[Chainmail]

My experience with A-4s was strictly as a ground-pounder and a customer. The Scooter drivers has a knack for really flying low and fast and I heard one A-4 pilot claim that he "almost got a VC with his refueling probe"(!). When it came to precision, the A-4s were the hands-down best as I witnessed many times first-hand.

F-4s, on the other hand were brave but didn't fly as low or bomb as accurately and sometimes hit one treeline over from where you asked them to. Which was rough on community relations.

Do you remember the story about a flightline corporal at El Toro that stole an A-4 in '68 or '69 and flew it for an hour and then landed it - all at night? From what I heard, he had flown gliders a lot but this was his first time up solo in a power plane - in an A-4! As I had heard it, he lightly damaged one gear door but landed it fine otherwise. Tells you a lot about how good A-4s were to fly.

The Corps had no idea what to do with the guy!

Good thing he didn't try to solo an F-4..

[doorgunner69]

Heard the story years later, was in SEA at the time or would have known all about it. Story has several versions, one he was just supposed to be taxiing the bird after engine tests (one of the few enlisted qualified to do that) and said to hell with it.

You are right, from what I have read about the F-4, no way he could have brought that off, a much trickier and more complex machine with deadly quirks.