Luckily I was still at altitude when given the initial news so circling at approx. 35,000 feet the A4G was making fuel at best endurance IAS. Two ANG Delta Dagger F-102As rocketed by me from my SIX - I can't see back there (with no warning from ship - they were out to lunch). I nearly fell out of my perch from the turbulence. :-) Must have been close to the ADIZ.
With only four A4Gs onboard then we had no buddy tanker available nor did we have the gear for it for that cruise to Hawaii for the first RIMPAC 1971. Later when eight A4Gs onboard I believe there was often a buddy tanker on deck ready to go if needed. Of course that proved useful when in 1978 an A4G lost a main wheel on deck so the tanker was launched providing fuel for the trek to AMBERLEY where 887 did an OK wheels up slide on empty drop tanks on foam. Aircraft fixed to be flown back to Nowra the next day.
Otherwise I never made the long trek to PEARCE in an A4G in my time - often the return would be non-stop with the favourable West to East Jetstream. Back on 10 Nov 1970 a pair of VF-805 A4Gs crossed from NAS Nowra to arrest onboard HMAS Melbourne just off the coast near Perth WA. Took about five hours with an air refueling TA4G out of EDINBURGH providing fuel at rendezvous. After my time VF-805 crossed the ditch to OHAKEA several times. Also the squadron flew to PENANG in the late 1970s for exercises (without carrier).
The Kiwis had to fly a long way to get anywhere in their A-4Ks so they have heaps of experience for long over water flights - unlike our ride alongs.
