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Skyhawk

At MCAS Cherry Point, the Douglas A-4M Skyhawk was restored by Fleet Readiness Center East

by Till Daisd July 9, 2024

Douglas A-4M Skyhawk restored to its former glory

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, artisans at the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently had the exceptional chance to restore a piece of aviation history for display on MCAS Cherry Point.

FRCE’s Aircraft Clean and Paint shops prime and paint every aircraft that comes through the facility because it is an aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility. However, when they brought a retired Douglas A-4M Skyhawk back to life, artisans got the opportunity to “travel back in time”—the platform hasn’t been used by the depot in over 20 years.

Douglas A-4M Skyhawk restored to its former glory by Fleet Readiness Center East at MCAS Cherry Point — Having been in an aircraft storage facility for many years, the retired A-4M Skyhawk was in need of repair upon arrival at Fleet Readiness Center East.

For many FRCE artisans, such as aircraft painter Kirby Mills, working on the A-4 was a first because the Navy retired its last A-4 Skyhawk in 2003, which was 21 years ago.

“I’ve done a few restorations for display aircraft, but this is the first A-4 I’ve seen come through here,” said Mills in a NAVAIR news release. “I had never worked on an A-4 before. It was very neat and it’s nice to see it put to use.”

A-4M Skyhawk restored for historical display

FRCE had previously maintained an A-4, even though this was the depot’s first restoration of an A-4 Skyhawk for historical display. FRCE serviced A-4s from 1989 to 1996, the year the A-4 platform was retired. A-4s returning to the depot gave Stephen T. Gurley, the branch head of the Fleet Support Team’s Critical Item Management Team at FRCE, the impression that he had traveled back in time.

“The A-4 platform was the first aircraft platform I worked on at FRC East in 1991, and I spent a lot of time working on them,” said Gurley. “I traveled to different squadrons all throughout the ‘90s to repair A-4s, and now to hear about this, it’s exciting. It brings back memories.”

The first A-4

According to planner Jeffrey Mitchell of the Aircraft Transfer Branch, this project is special because of its distinctive paint scheme.

“This is the fourth historical aircraft we have done for the air station, but the first A-4,” said Mitchell. “This project was chosen to honor Marine Attack Squadron 223 here on base, who flew the A-4 until ’87 when they received their first McDonald-Douglas AV-8.”

Mitchell and his team looked for additional help because of the A-4’s historical ties, even though FRCE’s Aircraft Paint Shop offers paint schemes for the aircraft the depot services.

“We worked with historians at Marine Attack Squadron 223 for this aircraft’s paint scheme as the squadron is still stationed here,” said Mitchell. “We were able to get pictures and ideas from them, they were very helpful; we wanted to make this aircraft look like it did back in the day.”

Creative freedom with paint scheme

According to Mills, the nature of the restoration allowed them to personalize the aircraft’s paint scheme.

“It was nice to have a bit of our own creative freedom with this paint scheme,” Mills added.

In addition to having a distinctive paint scheme, according to Mitchell, painting historical aircraft for exhibition involves different procedures than painting the operational aircraft that the depot typically services.

“We still painted it with the same color schemes as what they used during that time, but the overall paint job does differ from a regular aircraft painting process,” said Mitchell. “When you see aircraft flying missions, they usually look weathered and dull. For restoration jobs, we put a good clear coat on the aircraft to help withstand the sun and weather. The clear coat really helps protect the paint from bubbling up and fading over time.”

The Skyhawk

2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft were produced by Douglas between 1954 and 1979. Known by their nickname, “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite, and Scooter were built small to be cheap and to fit more of them on a carrier. The US Navy, Marines, and friendly nations were able to use maneuverable, powerful attack bombers with exceptional altitude and range capabilities and a remarkable degree of armament capacity thanks to Skyhawks.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the legendary A-4 was intended to be a straightforward, light-weight Navy carrier attack aircraft, the Skyhawk performed a variety of functions, including aerial refueling, nuclear strike, and adversary aircraft.

Photo by U.S. Marine Corps

July 9, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

When a US Navy A-4 pilot had to eject after a catastrophic turbine failure that turned his Skyhawk into a fireball

by Till Daisd February 15, 2024

written by Till Daisd

‘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 device meant for rescuing the pilot or other crew of the aircraft in an emergency. The majority of designs involve the canopy coming off and the seat being propelled out of the aircraft by a rocket motor or explosive charge, taking the pilot with it. The ejection seat releases a parachute once it is outside the airplane. To prevent a collision, the seats of two-seat aircraft are ejected at distinct angles.

Pilots had to manually climb out of the aircraft and remove the canopy before ejection seats were invented.

Ejection seats can save lives. But can fighter pilots eject if a catastrophic failure turns their aircraft into a fireball?

‘Yes,’ Ken VanderHorst, former US Navy A-4 Skyhawk pilot, recalls on Quora.

‘Many years ago, I was flying a sand blower mission in an A-4 Skyhawk over the California desert.

‘I had a catastrophic turbine failure that essentially buzz-sawed the back end of my plane and turned the plane into a fireball.

‘There were absolutely no strange noises or other warnings of any kind

‘I was going about 500 knots indicated. I ejected through the fireball. I had some burns and some serious flailing injuries but survived. I later returned to flight duty. So yes, you can eject while on fire. Indeed, that is almost certainly your best option for a serious fire.’

VanderHorst concludes;

‘At 500+ knots your extremities get caught by the air blast, and they “flail” around. I injured my left leg and left arm. I recovered and flew again. But I was warned that when I turned 60, my old injuries would come back to haunt me. I’m 70 this year, and now I understand what the flight surgeon meant. Lots issues.’

U.S. Air Force photo by Jet Fabara

February 15, 2024 0 comment

History

US Naval Aviator discusses why the A-4 Skyhawk wasn’t a very good fighter

by Till Daisd December 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

‘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

2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft were produced by Douglas between 1954 and 1979. Known by their loving nicknames, “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite, and Scooter were built small to be cheap and to fit more of them on a carrier. Skyhawks were maneuverable, powerful attack bombers with exceptional altitude and range capabilities and a unique degree of armament capability made available to the US Navy, Marines, and allied nations.

Furthermore, even though the legendary A-4 was intended to be a simple, light-weight Navy carrier attack aircraft, the Skyhawk performed a variety of tasks, including aerial refueling, nuclear strikes, and acting as an adversary aircraft. Why wasn’t the A-4 Skyhawk employed as a fighter during the Vietnam War since it was maneuverable enough to act as an adversary aircraft with the US Navy?

‘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, explains on Quora.

‘The A-4 was designed as an attack aircraft and not a fighter. Its forte was air-to-ground. It was never designed for the air-to-air role of a fighter. It did, however, have a gun and the capability of carrying Sidewinders, but it really lacked a fighter’s radar and a complete air-to-air weapon system. Nor did it have the speed like an F-4, an F-8, or the F-105. Furthermore, it lacked an afterburner, which is a necessity for any true fighter aircraft.

‘The reason that the A-4 was used as an adversary training aircraft for TOPGUN and fleet pilots was not because it was a good fighter. It was because its tight turning radius simulated the tight-turning MiG series aircraft. It was useful in that it taught F-4 pilots to avoid a turning fight with them and rather use some of the F-4’s advantages against the A-4.’

Chesire concludes;

‘While a rookie might have trouble fighting an A-4 with an F-4, it was an entirely different story with a well-trained F-4 driver. Using the F-4’s advantages, the A-4 was most always easily defeated. It was a great attack aircraft and a great training device, but it was not a great fighter, even though it had a tight turning radius.’

Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Joe Parsons / U.S. Navy

December 13, 2023 0 comment

History

The A-4 involved in a barricade landing with the Skyhawk flown by John McCain

by Till Daisd March 22, 2023

written by Till Daisd

VA-163 went through 3 A-4 Skyahwk CAG jets on the ’67 cruise… 150132 was lost on Aug. 20, and 149959 went down over Hanoi, on Oct. 26. 152003 took the barrier in November.

Lt Cdr John S. McCain, a VA-163 Saints pilot, was shot down while flying A-4E BuNo 149959 on October 26, 1967. He started diving toward a thermal power station close to Hanoi. He was promptly targeted by a SAM battery, and its missile tore off the majority of his Skyhawk’s right-wing, as described by Peter Mersky in his book US Navy and Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk Units of the Vietnam War. He couldn’t do much to maintain control, so he ejected directly into the middle of the city. When evasion proved impossible, McCain began his five years of cruel imprisonment and suffering. From a dirty jail cell in the Hanoi Hilton to the halls of Congress, it would be a very long voyage.

In a previous post, we mentioned how six days before McCain’s flight, LT JG Denny Earl had to employ the arresting barricade to return to land on the Oriskany, which was flying BuNo 149959, despite having both of his legs shattered by North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire.

Setting the record straight: The photo of the A-4 involved in this barricade landing does not show the Skyhawk then flown by John McCain when he was shot down over Hanoi

But, as aviation expert Scott Brown noted, ‘the jet McCain was downed in… wasn’t the one Denny Earl took the barrier in…. Earl’s barrier crash was NOV. 20, not OCT 20…

‘I found this shot…. you can see the BuNo…. 152003.

‘Oriskany has 3 CAG jets that cruise, McCain went down in the 2nd….the replacement was the one Earl was wounded in….

‘VA-163 went through 3 CAG jets on the ’67 cruise… 150132 was lost Aug. 20, 149959 went down over Hanoi, Oct. 26. Earl was wounded and took the barrier in 152003 in November… Later in the cruise, they put Earl’s name on it, although he had already been evacuated off the ship.

‘Every database on A-4s has this wrong… it’s weird…’

Brown went on;

‘Very interesting story about this… I’ve been a Firefighter / Paramedic for almost 30 years…very early in my career, we used to carry a piece of equipment called a PASG…Pneumatic Anti Shock Garment. It was basically a G-suit, had inflatable rubber bladders on the legs and abdomen that you’d inflate in the hope that it would force blood out of the legs…like a G-suit. The PASG was a terrible idea, didn’t work at all, but it was useful for either stopping major bleeding or splinting a whole leg. Dr. Adeeb, VA-163’s flight doc, was also a pilot. They didn’t let him go over the beach, but they did let him fly local and tanker hops. He was aloft when Denny came back, it was his idea to have him inflate his G-suit and keep it inflated to try and stop the bleeding. It worked and absolutely saved his life.’

According to Peter Fey, who backs up this assertion in his book Bloody 16, ‘When Adeeb landed following his tanker mission, he climbed down from the flight deck and proceeded to help operate on Earl. The ship’s general surgeon began preparing for surgery as Adeeb swapped his flight suit for surgical scrubs. With Adeeb’s assistance, they repaired Earl’s leg with several pins. With his leg repaired, Earl was evacuated arriving in Pensacola, Florida, less than thirty-six hours after being wounded.’

Brown concluded: ‘So that Adeeb landed and immediately went into surgery, was amazing!’

Photo by U.S. Navy

March 22, 2023 0 comment