EA6B to the Museum of flight

Tom-D

Tom-D

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Tom-D
Tomorrow one of the last EA6Bs goes to BFI to be placed in the museum.

Question? who gets to de-mil that thing, there are explosive charges all over it, canopies, ejection seats, chaff.

The navy is going to fly it in, so it must be fully equipped.
 
Urban legends state that the same used to be an issue with some of the static displays the Air Force has. Again urban legend, because I didn't see it was that someone had climbed into one of the aircraft and pulled the ejection seat, promptly killing them selves. Someone will soon pick up a white courtesy phone to either correct or confirm my recollection. Sounds like a bit of a stretch to me but hey, stranger things have happened.
 
The first day I checked into VAQ 129 they blew two canopies in the hangar.

Two more when over the side in the middle of Gonzo station, blown by a snipe enjoying a steel beach day.

"Sir, I was just looking for a place to set and eat my Hamburger"
 
Tom-D said:
Tomorrow one of the last EA6Bs goes to BFI to be placed in the museum.

Question? who gets to de-mil that thing, there are explosive charges all over it, canopies, ejection seats, chaff.

The navy is going to fly it in, so it must be fully equipped.
Click to expand...

There will be a qualified crew sent to clean things up. All the explosives need to be pulled, fuel purged, engine oil, hydraulics. They may even pull the engines. Some of it may be completed by the museum staff after the explosives are removed.
 
Tom-D said:
The first day I checked into VAQ 129 they blew two canopies in the hangar.

Two more when over the side in the middle of Gonzo station, blown by a snipe enjoying a steel beach day.

"Sir, I was just looking for a place to set and eat my Hamburger"
Click to expand...

During my 1 tour in Prowlers, I never saw a canopy get blown.

I did see one up close though, when I was in VC-5. I was standing next to a TA-4J when another plane captain went up the boarding ladder after refueling without noticing the external canopy jettison handle was improperly secured. It was stick out just enough that the weight of additional fuel plus one airman was enough to cause the jet to settle on the nose gear. As it did so, the boarding ladder caught the canopy jettison handle and away she went (crashing into the vertical stab of a VRC-50 Saberliner). I was close enough, my ears were ringing for the rest of the day.
 
One of the Prowlers that was a CAG bird showed up at Buckley AFB to be donated to the local museum last week also. Must be Prowler garage sale month.
 
BillTIZ said:
There will be a qualified crew sent to clean things up. All the explosives need to be pulled, fuel purged, engine oil, hydraulics. They may even pull the engines. Some of it may be completed by the museum staff after the explosives are removed.
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The A-6 that was sent there they wanted to fly it. so the Navy left it at Galvan flight center. there is where they Fodded both engines on the first turn.
 
denverpilot said:
One of the Prowlers that was a CAG bird showed up at Buckley AFB to be donated to the local museum last week also. Must be Prowler garage sale month.
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last flight in July. Big doings here
 
I went though VAQ-129 at Whidbey then to VAQ-137 on the USS AMERICA. Don't forget your ear plugs when the Prowler is flying nearby.
 
Tom-D said:
The first day I checked into VAQ 129 they blew two canopies in the hangar.

Two more when over the side in the middle of Gonzo station, blown by a snipe enjoying a steel beach day.

"Sir, I was just looking for a place to set and eat my Hamburger"
Click to expand...
I think the best pre-mature ejection story I heard was the Cruiser O6 who was in the back seat of a Tomcat and didn't know where to put his hands....grabbed the wrong handle and BOOM!
 
sourdough44 said:
I went though VAQ-129 at Whidbey then to VAQ-137 on the USS AMERICA. Don't forget your ear plugs when the Prowler is flying nearby.
Click to expand...

They are loud, but not as loud as the Growler in burner.

The folks around OLF are really bitchen about the F/A 18 G.
 
Tom-D said:
They are loud, but not as loud as the Growler in burner.

The folks around OLF are really bitchen about the F/A 18 G.
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I believe it.

F-18s are just loud birds in general. When I used to sit behind the bird farm doing plane guard, the Hornets would make you want to claw your face off. Twice as loud as Tomcats or Prowlers. And that was BEFORE the Super Hornets were hitting the fleet.
 
One would be crazy to buy any house near OLF Coupeville(I think it's spelled) South of NAS Whidbey. We would do night FCLP's up to midnight at that field. I don't know how anyone could put up with that. There were new houses right near the pattern, the field dates back to 1941 or so.

I'm not sure what goes on there now.

http://www.southwhidbeyrecord.com/news/212545101.html
 
Wings Over the Rockies Museum facebook page re: EA6B


Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum
May 22 at 2:37pm · Edited ·
‪#‎WOTR‬ The date and times of the EA6B Prowler move from Buckley are finalized! We will be heading over early Thursday morning on May 28. If all goes to plan, we will leave Buckley around 2:00 a.m. for a very slow drive to Wings. The aircraft will be towed over on its own gear via a tow bar and a Peterbilt tractor truck. While not as impressive as a Toyota hauling the Space Shuttle, it will be pretty cool!
There will also be plenty of good spots for photography opportunities. We will be leaving out of the Telluride gate on 6th Ave., traveling to Havana, turning south on Havana, then traveling down Havana to Alameda. There we make a right on Alameda and go to Quebec. We turn right onto 1st, go through the Lowry Town Center, turn onto Roslyn and end up home.
We will have two CSP cars, a bucket truck and numerous chase vehicles. Please do not try and insert yourselves into the convoy! It’s going to be tight and if it gets unmanageable, we will have CSP usher you off. We have to consider the well-being of surrounding drivers and aircraft. We want you to see the move, but we also want everyone to be safe and out of the way while having fun.
So, if you feel like staying up all night, come watch the Prowler’s arrival at Wings!
 
Am I the only one who opened this thread expecting to find out why a whiz wheel is a newsworthy museum donation?
 
Tom-D said:
Tomorrow one of the last EA6Bs goes to BFI to be placed in the museum.

Question? who gets to de-mil that thing, there are explosive charges all over it, canopies, ejection seats, chaff.

The navy is going to fly it in, so it must be fully equipped.
Click to expand...

It will most likely be demilled at one of the Navy depots, probably Jacksonville as the did the rework for the EA-6B. They will also do the repaint, although it may come up here to Cherry Point. There already one here on base on display near the flight line.
 
Prowler enroute to Wings Over the Rockies museum.

Not my picture (from Colorado4x4.org) but let's see if it links

DSCN4471.jpg
 
gkainz said:
Prowler enroute to Wings Over the Rockies museum.

Not my picture (from Colorado4x4.org) but let's see if it links

DSCN4471.jpg
Click to expand...

A little over kill on the tow truck, don't ya think?
 
Yes, the truck is a bit large. Maybe a bit more load than the average pickup can safely tow though. There may be hills in CO.
 
Is the EA6B out of service now?

Cool pics Greg, now where have I seen them before. :goofy:
 
Anthony said:
Is the EA6B out of service now?
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One of my flying buddies who flew them told me they are being retired. I think there was some fly-by around here recently by the pictured airplane that he went to see.
 
Everskyward said:
One of my flying buddies who flew them told me they are being retired. I think there was some fly-by around here recently by the pictured airplane that he went to see.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mari. Yeah, I knew that was coming. :(

The pic above is from the one that flew into Buckley and will be installed in the museum there.
 
wilkersk said:
During my 1 tour in Prowlers, I never saw a canopy get blown.

I did see one up close though, when I was in VC-5. I was standing next to a TA-4J when another plane captain went up the boarding ladder after refueling without noticing the external canopy jettison handle was improperly secured. It was stick out just enough that the weight of additional fuel plus one airman was enough to cause the jet to settle on the nose gear. As it did so, the boarding ladder caught the canopy jettison handle and away she went (crashing into the vertical stab of a VRC-50 Saberliner). I was close enough, my ears were ringing for the rest of the day.
Click to expand...

As I remember their was a A-10 at Willow Grove Pa. airshow on display ejection seat was not pined some kid got in and ejected killed him and the one on the side waiting to get in.
 
It was a S-3 not a A-10

At an air show on July 4, 1981, visitors were allowed to climb into the cockpit of an S-3 Viking patrol aircraft on ground display at the Naval Air Station-Willow Grove, Pa. The Navy had failed to disarm the ejection seat in the jet and a 7-year-old boy, John Pigford Jr., activated the rocket-controlled seat, ejecting himself through the aircraft canopy. He died two days later of a skull fracture and internal injuries. His brother, who was in the cockpit at the same time, survived with facial burns. Twenty-one others were injured in the incident.
 
NoHeat said:
Am I the only one who opened this thread expecting to find out why a whiz wheel is a newsworthy museum donation?
Click to expand...
Or a news item showing one with bits of blood and hair on the slider. The "A" *does* stand for "Attack," after all.....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Tom-D said:
A little over kill on the tow truck, don't ya think?
Click to expand...
I thought the same thing. :) It does give a good reference to the size of the Prowler, tho.

sourdough44 said:
Yes, the truck is a bit large. Maybe a bit more load than the average pickup can safely tow though. There may be hills in CO.
Click to expand...
true enough, but no hills between Buckley and Wings museum

Anthony said:
Is the EA6B out of service now?

Cool pics Greg, now where have I seen them before. :goofy:
Click to expand...
Let's go Jeepin' :D
 
Anthony said:
Is the EA6B out of service now?

Cool pics Greg, now where have I seen them before. :goofy:
Click to expand...

They made their last deployment last year (I was on it, though not flying Prowlers) with VAQ-134. I would bet this is their "500", though the lighting in the pics makes it hard to tell.

edit: that is specific to the USN, as has been mentioned, USMC will continue to wring a few more years out of them.
 
gkainz said:
Prowler enroute to Wings Over the Rockies museum.



Not my picture (from Colorado4x4.org) but let's see if it links



DSCN4471.jpg
Click to expand...


There were a pile of photos in the Colorado Aviation Photography group on FB. Quite a few good photogs decided to tag along for the late night convoy fun.
 
35 AoA said:
They made their last deployment last year (I was on it, though not flying Prowlers) with VAQ-134. I would bet this is their "500", though the lighting in the pics makes it hard to tell.



edit: that is specific to the USN, as has been mentioned, USMC will continue to wring a few more years out of them.
Click to expand...


Just saw it on a news clip. Yep, 500.
 
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