave me a great foundation for life!
So did the navigator for the Neptune still know how to do celestial navigation in the late 60s? I knew a navigator on a P2V-5 from about that time who told me he could still use a sextant to check their position... I never challenged him on that.
Games & Entertainment Animator & Fiddler never saw any one using a sextant during our flights out over the Atlantic or anywhere else for that matter, but I was either in the aft station or up in the nose as the forward observer.
Nat Harward sorry for your loss, too many were loss flying that bird as it could be tuff to handle at time’s especially when landing on the 27c Essex class attack carriers!
Served in VAH-4 at Whidby Island from Jan 1958 to Oct 1961 and did three cruises on Essex class carriers. Loved the duty and the aircraft (A3D's) and spent many hours removing and re-installing radar antennas during FMLP flights from home base that other base near NAS Whidby. Rate was AQB and spent many hours trying to assist bombing gear training for officers just out of classes. Loved the duty and very nearly ru-uped. Still love flight and aircraft.
Father was operations officer Whidby Is. Lived in a log house, later converted into officers club. House located on a 200 foot bluff just under flight landing pattern. A-3s have 🎉a loud jet engine whistle as they approached and took off. My dog would chase them and all the pilots would fly just above bluff to watch dog run. Clover valley elementary graduate. Joined Navy flew 3 seat as A/C member.❤
Since they didn't have ejections seats--bailout was through a belly hatch, it was joked that A3D actually stood for 'All 3 Dead'. 'Willie the Whale' was another nickname, due to its sheer size. Movement on smaller carriers was known as an 'Elephant Dance'.
The A-3 didn't have ejection-seats because its designer, Ed Heinemann, didn't trust the piece of crap seats being produced by american companies, he quite clearly wasn't aware that the British Martin-Baker company was producing superior ejection-seats.
So the 70,000 pound Gross take-off "mission" weight of the A3 SkyWarrior is the same as the payload-only weight of the B-52. Just trying to sort things out in my mind. I knew a man who in 1941 been assigned to the crew of the Hornet (CV-8) and was an Aviation Chief Ordnanceman's Mate during the Doolittle Raid cruise, so he was handling and loading bombs on the B-25 Mitchell bombers before they launched. They had just installed the latest radar systems before they sailed from Alameda Island, and decades later after he'd retired he told me they found the steel cables holding the bombers fast to the deck were sometimes Red Hot, despite the cold salt mist constantly blowing over the deck. They finally figured out the cables were acting like antennas, absorbing the radar microwave energy from the new system.
That seems unlikely. It is dangerous to turn a radar on in the deck, that is powerfu radiation and it can injure someone. Certainly damage the radar with return signals from too close. I wonder if he meant the sidelobes from the ships radar?
Interesting, thanks! ZB-11 (as shown here with VAH-4) was later assigned to carrier air wing (?), Det 14, aboard Ticonderoga CVA-14, while on WestPac cruise c. 1968. VAH-4 was then flying KA-3Bs and normally stationed at Whidbey Is, WA, with various refueling Dets rotating in and out of Cubi Pt, PI, when not otherwise flying tanker missions over the Gulf. We didn't lose any of them then, but rumors were one of these went down previously laying mines over Nam, which then prompted their role primarily for other less risky tasks, like refueling, etc. Also, sometime in '68 (as I recall), I attended a memorial service for two of our VAH-4 crewmen (nav, and a third seat electrician) who bailed out somewhere near Whidbey, but were never found -- although the pilot of the A-3 they were in made it back safely following flameout of one or both engines at high altitude. RIP guys.
Was with VAH-4 in the early 60’s, Heavy Four supplied 3 planes to 4 Essex 27c carriers in westpac, they were CVA-14, CVA-19, CVA-31 and CVA-34 my favorite carrier, well run ship, very clean and great chow, she won s several awards for the food she provided, was sad to see her sunk as a reef, made 2 cruises on the Oriskany and one on the Bon Home Richard!
Worked the Kitty Hawk flight deck in the 70s. Every time one of these monsters landed it shook the whole ship. They were huge, heavy and absolutely beautiful airplanes.
This is a public relations film to introduce the Whale. A3D. All 3 Dead. Last carrier attack jet built without ejection seats. We would have to climb out through the upper hatch or slide down the lower hatch. See if you can find a report on VAQ - 133 Buno 666 (it is in the Oakland Air Museum). Scary story with a happy ending. I knew all on that plane as we were at Whidbey and Alameda together. I have over 200 traps on the Coral Sea in this piece of crap. Happy to have lived through it.
I always thought these things were sexy as hell. Just a cool jet. Very capable for it's size. It only seems big compared to the other planes at the time. It's not that big.
We had one break the wire and go off the angle. Still had enough airspeed to settle on the water with a flat attitude. Aircrew was good! We thought we were gonna have to shoot it to sink it! :)
To think we see WW1 movies and later today, much clearer, better than this, to say nothing about WW2 and beyond. So what the heck are we seeing here? Had been assigned to VAH-4, aboard USS Bon Homme Richard CVA-31, Det Lima (c.'67), then USS Ticonderoga CVA-14, Det. 14 (c. '68), both out of NAS Whidbey Is, then at NAS Cubi Point PI, rotating out of Tonkin Gulf all the while, and with me filming much better stuff than this with my Canon home movie camera, on Kodak color Super 8mm film, and now in my collection. Oh my. As an AE-3, had worked on ZB-12 (shown here), and flown 3rd seat (w/permission) when later operating as a refueler (KA-3B) during our Det 14 WestPac tour aboard the Tico in '68. So when am I ever going to get my stuff out there for you to see? Well, still working on that, but as of now, at 72, may be dead before you get it, just so you know. For historians wanting to know more about this subject, or maybe not, the following is offered -- I was first introduced to the A3-D, in 1964, by my local Navy recruiter in Pine City, MN, at the courthouse here after turning 18. One of the things shown me at at that time, apparently to entice my entering US Naval aviation, was of a photostat (no xerox copies then) of an A3-D, but with a 50mm canon affixed to the tail (a copy of which I still have today.) The later info I obtained indicated this plane had also been known as the AF B-66, which included later variations I won't get into here.
Sub-sonic without ejection seats. I survived over 200 traps on the Coral Sea somehow. Good pilot that I flew with had a lot to do with it. Crap plane that should have stayed in Tucson during Viet Nam. It was used as a tanker primarily when I was flying. They got blown out of the sky by SAMs over Viet Nam. Thus their role as a ECM and tanker in the Gulf of Tonkin.
From what I can research, it seems like six A-3s were combat losses, most of the were recon birds. Far more were lost in accidents than combat, and the combat losses were said to mostly be from AAA. I am not saying SAMs were not a threat, as they were very much dangerous to aircraft far more maneuverable than the A-3. But it doesn’t seem like the A-3 was crap, just that it was not meant to handle the intense air defenses over North Vietnam. But they saved plenty of lives as tankers and EW aircraft.
The two aircraft may look similar, but they are actually very different aircraft by not sharing the same engines, the B-66 Destroyer had ejection seats whereas the A-3 Skywarrior had an escape tunnel (much like another Douglas Navy product, the F3D Skyknight) and the Destroyer was built for low altitude attack operations versus the A-3's high altitude operations. Obviously, the '66 lacked the tail hook too. The A-3 first flew in 1952, the B-66 first flew in 1954.
The B-66 had weaker engines and was used primarily in an ECM mode in Vietnam. The A 3 was initially used in Nam as a bomber, dropping 2000#ers. The planes shown were the first version, the second version had no 20 mm. tail guns but had enhanced ECM equipment and an improved bombing and navigation system.
Thanks for posting this. Cool to watch after so many years. My father died in bad carrier landing at night in Sea of Japan VAH13, 3/14/1963 BU138934. He loved flying his entire life and died doing what he wanted to do. Unfortunately he want not alone in his death and other’s injuries caused by a heavy carrier landing on the Kitty Hawk.
My condolences. I knew many of the Heavy 13 crews that were lost over Vietnam. It was a dangerous business that our fathers engaged in. Growing up, I was surrounded by heroes.
My Dad flew the A-3D Skywarrior on the USS Ranger VAH-6.
Logged 2400+ hrs flying this great airplane . Attached to VAP-61, VAH-123 at Whidbey
logged 221 cats. Flew as crewman/ nav, coffee barista and whatever else needed to be done. Miss it??? OHHHH Yeah!!!!!!!! John Duddek AQ1/AC
It had to be great flying in the A3-D, John. I was an enlisted air crewman in the E2 C VAW 124 aboard America 1975 - 1978. Always wanted to get a tour inside the whale, never did have a chance to do that. Probably all I had to do was ask but I never did. The A3 was a great airplane.
I was a plane captain for our ERA-3B's in VAQ-33 at N.A.S., Norfolk,Va. 1971-75. A very hands-on plane, each with it's own personality. I really enjoyed helping take care of them.
I was an A-6 Intruder plane captain in VA-42 NAS Oceana, Va. Beach, Va. from 1973 to Aug. 15, 1975.
I was born in Norfolk VA because father was Navy working his was through service, education, and pilot training.
The A-3 was a remarkable airplane. Huge, but capable of operating off our Essex-class WWII carriers in use into the mid-1970s.
Flew one of these from 1968 to 1970. A3D stood for "All Three Dead". A jet with windshield wipers!
The good old whale, longest serving navy aircraft, served with VAH-4 Det golf from 1961 to 1965. The aircraft performed many different roles for the Navy. In the sixties heavy 4 flew the bomber version, I had the honor of being a nuclear weapons crew chief, it was a great bird for orddies as it was loading drills most of the time, made 3 westpac cruises, 2 on the big “ O” (Uss Oriskany) 1on the Bonnie Dick. In and out of Cubi Pt a lot as the ships liked to get us off the boat when ever they could which was alright by me. My last ride in an A-3, I had several, was from NAS Atsugi Japan to Wake Island to Hawaii then into Whidbey for discharge as I was a month over my discharge. The whole flight back was about the crew trying to talk me into shipping over and going to aircrew school. Earned my A/C wings later with VP-915 reserve outfit P2V-5s while attending college. Loved Naval Aviation as it grew me up quick and gave me a great foundation for life!
So did the navigator for the Neptune still know how to do celestial navigation in the late 60s? I knew a navigator on a P2V-5 from about that time who told me he could still use a sextant to check their position... I never challenged him on that.
my grandpa flew these at NAS Sanford (Florida). Died Jan 1961. VAH-13
Games & Entertainment Animator & Fiddler never saw any one using a sextant during our flights out over the Atlantic or anywhere else for that matter, but I was either in the aft station or up in the nose as the forward observer.
Nat Harward sorry for your loss, too many were loss flying that bird as it could be tuff to handle at time’s especially when landing on the 27c Essex class attack carriers!
I do know the that the B/N and the 3rd crewman had to know celestial navigation in the 60’s as crew members in the A-3D!
Served in VAH-4 at Whidby Island from Jan 1958 to Oct 1961 and did three cruises on Essex class carriers. Loved the duty and the aircraft (A3D's) and spent many hours removing and re-installing radar antennas during FMLP flights from home base that other base near NAS Whidby. Rate was AQB and spent many hours trying to assist bombing gear training for officers just out of classes. Loved the duty and very nearly ru-uped. Still love flight and aircraft.
Father was operations officer Whidby Is. Lived in a log house, later converted into officers club. House located on a 200 foot bluff just under flight landing pattern. A-3s have 🎉a loud jet engine whistle as they approached and took off. My dog would chase them and all the pilots would fly just above bluff to watch dog run. Clover valley elementary graduate. Joined Navy flew 3 seat as A/C member.❤
Since they didn't have ejections seats--bailout was through a belly hatch, it was joked that A3D actually stood for 'All 3 Dead'.
'Willie the Whale' was another nickname, due to its sheer size. Movement on smaller carriers was known as an 'Elephant Dance'.
The A-3 didn't have ejection-seats because its designer, Ed Heinemann, didn't trust the piece of crap seats being produced by american companies, he quite clearly wasn't aware that the British Martin-Baker company was producing superior ejection-seats.
So the 70,000 pound Gross take-off "mission" weight of the A3 SkyWarrior is the same as the payload-only weight of the B-52. Just trying to sort things out in my mind. I knew a man who in 1941 been assigned to the crew of the Hornet (CV-8) and was an Aviation Chief Ordnanceman's Mate during the Doolittle Raid cruise, so he was handling and loading bombs on the B-25 Mitchell bombers before they launched. They had just installed the latest radar systems before they sailed from Alameda Island, and decades later after he'd retired he told me they found the steel cables holding the bombers fast to the deck were sometimes Red Hot, despite the cold salt mist constantly blowing over the deck. They finally figured out the cables were acting like antennas, absorbing the radar microwave energy from the new system.
That seems unlikely. It is dangerous to turn a radar on in the deck, that is powerfu radiation and it can injure someone. Certainly damage the radar with return signals from too close. I wonder if he meant the sidelobes from the ships radar?
Interesting, thanks! ZB-11 (as shown here with VAH-4) was later assigned to carrier air wing (?), Det 14, aboard Ticonderoga CVA-14, while on WestPac cruise c. 1968. VAH-4 was then flying KA-3Bs and normally stationed at Whidbey Is, WA, with various refueling Dets rotating in and out of Cubi Pt, PI, when not otherwise flying tanker missions over the Gulf. We didn't lose any of them then, but rumors were one of these went down previously laying mines over Nam, which then prompted their role primarily for other less risky tasks, like refueling, etc. Also, sometime in '68 (as I recall), I attended a memorial service for two of our VAH-4 crewmen (nav, and a third seat electrician) who bailed out somewhere near Whidbey, but were never found -- although the pilot of the A-3 they were in made it back safely following flameout of one or both engines at high altitude. RIP guys.
Thanks much for posting this historical clip!
Best memories I have is flying the EA-3B in Rota, Spain. I enjoyed everyone in the squadron and grateful to be able to cruise on the Saratoga
As sleek, elegant, and beautiful as any modern design. Amazing these things could be operated from the 27 Charlies.
Was with VAH-4 in the early 60’s, Heavy Four supplied 3 planes to 4 Essex 27c carriers in westpac, they were CVA-14, CVA-19, CVA-31 and CVA-34 my favorite carrier, well run ship, very clean and great chow, she won s several awards for the food she provided, was sad to see her sunk as a reef, made 2 cruises on the Oriskany and one on the Bon Home Richard!
Worked the Kitty Hawk flight deck in the 70s. Every time one of these monsters landed it shook the whole ship. They were huge, heavy and absolutely beautiful airplanes.
I agree
I love these old plane vids.. thanks👍
I knew Douglas Test Pilot "QB" Quinten Burden. He was the first to break the sound barrier in an A3-D.
i love these.. thank you
Neat video! Thanks!
what a classic old video. still cool to watch
Electronic warfare third seat, 1968 Pacific missile Range Point Mugu.
Worked as plane captain with VAQ-131 onboard USS Kitty Hawk in 68-69 West Pac.
This is a public relations film to introduce the Whale. A3D. All 3 Dead. Last carrier attack jet built without ejection seats. We would have to climb out through the upper hatch or slide down the lower hatch. See if you can find a report on VAQ - 133 Buno 666 (it is in the Oakland Air Museum). Scary story with a happy ending. I knew all on that plane as we were at Whidbey and Alameda together. I have over 200 traps on the Coral Sea in this piece of crap. Happy to have lived through it.
They were a big piece of metal for carrier ops...
Scott my first cruise was on the Ranger with Vah-6 worked the flight deck what a site to see land
I always thought these things were sexy as hell. Just a cool jet. Very capable for it's size. It only seems big compared to the other planes at the time. It's not that big.
Was with VAH-9 in the early 60s at NAS Sanford and aboard the Saratoga. Took part in the Cuban missile blockade.
This vid came up on my newsfeed after listening to the Fighter Pilot Podcast episode on the A3D
John, for the life of me can’t remember what happens to the launch cable around the shuttle
was with VAQ135 shore component at NAS Alameda
I flew A-3s for FEWSG
Cleared the deck when these monsters were trapping on Midway, beautiful but unstable on deck.
We had one break the wire and go off the angle. Still had enough airspeed to settle on the water with a flat attitude. Aircrew was good! We thought we were gonna have to shoot it to sink it! :)
Nice combo- jet engines and nuclear weapons!😉
Tracking! TRACKING😂
Boy..it bounces when it trys to trap
To think we see WW1 movies and later today, much clearer, better than this, to say nothing about WW2 and beyond. So what the heck are we seeing here? Had been assigned to VAH-4, aboard USS Bon Homme Richard CVA-31, Det Lima (c.'67), then USS Ticonderoga CVA-14, Det. 14 (c. '68), both out of NAS Whidbey Is, then at NAS Cubi Point PI, rotating out of Tonkin Gulf all the while, and with me filming much better stuff than this with my Canon home movie camera, on Kodak color Super 8mm film, and now in my collection. Oh my. As an AE-3, had worked on ZB-12 (shown here), and flown 3rd seat (w/permission) when later operating as a refueler (KA-3B) during our Det 14 WestPac tour aboard the Tico in '68. So when am I ever going to get my stuff out there for you to see? Well, still working on that, but as of now, at 72, may be dead before you get it, just so you know.
For historians wanting to know more about this subject, or maybe not, the following is offered -- I was first introduced to the A3-D, in 1964, by my local Navy recruiter in Pine City, MN, at the courthouse here after turning 18. One of the things shown me at at that time, apparently to entice my entering US Naval aviation, was of a photostat (no xerox copies then) of an A3-D, but with a 50mm canon affixed to the tail (a copy of which I still have today.) The later info I obtained indicated this plane had also been known as the AF B-66, which included later variations I won't get into here.
Also know as "The Whale"
Sub-sonic without ejection seats. I survived over 200 traps on the Coral Sea somehow. Good pilot that I flew with had a lot to do with it. Crap plane that should have stayed in Tucson during Viet Nam. It was used as a tanker primarily when I was flying. They got blown out of the sky by SAMs over Viet Nam. Thus their role as a ECM and tanker in the Gulf of Tonkin.
I was their in 69 and I don't recall any being shot down, I know we lost some A4s John McCain was one of them
My Dad flew the A-3 on the Coral Sea during that period.
From what I can research, it seems like six A-3s were combat losses, most of the were recon birds. Far more were lost in accidents than combat, and the combat losses were said to mostly be from AAA. I am not saying SAMs were not a threat, as they were very much dangerous to aircraft far more maneuverable than the A-3. But it doesn’t seem like the A-3 was crap, just that it was not meant to handle the intense air defenses over North Vietnam. But they saved plenty of lives as tankers and EW aircraft.
Sure it was not easy getting that jet on the deck of a carrier.
VAH-123 Whidbey Island
They surely couldn't have still been dropping bombs in Desert Storm?
Em Jackson they were there, electronic version, not the bomber version, 1991 golf war was their last official missions, they were the retired!
9:24 "The A3D can deliver weapons in a conventional war, or it can deliver long-range [REDACTED] "
IIRC the A-3 could carry the Mk-5 nuclear bomb or the Mk-15 two-stage thermonuclear bomb.
They send yall to skool to figure that out? There were a lot of different configurations. We did EA3Bs.
Takeoff and land with the sunroof open.
Isn’t the A-3 just the B-66?
‘We bring peace or we’ll beat the crap of you.’ lol
B-66 was the aii force designation the Navy called it the A-3.
The two aircraft may look similar, but they are actually very different aircraft by not sharing the same engines, the B-66 Destroyer had ejection seats whereas the A-3 Skywarrior had an escape tunnel (much like another Douglas Navy product, the F3D Skyknight) and the Destroyer was built for low altitude attack operations versus the A-3's high altitude operations. Obviously, the '66 lacked the tail hook too. The A-3 first flew in 1952, the B-66 first flew in 1954.
The B-66 had weaker engines and was used primarily in an ECM mode in Vietnam.
The A 3 was initially used in Nam as a bomber, dropping 2000#ers.
The planes shown were the first version, the second version had no 20 mm. tail guns but had enhanced ECM equipment and an improved bombing and navigation system.
A-3 known as the twin-engine coffin.
Nope!...All 3 Dead
A3 => ALL 3 DEAD
Yes, but what does this aircraft do to promote racial equity for transdendered Inuits? We have to have priorities people!