"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/26/2015 at 10:50 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history
3
14|
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/26/2015 at 10:50 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history | 3
| 14 |
On February 26, 1979, production ended on the McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk after 26 years. First flown in 1954, a total of 2,690 copies of the small, nimble, and versatile fighter were produced. The last A-4, an A-4M, was delivered to Marine squadron VMA-331. The fighter was originally envisioned by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation as a small, carrier-based airplane capable of delivering nuclear weapons. So small, in fact, that its wings did not need to be folded for carrier storage. It was designed by Ed Heinemann, and became known as "Heinemann's Hot Rod" by pilots who were impressed with its speed and performance. Pilots also nicknamed it the "Bantam Bomber," "Mighty Mite" and "Scooter." First powered by a Wright J65 turbojet, then a Pratt & Whitney J52 beginning with the A-4E, the diminutive Skyhawk had a top speed of 670 mph.
Top : The final production Skyhawk, displaying the flags of the countries that operated the A-4. Above : A Douglas A4D-2 Skyhawk of attack squadron VA-81 Crusaders prepares to launch from the USS Forrestal in 1962.
The A-4 first saw combat with the US Navy during the Vietnam War, launching air raids on North Vietnam on August 4, 1964. Skyhawks also found distinction with the Israeli Air Force in the Yom Kippur War and the Argentine Air Force in the Falklands War. Other international customers included Kuwait, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil.
Top : A-4N Skyhawk of the Israeli Air Force Above : A-4AR "Fightinghawk of the Argentina Air Force
After the Skyhawk was retired from fleet duty, it found a new lease on life as an adversary aircraft at the Navy's Fighter Weapons School ("Top Gun"). The A-4 was chosen as the bandit aircraft because of its small size, maneuverability and smokeless trail, similar to a MiG-17. It served in this aggressor role until 1999.
A TA-4 Skyhawk from the Redtails of Fleet Composite Squadron Eight (VC-8)
In 1974, the Skyhawk was chosen as the platform for the Navy's Blue Angels demonstration squadron when they transitioned from the F-4 Phantom II, a plane that was much larger and more costly to operate. The smaller and lighter aircraft, with a tighter turning radius, allowed for a more dynamic flight demonstration. The Blues flew the Skyhawk until 1986.
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MonkeePuzzle
> ttyymmnn
02/26/2015 at 10:55 |
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love the colour scheme in the top image.
what an odd hump this plane has across its back, is it full of sensors or just the engine?
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ttyymmnn
> MonkeePuzzle
02/26/2015 at 10:59 |
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Electronics.
T5Killer
> ttyymmnn
02/26/2015 at 11:03 |
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I love skyhawks such a neat little bird. The '60s has some neat naval aircraft, the F-8 and A-4 are my favorites I would love to have seen them fly.
Jcarr
> ttyymmnn
02/26/2015 at 11:08 |
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Nice! Saw the one below at Oshkosh last year.
There was another good "this date" yesterday that I saw on the EAA's Facebook page. I think it was the 60th anniversary of the first ejection at supersonic speed where the pilot survived. Flying an F-100 I believe.
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ttyymmnn
> Jcarr
02/26/2015 at 11:12 |
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You know, I'm not sure I've ever seen an A-4 in person, though I may have seen the Blue Angels fly them. I do remember seeing them fly the Phantom.
I saw that ting about the ejection. It can be hard to decide which thing to feature. I don't have the time to write more than one post, and this one took longer than I planned. The other day, I could have written about the first flight of the A320, but that would have led down a rabbit hole of variants and taken hours. The ejection seat might make a good one-off article not associated with a date.
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Jcarr
> ttyymmnn
02/26/2015 at 11:16 |
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I hear you, it's amazing how much time goes into something that doesn't even seem that long when you're finished with it. That one I did on the SS America last week took me a couple hours at least and it was mostly just summarizing info from other sources.
Have you ever heard Brian Udell tell his story about ejecting from an F-15 at 800kts over the ocean?
McMike
> MonkeePuzzle
02/26/2015 at 11:18 |
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Here's an earlier bird without the dorsal avionics pack.
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ttyymmnn
> Jcarr
02/26/2015 at 11:19 |
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I could easily just cut and paste from Wikipedia, but I have too much academic integrity to do that. Wiki is still a prime source, but I'm trying to make it both readable and not too detailed. It's a challenge.
Yes, I've read Udell's story. What a mensch .
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MonkeePuzzle
> McMike
02/26/2015 at 11:23 |
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yurg! the odd lump actually adds to the looks
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Jcarr
> McMike
02/26/2015 at 11:25 |
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AirVenture? Snapped the same bird there last year.
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McMike
> Jcarr
02/26/2015 at 11:27 |
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I actually used AirGoogle.
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Jcarr
> McMike
02/26/2015 at 11:29 |
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Ah, more efficient, but less pyrotechnics.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> ttyymmnn
02/26/2015 at 11:47 |
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You know a plane spent a lot of time on the production line when they are getting up to the M and N variants.
user314
> You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
02/26/2015 at 16:13 |
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Yup.
UH-1Y Yankee Huey
AH-1Z Viper
