A-4 Skyhawk

The forgotten, incredible story of the only time the two-seat TA-4F Skyhawk went to combat from a carrier flightdeck – The Aviation Geek Club

The Navy had developed a hand-held laser, which allowed the aircraft crew to pinpoint the target themselves, but the single-seater pilot could not fly the aircraft and handle the laser simultaneously. Another pair of hands was required, and the TA-4F was just the thing. The basic role of the TA-4 Skyhawk was a two-place, lightweight, …

The forgotten, incredible story of the only time the two-seat TA-4F Skyhawk went to combat from a carrier flightdeck – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

That time a Marine mechanic stole an A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft for a joyride – The Aviation Geek Club

On Ju. 4, 1986 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Howard Foote, a Marine mechanic at MCAS El Toro, stole an A-4M Skyhawk for a 45 minute joyride during which time he performed several aerobatic maneuvers. Douglas built 2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft between 1954 and 1979. Built small to be cost effective and so that more of them …

That time a Marine mechanic stole an A-4M Skyhawk attack aircraft for a joyride – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

US Navy A-4 pilot recalls when he had to eject after a catastrophic turbine failure turned his Skyhawk into a Fireball while he was flying at 500 knots during a low-level mission – The Aviation Geek Club

‘I had a catastrophic turbine failure that buzz sawed the back end of my plane and turned the plane into a fireball. I was going about 500 knots indicated. I ejected through the fireball,’ Ken VanderHorst, US Navy A-4 Skyhawk pilot. In a military aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the …

US Navy A-4 pilot recalls when he had to eject after a catastrophic turbine failure turned his Skyhawk into a Fireball while he was flying at 500 knots during a low-level mission – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The story of the IAF Skyhawk pilot who shot down two Syrian MiG-17s flying an A-4 fitted with French-designed and Israeli-manufactured 30 mm DEFA Cannon – The Aviation Geek Club

Dotan squeezed the trigger and fired a long burst into the jet’s right wing root. The wing was quickly ripped away and the jet rolled right and crashed… Advertise Israel relied on France as its principal supplier of arms for more than a decade, but by the mid-1960s its desire to purchase more advanced and …

The story of the IAF Skyhawk pilot who shot down two Syrian MiG-17s flying an A-4 fitted with French-designed and Israeli-manufactured 30 mm DEFA Cannon – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

During a dogfight over Vietnam an F-8 pilot fired an AIM-9 to a MiG-17 but instead the Sidewinder tracked a Crusader. The missile ended up destroying another AIM-9. – The Aviation Geek Club

The story of a confused dogfight during the Vietnam War. Advertise After having shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 on May 1, 1967, Lieutenant Commander Ted “T.R.” Swartz almost scored a second on Jul. 21 during an Alpha strike on the Ta Xa POL site. Swartz was one of four Skyhawks flying Iron Hand SAM …

During a dogfight over Vietnam an F-8 pilot fired an AIM-9 to a MiG-17 but instead the Sidewinder tracked a Crusader. The missile ended up destroying another AIM-9. – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Former Blue Angels CO explains why the Team chose the A-4 Skyhawk over the F-14 Tomcat and the A-7 Corsair II to Replace the F-4 Phantom II – The Aviation Geek Club

‘While we were doing this search for airplanes, a couple of squadrons were coming back from Vietnam and were being decommissioned. They had the A-4F, which was the latest model at that time,’ Ken Wallace former Blue Angels CO. Built small to be cost effective and so that more of them could be accommodated on …

Former Blue Angels CO explains why the Team chose the A-4 Skyhawk over the F-14 Tomcat and the A-7 Corsair II to Replace the F-4 Phantom II – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

Former US Navy F/A-18 pilot explains why although during his era the Hornet was the best airplane on the carrier his fun meter was most pegged flying the A-4 Skyhawk – The Aviation Geek Club

‘I will say this – and I know a lot of other Navy guys that would say the same thing – my fun meter was probably most pegged flying the A-4 Skyhawk,’ Jim Danhakl, former US Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilot. Douglas built 2,960 A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft between 1954 and 1979. Built small to be …

Former US Navy F/A-18 pilot explains why although during his era the Hornet was the best airplane on the carrier his fun meter was most pegged flying the A-4 Skyhawk – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

The story of the US Navy A-4 pilot that landed with 4 gallons of fuel left without declaring an emergency after falling asleep during a cross-country flight and being awakened by ATC – The Aviation Geek Club

‘This one pilot had made the Yuma run in a TA-4J on Friday, and was returning to Jacksonville on Sunday. Due to the time zone shift it’s likely that he was tired,’ David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot. More than half of airline and commercial pilots have fallen asleep while in charge …

The story of the US Navy A-4 pilot that landed with 4 gallons of fuel left without declaring an emergency after falling asleep during a cross-country flight and being awakened by ATC – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

US Naval Aviator explains why even though the A-4 was agile enough to serve as adversary aircraft with the US Navy, the Skyhawk was not a great fighter – The Aviation Geek Club

‘Yes, the A-4 Skyhawk was agile. However, it takes more than agility to make a good fighter,’ John Chesire, former US Naval Aviator and TOPGUN graduate. Douglas built 2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft between 1954 and 1979. Built small to be cost effective and so that more of them could be accommodated on a carrier, the …

US Naval Aviator explains why even though the A-4 was agile enough to serve as adversary aircraft with the US Navy, the Skyhawk was not a great fighter – The Aviation Geek Club Read More »

US Navy F-4 pilot recalls when he was paralyzed during a near supersonic steep dive because he pinched a nerve in his neck while twisting his head back under very high Gs during an ACM engagement against A-4s – The Aviation Geek Club

Cold War Era / Losses and Aviation Safety / Military Aviation Once a US Navy F-4 squadron CO decided to give wives a ride taxiing in the backseat of the Phantoms. The event shut down after an F-4 went high speed on the runway, another blew tires and another got airborne. Source link

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