The SLUF
The A-7 was known for its ability to perform well across a wide range of missions. It wasn’t fast, advanced, or built for high-altitude flight; instead, it was designed for multiple attack roles. The Corsair II demonstrated its value in Vietnam after entering the conflict in 1967. Navy and Air Force pilots who flew it affectionately nicknamed it the SLUF, or Short Little Ugly F****r, and took pride in piloting the single-seat aircraft, which could fly low-level missions, loiter over targets for long periods, and carry more ordnance than a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress.
In 1968, the Air Force began production of the A-7D variant of the Corsair II. It featured a more powerful engine, upgraded avionics, and an internal gun. Impressed by its improved performance, the Navy adopted it as the A-7E. The aircraft entered service in 1970 and remained in frontline use until 1991, when it last saw combat over Iraq and Kuwait.
A-7E Post-Maintenance Check Flights
David Tussey, a former U.S. Navy Corsair II pilot, said he flew the A-7E for much of his career, according to Quora.
“I flew the A-7E for much of my Navy career. The published service ceiling is 42,000 feet. Later in my career, I did a lot of Post Maintenance Check Flights (PMCF) to verify the aircraft was operating properly following major maintenance, e.g., engine change, major structural inspection, etc.”
“On those PMCFs, I used to take the aircraft as high as possible. I was darn lucky if I could reach 42,000 feet. The engine just runs out of thrust at that altitude. There’s simply not enough air. You could indeed fly at 42,000 feet, and maybe you could actually climb a few hundred feet higher if you were lightly loaded. But for all practical reasons, that’s as high as you can go.”
“(Note: I do realize that many of today’s aircraft have much higher (50K+) service ceilings, especially some of the latest bizjets.)”
Engine running out of thrust
“Nothing dramatic happens at 42,000 feet. No changes to the airplane’s handling… the engine just runs out of thrust. Control responsiveness diminishes for the same reason. But it’s perfectly flyable.”
“Recommended or not? Not really recommended. Not really necessary. It’s challenging to control the aircraft at that altitude; it just gets ‘squirrely.’ About the only reason to go that high that I can think of is to clear a thunderstorm, but honestly… It’s easier to just steer around it.”
“There’s no tactical reason I know of to get as “high as you can go”. And for the airplane I flew, it just wasn’t very useful. Nothing you can do at 42,000 feet that you can’t do at 41,000 or 40,000 feet… or even in the high 30s.”
Tussey concludes,
“BTW, when you are flying cross-country in the US, if you’re flying up in the high 30k’s, you’re pretty much alone. Not much traffic up there. Great visibility though.”
Photos by Cdr. John R. Leenhouts / US Navy
