A-3 Skywarrior Last Flight and Fly-by - NAS Fort Worth, Texas 

Kudos to you Sir!!

I did see one kill 13 people in El central in 1964

I was also there during that time as a plane captain and aircrewman with VAQ-135 det.3. Really liked those old birds. With no ejection seats it was always interesting.

I was a PC/ airframer on the whale 3 yrs.... It was an amazing aircraft. She was a classic and we all kept her flying till the end.

That which doesn't kill you, makes you a better aviator!

Oh fuck!

Ouch!!

Bill Shelton, as a disabled veteran I can appreciate the sacrifices you made while serving our country. Thank you for serving!

I think you have a VA claim to reap!!

CV -59 VAQ -130

I became a plane captain for the ERA-3B also when there home base became Key West FL. from 1982 to 1986 I loved taking care of those jets to....also very fond memories. We did a lot of land based deployments : Rosie Roads, Miramar, Cuba, one long 3 month Hawaii deployment ❤ every year, Nova Scotia , Oceana, Cecil field,, and some short CQ DEP aboard various Aircraft Carriers they hated how big are planes were out there but I loved our uniqueness. Looking back on it I loved the camaraderie and the hanging out with friends. But at the time I hated packing chutes, wash jobs specifically being in the wheel wells, and carrying those big heavy chalks on move jobs. I later became a NDI technician after I left VAQ-33, but I wonder what my life would have been like as a flying PC, or a flight engineer on the P-3, after we got rid of the constellation. I did get a chance to fly in one of the A-3's because our CO (commanding officer: nick named Pac-Man) always saw me as the first person out there prepping the jets for a launch and asked if I would like to fly home in one of them from Miramar to key west and I jumped at the chance it was so cool flying in a Attack Aircraft 😀. I still do NDI NOW, but if I had a chance to choose all over again I probably would have picked becoming a flight engineer and stayed single for life. VAQ-33 was my first command and the beginning of a new life for a kid from Chicago. I'm in California now and retired and still working round newer military jets and there amazing.

Troy Franklin....For many, many years I have been commenting on sites that talked about the A-3 and no one from VAQ-33 has ever responded....until now..!! I kept thinking that SURELY someone else from VAQ-33 watches these videos and would respond, but no one ever did, so thank you, Troy..!! But I'm almost certain that Mark Swisher was in VAQ-33 the same time I was but he never responded to me in the comment section. So you went to Nova Scotia...nice...and also Cuba. We didn't go there in the early 70's. How was Cuba? And you spent 3 months in Hawaii...wow. I got to Hawaii just once and it was just the typical 10-14 day TDY. VAQ-33 went to Canada in '73 with a couple of the ERA-3B's for exercises with the Canadian Air Force and I was the PC. That was a lot of fun working in -30 degrees Farenheit weather..!! One day when landing, the A-3 blew one of the main-mounts and closed the only runway to the rest of the planes that needed to land. My Chief and I jumped on a piece of yellow gear and hauled ass down the runway to get the plane chocked and ready for the rest of the guys following with the gear to change the tire. It was estimated that the chill factor on the Chief and me in that open yellow gear was about -130 Farenheit. I manned the brakes in the cockpit for the guys and we got the tire changed and the plane towed off the runway in record time because the other planes still had to land before running out of fuel. I earned a Letter of Commendation for that effort. As for packing chutes: yea, it was a lot of work and I can only assume that you did a good job, but I took a great deal of pride in making sure that the risers and canopy were perfectly straight and folded precisely. The pilots always knew when I packed their chute because they said they always got a good jolt back into their seats with my chutes. And that was critical because at N.A.S. Norfolk, the runway was not real long and there were houses just off the runway at one end and a highway very close to the other end and it was very important that the chute opened quickly to keep the brakes from burning out and possibly even failing. Anyway...great hearing from another A-3 ( and especially an ERA-3B PC.). I could type much more, but maybe more later. Thanks for responding..!!

@@marbleman52 the Nova Scotia det was the only one I wasn't able to make but the squadron went and I missed that one but made all the others. It is nice to meet you Sr. The A-3's were a small community when I got to it in the 80's I think the only one's left at that time that had A-3's were: VAQ-33, VAQ-34 out of point mugu our sister squadron, VQ-1 GUAM, VQ-2 ROTA SPAIN or vise versa vq-1/vq-2 locations, AND a reserve outfit that I saw once. I packed pretty good chutes also and I tackled my fair share on aircraft recoveries when They didn't lift me off the ground for not tackling them right lol. I think we had 14 A-3's, some A-4's, A-6's, and 1 P-3 that replaced the connie (we were a training command also). I met a few A-3 people but I suspect we are all in are late 50's as the last ones left to work on that jet. When I saw the birds fly over with that red bird and them two lightning bolts on the tail I knew that was us and it was recovery time. I was about twenty years old when I became a plane captain and i studied and practiced a lot to get those plane captain signals down. I don't remember em all now but once I got those engines turning i remember unfolding the wings, and the tail and making sure the red guss locks were up in the wing, and the one in the side of the tail was in. I thought the plane captain signals were fun and I understood that we were in charge of the movement of the troubleshooter crew. I would have a PC assist me and do a final walk around before he pulled chalks. After the wings were unfolded I would open the speed brakes close the flaps and wait for the signal to drop the tail hook, and reverse them back to there order when everything was checked. Then I would check my tool pouch and give the pilot a thumbs up for tool accountability then I would give him the hold break signal and run far away from the plane so that I can turn those engines up and be at a safe distance when that jet moves toward me. Check the ailerons, the Rutter, the brakes, the nose wheel steering, and direct the plane towards me and give him that hard right , point both hands to that direction, and pop to attention to get ready for his salute, and I didn't go back into the line shack until the bird left the ground. Lot of memories lol and a lot of hazing when chief Ossie Coltur wasn't around: We had WWF Wrestling the whole line shack against this one giant of a guy "tiny cellars", and he always won and beat up the whole line shack by himself(Brian Hanagan was the instigator). We had a flying plane captain named Woody Olsen. Senior chief Ruth ran production control . Franklin Niel ran Airframes. We partied hard, and pulled pranks on people who fell asleep in the line shack. I won't tell those stories online but they were meant to be funny and they were. We had a guy from New Jersey we called the master of disaster he was the goat 🐐 (g.o.a.t=greatest of all time hazing pranksters). If you pulled a prank on him while laughing I felt sorry for you because we can't imagine what was going to happen to you, but we knew it would be funny and that know one knew how it happened. Everywhere I've been deployed to there was a tag somewhere stating VAQ-33 was here signed the master of disaster: under washing machine lids, back of head stall doors, etc etc etc. Man we worked hard long 12 hour shifts, but we played hard and VAQ-34 use to buy 33 hats and go out and rect towns, and tag our birds with there logo. THE CO put a end to that after the master of disaster had his turn. The navy now is better, but it's impossible they could have had the fun we had on and off work.

I have a friend Stanley Ellifson he was in VAQ-33 early 70’s

@@davidefland1985 ....Wow....neat..! I am trying to remember if that name comes to mind, but so far it does not. There were some guys in VAQ-33 that I never worked with, or very little, and a lot who I didn't hang out with. What was his job? Ask your friend if he remembers me: Steve Jeffery...I had a big black beard ( very short and white now...LOL..!! ), and as I mentioned, Plane Captain for our ERA-3B's and night check supervisor for our Line Division.

I was in Rvah-9 in 72 on the Forrestal while most of the squadron was in Rota . We flew vigilantes. Also on the Indy in 73. Steve Hill AT2

@@stevehill4557 Hi Steve, I just happened view this video again and saw your message. I was stationed at Rota from Oct 1972 to Oct 1975. I flew aboard the Indy in July 1973 flying an ECM mission. I was assigned to A-3s for 1 year before transfering to EC-121s and later EP-3Es. Later, I went aboard the Roosevelt for a 3 month deployment. My wife and I really enjoyed our time in Spain and have many fond memories. Afterwards, I joined the Reserves and flew P-3s doing ASW with VP-92 out of NAS South Weymouth, MA. I retired out of the Navy in Nov 1992. It is good to hear from someone who shared similar experiences. Thank you for your service and hope everything is well with you. Best wishes, George

George my father was a plane captain at vq2 about that time Charles Moore was his name

@@hawghunter6849 Hi Hawg Hunter, I view this video once in a while and came across your note. I recognize the name but could not place a face. I did look in the VQ_2 cruise book from 1974 to see a photo. I did find a C J Moore, C Moore and a C L Moore in Logs and Records, Line Division and Maintenance Control respectively. I am not sure which one was your father. If you could let me know which C Moore is your father, that would be great. Best wishes, George

I agree although just because it is smoking doesn't make it a water injected takeoff. I have never heard the A-3 had water injection. Turbojets smoke plenty just on their own.

@@justforever96 that’s true but water injected takeoffs put out way more smoke that turbojets do on their own it’s definitely easy to tell

I agree .We had two of these wonderful aircraft visit at Townsville ,QLD. AUS in 1971 for the RAAF Jubilee 50 Years. Of the over 400 planes it was a toss up between them and the two English Buccaneers.

You probably do remember that sound well as this jet was 144865 assigned to VQ-2. I think it got there in 88 or 89 after modification from a VA-3B to an EA-3B

Geoffrey Kassin Sharp lookin? Dude i need you for a bar hop wingman down in the gut..

Are u talking about the Nimitz crash? I was ship’s company AIMD hydraulic shop

Floated with you, Bala, AT2 Mike Greene sends.

Good catch.

And again at 4:08?? Looks like shingles coming off a roof.

Sun glint off whale's nose, later glint from rear fuselage.

Bird killer

Yes.

That's awesome Rosalee. You should check out our website www.a3skywarrior.com and see if you recognize some of your old jest and ship mates. Take care, Swish

VAQ-308 > '70 '75 , AZ1

Mark, you any relation to James Swisher?

interesting thought. However, NO aircraft whatsoever flew into the Pentagon. It had to be a missle of some kind, otherwise there would have been jet engines and assorted parts laying about.

MrEastern021 Not if a missile was fired from the low flying jet and wreckage was taken away covered in a tarpaulin

MrEastern021 there were aircraft parts lying around you kook ! I was there saw it with my own eyes.

The fact that cars can get antique plates and not adhere by modern inspection rules, and everyone is okbwith that, but these crews are actively modifying these pieces to be current and they still will have to turn them in is stupid. It leaves history only for people who are rich enough to not even have enough time on the airframe to break even at shows and events.

A3D "All 3 dead"

MrEastern021 -->I had the same thought.. You KNOW there are any number of hobbyists with first-rate cameras, lenses, sound, recorders, along with years of skill, talent, knowlege and experience within -2 hours drive that would've gladly volunteered to get 1st-rate video of this event JUST for the privelege of being the credited videographer of the last flight of an important piece of aviation history. In fact, once taken, opportunity passed, book closed, wouldnt be surprised if some archivist at MD, or Smthsnin A&S, or USAF MUSEUM, etc. etc. might be more than willing to pay a decent price for a copy.

That isn't what my Dad said. He said they were one of the nicest aircraft to bring aboard ship.

@@jeffham222 Perhaps from a pilot's perspective. On the flight deck they would trap and bounce a couple of times.