The Flickr A4D1 Image Generatr

Type: Douglas A-4D-1 Skyhawk
Operator: Western Museum of Flight / United States Marine Corps (USMC)
Rego: 142227
Serial: 11481
Location: Torrance - Zamperini Field (Municipal) - KTOA
Date: 15/12/2024
Notes:

Located across the street from Miami International Airport is the George T. Baker Aviation School. On display at the school is US Navy A4D-1 Skyhawk 142166. The Skyhawk is painted up as Vietnam Era BuNo 149578 from VA-144 serving on the USS Constellation.

The significance of this is that 149578 was shot down by enemy ground fire near Hon Gay, North Vietnam, Aug 5, 1964 during Operation Pierce Arrow. This was in the immediate aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Pilot Lt JG Everett Alvarez ejected and became the first Prisoner Of War of the conflict.

Alvarez endured eight years and seven months of brutal captivity by the North Vietnamese at the Hỏa Lò Prison, sarcastically known as the "Hanoi Hilton" by fellow POW's. He was repeatedly beaten and tortured. Lt JG Alvarez was held until February 12, 1973. He retired from the US Navy in 1980 at the rank of Commander.

Primed USMC Douglas A4D-1 Skyhawk BuAer No. 142226 stored outside at Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia back in 1987

Several years later she re-surfaced when on loan to the Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, NC

Scanned Kodak 35mm Transparency

Though the US Navy reconsidered its decision to retire the AD Skyraider after the Korean War, it was still a piston-engined attack aircraft designed during World War II, while the Navy preferred going to a modern, all-jet attack/fighter fleet. To supplement and then replace the AD, the Navy issued a requirement for a jet attack fighter weighing no more than 48,000 pounds, capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons, and with a speed of at least 550 miles an hour. The Navy was not surprised when Douglas’ chief designer, Edward Heinemann, submitted a proposal for a delta-winged, light attack jet—they were surprised to find that it met all of the requirements, yet weighed in at only 23,000 pounds, less than half the required weight. It was also so small that it did not need folding wings to fit on aircraft carrier elevators. Heinemann deliberately omitted as much weight as possible to bring the aircraft in under weight, and subsequently, at a lower unit cost than anticipated. One part of this effort was external structural ribbing for the rudder; this “temporary” solution would be used on every aircraft produced.

Heinemann’s design was quickly ordered by the Navy as the A4D Skyhawk. The first A4D-1 flew in June 1952, with deliveries to the fleet beginning in 1956. Pilots used to the increasingly larger and more powerful aircraft the US Navy fielded in the late 1950s, such as the F3H Demon and F4H Phantom II, were surprised at the diminutive A4D, which looked toylike on the decks of Forrestal-class supercarriers. It quickly earned the nicknames “Tinkertoy Bomber,” “Scooter,” and “Heinemann’s Hot Rod.”

The Skyhawk—redesignated A-4 in 1962—also quickly gained a reputation for reliability and nimbleness. Despite its small size, it could carry its own weight in bombs and still turn inside anything in the inventory, even the purpose-built F-8 Crusader fighter. For this reason, the Navy began assigning A-4C Skyhawks as “emergency fighter” detachments to Essex-class antisubmarine carriers, as these ships, still equipped with World War II-era hydraulic catapults and limited in deck space, could not carry the more modern F-4. Besides their internal 20mm cannon, A-4s could also carry up to four Sidewinder missiles.

It would be in the Vietnam War that the A-4 would prove its worth. Besides its large bombload and superb manuverability, the Skyhawk was also found to be able to take considerable punishment. Several A-4s returned to their carriers missing pieces of rudder or with holes shot through the wings. At the beginning of American involvement, the Navy began replacing the older A-4C “short-nose” models with the improved A-4E, which added a fifth hardpoint and a longer nose with more advanced avionics; this was quickly supplemented by the A-4F, which added a dorsal hump with still more avionics and ECM equipment.

Until the A-7 Corsair II began arriving in the fleet in the late 1960s, the A-4 represented the backbone of naval light attack units, operating alongside the A-6 Intruder in striking targets throughout Southeast Asia. On land, A-4s served with Marine Corps units, and proved so reliable and well-liked that the Marines decided not to use the A-7 at all. The Skyhawk also proved itself to be adaptable to other missions: A-4s carried out the US Navy’s first precision strike mission, a 1967 attack on the Hanoi thermal powerplant with AGM-62 Walleye missiles, and also served as Wild Weasel/Iron Hand suppression of enemy air defense aircraft, armed with AGM-45 Shrikes.

Though they were slower than the F-4 and F-8, and lacked the A-6’s ability to fly in the worst of inclement weather, the Skyhawk was not defenseless against enemy MiGs: it was the only American aircraft that could turn with a MiG-17 if it was “clean” of bombs, and only one A-4 was lost to enemy aircraft during the Vietnam War. In turn, one A-4, piloted by Lieutenant Commander Ted Schwartz, shot down a MiG-17 with Zuni rockets in 1967. Skyhawks would drop the first and last bombs of US Navy aircraft in the Vietnam War, and flew more sorties than any other naval aircraft—and paid a commensurate price: 362 Skyhawks were shot down or lost in accidents during the war, the most of any one type. Two A-4 pilots won the Medal of Honor during Vietnam, James Stockdale and Michael Estocin, the latter posthumously; longtime prisoner of war Everett Alvarez Jr. was also an A-4 pilot, as was fellow POW and later Presidential candidate, John McCain.

The A-4’s story did not end with Vietnam. Recognizing its superb manueverability, the US Navy began building adversary units with Skyhawks simulating the MiG-17 as part of the Top Gun program, beginning in 1969. These stripped down “Mongoose” A-4s proved to be a match even against far more advanced F-14 Tomcats and F-18 Hornets, and A-4s remained in the adversary role until 1998. Alongside these aircraft, the Navy used two-seat TA-4J Skyhawks as advanced trainers until 2003, while Marine units continued to use the penultimate A-4M Skyhawk in the light attack role until after the First Gulf War in 1991; Marine OA-4M “fast FAC” forward air control aircraft flew as late as 1998. The TA-4J was replaced by the T-45 Goshawk; there has never truly been a replacement for the A-4E adversaries and A-4M light attack aircraft, though the AV-8B Harrier supplemented them.

While Vietnam was the last war for American Skyhawks, foreign users would put the aircraft to further use. Israel would use their A-4H/Ns in the Yom Kippur War with heavy casualties, due to more advanced Egyptian and Syrian air defenses; better luck was had in the Lebanon War of 1982. Argentina’s A-4B/Qs saw extensive service over the Falklands in 1982, impressing even their British adversaries with hair-raising low-level bomb runs against British ships in San Carlos Water: though the Argentine aircraft took severe punishment from Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers, they also sank or damaged five ships. Finally, Kuwait used their A-4KU Skyhawks from the beginning of the First Gulf War.

Overall, 2960 A-4s were produced and flew with the air arms of eleven nations; Argentina, Israel, Brazil, and Singapore still fly them—Brazil’s A-4s still fly from carriers, while Singapore’s A-4SUs are extensively upgraded with turbofan engines and F-16 radar. Still others survive as government contract aggressor aircraft, or in private hands, while many are preserved in museums.

One of the oldest Skyhawks left, Bureau Number 139956 entered service as an A4D-1 with VA-72 ("Blue Hawks") in 1957. As newer marks of the Skyhawk came into service, 139956 was relegated to the Naval Reserve, and served with Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU) Jacksonville until 1963, when it was retired.

Combat losses over Vietnam led 139956 to be called back into service to replace Reserve A-4Cs, which returned to the active fleet; now designated as an A-4A, it would return to NARTU duties at Los Alamitos, California and Memphis, Tennessee. It would finish its career at Memphis with VMFA-134 in 1969. As few A-4As were left by that time, 139956 was preserved as a gate guard at NAS Atlanta, Georgia. When NAS Atlanta closed, it was donated to the Marietta Museum of History's airpark on the northwest side of Dobbins ARB, where it remains today.

Though it never served with VA-205, the "Green Falcons" that was the host unit at NAS Atlanta, 139956 wears their colors. Corrosion and weathering has begun to set in, so hopefully this aircraft will get repainted soon. I was very surprised to see an early A-4A, as they are comparatively rare.

Preserved US Navy Douglas A4D-1 Skyhawk
BuAerNo.137813/AJ301 of VA-83 'Rampagers' under the sun shelters during the Blue Angels 2017 Homecoming Airshow at NAS Pensacola, Florida

IMG_0493

Originally procured by the U.S. Navy as A4D-1 Skyhawk 142200, this aircraft was redesigned A-4A in 1962.

As of 2018, it is displayed inside the North Gate of the former NAS Alameda.

According to Joe Baugher's serial number database, this Skyhawk was damaged when it was blown from its pylon by a storm in January 2008.* During the initial effort to re-install the repaired aircraft onto its pylon, it was damaged again in a crane accident, and required further repair before it was finally restored to its place of honor.

For video of the crane accident, see:
youtu.be/CLC-QgCi1pQ

*Reference:
www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries17.html

My friend Ken, with A-4A Skyhawk 142200, at the former NAS Alameda :-)

pictionid56898973 - catalogva93a4d.jpg - title--va93a4d-- - filenameva93a4d.jpg--Born digital image that was acquired by the San Diego Air and Space Museum--------Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

pictionid56891325 - catalog7la4.jpg - title--7la4-- - filename7la4.jpg--Born digital image that was acquired by the San Diego Air and Space Museum--------Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

First of 19 pre-production YA4D-1 Skyhawks, 137813

These aircraft were re-designated A4D-1 after entry into service, and were then designated A-4A after 1962.

National Naval Aviation Museum
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
July 2008

See:

www.navalaviationmuseum.org

Unidentified Skyhawk cockpit, possibly an A4D-1 or A4D-2.

Planes of Fame Air Museum
Chino, California
April 29, 2016

See: planesoffame.org

PictionID:45243114 - Catalog:16_006518 - Title:Douglas A4D-1 Skyhawk (to A-4A in 1962) US Navy photo - Filename:16_006518.TIF - -Image from the Ray Wagner Collection. Ray Wagner was Archivist at the San Diego Air and Space Museum for several years and is an author of several books on aviation --- ---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

PictionID:45243100 - Catalog:16_006517 - Title:Douglas XA4D-1 Skyhawk Douglas photo - Filename:16_006517.TIF - -Image from the Ray Wagner Collection. Ray Wagner was Archivist at the San Diego Air and Space Museum for several years and is an author of several books on aviation --- ---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum

Alameda Point

Douglas YA4D-1 Skyhawk BuNo 137822. one of the initial batch seen the National Air Show in Philadelphia during September, 1955. (From my collection and not my shot)

unedited