Highlights of 20+ Years in the U.S. Navy
Part 6: Transition to A-4 Skyhawks - 1967
CDR Davis
Following a second combat deployment aboard Enterprise, I received orders to transition to the A-4 Skyhawk, at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The squadron for this transition was VA 125, sister squadron to VA 122. I departed Enterprise and went to New Zealand to spend some time with the family and then bring them back to California. We found a house in the nearby town and I commenced training as a jet strike pilot. [Norm Davis continues his fascinating series on his early life as a US Navy pilot.]
By Norm Davis, CDR USN
The attack missions for the A-4 were similar to those flown in the ADs but instead of flying long distances at low level, the jets flew a "high, low, high" profile. The high portion was flown in non-threat areas at 0.7 Mach, or 420 kts. The low portion was flown at 360 kts (6 nm/min) with a capability to increase to 420 kts to adjust for timing. These missions were called "sandblowers" for obvious reason. When I flew my final check flight for the A-4 transition, my chase pilot told me, "If you ever see the top of my airplane during this flight, you will have failed".
The flight was through Death Valley and the surrounding mountains, and we were, at times, flying below sea level. There was no such thing as a APS then, and all navigation was by dead-reckoning. Planning was done by producing "strip charts" and gluing them together in a continuous strip that was then folded and scrapped to the right leg. All check points on the chart had to be passed within 30 seconds of the planned arrival time.
We took pride in hitting every check point "spot on". The target on my final flight was a dam on the other side of a mountain, which I had never seen before. I was required to fly the route, pull up over the mountain at a point short of the target, roll inverted and pull down into a dive - expecting the dam to come into view only in the dive. It happened.
Carrier Qualification
Author Norm Davis
To carrier-qualify in A-4s, it was necessary to complete catapult take-offs or "cat shots" (traps) as they were called. We did day traps and night traps. I had previously experienced catapault shots when flying very heavy-laden ADs (as a tanker or with maximum ordnance) and when flying the COD (carrier onboard delivery aircraft - this was a Grumman S2F ("Stoof) Tracker) from Enterprise. Intrepid and Enterprise had steam catapaults, which started slowly and then built up speed rapidly during the length of the track so that the aircraft was at flying speed by the time it reached the bow, i.e. in about 125 feet). The Lexington had hydraulic catapaults. Hydraulic "cats" start off fast and then slow down during the shot - it initially felt like a sledge-hammer and thereafter as though the shot might be failing if you were used to steam cats. I qualified on the Lexington on 29-31 May 1968, with 10 day and 6 night traps.
Catapult Shot Procedure
The catapult track had a shuttle to which a wire-rope bridle was attached. This bridle attached to hooks under the wing of the A-4. At the rear, there was a "holdback" hard fitting in the flight deck. A similar fitting was attached below the aircraft's tail. A metal "dumbbell", which was engineered to break: at a particular strain and color coded to aircraft type and weight, was placed to fit the aircraft holdback fitting.
The aircraft was taxied forward onto the catapult, the holdback put in place, and the plane was taxied forward until the holdback stopped it. The bridle was then hooked up to the wing hooks and the shuttle moved forward until the aircraft "set" slightly.
The Catapult Officer was standing directly in front of the aircraft during this operation to show that the catapult would not launch the aircraft prematurely. When he stepped out of the way he simultaneously gave the engine run up signal. The pilot went to full throttle, and grabbed the "cat bar" in front of the throttle to keep the throttle from sliding back during the cat shot. After checking engine instruments and the full travel of the flight controls, the pilot then saluted the Catapult Officer, placed his head back against the ejection seat head rest, released the control stick to position his right hand between his legs - over the "alternate" ejection seat D-Ring handle.
The Cat Officer looked out forward for signals from the cat operator and then crouched down and touched the deck, pointing forward.
An A4D on Final for Carrier Landing
The catapault operator then opened a valve to charge the catapult cylinder with the correct head of steam and, as the pressure increased, the holdback snapped at a pre-determined strain and the aircraft was released down the catapult track. While accelerating, the pilot leant forward from the headrest to see the instruments. If the aircraft reached flying speed at the bow, the stick would be sitting comfortably in his right hand. If flying speed was not reached, the stick wouldn't be there and the pilot would then pull the alternate ejection D-Ring.
When airborne at night, the pilot would set 15 degrees nose-high on the attitude indicator, lift the gear and monitor the increasing altitude. Through 500 ft, the flaps were lifted and the climbout continued. At night, deceleration at the end of the catapult stroke could give a false sense of a high-nose attitude - and several pilots had been lost after cat shots by pushing over and into the water.
Carrier Landings
Modern carriers have a lens system that provides glide slope information by projecting light from a series of curved, vertical lenses. The bottom lens transmits a red light, while those above transmit amber light. On each side of this lens bank is a parallel line of green lights, called the datum lights. Above the lenses is a line of horizontal lights, which remain off except when they are flashed or turned on full to indicate immediate correction is necessary to either correct to glide slope or "wave off' and go around.
On a normal approach, the pilot lined up with the centerline of the landing area, the "angle deck" being slanted at 15 degrees to the carrier's fore-aft axis. The pilot maintained descent and speed, adjusting throttle to keep the amber light of the lens - called the "ball" -lined up evenly with the green datum lights.
In the A-4 cockpit, there was an angle-of-attack indicator made up of three lights - red, amber and green - from top to bottom. This sensed the position of a small wind "vane airfoil" on the left side of the fuselage below the cockpit. The red light indicated High AOA or "cocked up", amber was the correct AOA, and green was Low AOA, or fast.
Stick (elevator) controlled the AOA and throttle controlled rate of decent or position on the ball (glide slope). The Landing Safety Officer (LSO) stood just outboard and aft of the lens system and above a net placed below and outboard in case he had to jump to avoid being hit by the aircraft! He acknowledged the pilot's transmissions, monitored the approach and advised the pilot - in many cases, before the aircraft's instruments revealed it - that corrections were necessary.
The AOA lights in the cockpit were duplicated on the nose wheel where the LSO could see them also. During the approach, the pilot reported his fuel state and the arresting gear was set for the type and weight of the aircraft that was "in the groove", i.e. about to land.
The pilot maintained glide slope, AOA and the aircraft's line up - to touchdown. If the aircraft went below the glide slope, the ball would go below the datum lights - very low and the ball changed color to red! If the aircraft went high, the ball could "go off the top" above the datum lights.
Jet engines take up to 18 seconds to "wind up" from near idle to full RPM. Because this is too long for the engine to respond to throttle corrections while on a carrier glide slope, the approach was made with dive brakes open. The dive brake switch was on top of the throttle, and could be "toggled" open or shut. With brakes open, the RPM setting for an approach is about 92 percent. At this setting, the engine response to throttle movement is short -less than 4 seconds. When the aircraft touches down in the landing area, the throttle was then opened to full throttle and the dive brakes were toggled shut. If the hook catches a wire, the aircraft will be arrested, even at full power, but if a wire breaks or the hook misses all the wires, the aircraft would still be at flying speed and with full power, i.e. it could go around or "Bolter". There were four arresting wires and they were attached through the deck to water-braked drums. The safest target wire for jet arrestment was the No 3 wire - numbering from stem forward - as this provided good ramp clearance on the approach.
The best comment that a pilot can get from the LSO was "OK-3 wire". This took an excellent approach, in all respects, to achieve. Upon being arrested, the power was reduced to idle and the hook raised. The wire was retracted, and this pulled the aircraft backwards. If the hook was raised at the right moment, the wire fell clear of it, otherwise there was a Hook Runner who's job it was to run under the tail with a tool to hit the wire and dislodge it. When the wire was clear, the left brake and then the right brake were applied to swing the aircraft nose slightly right - aiming to move clear of the landing area. The throttle was moved to full, momentarily, to start the A-4 taxiing forward and clear of the landing area. Directors on the flight deck directed all of this using wands. As the aircraft moved clear and forward, the director passed control to directors further forward.
The only lights at night were the director's wands. If the aircraft was directed forward - to be parked right on the bow - and it was the first one to do so - the cockpit, which is forward of the nose wheel, appeared to be out over the ship's bow - over water - with the ship making 30 kts. This could be very scary, especially when being directed by an 18 year-old director. When the aircraft had been tied down in place, the cockpit was opened, the ejection seat disarmed with safety pins, and the pilot would step out over water and back onto the steps to get down. On black nights, this could be more exciting than the landing!