A-3 Skywarrior aka "The Whale" (Image Heavy)

[Clifford Bossie]

And the pretty much worthless B-66. A program that cost an incredible amount to achieve mediocrity.

[Scott Rose]

Wow! keep them coming Scott great job, what was your fathers name?

Henry Rose

[Scott Rose]

NA-3B Skywarrior/Bu. 142630 at AMARC, Tucson, AZ, May 19, 2004


A3D-2 Skywarriors painted in overall glossy sea blue fly in formation with an A3D-1 Skywarrior.


Pilot's eye view of a refueling drogue approaching his aircraft from a KA-3B Skywarrior of Heavy Attack Squadron Four (VAH) 4 off the aircraft carrier Hancock (CVA 19) during aerial refueling over the Western Pacific in July 1967

[Clifford Bossie]

The Whale on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum, Ford Island.

I photographed this NTA-3B Skywarrior/Bu. 144867 last Saturday.


Bu. 144867/WRG-00076740

[Scott Rose]

[Scott Rose]

Anybody know the story behind this incident?

[Scott Rose]

An A3D-1 of VAH-1 traps aboard the USS Independence CV-62 during 1970.

[Scott Rose]

Douglas A3D-1 Skywarrior/Bu. 135433 of Heavy Attack Squadron VAH-3 in a jet-assisted take off from the runway at NAS Jacksonville, FL.
[Source: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.3565]

[lucky52]

It looks like the top center section of the canopy is slid back open during t/o and landing on the carriers.

[L-188]

I remember seeing one at an open house at Glenview NAS in the early 80's. IIRC, the crew was talking to someone who wondered how they got into Glenview, seeing a there was something like 7500 ft useable on the runway. One of the crew said something like " come out tomorrow when we leave. Book says we need 8200 ft".

[warbirdfinder]

I am looking for an accident report or anyone who could tell me what happened to a friend from a long time ago. Glenn Major was with the VAH-9 Squadron on the [i]USS Saratoga[/i] as an enlisted crewman on the A3D Skywarrior in 1960. He was lost of a flight while flying off the Saratoga.

[Archer]

Thanks for giving me an excuse to upload these!


Skywarrior_side by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

Skywarrior_front by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

Skywarrior_inside_2 by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

Skywarrior_inside_1 by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

A kind lady at the Vintage Flying Museum showed me around their Skywarrior in October 2018. The thing that struck me was the fact that this type does not have ejection seats. It might explain why the overhead hatch is open during carrier operations, it would be the only way out for the crew if the plane went into the water.

This one is EA-3B Bu. 146453 (http://www.warbirdregistry.org/jetregis ... 46453.html).

[Scott Rose]

It might explain why the overhead hatch is open during carrier operations, it would be the only way out for the crew if the plane went into the water.

Yup, which was bad enough for the attack version, but the EA version had crewman under the wing structure. No chance at all in a ditching scenario.

My father made 119 traps as flight engineer/plane captainin various model A-3s in his career before transitioning to P-3 Orions.
You have to respect a man who did that while sitting backwards in a plane with no ejection seats.

[Scott Rose]

A VA-3B Skywarrior, one of five modified from the TA-3B configuration to serve as VIP transports
for high-ranking Navy uniformed and civilian officials, pictured on the ground at Nellis AFB in Nevada, November 21, 1970.
(Source: National Museum Of Naval Aviation)

My father was flight crew on VA-3Bs several times in his Skywarrior career