The Corsair II
The A-7 Corsair II was originally created in response to a 1963 requirement from the US Navy to find an aircraft that would take the place of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. As the Navy needed the aircraft operational by 1967, it was crucial to expedite the development process. Vought based its winning design on the F-8 Crusader, which was already in service with the Navy. The prototype took its first flight in 1965, and the initial A-7 squadron was deployed to combat in Vietnam in December 1967. The aircraft demonstrated exceptional success as both a close air support and strike platform.
In 1968, production of the A-7D variant of the Corsair II began for the US Air Force. Modifications included a more powerful engine, enhanced avionics, and an internal gun. The Navy appreciated the improved capabilities of this new variant, leading to its adoption for Navy operations as the A-7E. These aircraft were introduced into service in 1970 and continued to serve on the front lines until 1991, when they participated in combat during the conflicts in Iraq and Kuwait for the last time.
Taking the A-7E as high as possible during Post Maintenance Check Flights
David Tussey, former US Navy Corsair II pilot, flew the A-7E for much of his career, as he recalls on 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 just 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 30’s.’
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.’
Photo by Cdr. John R. Leenhouts / US Navy
