Author: THX138Driver
Length: 04:06
A collection of personal photographs shot while flying the A-4F and TA-4J Skyhawk at former NAS Miramar and more in this cinéma vérité montage of the Navy's adversary squadron: VFC-13. Thank God for great maintainers - single engine jet in a fighter roll -- and zero mishaps.Douglas built 2,960 Skyhawks between 1954 and 1979. Built small to be cost effective and so that more could be accommodated on a carrier, the lightweight, high-speed bombers were affectionately nicknamed "Heinemann's Hot Rod" (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite and Scooter. Skyhawks provided the U.S. Navy and Marines and friendly nations with maneuverable, yet powerful, attack bombers that had great altitude and range capabilities, plus an unusual flexibility in armament capacity.The Skyhawk A4D was roughly half the empty weight of its contemporaries and could fly at 677 mph at sea level. After 1956, it had provisions for in-flight refueling, and it carried anti-radar missiles on its wing racks. After 1966, it included a hump-like avionics pod. Upgraded models had improved engines and a drogue parachute, new avionics displays, larger cockpit canopies, and more ammunition for the two cannons. Two-seat trainer versions included the TA-4F, TA-4J and the TA-4K Series.The Blue Angels chose the A-4 in the early '70s, replacing the thundering F-4. By adopting the Skyhawk, the team now had an aircraft that was much more aerobatic than before. This allowed for a tighter display and the ability to keep much of the performance in front of the audience.The A-4 Skyhawk was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Corporation and was designed by Ed Heinemann. Its primary users are United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Its maiden flight happened on the 22nd of June 1954 but it was introduced in 1956.The A-4 Skyhawk is a lightweight, single engine attack aircraft. It is said to be one of the most famous attack aircrafts ever designed. The short range attack and close support aircraft was originally intended for the U.S. Navy and Marine forces. The A-4F variant was a refinement of A-4E. It has extra avionics housed in a hump on the fuselage spine. Some of this variant served with Blue Angels acrobatic team during 1973 to 1986.The Blue Angels are the best U.S. military aerobatic team who flew the A-4 until 1987 when it was replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet. They flew different kind of aircraft over the years including Grumman Hellcats, Bearcat, Panther, and the Skyhawk. The A-4 Skyhawk was chosen in the early 70s over F-4 as Skyhawk is said to be more fuel efficient than the Phantom. It was chosen because it was the aircraft that was more appropriate that time in the midst of an oil crisis. With the A-4 used by the team, different display was done. The Skyhawk was more aerobatic than the other aircraft. This allowed them to have a tighter display and be able to keep their performance in front of the audience.The pilots of the Blue Angels enjoyed flying the A-4 Skyhawk because it is easy to maintain and the accident rate was quite low. Eventually, there were new aircrafts that replaced the Skyhawk. It retired in 1976 for the U.S. Navy while in 1998 in U.S. Marine Corps. However it is still active in other countries.Its combat career began with the first American carrier-launched raids on North Vietnam, Aug. 4, 1964. Later, during Israel's Yom Kippur war in 1973, Skyhawks provided much of the short-range striking power on the Sinai and Golan Heights fronts.The Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron flew the A-4F Skyhawk II from 1974 to 1986. Skyhawks were also used by the armed forces of Argentina, Australia, Israel, Kuwait, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand, and they remained active with several air services into the 2000s.