Dating to the 1980s, this recruitment film “The Air Guard Experience” shows the activities of pilots flying the A-7 Corsair II. The pilots appear to be from the Colorado Air National Guard, probably the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 140th Tactical Fighter Group aka “Red Eye” (see patch at 4:28). One of the interesting segments of the film is a look at an early computerized flight simulator (4:58) used by pilots to keep sharp. At 9:57 in-flight refueling of the A-7 is shown. At 10:58, an A-7 drops a bomb in a practice run.
The LTV A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by American conglomerate Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). With the pullout of the USAF from its Thailand bases in late 1975, the A-7Ds stationed at Korat initially went to Clark AB, Philippines. The 3d TFS transitioned from its Corsairs to the F-4E Phantom II and remained at Clark. The A-7Ds were returned to the United States where they were reassigned to several Air National Guard squadrons beginning in 1974. The Corsairs had been, in a sense, a forced acquisition by the USAF in the late 1960s, and the inter-service rivalry of flying a Navy aircraft had led, beginning about 1970, to the development of its own Close Air Support aircraft. In 1974, selection of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II was made as the replacement for the A-7D. The first A-10As were received by the 354th TFW in 1977 at Myrtle Beach AFB; the 355th TFW at Davis-Monthan AFB began replacing its A-7Ds in 1978, and the 23d TFW at England AFB in 1979. As the A-10s were received, the A-7Ds were transferred from the USAF to the National Guard Bureau for subsequent re-allocation. By 1981, when the 23d TFW sent its last A-7Ds to Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada for clandestine use in the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk development program, fifteen ANG squadrons were equipped with the A-7D Corsair II. The ANG retired the plane in 1993 but the Corsair II served in Greece until the mid-2010s, giving it a total life of 49 years before retirement
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