Welcome to the FAQ sheet for the USAF A-10A ‘Warthog’! Although most FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sheets provide the answers to commonly asked questions about using a piece of software, this document is meant to serve as a ready source of background material for the A-10A aircraft itself. This document is truly a labor of love; we’ve collectively spent a lot of time on this documenting sources of information, and trying to present it so that you can not only look up something on the run via the Table of Contents (CMD-K), but also so you can take time to learn in depth just why the A-10 is such a special plane.
Dedication
Our goal in this document is to help you, the reader, understand that this is a real plane, in which, men in uniform have died in the service of their nation. These men left behind people who grieve for them, and families that are no longer whole. It is in the memory of these individuals that we wish to dedicate this document. Additionally, there are many more pilots who died flying the A-10; because of limited information access, we have not been made aware of these individuals. If you have information, please refer to the third-to-last chapter to contact the authors.
Fairchild (Republic division) chief test pilot
• Howard “Sam” Nelson, 6/3/1977 - Paris Air Show
353rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (Panthers)
• Capt. Steve “Syph” Phyllis, 2/15/1991 - Desert Storm
23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron, Forward Air Controllers (Nail)
• Maj. Jeff Watterberg, 9/23/1991 - England AFB, LA
(Lt. Col, posthumous award)
76th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Vanguards)
• Lt. Eric “Boom” Miller, 9/23/1991 - England AFB, LA
(Captain, posthumous award)
333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (Lancers)
• Capt. Ronald Truesdale 9/17/94 - Ft. Irwin, CA
NOTE: Squadron designations presented here represent the formal and composite unit designations at the time of Desert Storm (1991). Following their return from the Gulf, many units within all branches of the Armed Forces underwent decommision and reorganization. It has often been a policy for a decommisioned squadron, such as the Flying Tigers (who originally saw combat during WWII in China and Burma as the (AVG) American Volunteer Group), to host an auction to sell off the years of memoribilia collected by the squadron—done so with the proviso that upon squadron reactivation, these items will be returned. We hope that the squadron mementos from all such deactivations will one day return home to honor those who served before.
Version Updates - Revision Release 1.2
Since the 1.1 release, this FAQ has literally travelled around the world via the internet; comments from people in Europe and Asia so far are the most distant. This 1.2 release is a maintenance release to update the address for the primary author, and to correct and streamline some information. NO significant changes or additions to this FAQ are present in this release.
Version Updates - Revision Release 1.1
We would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to download the initial 1.0 release of this FAQ; the response to it has been unexpectedly overwhelming and very supportive. This 1.1 release truly indicates the extent to which it has become widespread electronically, as much of its contents has not only been greatly reorganized, expanded and corrected, but also some personal observations from people connected in different ways with the A-10A have been included. Thank you all for taking the time to make this a better and richer document: the ‘net truly works...
If errors exist in the information presented here, check the third-to-last chapter for the procedure to make corrections.
Future Plans
The strong and important role the A-10 played during the Gulf War is not presented in this document; it is a large enough topic that would be better presented in a future addition to the FAQ, or as a separate one. If enough time exists and enough requests are made, we will see what can be done. Including pictures, Quicktime clips or sounds will NOT be a priority, since they bring up specific copyright issues and increase download times. Specific anecdotes from military personnel, design notes from past Fairchild employees or anything that might be worthy of a greater audience are of course welcome, and will be duly referenced as your contribution if used. Properly defused CBU submunitions will be accepted as paperweights... <grin>
