@ Ford Island, HI
January 2023
It’s impressive that the A3D Skywarrior first flew in 1952 and remained in service long enough to fly during the Gulf War in 1991 before retirement that same year. Conceived by Douglas Aircraft for the U.S. Navy as a carrier-capable strategic bomber (nicknamed the “Whale”), this was the largest and heaviest aircraft ever designed for use on an aircraft carrier. To reduce the aircraft weight for carrier operations, the A3D did not have ejection seats. Aircrews joked that “A3D” stood for “All Three Dead” (the USAF version of this aircraft, the B-66 Destroyer, did have ejection seats). This particular Skywarrior served as a bomber and navigator trainer until it was converted by Hughes/Raytheon to test the radar system for the F-14D Tomcat with a hideous bulbous nose radome (see original post). The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum restoration crew restored the A3D back to the original nose configuration.
