Was the A-4 a good plane?
Was the A-4 a good plane?
The A-4 came to be known as “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” after its designer, Ed Heinemann. It was easy to see why. The Skyhawk had a top speed of 645 miles per hour and an impressive range of up to 2,001 miles. It could haul nearly 10,000 pounds of bombs and could carry the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
How many A-4 Skyhawks were shot down in Vietnam?
Ejecting from his aircraft, he became the first naval aviator taken prisoner during the Vietnam War. All told, 195 carrier-based Skyhawks fell to enemy fire during the Vietnam War, among the pilots forced to eject from them and taken prisoner Medal of Honor recipient Commander (later Vice Admiral) James B.
Was the A-4 used in Vietnam?
Marine pilots in their diminutive Douglas A-4 Skyhawks provided vital close air support for ground forces in Vietnam. Designed as a Navy shipboard attack airplane, the A-4 had the smallest possible airframe to assist stowage aboard carriers. By 1965, as the A-4E, the Skyhawk had become a highly capable warplane.
When did the Blue Angels fly A-4?
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.
Who built the a4 aircraft?
Douglas Aircraft Company
The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy’s pre-1962 designation system.
Was the A 4 Skyhawk a good plane?
Small and nimble, this warplane was a reliable Cold War attacker. Built as a nuclear-attack capable light bomber, Skyhawks incurred the highest losses of any Navy aircraft during the Vietnam War. …
What aircraft did Marines fly in Vietnam?
A-4 Skyhawks
The Marines settled into what became at that time America’s longest war. Marine fixed-wing aircraft—A-4 Skyhawks, A-6 Intruders, F-8 Crusaders and F-4 Phantoms—eventually flew from Chu Lai because of overcrowding at the U.S. Air Force base at Da Nang, 55 miles to the north.
What is a Skyhawk plane?
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. First flown in 1955, more 172s have been built than any other aircraft. It was developed from the 1948 Cessna 170 but with tricycle landing gear rather than conventional landing gear.
What kind of aircraft is the Douglas A4 Skyhawk?
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s.
What is an A4e in the Air Force?
An A-4E (Bureau Number 149656) suspended in the Quarterdeck honors Attack Squadrons (VA) 163 and 164. Four examples of the A-4 (Bureau Numbers 150076, 154217, 154983, and 155033) form the diamond formation suspended in the Blue Angel Atrium.
What is an A-4 Skyraider?
The A-4 was designed and built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, makers of the SBD Dauntless, the plane best known for fatally damaging three Japanese aircraft carriers in five minutes during the Battle of Midway. The A-4 came to be known as “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” after its designer, Ed Heinemann. It was easy to see why.
When did the Navy stop flying the A-4 Skyhawk?
The Navy operated the A-4 in both Regular Navy and Naval Reserve light attack squadrons (VA). Although the A-4’s use as a training and adversary aircraft would continue well into the 1990s, the Navy began removing the aircraft from its frontline attack squadrons in 1967, with the last ones (Super Foxes of VA-55/212/164) being retired in 1976.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgRhXfHrsZA
