Author

Till Daisd

Till is an aviation enthusiast blogger who has been writing since 2013. He started out writing about personal readings since expanded his blog to include information and stories about all aspects of aviation. Till's blog is a go-to source for anyone interested in learning more about aviation, whether you're a pilot or just a curious onlooker.

Cold War

When a T-38 trainer helped an SR-71 whose nose was coming off

by Till Daisd April 14, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“Talking to Lockheed engineers later, they determined there was a good possibility if we had gone supersonic, the entire nose section might have imploded from the supersonic shock wave,” Col. Richard H. Graham, former SR-71 Blackbird pilot

Before beginning SR-71 training, the first task was to undergo a checkout in the T-38 Talon aircraft, which serves as a companion trainer for SR-71 crew members. The T-38’s “pace chase” formation flight with the SR-71 was another duty for the aircraft. The T-38 was the perfect aircraft to handle the task whenever the SR-71 needed to be externally inspected because of a problem. A T-38 with a qualified “pace chase” crew member had to be in the air or “cocked” on the ground whenever an SR-71 was flying over Beale.

“On one occasion I needed the ‘pace chase’ aircraft to look me over,” explains Col. Richard H. Graham, a former Blackbird pilot, in his book SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of THE BLACKBIRD The World’s Highest, Fastest Plane. “It was right after takeoff, when my RSO, Don Emmons, and I heard a loud “bang” coming from somewhere in front of the rudder pedals. I was approaching our climb out at the speed of 400 knots and thought I might have hit a bird. Looking out over the nose, I noticed a large piece of the nose section beneath the aircraft had blown open, still attached, but flapping in the air stream. I couldn’t tell the full extent of the damage because the piece was underneath the nose and all I could see was one end of it flapping about. Joe Kinego, another SR-71 crew member, remembered the ‘funny (then scary)’ radio call Don made back to Beale informing everyone of our problem: ‘The nose is coming off!’ That radio call got everyone’s attention!”

The nose is coming off! How a T-38 trainer helped a SR-71 that was losing her nose section in flight to RTB — SR-71 Nose Section

The advanced synthetic aperture radar system (ASARS), an optical bar camera (OBC), or a ballast could all be fitted aboard the SR-71 thanks to its nose section. There were faun-massive fasteners holding the nose part in place.

Graham goes on to say:

“The T-38 chase aircraft joined-up information and told us the extent of our damage as we returned to Beale. It was comforting to know everything else was intact. A one-by-two-foot metal section of the nose had ripped open while still attached underneath. I always felt fortunate that it happened during daylight. Had it been at night, I’m positive I wouldn’t have been able to see the loose panel and might have discounted the possibility of anything being wrong and continued the mission… you just never know.

“Talking to Lockheed engineers later, they determined there was a good possibility if we had gone supersonic, the entire nose section (which is removable) might have imploded from the supersonic shock wave. That scenario would have probably necessitated an ejection for both of us!”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

April 14, 2023 0 comment

Military

Video released by U.S. Navy of a Russian SU-24 Fencer attack aircraft buzzing the USS Porter

by Till Daisd April 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Three Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and one Il-38 May maritime patrol aircraft were involved in the incident

On February 10, 2017, several Russian military aircraft buzzed the U.S. Navy destroyer, USS Porter, in the Black Sea. Three Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft and an Il-38 May maritime patrol aircraft engaged in the incident, according to Captain Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command.

The three Fencers were seen swarming USS Porter in the video posted in this article, which was made public by the US Navy on March 2, 2017. Notably, at a height of 300 feet, one of the Su-24s flew within 200 yards of the Porter.

While the Russian Ministry of Defense denied that such interactions occurred, the Pentagon described the instances as “unsafe and unprofessional.”

However, incidents like this involving Russian military aircraft and U.S. Navy ships are becoming more frequent. For example, on April 11, 2016, two Su-24s made simulated attack passes so close to the American guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea that they left a wake in the water.

Photo by U.S. Navy

April 13, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

RAF didn’t become the only F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter foreign operator

by Till Daisd April 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The “Project Moonflower” program intended to sell the F-117 stealth fighter to the United Kingdom when it was still a top-secret aircraft

According to recently declassified documents made available by the British National Archives, Ronald Reagan, the president of the United States, had given Margaret Thatcher the opportunity to work on advanced military projects throughout the 1980s. Among them were the Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter and the Space Transportation System (STS), as the Space Shuttle program was formally known.

Thatcher concurred that the Space Shuttle program was more cost-effective for Britain than the European Ariane expendable launch vehicle, according to Theguardian.com. As the shuttle launch cost £58 million, which was £23 million less than Ariane, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) actually planned to launch two Skynet 4 military satellites to provide communications throughout Europe and the Atlantic.

The Challenger disaster, along with a letter from the French prime minister asking Thatcher to rethink her choice, worked against the Space Shuttle program. Furthermore, according to Theguardian.com, Ronald Reagan sought to transfer highly sensible U.S. military technology to the United Kingdom in 1986.

Thatcher “met privately” with Casapar (Cap) Weinberger, the then-U.S. defense secretary, to discuss this peculiar idea. Thatcher then sent a top-secret personal communication to the U.S. President, on which someone had faintly written “Stealth” where she stated: “Dear Ron, I was immensely impressed by your splendid achievement: three cheers for America! I was also very touched by the generosity of the offer of participation which [Cap] brought. It brings home once again who our real friends are.”

The “Project Moonflower” initiative, which was still classified, attempted to sell the F-117 to the UK.

The Lockheed F-117A was created in response to a request from the United States Air Force (USAF) for an aircraft that could attack valuable targets without being seen by enemy radar. By the 1970s, engineers were able to create an airplane with radar-evading or “stealth” characteristics because of new materials and techniques.

The end result was the F-117A, the first stealth aircraft in use in the world, which made its maiden flight on June 18, 1981.

The MoD ultimately turned down the opportunity to purchase the Nighthawk to outfit Royal Air Force (RAF) Squadrons since the F-117 was still a black program. In fact, the MoD wrote to Charles Powell, the prime minister’s foreign affairs advisor, in December 1986, informing him that “Mr. Weinberger has offered us a chance to purchase the current US aircraft but we have replied that we would not wish to actually buy hardware while the program remains strictly black [secret].”

Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey / U.S. Air Force

April 13, 2023 0 comment

F-14 Tomcat

RARE PHOTO SHOWS AN F-14A TOMCAT TAKING OFF FROM A SKI-JUMP

by Till Daisd April 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-14 flew 28 times from a ski jump but never achieved maximum take-off capability because of single-engine operating concerns

The interesting photo in this post was taken in 1982 at Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Md. and shows the left-side view of an F-14A Tomcat fighter aircraft taking off from a ramp, raised nine degrees, during “ski-jump” feasibility tests.

The ski-jump tests, which involved also the T-2, F/A-18, and AV-8 Harrier, were conducted in an effort to reduce the length of the carrier flight deck needed for an aircraft to become airborne—without the aid of a catapult.

According to The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, flight tests showed that the basic theory was sound: all aircraft tested took off in significantly shorter distances than they could from flat decks. But except for the AV-8 Harrier, none of these aircraft ever flew from ski-jump-equipped carriers. In fact the upward push of the ski-jump means that aircraft structures need to be stronger to bear the extra launch loads. This could lead to aircraft that “weigh—and cost—more.”

Actually the F-14 flew 28 times from a ski-jump but never achieved maximum take-off capability because of single-engine operating concerns.

Source: U.S. Navy; Photo by PH3 Ron Vest / U.S. Navy

April 13, 2023 0 comment

Civil

A beautiful video of the Concorde Mach 2 airliner’s first flight

by Till Daisd April 12, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Regular transatlantic flights on Concorde took half as long as those on other aircraft

The video below, which was recorded on March 2, 1969, shows Concorde 001 making its successful takeoff from Toulouse, France.

The supersonic passenger jet Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde was a joint British-French project. With seats for 92 to 128 passengers, it had a top speed of Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude, more than twice the speed of sound). The plane went into service in 1976 and flew for a further 27 years.

Twenty Concorde samples, including six prototypes and development aircraft, were created as part of the combined development and production effort between Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) in accordance with an Anglo-French pact.

Only two airlines, Air France and British Airways owned and operated Concorde.

Regular transatlantic flights were made by the supersonic airliner from the airports in London’s Heathrow and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle to the airports in New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport; these flights were completed in less time than it took other aircraft to complete.

After the disaster of Air France Flight 4590 on July 25, 2000, in which all of the passengers and crew perished, the aircraft was eventually decommissioned in 2003. Aérospatiale and BAC’s successor business, Airbus, stopped providing maintenance assistance for Concorde in 2001, which also played a role in the overall decline of the commercial aviation sector.

April 12, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

RA-5C Vigilante doing successful barricade arrestment aboard USS Constellation

by Till Daisd April 12, 2023

written by Till Daisd

On a combat flight over Vietnam, an antiaircraft fire hit the RA-5C and caused damage

The striking photo in this post, which was taken on August 18, 1968, depicts a RA-5C Vigilante of Reconnaissance Attack (Heavy) Squadron 5 (RVAH-5) damaged into a barricade on the flight deck of the carrier USS Constellation (CVA 64) after being hit by antiaircraft fire during a combat mission over Vietnam.

RVAH-5 served on the following carriers during the Vietnam War, completing five deployments in the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and Vietnam and two deployments in the Atlantic and Mediterranean (LANT/MED):

Aug. 5, 1964 – May 6, 1965, USS Ranger, WESTPAC and Vietnam
Nov. 30, 1965 – Jul. 10, 1966, USS America, LANT/MED
Jan. 10 – 20 Sep. 1967, USS America, LANT/MED
May 29, 1968 – January 31, 1969: USS Constellation, WESTPAC, and Vietnam (RA-5C BuNo 149293 was lost in action on November 25, 1968. The pilot, CDR Ernest Stamm, made a successful ejection, was captured, and passed away as a POW in North Vietnam on January 16, 1969. He was posthumously promoted to CAPT, and his remains were brought back to the United States in March 1974. LTJG Richard Thum, the navigator, was killed in the shootdown, and his remains were brought back to the United States in September 1977.)
Oct. 14 1969 – Jun. 1 1970, USS Ranger, WESTPAC and Vietnam
Jun. 11, 1971 – Feb. 12, 1972, USS Enterprise, WESTPAC, and Vietnam
Nov. 16, 1972 – Jun. 23, 1973, USS Ranger, WESTPAC and Vietnam

North Americans created the carrier-based supersonic bomber known as the A-5 Vigilante for the U.S. Navy. It only had a relatively brief stint doing nuclear strikes (replacing the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior). However, it was extensively used in the Vietnam War in the tactical strike reconnaissance role as the RA-5C.

Risky medium-level reconnaissance missions began to be conducted in August 1964.

Despite the Vigilante’s speed and agility, 18 of these aircraft were destroyed in battle during the Vietnam War: 14 by anti-aircraft fire, three by surface-to-air missiles, and one by a MiG-21. As attrition replacements, 36 further RA-5C aircraft were manufactured from 1968 to 1970 in part as a result of these combat losses. These planes were very different from earlier RA-5Cs. These were worthy of being dubbed RA-5Ds thanks to improved engines, Leading Edge Extensions over the intakes, changed intake geometry, and other upgrades, but the existing moniker was kept. Since the BuNo. for this most recent batch of Vigilantes begins with the number 156, they are known as the 156 Series aircraft (some earlier RA-5Cs were rebuilt to the same standard so there are exceptions).

Photo by U.S. Navy

April 12, 2023 0 comment

Military

The importance of a T-38 Talon trainer for ISR mission

by Till Daisd April 11, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Due to the limited size of the U-2 fleet, instrument and general flying training on the T-38 keeps pilots up to date and skilled

Above Beale Air Force Base (AFB), the T-38 Talon may be seen in the sky together with the U-2 Dragon Lady and the RQ-4 Global Hawk. The T-38 is an essential tool that U-2 pilots employ to carry out their mission and help the U.S. Air Force (USAF) as a whole, even though it may not directly provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).

“The T-38s are a part of the Companion Trainer Program for the U-2 pilots at Beale,” said Lt. Col. Paul Wurster, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron commander. “The U-2 fleet is small so our pilots only get three or four flights per month on average. The T-38 is used to provide instrument and general flight training which keeps our pilots current and proficient.”

Even though many people assist in T-38 flight operations, a group of mechanics plays a crucial part. These non-military contractors maintain the aircraft so that it is always ready to take off.

“We get all of the aircraft prepared for the daily flying schedule,” said Sam Holmes, 9th Maintenance Group (MXG) T-38 aircraft mechanic. “After each flight, we recover the aircraft, we refuel them, inspect them, and send them back up.”

The T-38 has a shorter turnaround time between flights than the U-2 because of its bigger fleet on Beale and less frequent maintenance needs. This gives the pilots the opportunity to complete more sorties.

“We fly almost every day and fly upwards of 30 pilots in that time,” said Matt Miller, 9th MXG T-38 aircraft mechanic. “We can fly between 12 and 15 sorties no problem.”

The level of knowledge of the mechanics is what makes the aforementioned flying schedule possible. Nearly all T-38 maintenance is carried out internally, much of it preventative maintenance.

“The preventative maintenance is to ensure the airworthiness of the aircraft,” said Miller. “A lot of small problems can be stopped from becoming big problems, but things do break. As the issues arise, we work to get the aircraft back in the air as quickly as possible.”

The thorough inspections carried out by the mechanics guarantee the safety of the pilots by identifying the bigger problems early.

“We do both preflight and post-flight inspections and inspections every 25 and 225 flight hours,” said Holmes. “We have an oil sampling program we do every 20 flight hours.”

It takes a lot of time inside a T-38 to maintain a pilot’s proficiency. Equally significant is the time the mechanics spend maintaining the aircraft.

“The mechanics make it possible to fly multiple flights a day,” said Wurster. “Their work keeps our flight operations safe and efficient.”

Story by Airman Tristan D. Viglianco, 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs; Photo by Airman Tristan D. Viglianco, Staff Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo amd / U.S. Air Force

April 11, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The U.S. NAVY Phantom F-4G could perform automatic carrier landings

by Till Daisd April 11, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The 12 F-4G aircraft of the U.S. Navy were to test a new tactical camouflage for aircraft that were boarded in 1966

Twelve F-4Bs were removed from the McDonnell production line in March 1963 so that special equipment could be added.

With these Phantoms, the brand-new AN/ASW-21 air-to-ground data link was being tested. The No. 1 fuselage fuel cell was replaced directly aft of the rear cockpit by the new communication system and an approach power compensator. Hands-off carrier landings were possible thanks to the AN/ASW-21 data link communication system, approach power compensator, shipboard AN/SPN-10 radar, and AN/USC-1 data connection. To create a larger radar target so that the AN/SPN-10 ship-borne radar could follow the F-4 during automatic landings, a radar reflector had to be mounted to the nose. The radar reflector was initially fastened to the nose gear door, but in production models, it was retracted into a space beneath the nose, just in front of the landing gear.

Remembering the U.S. Navy F-4G, the Phantom that could perform automatic carrier landings — Two U.S. Navy McDonnell F-4G Phantom II aircraft of Fighter Squadron VF-213 “Black Lions” on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63).

The twelve modified planes were given the new designation F-4G. BuNos 150481, 150484, 150487, 150489, 150492, 150625, 150629, 150633, 150636, 150639, 150642, and 150645 were assigned to them as their serial numbers. On March 20, 1963, the first of these (150481) took flight.

The only modifications to a conventional F-4B airframe were the data link system and approach power compensator.

The F-4Gs were assigned to VF-213 Black Lions, which had been deployed to Vietnam with Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) from 19 October 1965 to 13 June 1966, according to Larry Davis’ book F-4 Phantom II In Action. F-4G 150645 was lost over North Vietnam while on deployment.

The 12 F-4Gs were employed by the service in 1966 to test a brand-new tactical camouflage for Navy aircraft. The undersurfaces remained White, while the upper surfaces were painted entirely in either 34079 or 34102 Green, or a combination of the two. Other aircraft types, such as A-1s and A-6s, were also tested with the new camouflage colors. The U.S. Navy determined that camouflage paint did not significantly conceal the aircraft and was actually detrimental when trying to maneuver an aircraft under the carrier deck at night. Up until the 1970s, Naval aircraft would continue to be painted in the usual scheme of 36440 Gull Gray on the upper surface and Gloss White on the undersides and control surfaces.

The F-4Gs were eventually brought back to the United States and modified to F-4B specifications. The F-4G name was deleted by the U.S. Navy, but the AN/ASW-21 data connection system became a regular feature of the F-4J. Later, when F-4Es were converted into “Wild Weasels” by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), the “F-4G” designation was once more employed.

Photo by U.S. Navy

April 11, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

How the F-14 and F-15 fighters were able to down the SR-71 in simulated combat

by Till Daisd April 10, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Under specific circumstances, F-14 and F-15 fighters were capable of simulating SR-71 kills

The SR-71 Blackbird collected intelligence during the course of its 24 years of service in some of the world’s most hostile environments. The Blackbird avoided every one of the 4,000 missiles aimed at it, and it continues to be the only USAF aircraft never to lose a crew member, either in the air or on the ground.

F-14 Tomcat Vs F-15 Eagle: the pilots' perspective

The Blackbird was built to operate at high speeds and altitudes; in fact, it could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet. Therefore any enemy fighter would have had a very tough time getting a radar lock on it (although as we have explained Swedish Air Force JA-37 fighter pilots have several hot intercepts against the SR-71 to their credit).

The (simulated) kills achieved by F-14 and F-15 fighters against the SR-71 Mach 3 spy plane

Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (Ret. ), a former Blackbird pilot, details in his book The Complete Book of the SR-71 Blackbird: The Illustrated Profile of Every Aircraft, Crew, and Breakthrough of the World’s Fastest Stealth Jet, the SR-71 pilot “could fly the aircraft anywhere in the world and return safely. […] On one occasion, as Don [Don Emmons who was Graham Reconnaissance System Officer or RSO, the Blackbird back seater] and I approached Soviet airspace off the southern end of the Kamchatka Peninsula, I could see three Soviet fighters streaming their contrails off in the distance. The contrails showed them in a clockwise circular orbit. As we approached closer I could see their contrails as they came out of their orbit and headed directly toward us. They were in trial with each other about two to three miles apart. As soon as I saw contrails disappear, I knew the fighters had gone to full afterburner and were initiating their climb in an attempt to intercept us. Knowing there were Soviet planes out there that would try to shoot you down if they were so ordered heightened your senses as they approached. I often wondered how they felt, knowing we were up there, and their inability to do anything about it. Nothing ever came of their attempts, and I smiled to myself, realizing their frustration and dilemma.”

Yet, according to Graham, there were two fighters who, under specific circumstances, could pull off (simulated) SR-71 kills. “Don and I, as well as many other crewmembers, had flown numerous ‘Tomcat Chase’ and ‘Eagle Bait’ sorties against our best fighters – the Navy’s F-14s and the Air Force’s F-15s. We flew the SR-71 to provide the fighters practice at finding, tracking, locking on, intercepting, and simulated firing of their sophisticated F-14 Phoenix missiles and the F-15’s Sparrow missiles at a high altitude, high-speed target. The Tomcat Chase missions were flown over the Pacific Ocean and Eagle Bait missions in the Nellis AFB training area, north of Las Vegas, Nevada.”

Graham continues. “To maximize scarce, high altitude/high-speed intercept practice for the fighters against the SR-71, we stacked the deck in their favor to avoid a multitude of missed intercepts, and consequently, wasted time. The intercepts were conducted in a very controlled environment, favoring a successful outcome by the fighters. Both the SR-71 and fighters were on a common ground control intercept (GCI) frequency, so the fighters could be vectored for the head-on intercept and we could talk to each other to help set it up. We flew a precise straight-line track that was communicated to the GCI controller and fighters well in advance of our arrival. All aircraft had their transponders on for positive radar identification, and no DEF systems [the Defensive Electronic systems that were designed to jam or spoof any radar or SAM system as necessary and were carried in SR-71’s chine bays] were to be used. We kept the SR-71 at a constant altitude, airspeed, and heading as the fighters maneuvered for their head-on attack. GCI controllers provided constant range and bearing for the fighters to their target (the SR-71) so they could search for us on their radar. Even under these highly controlled flying conditions, the F-14s and F-15s had extreme difficulty achieving a satisfactory SR-71 kill.

“The majority of missed intercepts for the fighters were because of two parameters that influence the intercept geometry greatly: the altitude difference between the SR-71 and the fighters, and the extreme closing velocity between the two aircraft. At the start of Eagle Bait missions, the F-15s discovered that their fire control system speed gate (the computed closing velocity between two aircraft) was not large enough to accommodate their extreme closing velocity against the SR-71. Software changes to their computers solved that problem. If the fighters decided not to climb and remained at twenty-five thousand feet, for example, their missiles found it very extremely difficult to climb up fifty-five thousand feet (against gravity) to achieve a kill against the SR-71. Another factor in our favor was the small guidance fins on their missiles. They are optimized in size for guiding a missile to its target in the thicker air from the ground up and around forty thousand feet. At eighty thousand feet the air is so thin that full deflection of the missile’s guidance fins can barely turn it.”

Photo by Airman John Linzmeier, Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew and Senior Airman Devin Nothstine / U.S. Air Force, Edwards History Office file photo, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Lauren Booher and Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Christopher B. Long U.S. Navy

April 10, 2023 0 comment

History

After more than 60 years of service, a Royal New Zealand Air Force A-4 pilot retires

by Till Daisd April 9, 2023

written by Till Daisd

It was the only occasion an A-4 Skyhawk from the Royal New Zealand Air Force had opened fire in anger

When Jim Jennings fired a warning shot over the bow of a Taiwanese squid boat that was fishing illegally in New Zealand waters in 1976, he entered the annals of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

It was the only occasion an RNZAF Skyhawk had opened fire in anger. Although that incident attracted the public’s attention, Mr. Jennings’ remarkable flying career, which lasted more than 60 years and took him all around the world, was not defined by that event.

He is now retired, and on May 27, 2021, a brief ceremony at RNZAF Base Ohakea bid him farewell. An 18-year-old Mr. Jennings joined the military in 1961 and began his training as an engine fitter and mechanic after growing up on a farm in North Canterbury.

He made the decision to become a pilot in 1964. Before being assigned to Ohakea to fly Vampires, he had training on Harvard and Devon aircraft.

“The old Vampire that sits outside of the main gate of Ohakea is one I’ve flown many times,” he says in a New Zealand Defence Force news release.

As the RNZAF upgraded to Skyhawks, Mr. Jennings piloted them on training exercises in Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. He also served as an operations flight commander on the Strikemaster for a while.

Royal New Zealand Air Force A-4 pilot who fired warning shots across the bow of a Taiwanese squid boat retires after more than 60 years of service — A McDonnell Douglas A-4K *Skyhawk* (s/n NZ6205) from No. 75 Squadron, Royal New Zealand Air Force, preparing for take-off from RAAF Base Darwin, Northern Territory (Australia), during exercise “Pitch Black ’84”, a joint US, Australian and New Zealand exercise on Apr. 22, 1984.

Prior to being assigned to Malaysia in the integrated Air Defence System from 1981 to 1983, he spent some time at the headquarters in Wellington with his family.

Before receiving an “out of the blue” offer to take over the No. 2 Squadron, a Skyhawk training unit, Mr. Jennings went back to his old habitat at Ohakea where he served as the Strike Wing’s Executive Officer.

“I had two lovely years there training lots of pilots on the Skyhawk and having a real blast.”

Another high point in Mr. Jennings’ career was his 1989 deployment to Iran as the Detachment Commander of the Air Unit, which provided in-country air transport for the UN mission there.

“It was a very nice place and a lovely country and the mission itself worked quite well but it did have its moments dealing with Iranian Revolutionary Guards.”

The country was like “Central Otago on a grand scale”.

“It had magnificent scenery, lovely people, and snow. My tour was a winter one and at the back of Tehran, where we were based they had a very good ski field. It was a real highlight of my career.”

For his military achievements, he was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2010.

The position of Mr. Jennings was changed to a civilian position in 2011. He has been in charge of operational support issues for the previous ten years, including the airline diversion capability at Ohakea.

Now that he is 79, the man is ready for retirement and a “good sleep-in.”

“I feel young, but the reality is, that’s quite a few years on the clock. I think it was time to retire and give someone else a run at it.

“I think I will miss being on an air base with aircraft around because I’ve been with aircraft nearly all my life, but it’s been a lovely experience and I’ve worked with some excellent people over the years.”

The A-4 Skyhawk in service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force

The RNZAF received 10 A-4K single-seat aircraft and 4 TA-4K in 1970, joining the 75 Squadron. In 1984, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) added 8 A-4G Skyhawks and 2 TA-4Gs, enabling the formation of a second squadron with Skyhawk equipment, 2 Squadron.

Project Kahu was started in 1986 as a less expensive option for purchasing new replacement Skyhawks. Its goal was to equip New Zealand’s Skyhawks with new avionics, including AN/APG-66NZ radar based on the F-16, and armaments. The 12 original RNZAF aircraft and the 10 ex-RAN aircraft were all converted to the A-4K Kahu standard.

The Skyhawks were placed in storage in anticipation of sale in 2001 after the dissolution of the three Air Combat Force squadrons (Nos. 2, 14, and 75). They were kept up with the help of sporadic service flights before being transferred to RNZAF Base Woodbourne and preserved in latex.

In 2012, Draken International and the government of New Zealand agreed to the purchase of eight A-4Ks and related equipment for its adversary training services. Six of them were former RAN A-4G aircraft with considerably fewer flying hours as carrier aircraft. In Lakeland, Florida, at Draken’s Lakeland Linder International Airport facility, these were subsequently transported to the United States. The other A-4K planes were donated to museums in Australia and New Zealand.

Photo by Royal New Zealand Air Force, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy

April 9, 2023 0 comment

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