Douglas TA-4

juan valdez

juan valdez

Well-Known Member
Snapped these two pics last week coming back from Dallas. Sorry they aren't that great but I had to rush as I had to switch batteries back into the camera. Another one of the Collings Foundation aircraft who also owns 2 F4 Phantoms, one of which I posted a while back.

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Short history of it here http://www.collingsfoundation.org/Houston/tx_ta-4skyhawk_hist.htm
 
Beautiful example....would have been such a cool jet to fly. One thing I learned recently was that they had no batteries. Airstart on the ground, and only a RAT for backup power and hydraulics in the air. Like a freaking race car...I love it :)

Also of note, in the history link, the guy who flew it the first time following its military retirement is now one of the craziest sim instructors you will ever meet here in Meridian. Truly larger than life guy, and he's probably reading this somehow
 
Haha pretty cool that you know that sim instructor.
I did notice that power cart next to it but didn't really think anything of it at the time. I think it's the cobra, maybe huey that also has to be started on external power (helo side of things). I'm sure there's other airframes as well.
 
Yeah there are a few active military aircraft that still need a start cart. EA-6B, E-2C (and I believe C-2) all require the cart, and I'm going to guess that the B-52 does as well (there are probably others).
 
///AMG said:
Yeah there are a few active military aircraft that still need a start cart. EA-6B, E-2C (and I believe C-2) all require the cart, and I'm going to guess that the B-52 does as well (there are probably others).
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F-4s we still have, as well as the T-38s require huffers for air for ground starts. B-52, I believe the H models included, can use starter cartridges.
 
Some F-16's still need a start cart I believe? I've physically worked the t-38 (numerous times) as well as been lucky to start an F-4 that was passing through for gas from an airshow a few years back. As for the helo's we routinely get USMC UH-1 and AH-1 helos and they start on battery.
 
jdlilfan said:
as well as been lucky to start an F-4 that was passing through for gas from an airshow a few years back.
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Awesome! Greatest job in the world would be the guy who tests flies the QF-4's before they take them to Eglin to meet their maker......
 
Yeah, I have been very lucky to experience some very interesting things due my FBO's DOD fuel contract.

Back to the thread. That's really cool to see that Collings Foundation is keeping an A-4 flying as well as an F-4!
 
jdlilfan said:
Some F-16's still need a start cart I believe? I've physically worked the t-38 (numerous times) as well as been lucky to start an F-4 that was passing through for gas from an airshow a few years back. As for the helo's we routinely get USMC UH-1 and AH-1 helos and they start on battery.
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F-16s may use a power cart, but they don't need air for the start.
 
Hacker15e said:
Collings owns one A-4 and one F-4.
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That's what I thought as well but I saw another one at the airfield the other day that was silver/gunmetal or whatever. The one I had seen a couple times before and posted was painted in that green camo scheme. I was with my instructor and he said they had two. :dunno:
 
jdlilfan said:
As for the helo's we routinely get USMC UH-1 and AH-1 helos and they start on battery.
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Hmmm...I never worked on either one, though did work in the same hangar as them for quite a while. I could have sworn one of those two airframes didn't ahve a battery. Guess my mind is going in my old age (26). :crazy:

jdlilfan said:
Back to the thread. That's really cool to see that Collings Foundation is keeping an A-4 flying as well as an F-4!
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Definitely seems like a worthwhile cause! Lots of cool airplanes out here at EFD. Couple other old miiltary jets, one is a MiG, not sure on the other one. A WACO, a few cool looking experimentals and some other jet that I have seen a couple times flying around painted in a blue stars on white background scheme. Not sure what it is. *edit* quick google search reveals it to be a Aero Vodochody L39 Albatross. I was wrong though it doesn't ahve stars but is blue and white....and red. Also forgot about the Vomit Comet!
 
juan valdez said:
That's what I thought as well but I saw another one at the airfield the other day that was silver/gunmetal or whatever. The one I had seen a couple times before and posted was painted in that green camo scheme. I was with my instructor and he said they had two. :dunno:
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This is the only one they fly:

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Yeah that's the one I've seen a few times before, both on the apron and out ready to launch. Never seen it in the air yet. :(


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But I'm telling you, unless they stripped it, there is another one at EFD. Maybe someone else brought one in, I don't know, but I saw one that was silver/gray sometime mid last week.
 
///AMG said:
Beautiful example....would have been such a cool jet to fly. One thing I learned recently was that they had no batteries. Airstart on the ground, and only a RAT for backup power and hydraulics in the air. Like a freaking race car...I love it :)
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Only Ed Heinemann would have had the audacity and bold engineering idea to NOT have a battery. That saved him x lbs and everyone knew he was fierce when it came to scrubbing off weight. FWIW, I have never flown an airplane that didn't have at least some size battery or batteries.
 
The F-15 does not have a battery as part of the DC system.

I'm sure there are little batteries in all kinds of stuff like the KY radio and the EGI, but there's not one that powers any of the buses that run anything avionics-wise.
 
Hacker15e said:
The F-15 does not have a battery as part of the DC system.

I'm sure there are little batteries in all kinds of stuff like the KY radio and the EGI, but there's not one that powers any of the buses that run anything avionics-wise.
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None of the airplanes I flew had the battery power anything except for starts and in emergencies via the emerg batt bus. For -121 it is supposed to last :15 under full load and :45 in Emerg.. or at least that is what I remember. And that was on aircraft with RATs also because on touchdown the RAT died as the airplane slowed.

With the hydrozene (sp?) unit on the F-16 does it have a battery?

FWIW, on one of my -38 cross countries, somehow I missed the battery on the checklist. Fllew the entire flt on gen w/ batt off. Yes. Good checklist awareness. And when we shut down that night at the cross country field, it went dark NOW! My IP said,"Okay.. WTF are you doing up front now???"
 
There are two hydraulic-powered generators that provide electrical power during the F-15 start procedure. The whole train is initiated by a hydraulic accumulator that is discharged and spins up a small jet engine.
 
Hacker15e said:
There are two hydraulic-powered generators that provide electrical power during the F-15 start procedure. The whole train is initiated by a hydraulic accumulator that is discharged and spins up a small jet engine.
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So a GPU powers the airplane's hydraulics which pressurizes an accumulator that spins up the engine?
 
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