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The nimble and speedy A-4 Skyhawk bucked the trend of "bigger is better." In 1952, Douglas designer Ed Heinemann, who had been the company's chief engineer since 1937, proposed that the Navy's newest attack plane be smaller, lighter, and faster than its contemporaries. Heinemann's team produced an A-4 design that surpassed all of the Navy's requirements for a light attack aircraft at about half the requested size and weight. Starting in 1955, the small but powerful A-4 flew with Navy and Marine units, eventually flying combat missions during the Vietnam War. The Skyhawk was the aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Blue Angels, for the 1975-1986 seasons.
A small package with a powerful punch, the Skyhawk enjoyed many advantages over larger Navy planes. A-4s were easy to manage on an aircraft carrier deck and their stubby modified delta wings didn't need to be folded for storage. Without complex wing-folding mechanisms, the Skyhawk was even lighter and simpler to maintain. These attributes allowed it to stay in operational service with the U.S. and several other countries for over 35 years. The Skyhawk had one of the longest production runs of any American combat aircraft, with 2,960 built over 26 years.
The Museum's A-4 was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1967. From 1967 to 1970, it served with attack squadrons VA-125, VA-93, VA-23, and VA-22 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore in California. It is believed to have seen action over Vietnam while VA-22 was deployed aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in 1970. During 1971-1972, the aircraft was assigned the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, then to the Naval Air Training Command at Pensacola, Florida until 1975. Afterwards, it was transferred to training and service squadron VF-43 at NAS Oceana, Virginia, where it served in land-based capacities until 1980.
In May 1980, with 2,773 flight hours logged, the Skyhawk was assigned to the Blue Angels. Several modifications, including removal of the upper fuselage avionics "hump," were completed to configure the aircraft for its new role. From 1980 to 1986, the Blue Angels flew the aircraft in positions 2, 3, 4, and 6. When the squadron transitioned to F-18 Hornets in 1987, their A-4s were retired. The Museum's A-4 sat at the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for several months before overland transfer to Seattle in June 1987. The aircraft is now painted as Blue Angel number 4, associated with the "slot" position; when the Blue Angels fly in diamond formation, the slot flies directly behind the leader, surrounded on three sides by other aircraft.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida.
The nimble and speedy A-4 Skyhawk bucked the trend of "bigger is better." In 1952, Douglas designer Ed Heinemann, who had been the company's chief engineer since 1937, proposed that the Navy's newest attack plane be smaller, lighter, and faster than its contemporaries. Heinemann's team produced an A-4 design that surpassed all of the Navy's requirements for a light attack aircraft at about half the requested size and weight. Starting in 1955, the small but powerful A-4 flew with Navy and Marine units, eventually flying combat missions during the Vietnam War. The Skyhawk was the aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Blue Angels, for the 1975-1986 seasons.
A small package with a powerful punch, the Skyhawk enjoyed many advantages over larger Navy planes. A-4s were easy to manage on an aircraft carrier deck and their stubby modified delta wings didn't need to be folded for storage. Without complex wing-folding mechanisms, the Skyhawk was even lighter and simpler to maintain. These attributes allowed it to stay in operational service with the U.S. and several other countries for over 35 years. The Skyhawk had one of the longest production runs of any American combat aircraft, with 2,960 built over 26 years.
The Museum's A-4 was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1967. From 1967 to 1970, it served with attack squadrons VA-125, VA-93, VA-23, and VA-22 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore in California. It is believed to have seen action over Vietnam while VA-22 was deployed aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) in 1970. During 1971-1972, the aircraft was assigned the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, then to the Naval Air Training Command at Pensacola, Florida until 1975. Afterwards, it was transferred to training and service squadron VF-43 at NAS Oceana, Virginia, where it served in land-based capacities until 1980.
In May 1980, with 2,773 flight hours logged, the Skyhawk was assigned to the Blue Angels. Several modifications, including removal of the upper fuselage avionics "hump," were completed to configure the aircraft for its new role. From 1980 to 1986, the Blue Angels flew the aircraft in positions 2, 3, 4, and 6. When the squadron transitioned to F-18 Hornets in 1987, their A-4s were retired. The Museum's A-4 sat at the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for several months before overland transfer to Seattle in June 1987. The aircraft is now painted as Blue Angel number 4, associated with the "slot" position; when the Blue Angels fly in diamond formation, the slot flies directly behind the leader, surrounded on three sides by other aircraft.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida.
