The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Legion Hall A-10 Warthog

We have a place at the Lake of the Ozarks and it is not uncommon to see a pair of A-10's flying low over the lake.
I assume they are coming out of Whiteman AFB in western Missouri and headed to the Ozark mountains to practice maneuvers.
Well last Sunday, two went over headed southeast toward the Mountains.
About half hour later, they came back up the lake probably about 300 feet off the water and were getting it on.
The lake curves a lot and we are on the out side of the bend.
I was on the dock ramp and the wife was on the deck.
As soon as I seen the first one, it was already banking hard and all we could see was the underside of the fighter.
The second came around the bend just a couple seconds later.
I had both arms up giving the thumbs up and I think the second one may have seen us before he banked.
This all happened in about 6 seconds.
What an impressive sight.
The wife asked me why they were flying sideways.
The weren't 90 degrees to the water, but close to it.
Like I said they were getting it on.

Just want to THANK everyone for their service in whatever part of the Military they served in.

Don

A-10s are awesome.
My college roommate was a volunteer firefighter, and is an aviation enthusiast. It just happened that the little airport outside Nacogdoches, TX was in his VFD's area. He was also on the airshow planning committee, so a day or two before the Nacogdoches airshow, he and his VFD would do a controlled burn along one of the runways so the pyro effects at the air show wouldn't start a grass fire. I tagged along one year and helped with the burn.
Two A-10s arrived while we were there, but apparently (I dunno if this is true or not) had too much fuel and as a result too much weight to land on the runway, so they had to burn some fuel to shed weight to be able to land. Maybe they just wanted to have a little fun while they were there, again, I don't know for sure. They flew around for maybe 15-20 minutes making low fast passes, hot-rodding around and going near vertical to climb out and go around for the next pass. They're doing this while we're doing the controlled burn along the runway. Looked like they were having a lot of fun, and we sure enjoyed it. I have some not-so-great pictures somewhere in a box or album.

Combat pilots- - - - - -having fun? Surely you jest! It takes a certifiable nutcase to strap a blowtorch or two onto your butt and go out where people make a habit of shooting at you with everything from handguns to AA artillery! The closer to the ground they fly, and the more hazardous the mission, the harder those guys party! Some of the biggest party animals I ever met were the F-105 Wild Weasel pilots I worked around in Thailand- - - - -the ones who used to play bumper tag with surface-to-air missiles. They lived like every day was their last, which it very well could be. On duty they were deadly serious- - - -off duty- - - -It's party time! I'm glad they were on our side!
Jerry

A10's have been getting a lot of looks in anti water craft type intervention lately. And it seems they are very adept at taking out multiple small attack type water craft in simulated tests. They are looking at scenario's like what one would encounter in places like the Strait of Hormuz or in coastal environs like where pirates and the like operate.
Seemed they scored as well or better than attack helicopters.
They have a long loiter time on station and quite a large range.
Shame they aren't navalized for carrier use.....

I remember the A10 from the Cold War days in West Germany. The Russians had tank superiority, we countered with the A10. About 7 yrs ago or so, was getting the riding mower readiy and looked up for some reason, and there was a flight of 4 A10 in formation right on top of me, talk about quiet!!! Had me dead to rights, so I waved my hat, and one of them waggled his wings!!! Had to share, Mike

There is nothing like having an a-10 covering your 6! That is one bad bird that can really save the skin on your back side. Nothing like flying a bullet proof bathtub with a gun that scares yesterday's food out of the enemy.

Only thing better than seeing an A-10 is seeing his buddies diving behind him!

Chris

Nothing like being down in the weeds in a jet fighter. But, my friends and I spent all our spare time in the local Christian Science Reading Room or orphanages. We were a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, chaste and sober group.

Joe D.
F-4 GIB

"The F-4 is living proof that with enough thrust you can make a brick fly!" We had a bunch of them at Korat Thailand when I was there in the mid-1970's. I was one of those electronics specialists who kept the autopilot working, while sliding around in the puddles from all the hydraulic leaks!
Jerry

F4's, a good friend was a plane captain for the AF variant, he called it a flying gas tank...

When we took our squadron of AV8A's on the Rosey for it's last Med cruise, our primary fighter was the F4. You ain't lived until you've been on the flight deck when one goes full afterburner to launch. The flames would hit the JBD then deflect up another 30-50'. Night launches were awesome.....

Back at the lake today chatting with a neighbor over a cold one on his deck.
Heard a roar, and the first A-10 went by banking almost 90 degrees to the water.
Second one was <5 seconds latter using the thrust to catch the first one.
They were less than 300 feet off the water and all we got to see was the belly of both.
Then they were gone.
Neighbor said that was the second time today they did that.
Glad they are on our side!

Don

Roar and A-10 in same sentence does not get you a passing grade. I think the wings going through the air produces more dbs then the motors. Might also say that the pilot's cackling from inside the cockpit likely produced the first evidence of the approaching flight.
While I am on the line - where is the talk of the A-6E, Intruder. Named appropriately and one of the mightiest steeds in the sky. Have we all forgotten of that majestic beast, and of the brave airmen who flew and maintained them?

Thanks for the correction Doug and you are right, it was more of a wind sound than a roar.
Did not hear much of the engines even as they sped away.
As you can probably tell, I was never in the military.
So my knowledge is very limited.

Hats off to those that are serving and have served, to protect and defend this great country.

Going to look up and learn about the A-6E now.
Don

The A6 Intruder was our primary attack platform on that same previously named med cruise. A couple squadrons of A7's made up our light attack aircraft.
I heard that a fully loaded A6 carried the same poundage of bombs as the old B17 did in WWII.

The Marines are still flying the EA6B which is the electronic counter measure attack varient but they are getting phased out with the EA-18 Growler. The EA6B carried 4 crewmen.

When we did flight Ops, my Tugs with their rear mounted GTC105's would start them all up (except the Harriers). The GTC105's had 2 settings for the compressed air used to start the aircraft, the low setting for all the attack aircraft (A6's, A7's and A4's and the high setting for the F4's. You did not want to confuse settings.....

re. Warthogs, they just can't kill that aircraft off....

And carrying around 4 liquid oxygen bottles per plane is a pain in the rump. Not to mention getting sprayed with it. Instant burning feeling on any exposed skin. Does really well as a stand in for carbonite freezing tests when carbonite was only available for Star Wars. After freezing a couple of lizards, you learn not to drop them afterwards. They tend to shatter into tiny pieces that you can't glue back together.

Did you ever see or hear of anyone having to clear those communication tubes in those A6's? I knew better

Comm tubes-yes i am familiar. Also know where to look for the bowling alley on the carrier. Cruel.

Crew chief's revenge- - - - -stuff a rag about a foot down that tube!
Jerry

Got this off a lake forum.
Hope the link works and I did not see this or know who took the Vid.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lakeoftheozarksboaters/permalink/1794287640584889/

Very impressive!
Don

The A-10s were designed as low level combat aircraft and tank busters especially with that Gatling gun in the nose. Look closely at the front end of an A-10 and you will see the nose wheel is offset because of the gun. It was the only military plane designed around a gun.
Because of their low level manoeuverability the forestry people were considering using them as water bombers. I mean if they can use 747s and DC10s why not an old A-10?

http://fireaviation.com/2014/09/25/a-10-warthog-proposed-again-as-an-air-tanker/

i never got to be around any a-10's even though my squadron went to them after i left.. i was with the 23rd tfw.. and was also tdy at korat in 71-73 with a7d's from myrtle beach

I was at Korat in 75 when they shut the place down and sent us all to Clark- - - - -with less than one week's notice! Talk about a panic downtown!
Jerry

At the lake today and heard the A-10's in the low hanging clouds.
Then <hour later, they came back under the clouds just over the treetops.
Then latter, they bussed the Walmart in Versailles, Mo as I was walking out.

Talk about something to marvel about!
These folks are just out on maneuvers, what if I was the target?

Don

I got to clean up a A10 after it went in at Williamstown NY in JAn 99. PIlot went to stow his nite vision goggles coming off the range with his left hand and shut off the hydraulic system. RIght after that they changed the goggle location. 6 months and millions of dollars, land owner made out well as did my contractor. We never did find the seat, joke going around back then was if you see some rusted out Ford with one in the back bed coming into town, watch out part of it is still armed.

52pu

I know some of you don't like facebook, but, here is a video someone took at the lake.
That is the same sight we see quite often.

https://www.facebook.com/BrokerDennis/videos/2052518275033660/?t=30

Don

My house is right below the flightpath used by A10s on their way to bombing and strafing runs at Warren Grove in NJ. I have been watching them for years streak over at 300 or 400 feet and a couples times appeared to be not very much more than treetop altitude. Once a friend and I actually snuck onto the bombing range to watch them do their low level strafing of decommissioned APCs; we came to the conclusion that we were a little to close when we were getting covered with sand blown up by the rounds hitting the ground..... Awesome birds. Totally badass.

Pretty sure i left some steel, finned and fuzed on those nj grounds.

On purpose??

Hambone,
You flew A-10’s also?

Nope. Too slow and not pretty enough. Besides could not land on the carrier with A-10. Where would I eat?

My bad–– ( to slow and ugly) forgot how vain you are, pretty boy!!!
Still envious thou!
Jim

Oh good heavens. F-18 pretty?? Are you, like, totally smoking bad crack ... again??? And besides, if it's so great at landing on carriers, why does it need that big ole hook on it's butt???

The appendage off the back is the AB, afterburner, reheat or otherwise known as the go faster machine. Girls like that part when parked on the line or when describing coolness in the bar. The part you refer to John is the stop fast apparatus. That part is for the wife and kids who need the steady mind and even temperment of the headofhousehold.

I would give hambone one point for the AB explanation and Whalerboy a half point for the “on purpose” comment. Not that I’m know anything what so ever about the subject and don’t even know what I’m here!
Do they often refer to the tail of an aircraft as “the butt of the plane?” Huh, I can only imagine being on the phone with Southwest airlines and the nice young lady on the other end telling me, “sir the only seats we have left are in the butt”.

Empennage. Or tail. Whalerboy would say stern. And you should tell those southwesties you want to sit with the drivers. The view is better.

I bet it is! I haven't flown since 2006 when I got all married up. I think we had butt seats......

We know some of those Southwesties ... are you sure you want to sit with them???

And , sure, I can say "Stern" if you want. If I was making all that noise and blasting all around the sky with a big ole hook hanging out of my bu... Stern!, I would probably say "stern" more emphatically ... maybe even with a straight face, too. Billy, ask the 'Bone about his exploits in the flying pizza oven ... (giggle, giggle, giggle ....) Um, what did they call that one, again???

Pilots ...

Oh ... did we hijack a thread ... ?? sorry ...

Well John, Yes you did hijack this thread.
But since I started this thread and am learning some new military lingo, I approve the hijack.
And someone owes me a ride in one of these rockets!

Carry on
Don

Hambone,
Bust all they want, but I never have seen one of those things, that use's a rudder to steer, break the sound barrier!

Butt seats? must be talking about those ultra luxurious cargo net contraptions on those flying boxcars like this 'un...
Wheres the butt thingy

Jim -- Like ... what EVER!

I like what the sub guys say .... There are more aircraft left in the sea than there are submarines (or any ships) left in the sky. Think on THAT, young Jedi.

Volfie -- I think we all (maybe even the 'Bone) have "There I was ..." stories about those delux accommodations in the back of the Herkybus ...

OK!
Since this is a knowledge sharing place and I was not in the military.
What is a Herkybus?
Tried looking it up and got nothing.
PM me if the definition is not fit for public viewing.

Don