|
|
Post by blackya4 on Dec 20, 2010 12:21:36 GMT 12
blackysskyhawkphotos.shutterfly.com/All Kiwi Skyhawk fans! Link to photos shot by me, Bill Blackburn, during my tour flying the A4 in the USMC 1980-1989. Mostly southwest US. I flew in your Sailplane Nationals in 1984.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 20, 2010 12:48:24 GMT 12
Welcome Bill, I am glad you followed my link and have joined up. You have got some fantastic photos there mate, did you ever exercise with the RNZAF at all?
|
|
|
|
Post by strikemaster on Dec 20, 2010 15:15:44 GMT 12
G'day mate. Nice pics, the Hot Rod was indeed a great aircraft.
|
|
|
|
Post by beagle on Dec 20, 2010 19:10:11 GMT 12
Hey Bill, what did ya have in your "HUMPS"
pretty sure ours were empty for all those years, although Don will no doub't prove me wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 20, 2010 19:12:41 GMT 12
Yep ours were empty, apart from the duty free that we smuggled into the country in them  Welcome Bill. Nice photos there. What's the story with the guy flying without a helmet and oxygen mask!? |
|
|
|
Post by beagle on Dec 20, 2010 20:20:02 GMT 12
So apart from bringing in duty free, what was the reason we kept them on for so long, as I heard we got a few extra knots out of them afterwards.
|
|
|
|
Post by obiwan27 on Dec 20, 2010 20:24:10 GMT 12
Awesome Bill, thanks for sharing!! Keep an eye out for Don's RNZAF Skyhawk book due out in 2011. If you are an A4 fan, you'll love it.
|
|
|
|
Post by ErrolC on Dec 20, 2010 20:33:09 GMT 12
So apart from bringing in duty free, what was the reason we kept them on for so long, as I heard we got a few extra knots out of them afterwards. Wishful thinking (that we would put something in there at some stage), combined with embarrassment? |
|
|
|
Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 21, 2010 6:51:25 GMT 12
So apart from bringing in duty free, what was the reason we kept them on for so long, as I heard we got a few extra knots out of them afterwards. They were all wired up for ECM/ESM equipment, so they were left on until Kahu just in case we ever went to war. All the cockpit consoles and warning lights were there too. My favourite was the big square warning light that said "SPOT SAM" which only came on when you were locked up by a SAM! There were others for radar directed "AAA" and search radars. They all worked on "press-to-test" but because we didn't have the secret black boxes in the hump that was all they did! Same for the chaff and flare dispensers. The controller was there (on top of the LH glaresield) but there were no dispenser modules down the back! |
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Dec 21, 2010 15:23:00 GMT 12
Nice shots there. Is it my imagination or are the canopies bigger than on our A4ks?
|
|
|
|
Post by skyhawkdon on Dec 21, 2010 18:22:16 GMT 12
Yep the A-4M had a bigger canopy and windscreen than the A-4F. They also had slightly bigger intakes for the larger J52-P408 engine.
|
|
