A-7 Corsair Pilot's Flight Operating Manual

Vought’s A-7 Corsair II served the U.S. Navy for over over two decades, and flew with distinction during the Vietnam conflict. The subsonic A-7 was based on Chance Vought’s supersonic F-8 Crusader. It boasted a heads-up display, an inertial navigation system, and other innovations. The plane entered service in 1966, and served in Vietnam in late 1967. Its performance was impressive. The USS Ranger’s VA-147 flew over 1,400 sorties with the loss of only one aircraft. The Air Force purchased an advanced version, the A-7D, equipped with a more powerful engine. The plane later flew missions over Lebanon, Libya, Grenada, Panama, and Iraq. The last planes in U.S inventory were retired in 1991. Originally printed by the U.S. Navy and Vought, this handbook for the A-7 provides a fascinating glimpse inside the cockpit of this famous aircraft. Originally classified “restricted”, the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form.