Newsgroups: sci.military
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!att!cbnews!military
From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)
Subject: Re: Persian Gulf Combat Aircraft--The A-4 Skyhawk
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 90 03:21:34 GMT
Approved: military@att.att.com
Message-ID: <1990Oct19.032134.11619@cbnews.att.com>
References: <1990Oct8.030359.11680@cbnews.att.com>
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From: ron@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ron Miller)

Re: A-4 lore


>Henry Spencer: 
> Ed Heinemann, Douglas's chief designer, was accused not only of lying but
> of insanity.  The original specs -- which at least one other major
> company rejected as impractical -- were for a 30,000lb aircraft, while
> Heinemann proposed to meet them at 15,000lb.  He did it, on time and on
> budget.  As far as I know, this has never been equalled before or since.
> 

He used some really creative approaches too. For example, the turbine
oiling system in the A-4A (?) was a TOTAL LOSS system! Saves on
system weight if it doesn't have to be recirculated! 

Leading edge slats are free-deploying (watch them slam back on
catapault launch on some old TV footage sometime) based on AOA. No
actuators - no actuator weight.  (The Blue Angels had their slats
secured to ensure no unpredictability in flight.....)

The aircraft is a great example of creative ways to meet a mission reqt. 
without following the conventional approach thru extrapolating 
other solutions to similar problems.


Ron Miller
(got a ride in a TA-4 once :-)