VOLUME 17 NUMBER 1 Contents: Ah, Memories of the High Jinks VA-23 Black Knights Host Reunion A Skyhawk For

r Be lgium? R.G.s Art Take No Prisoners Size Does Matter Centennial Kick Off at NAS No rth Island! Skyhawk Association Annual Meeting 9 September, 2011 Reno, NV www.skyhawk.org www.skyhawk.org THE PREZ SEZ From the Hun By Todd Frommelt Skyhawkers! Greetings Again! Let me start off with just an editing remark for sa ke of accuracy on the last Journal. In the article on the Annual Meeting, the pi cture of me and a lovely lady, who was not my wife, was actually Sharlyn Marsh, daughter of R.G. Smith, our favorite artist. Shar now runs R.G. Smith, Inc, publ ishing and selling the art of her Dad out in her Palm Desert office. Shes a great lady and friend of all Skyhawk aficionados at http:// www.rgsmithart.com/index. php. And my wifes talking to me again, already! Good place to mention some fine w ork our Assistant Webmaster has done in the Ships Store area of our website. Twidge t has added small icons displaying a piece of the vendors work by their links to give you a good idea of whats for sale at each. Not that were endorsing or promoti ng herejust letting you know lots of good aviation, mostly A-4, goodies are avail able and if your I Love Me wall has a blank spot, the Centennial year might be a g ood time to add an A-4 goodie to your Christmas list. Sometime soon, Ill mention that Centennial thought to those vendors and maybe we can get some good deals fo r the membership. Look for them someplace in the Members Only area of the site. Ma ny other areas of the website have seen improvements, too, and the new webmaster , Gene Atwell will be demonstrating our proposed next generation site at the mid -year meeting in Corpus Christi. Take a look. I did an article for this Journal about still-flying Skyhawks. Hope you enjoy it. To my chagrin, the final tallies are d own to a total of fewer than 100 flyable aircraft. Yikes! It should make us all that much more thankful that weve got some dedicated individuals and outfits arou nd the country intent on keeping our sweetheart flying. The article highlights s ome of these folks but the next one Im hoping to produce will go further--into th e current restoration process and some of the key players. We owe them lots. And I, along with some 75,000 or so other Southern California folks, got to see one of those teams and their gorgeous product just last weekend! Don Keats (owner), Mike McDougal (restorer supreme) and his TA-4J, also known as the McDougal-Dougla s Skyhawk, were at NAS North Island for the kickoff main event for the Centennia l of Naval Aviation. Geez is their TA-4J a beauty! It looks new, and cleaner, th an factory fresh. Even a clean hell hole! Pictures just dont do it justice. Try t o see it in person at a show when you can. As Ive mentioned before, we do a lot o f informal research for folks via email. One of the interesting ones we worked o n a bit this past month was a request for information on known Skyhawk driver ma jor award recipients. That got me thinking about another future product for the Associationa consolidated listing of at least the major awards, Congressional Med al of Honor, Navy Cross and Silver Star, and their citations, that have been awa rded to The real Jeanne Frommelt (with the Hun, of course). Skyhawkers. In some scratch the surface researching weve done, we came up with just the three mentioned on the web site alreadyAdmiral Stockdales and Cmdr Estocins Me dals of Honor and MIG killer Cmdr Swartzs Silver Star. We know there are many mor e, but the listings and citations very rarely list aircraft type. SoHELP! Im hopin g our SDOs have a handle on some of them. Send me or any of the Board any names o r links you can find and well put together a good reference list on the website. May be some good Journal articles out there too! And if you want to just get tak en back and impressed, do a web search on some of the award types and start read ing a few of the citations. Lastly, Im hoping my between the Journals newsletter ge

ts to you before this does. If so, then you know my emphasis is on membership. P lease do your non-member buddies a favor. Show them the Journal, tell them to ch eck out the website, get some breakfasts and lunches going with them, and get th em onboard! Were running out of aircraft already; lets be sure to enjoy some more of our camaraderie before we start running out of comrades! Live safe out there! Hun sends TaPS For TAPS lists, members may access these links: www.a4skyhawk.org/D/KIA.htm www.a 4skyhawk.org/E/ops_losses.htm Otto E. Krueger, Madison, WI John Byran McKamey, Pensacola, FL TAPS notices may be sent to Bob Hickerson, Newsletter Editor at sa-journal-edito r@a4skyhawk.org or mail to Bob Hickerson, 1 Balcones Drive, Fredericksburg, TX 7864. Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association bombS away! Spring 011 m. DavIs WhIzzer WhIte, D.D.s (1939-2007) founDer of the skyhaWk assocIatIon In memory of Skyhawk aSSociation, inc. Officers and Directors Todd Frommelt President and Director (FY 11) toddfrommelt@roadrunner.com Mike Eb erhardt Vice President (Navy) and Director (FY 13) thebuick@aol.com Bill Egen Vi ce President (Marines) and Director (FY 1) zerocep@ec.rr.com Terry Cooney Secreta ry and Director (FY 11) skyhawkasn@woh.rr.com Mark Williams Treasurer and Direct or (FY 1) readyroomcoor@a4skyhawk.org Gene Atwell Webmaster and Director (FY 1) ge neatwell@gmail.com George Blosser Director (FY 1) george.blosser@bxonline.com Pete Cole Director (FY 1) petecole@earthlink.net Dave Dollarhide Director (FY 11) dav edollarhide@msn.com John Gabbard Director (FY 1) va4@a4skyhawk.org Ted Langworthy Director (FY 1) FLYBEAR@peoplepc.com Steve Linder Director (FY 11) steve.linder@1 969.usna.com Joe Turpen Director (FY 1) forrestal@fewpb.net Skyhawk Association, Inc. 41 Clubside Drive Beavercreek, OH 4541 skyhawkasn@woh.rr.com Website: www.skyh awk.org or www.a4skyhawk.org David Weber, Asst. Webmaster a4web1@verizon.net The Prez Sez: From the Hun ..................................................... ................. TAPS .......................................................... ................................................ Take No Prisoners: Letters to th e Editor................................................ 4-6 R.G.s Art .......... ................................................................................ .........7 Skyhawk Study Group: Research Assignment ............................ ...............7 Size Does Matter: Modeling News ............................... ............................1 New Paying Member$ ................................ ............................................. Scheduling Stuff: Mark your Calendar ................................................... Tribute to the Tinker Toy; The Navys Skyhawk Bantam Bomber, Part II By Admiral Ja mes L. Holloway III, USN (Ret) ......................................... 8-11 A Skyhawk For Belgium? By Robert Verhegghen, IPMS Belgium ........................ .......................... 1-14 Ah, Memories of the High Jinks By Colonel D. R. Du ke Stanton, USMC (Ret.) .................................... 15-16 Skyhawks Still Slipping the Surly Skies By Todd Hun Frommelt ................................... .................................. 16-17 VA-23 Black Knights Host Reunion By Jim Cameron ....................................................................... ............ 18-19 Centennial Kick Off at NAS North Island! By Todd Hun Frommelt . ..........................................................................0 Israe li Last Flight ................................................................. ..................1 NEwSlETTER STaff Bob Raven Hickerson Chairman and Editor. Boom Powell and Mark Williams - Co-Editor s. David Twidget Weber Technology and Website. Feature Contributors: Ed Viking Jobin , Peter Mersky, Joe Turpen, Gary Verver, David Twidget Weber, and Jack Puresome Wood ul.

____ Published by the Skyhawk Association 2011 ____ Contributions We actively seek contributions from members, including news, photo s, historical documents, anecdotes and other items of interest. Submissions may be edited due to space limitations in the newsletter. Contributions may be email ed to the Newsletter Editor at sa-journal-editor@a4skyhawk.org or mailed to Bob Hickerson, 1 Balcones Drive, Fredericksburg, TX 7864. Stephanie Davis, graphics, skyhawk@ncflight.com. Printed by NCCOAST Communicatio ns, Morehead City, NC. Cover: Blacksheep old and new. Taken at MCAS Yuma, AZ. Photo (c) Ted Carlson of Fotodynamics (www.fotodynamics.com). Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 TakE No PRiSoNERS Letters to the Editor sa-journal-editor@a4skyhawk.org Share the wisdom: sa-journal-editor@a4skyhawk.org Please note email address! To the Editor: In the TRIBUTE to the TINKER TOY article there seems to be an err or on page 15. It is stated that two A-4s were lost in the attack. Actually only one A-4 was lost. The other aircraft was an A-1 (Spad) piloted by LTjg Richard Sather who was KIA. AV Churney ex VA-11 [avc8@frontier.com] See below: The Navy h ad lost two aviators, LTJG Everett Alvarez from VA 144 and LTJG Richard C. Sathe r from VA 145, an A-1 squadron. Alvarez earned the dubious distinction of being the first naval aviator captured by the North Vietnamese and spent eight-and-one -half years in captivity. Richard Sather, in a sense, was less fortunate, becomi ng the Navys first pilot killed during the conflict. It was twenty-one years, Aug ust 14, 1985, before the Vietnamese discovered his remains and returned them to U. S. control. Finally, on February 1, 197, Everett Alvarez was released from prisone r of war camps and sent home. Alvarez had been a prisoner of war for eight and o ne-half years. In all, 591 Americans were released. The remains of Richard Sathe r were not returned until 1985. SOURCE: WE CAME HOME copyright 1977 Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor P.O.W. Publicatio ns, 1050 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 9160 To the Editor: I just received this ph oto of 14950. A USS Enterprise, 1966, VA-6 A-4 that returned to the ship with a bi t of battle damage. I just went to our photo section and see this will be our on ly photo of the airplane. Maybe someone was in, or on cruise with 6 and knows 4 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association more details. If not, its still a nice historical addition. Does anyone know why an attack unit would have 700 series side numbers? It was sent to me by Gary Shr effler, who collects and converts old Navy movies to digital for preservation. D ave [davedollarhide@msn.com] To the Editor: A friend in NZ co-authored a new Skyhawk book. Hes a former NZ mec hanic and a true fan of the A-4. Looks like a great book. I havent seen it on Ama zon yet. Can we add a link to this book and the publishers site below on our web site? (Ed. See below) Cheers, Mike Eberhardt (Buick) [thebuick@aol.com] http://w ww.willsonscott.biz/catalogue/ military/anzac-special-skyhawks-thehistory-of-the -rnzaf-sk/ 99 Green Knights The Centennial of Marine Aviation arrives next year, 01. There is a mission area that gets little publicity or comment having to do wi th the cold war and hopefully we can get something into the books documenting th ose times. Marine Aviation was part of the SIOP (Single Intergrated Operations P lan) which included using the A-4 as a delivery vehicle (Marine ADs and later A6s also had the mission- yes Skyraiders banging along at 50kts with a nuc on the belly! One airplane,one pilot, one bomb, ...ONE WAY!). Most of this occurred in the 50s to the mid-late 70s. Star ting in the early 60s, the MAWTUs provided Nuclear Weapons Delivery (NWD) course s for pilot and load crew training. The pilots went on to get 759 MOSs and so for th. I am looking for any comments, feedback, history, been-there-donethats, TINS,

YGTBSM, etc. inputs regarding the training and mission readiness for little air planes with big bombs. FYI, the Navy is on record losing an A-4E and pilot with a MK4 strapped to the centerline off of the Ticonderoga in 1965 - brake failure, etc and it rolled off the deck into 16,000 of water- yikes! Most info on those ye ars is now public domain. You can even watch a YouTube declassified How to load a MK-43 and Mk-57 on the A-4 with VMA-4 on the Independence in the mid 60s. Appreciat e any feedback. Jigger Bill Egen A-4 Skyhawk Association VMA-11 SDO [zerocep@ec.r r.com] (Ed. Note: Bill would be happy to have input from outside of the VMA-121 crowd, and wed love to have these stories for coverage in the Journal as well. De spite a couple of good inputs (Jim Walthers excellent article in the Winter 2006 issue comes to mind), we havent done a good job of documenting the nuclear era of t he A-4 years. If lots of us contribute a little, well be well on our way.) Dear R aven, I love reading the Journal and have received it without problem until the last issue ( Fall 010); then my address got shifted by one digit. I was lucky my neighbor sent it on. I was commissioned USMC from the NROTC regular program in M ay 1956. After Basic School, Went thru Pensacola and Beeville TX, getting my wings in Sept 1958. Went to El Toro was with VMA-11 when we got our first A4D-2s from El Segundo. Spent 2 yrs w/VMA-311 flying A-4s before being discharged in Oc t 1960. Then joined VMF/A -543 in NAS Glenview in the reserves where I flew A-4s another 4 yrs. All the stories about idiot loops and sandblowers bring back great m emories. Love your magazine. Please correct my address so I can continue reading it. Thanks and Semper Fi, Rick (RAM) Ferree [dferree@fscadvisor.com] Sir: Ive mi splaced my sign-in User ID and password (new computer). Perhaps Im not current on dues? If so I would like to re-up, become current, and retrieve my sign-in info rmation. Also, Im surprised our airplane is not covered in the Skyhawk Flight Lin e/ Hangar sightings section. We are the A4 people located in Tucson (KAVQ). We a re operating a beautiful TA-4J and will be participating in the Centennial of Na val Aviation. We have flown to the Reno Air Races and Planes of Fame Airshow in Chino. We are one of two private civilian operators of a TA-4 (not counting ATSI ). I have enough major parts to build another TA or even an OA-4. Mike McDougall of Fighting Classics Aircraft Restorations did our restoration under private co ntract with my company. Mike is the most knowledgeable and skilled A-4 technicia n on the planet in a global sense. He has gone through every inch of N518TA and wi ll be refurbishing an A-4L in the next year. We are happy to entertain visitors and have quite a large collection of airplanes including an F-8 and 5 A-4s. Than ks, and happy New Year. Don Keating N518TA Project Manager [dwk747@comcast.net] Bob, Im one of those readers -- Im sure there are many -- who immediately flips to Jack Wooduls page when your magazine arrives. All his writing is first rate, but his article Rocket in the Rain in the fall 010 issue was just plain exceptional, even by his own high standards. Where do we get such writers? John Lamers [jplamers@charter.net] To the Editor: Sir, I would like to introduce you to a young new fan of theA-4 Skyhawk. I had the honor, yesterday, of taking Josh Anwar, one of my mothers friends adopted son , to the Combat Air Museum Forbes Field Topeka KS. Josh was able to see and touc h TA-4J 158716 CTW-1 VT-7 marked Skyhawk. Josh is 11 years old and is one of the most well-mannered kids I have ever met. Joshs attention-span was remarkable as I bored him to death with the history of the A-4. I was amazed with how long he enjoyed staying out in the hangers learning about aircraft on a extremely cold d ay. I plan to talk his mother, Kristin, into signing him up as a member of A-4 S kyhawk Association. Mark Williams had mailed me some SA flyers a couple of month s ago. I have passed the flyers out at my work (Goodyear Plant/DC Topeka). Many of those I work with are either Vets and/or aircraft buffs. The Hunmentioned in hi s New Prez article in your Fall 010 Journal that new membership is a must. Yall are happily getting free recruiting work out of me. I absolutely love SA. Anyway, I had a blast yesterday with Josh showing him the Scooter. The A-4ever! Thanks and G od Bless, Robert MacIntosh Hoyt, KS [suzleffing@gmail.com] To the Editor: Its great that you bomber pilots are keeping the flame burning! So me of my best friends were attack pilots . . . On a serious note, George Shattuc k mentioned my new book on p. 8 of the Fall issue of your journal. Some of your readers might enjoy it, as it details many incidents in the 1966-68 time frame i

nvolving A-4 stuff. Its available on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other bo oksellers. All author profits go to a top-rated military charity, the Special Op erations Warrior Foundation (www.specialops.org), which funds education for the children of fallen special ops personnel, plus treatment for those who were badl y wounded. I recommend that you check it out at the following link on Amazon, an d read the various reviews. You guys will probably recognize the names of a few of the reviewers: http://www.amazon. com/Contrail-Chronicles-AmericanFamilys-Jou rney/dp/14755048/ ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1 9501517&sr=1-1 The Contrail Chron icles---An American Familys Journey Through War And Peace, Outskirts Press, 010, 08 pp., paperback (7x10), Kindle, and E-book versions. Best regards and check six, Dick Hot Dog Nelson VF-194 [RJLN@aol.com] To the Editor: My name is Jaime ONeill, and Im writing in hopes of finding more information about my grandfather Henry (H ank) Dibble and his time in the Navy. He served as Commanding Officer of VA-11 in 1965-1966 (upon the USS Kitty Hawk CVN-63), and was on the ship since its commis sion in 1948. My grandfather very rarely speaks of his time in the Navy and has never talked about why he received a Silver Star in 1966. I know he has kept in contact with some other veterans that he worked along, but really doesnt speak mu ch of this. I know he retired in 1966, after being asked to work for the U.N. He went on to work at the Pentagon as an engineer. If you have any information tha t would help me in my search or if you continued... could point me in the right Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 5 lETTERS Continued... direction I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much! Kind regards, Jaime jaimeoneill1@gmail.com<mailto:jaimeoneill1@gmail.com> 941-55-641 (home) *** To the Editor: I enjoy every issue of /A-4EVER/ and read it cover-to-cover. I was part icularly captured by the article on Skyhawks Over Oshkosh (Fall 2010) when I notic ed the pictures of 1554. I have many hours in that bird, from my days at Patuxent River in the early 80s and even a few more from my second tour there in the mid 9 0s. In fact I was the pilot who flew it to Tucson on August 4, 1994. That was the last A-4 to leave Pax and my last flight in the A-4. It was a pleasure to see i t looking so good in the pictures accompanying the article. J.B. Patterson [john bpatt@verizon.net] Sirs, First, congratulations for your excellent website. I ju st wanted to let you know that in 197-74 Swiss government was thinking about repl acing the old DH Venoms and Hawker Hunters with an air-defense capable fighter. The competition saw several types evaluated, including SAAB 7 Viggen and FIAT G91 Y. At some point McDonnell-Douglas offered to sell reconditioned A-4s to Switzer land. Publicity booklets showing A-4 in Swiss markings were distributed at Le Bo urget Air Show. It is not known if the A-4 was ever tested in Switzerland, but p robably not. At the end of evaluation in 1975 the Swiss government chose the Nor throp F-5E Tiger II (which is still flying here BTW). Hope it helps. Best Regard s, Nicolas Poncini / SWITZERLAND <nickponcini@hotmail.com> 6 Bob, Today is a Red Letter Day! When I got home from Minot at 055 the package of The A-4Ever was waiting! I got to bed a little later... First off, I read the ar ticles about the Playboys. Forty+ years have fuzzed the memory so I had a number of misconceptions corrected, memories refreshed, and learned a few new things. Taxes? What taxes! I have some important reading to do! Thanks, Bob Ron Rasmusse n [ronaldtr@centurytel.net] (Ed. Note: Ron ordered 16 back issues, our largest o rder yet! If anyone out there would like to order a back issue, see the ad elsew here in this issue. We have copies of all issues except Summer 2004 and earlier available. Ron, thanks for the business!) To the Editor: Where are they now? Lef t to right: unkn, Lcdr Robinson, unkn, Lt Shattuck, CDR Bob Sky King, Jerry Hall, unkn, unkn, Lt Len Giuliani. I believe Wendy Rivers was a member of our class bu t unavailable for this picture. George Shattuck [gws7@plantationcable.net] at Tinker Base Ops , I climbed into my bird, cranked her up (the transient guy h ad to jump up and down on the hose as I was cranking because the huffer pressure was too great) and taxied into position for takeoff. Got tower clearance and po ured the coals to her and started down the runway.....all of a sudden Tower come

s up and says, Abort! Abort!.. youre on fire!!, smoke is coming from the fuselage.. . I laughed to my self and told the tower everything was ok, the airplane does t hat all the time... and off I went. S/F Chuck Sorensen Red1 [zoren937@msn.com] T o the Editor: I am a former Marine A-6 and EA6B pilot trying to help my wifes ste pfather. His name is Allen Stevens and he is trying to contact his brother Willi am E. Stevens, USNA 68. I did a Google search and found his name on your website. If your Bill Stevens has a brother, Al, let me know and Ill send the contact inf o. Semper Fi, Ken Thomas [semper7@gmail.com] (Ed. Note: from Asst. Webmaster Davi d Weber: After checking the website, the only reference I could find was on a fe w pictures that were contributed by Bill E. Stevens. He is not on my membership rolls. If you have any info on that person, could you contact him and see if he fits or forward the info to me and I will try.) To the Editor: Was looking through the latest issue of the Fall 010 Journal and r eading on page 15 about the oil venting.....reminded me of an experience I had f lying Bs in VMA-324. Was on a out and in to Tinker AFB. having finished filing Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association R.g.S aRT A-4Ds A section of A4Ds lifts off for a night mission. R. G. Smith, (1914-2001) Named Honorary Naval Aviator Number 11. SkyHawk STudy gRouP Research Assignment The Question: In the Fall 010 issue this question was posed: Why does the J-65 engine vent oil overboard through vents ov er each wing? The question was asked by Tommy Thomason during the research for h is book on Skyhawks. Tommy Thomason asked: One unusual feature of the Sapphire w as that, whereas the front bearing and accessory gearbox were part of a closed-l oop lubrication system, the center and rear bearings of the engine were each lub ricated with about one-half pint of oil per hour which was then dumped overboard , a so-called total loss flow. The two oil vents were located on the upper right s ide and the lower left side of the mid fuselage, resulting in a slippery surface on the inboard wing section. <http://tommythomason.com>. The Winning Answer came from Bob Snakbar Schneider: I am sure you have had a few correct answers to your oil dump reasons but the bottom line of Heinemanns A-4 with a J-65 was for weight. Since the acce ssory section never gets as hot as the Turbine section does, the system was desi gned so that all of the oil used was shared by one common reservoir that was muc h smaller than those normally Well lubricated: A4D-1 oil was recycled used. The accessory #139961 of VA-34 onboard dumped overboard once capover and over and th e engine oil wasSaratoga circa 1958. Plane the tains and pilots alike loved this feature pre-determined amount of oil was worn out (how do you like of the that ge neric answer?) whichJ-65. Photo via Tailhook Association. is normally about a ha lf pint an hour. When the metered oil and fuel does its normal takeoff dump, it looks like the engine is beginning to fail. Flying our A-4Ls today is always a sli ppery situation for the mechanics because the planes have to be wiped down before the mechanics can do very much on a turnaround or post flight inspection. Botto m line is if you can get rid of unneeded weight by dumping spent oil overboard, you can save from to gallons (16 to 4 lbs. of oil weight) by not having to carry such a large reservoir of oil or a cooler. Weight and space in Heinemanns design was the biggest formula he had to deal with. If he saved any amount of weight th at could be better used for ordinance or performance, that was his goal. At that time, the Wright J-65 engine was the only engine available that would give him the performance he needed. Once the J-5 came out, Douglas could then be not quite so lean with the weight restrictions and some space was gained in the engine co mpartment with the newer more powerful J-5. Anyway, thats my answer: weight reduct ion & space. Bob Schneider <snackbar@suddenlink.net> Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 7 TRibuTE To THE TiNkER Toy The Navys Skyhawk Bantam Bomber

By Admiral James L. Holloway III, USN (Ret) (Ed. Note: Admiral Holloway wrote this article for submission to the Sixth Cold War essay contest sponsored by the John A. Adam 71 Center for Military History an d Strategic Analysis, in which it was awarded honorable mention. Part I was prin ted in The A-4Ever Fall 2010.) Part II. As Commander-in-Chief, a frustrated President Lyndon Johnson finally approved an intensive bombing campaign against North Vietnam to convince the leadership in Hanoi to stop their support of the insurgency in South Vietnam once and for all. This operation, titled Rolling Thunder lasted from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968 and was the longest air bombardment campaign in American history. It was ca rried out by tactical aviation forces as distinct from heavy bombers such as the B-5 - the 7th Air Force flying from bases in Thailand and South Vietnam, Marine squadrons based in South Vietnam and naval aircraft from the Seventh Fleet aircr aft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin. It was during the Rolling Thunder campaign t hat the Skyhawk received its true baptism of fire. By June 1965, five carriers w ere operating in the Tonkin Gulf conducting Rolling Thunder missions, the strate gic air campaign against North Vietnam, hitting the Communist infrastructure, ai r defenses, SAM sites, MIG bases and military depots. From the first strikes in 1964, all of the carriers deploying to the Gulf of Tonkin had two squadrons of A -4s in the embarked air wing. This was important for the Essex class ships that were unable to operate the more advanced and much heavier Phantom II (F-4) or al l weather Intruder (A-6). In December 1965, the first and only nuclear powered c arrier, USS Enterprise arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin 8 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association with four A-4 squadrons on board. On the third day of combat air operations, Ent erprise set a new record for the number of combat sorties launched in a single f lying day 247. Three days later, the Enterprise surpassed that record with a tot al of 65 combat sorties completed. At the time, this performance was attributed t o the Enterprise being nuclear powered and provided persuasive testimony in supp ort of the nuclear-powered carrier program then being debated in Congressional h earings. Yet, it was also largely due to the deck-load of four A-4 and two F-4 s quadrons of strike aircraft. The small size of the A-4 allowed more planes to be carried on a Forrestal sized carrier, and the versatility, simplicity and ease of maintenance of the Skyhawks greatly increased the carriers ability for strike sortie generation. By June of 1967, Hanoi was protected by one of the most leth al air defense networks ever assembled. More than half of all the air defense weaponry surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), h eavy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), heavy caliber automatic weapons, and MIG-17 fighters furnished by the USSR and the Chinese Communists, were deployed to the Hanoi Haiphong area to protect the economic and political center of North Vietna m. In all, the defenses included three air defense divisions, ten AAA regiments, five SAM battalions and the entire NVN air force. The installation, support and maintenance of these state of the art systems was largely furnished by foreign technicians from the countries of origin. The presence of these foreigners were a special annoyance to our pilots because the White House promulgated rules of e ngagement (ROE) would not permit strikes on air defense sites where these foreig n contractors might be present, for fear of casualties to third country non-bell igerents. It was in this phase of the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign that this generation of combat leaders in naval aviation emerged. And the A-4D Skyhawk wa s clearly a factor. CDR Jim Stockdale was leading a flight of Skyhawks when he w as shot down by enemy AA and captured by the North Vietnamese. Stockdale had bee n Commander of Air Wing Sixteen aboard the USS Oriskany, and the impact of Rolling Thunder on that Essex class carrier operating in the Seventh Fleet is an example of the intensity of the air warfare in Vietnam and the commitment and courage of the leaders at the squadron level. From June 1967 to January 1968, in 1 days of combat, USS Oriskany lost one half o f her complement of aircraft and one third of her pilots. Twenty aviators were k illed or missing in action and seven taken prisoner of war. Thirty-nine aircraft

were lost. Through it all, there was no diminution of effort nor activity on th e part of the pilots. That was due to the leadership at the squadron level: squa dron commanders, executive officers, and the other experienced aviators led the flights and flew the most missions. It is a telling statistic of U.S. naval avia tion that 67 wing and squadron commanders and executive officers were lost in ac tion during the Vietnam War. The squadron Cross during the Rolling Thunder of Ho nor winner and arguably the campaign. most highly decorated naval person CO of V A-16, one of the two Skyhawk squadrons aboard the Oriskany, In spite of their fer ocious determiin modern naval history, as Air Wing CDR Bryan Compton was an insp iranation to accomplish their assigned Commander, would prowl the flight tional leader according to his wingmissions, both Jim Stockdale and deck before a launc h when pilots were man LT John manning aircraft McCain. McCain From June 1967 to January 1968, in 122 days and he was not on was shot down the flight schedule. o ver Hanoi on a of combat, USS Oriskany lost one half of her If Stockdale saw a m ission led by relatively inexpericomplement of aircraft and one third of her pil ots. enced pilot there Compton. LCDR Jim Busey, were constant Comptons operations officer, received Bryan Compton were always mindreplacements and it was a strong ly the Navy Cross for a strike led by ful of the stress on the young and defende d target, Stockdale would Compton against a North Vietnam more inexperienced mem bers of their trade places with the junior pilot in electrical generating plant. Although squadrons. They were compassionhis Skyhawk and fly in his place as a h is plane was blasted by the intense ate leaders within the consideration wingman for the entire mission. AAA going into the target, Busey, of their responsibili ties for mission Both Stockdale and Compton, who later became VCNO of the Navy a ccomplishment. One on occasion, in spite of their aggressive combat and then Fed eral Aeronautics Adminaccording to his wingman, Compton leadership, were openly and deeply istrator, continued his attack and then made 8 passes at low altitude in his admired and trusted - by their air flew his Skyhawk back to land on the A-4 over Hanoi looking for the parawing and squadron pilots. RemarkOriskany desp ite near fatal damage to chute of a member of his squadron, ably both officers s urvived the war who during the preceding strike on although Stockdale spent most of it his A-4: more than 15 holes ranging from one-inch in diameter to a eight H anoi, had radioed that his plane had in prison camps, where he continued by four teen-inch gash, and both horibeen hit, was on fire and that he was to exercise c onspicuous leadership zontal stabilizers blown off by a SAM attempting to eject. Compton wanted and was painfully crippled from the hit. Busey also received a N avy Cross to learn if he had bailed out successtorture inflicted by his captors. for this mission. The A-4 squadron fully. If so, he was probably alive and Mean while American troop commander who led the flight, CDR a rescue operation might be attempted. strength on the ground in South VietBryan Compton, had the reputat ion Sadly, no parachute was sighted denam had continued to build, reaching of ne ver aborting a combat mission spite Comptons personal exposure to 480,000 in 1966 , but the JCS request or failing to attack his assigned target enemy AAA. for a new in-country U.S. troop regardless of weather or his own battle It was well kn own in Air Wing end-strength of 585,000 in 1967 was continued... damage. Compton earned the Navy Sixteen that Jim Stockdale, Medal denied. It was apparent Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 9 TiNkER Toy Continued... that the Communists were building up their ground forces at a rate which continu ed to exceed the U.S. commitment of combat troops. It became obvious that we wer e not winning the war on the ground, and the enemy continued to field additional soldiers to more than match the number of the U.S. and its South Vietnamese all ies. It was then in 1967 that President Johnson made the decision to disengage a ll American ground forces from combat, and to limit U.S. troops in South Vietnam to military advisors only. America would have to rely on air power to win the w ar. The only significant U.S. military forces engaging the North Vietnamese woul d be Navy carrier aircraft, land-based Marine aviation, USAF tactical fighter wi ngs in Thailand and Guam-based SAC B-5s. The air campaign initially seemed to be

effective, as Hanoi agreed to peace talks in Paris. So on November 1, 1968 Presi dent Johnson halted all bombing into North Vietnam. Suddenly without provocation North Vietnam opened a massive offensive across the DMZ on 0 March 197, shattering the South Vietnam army in the surprise assault. Richard Nixon, no w U.S. President, responded with a powerful new air offensive into the Hanoi Hai phong sector of North Vietnam, designated Operation Linebacker I, impressed by the initial success of this air assault and determined to force the enemy to sue fo r peace. On 8 May 1972 Navy planes from the Coral Sea mined Haiphong Harbor, Nor th Vietnams main commercial port which had furnished the only deep water faciliti es for the delivery of weapons, munitions and war logistics from the Soviet Unio n and its Warsaw Pact Allies. Other carrier aircraft placed mines in six other N orth Vietnamese harbors to interdict the delivery of war supplies through North Vietnam coastal waters. Militarily, the mining and the air interdiction campaign made a serious inroad on North Vietnams ability to continue the prosecution of i ts invasion of South Vietnam, by cutting off most of North Vietnams economic and military assistance from China and the Soviet Union. Air interdiction by tactica l aircraft, including those from carriers, had reduced the enemys overland import s from 160,000 tons to 0,000 tons per month. The mining of the North Vietnamese p orts had cut seaborne imports from 50,000 tons per month to nothing. Unable to replace losses incurred during the fi ghting in the south, the North Vietnamese war effort began to lose momentum. Pre sident Nixon followed up these successes with Operation Linebacker II an around th e clock bombing campaign against significant targets in the Hanoi area, employin g large numbers of B-5s using conventional munitions. The results of these Christm as Bombings, as this phase of Linebacker II was nicknamed, were immediately appar ent as Hanoi now desperately sought a ceasefire, leading to a peace accord. The cost to the U.S. was high. 17 B-5s had been shot down. On January 7, the ceasefire was signed in Paris, and the North Vietnamese leadership agreed to negotiations that would end the fighting. The United States had won a victory against Hanoi and it had been achieved through air power, a joint effort of Navy carriers, lan d-based Marines, Air Force tactical fighters and SAC B-5s. The Paris Accords brou ght an end to the fighting in Vietnam, at least for the United States. The agree ment fulfilled our objectives for the successful completion of our military oper ations in Southeast Asia. Two years later in 1974, in utter disregard of the tre aty they had signed in Paris, Hanoi launched a crushing surprise attack south ac ross the DMZ to smash into the South Vietnamese Army. The ARVN, unprepared becau se of a misplaced reliance on the accords and the consequent absence of American support and advisors in country, disintegrated before the North Vietnamese offe nsive and in two weeks, Hanoi had taken all of Vietnam. Some anti-war pundits ha ve taken the position that this was a defeat for the U.S. Yet in a practical sen se, the overall final outcome in Southeast Asia was consistent with the U.S. obj ectives established when first going to war in South Vietnam. In the Paris Accor ds the U.S. had succeeded in forcing the Communists to agree to cease the fighti ng on terms that were acceptable to us. Second, in spite of the treacherous viol ation of the treaty by the North Vietnamese and the 10 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association inability of South Vietnam to defend itself without U.S. military assistance, th e Communists have not overrun all of Southeast Asia. The U.S. had originally gon e to war to arrest the domino effect on the enlargement of the Communist control of the third world. And today for example, Thailand remains an independent nati on friendly to the U.S. Finally and of the greatest importance, America had won a major campaign in the Cold War contest with the USSR. We had gone to war to pr event a Communist takeover of a friendly nation. The credibility of our word was immaculate. Then we had committed our own citizens to the front lines of the ba ttle, as a clear the Soviet empire had begun. The Soviets lost the Cold War to the national power of the United States and the resolve of its people. But the Cold War was won, i n a tangible sense, in the mountains of Korea and in the skies over the rice pad dies of Vietnam. Although the wars in Korea and Vietnam may not have at the time

appeared to be decisive in clear terms of winning or losing, our commitment in those theaters were critical campaigns in the prosecution of the broader conflic t of the Cold War. Both were essential to the ultimate objective of demonstratin g to the world, ally and adversary alike, that the United States would commit it s own citizens to fight in support of DOUGLAS A-4 SKYHAWK Some anti-war pundits have taken the position that this was a defeat for the U.S. Yet in a practical sense, the overall final outcome in Southeast Asia was consi stent with the U.S. objectives established when first going to war in South Viet nam. demonstration of our accountability in this war. Finally, we had won our war aga inst Hanoi, convincing the world, friend and hostile alike, that America would f ight and that no other nation could match the U.S. in the quality of our weapons and the commitment and courage of our fighting men. By 1987 the Soviet leadersh ip must have realized that the Cold War was lost. They had seen the U.S. force o f arms inflict a total defeat on North Korea in 1950, and then fight the Chinese armies to a standstill only 00 miles from their own borders. They had observed a U.S. miracle in military logistics in Southeast Asia in 1964 and then, when the full might of U.S. airpower was finally applied in the massive strikes against Hanoi in 197, the North Vietnamese were brought to the peace table and the Paris Accords signed. Now for the first time the Russians were able to compare the rem arkable reach and power of the United States to their own lackluster performance in Afghanistan, a theater of operations bordering on their own sovereign territ ory. The unraveling of its allies as well as to protect its own national interests. Korea and Vietnam e stablished beyond question the credibility of America. Our citizen soldiers foug ht, and they fought well, in the Army, the Marines, the Air Force and the Navy. With the coup de grace provided by President Nixons Operation Linebacker II, Amer ica won their war in Vietnam with air power, and the Navys role had been predomin ant. Fifty-Two percent of the combat sorties into North Vietnam were flown by Na vy carrier aircraft. The Navy had been in the war since the beginning. It was th e task force strikes by two carriers against the torpedo boats in Than Hoa that opened the war, and then the carriers were never out of the action during the ei ght years of the conflict. In quick succession after Pierce Arrow, came Rolling Thunder in 57 separate operations punctuated by frequent cancellations and pause s, and then Operations Linebacker I and II, which forced Hanoi to sue for peace and agree to the Paris Accords and the return of the POWs. Like all wars, the victory had not come without its cost. A total of 5 carrier air craft had been destroyed in the air by enemy action. That equates to forty carri er squadrons or enough to fill eight carrier decks. The A-4 losses were the high est at 195. This was to be expected because the Skyhawk flew most of the combat sorties, more than one third: 185,70 out of a total of 51, 57. The Tinker Toys were gone from the Navys inventory by the end of the Vietnam War, its place on the ca rrier deck taken by a new, more technologically advanced aircraft, the Corsair I I. Yet the Skyhawk is fondly remembered by the men who flew it and the A-4 drive rs, through their skill and courage have become a respected cadre in naval aviat ions elite heritage. About the author: Admiral Holloways long and distinguished ca reer included service in World War II and Korea. His first exposure to the Tinker Toy came during his tour as Commanding Officer of VA-83 operating from the decks of USS Essex in support of the 1958 Marine landings in Lebanon. Later, in comma nd of USS Enterprise from 1965 to 1967, he was intimately involved in support of A-4 operations in North Vietnam. After assuming flag rank, Admiral Holloway par ticipated at the highest levels in the development and execution of U.S. Cold Wa r strategy, ultimately serving as Chief of Naval Operations from 1974 to 1978. H e served as acting Chairman of the JCS under President Ford. A complete biograph y can be found at http://www.history.navy. mil/bios/holloway_j.htm. Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 11 a SkyHawk foR bElgium? by Robert Verhegghen, IPMS Belgium The decision to replace the Thunderstreak and

Thunderflash followed the operational concerns NATO Headquarters had expressed some months earlier about the use of those types after 1970. Another reason for replacement was that both planes were to be withdrawn from USAF inventory on 1 J anuary 1968. This meant that the spare parts service would not be provided by th e USAF after that date, and both countries would have to buy and stock their own spare parts, a very costly issue in terms of budget, personnel and organization . From April to September 1965, both Air Force teams worked together on calendar issues (the target date being mid-1969 for introduction of the new fighter), de finition of common selection criteria for the replacement aircraft and The Context On 9 March 1965, the Belgian and Dutch governments decided to jointl y study the replacement of the aging Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thu nderflash aircraft which had equipped both air forces since the mid-fifties. In 1961, both countries had established a joint pilot training program. Basic flyin g and advanced training was the responsibility of the Belgian Air Force (BAF ) o n Stampe SV-4B biplanes and Potez CM-170 Fouga Magisters. Operational transition was the responsibility of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Dutch AF) Netherlands on Lockheed T-33s. Final conversion to the F-84F was made in Eindhoven on Dutch pla nes. a study of the characteristics of possible candidate aircraft. The aircraft nomin ated were the Swedish SAAB Draken, the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and the Dougl as A-4E Skyhawk. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was also considered for a short time, but was rapidly eliminated due to cost and weight issues. The candidates were operationally evaluated by Belgian pilots in October and November of 1965, followed by the Dutch team in February and March of 1966. The Belgian A-4 evalua tion Two experienced F-84F and RF84F pilots attached to VSP -Plans et Programmes d ivision of the BAF HQ, which was in charge of the replacement program, went to t he USA in October 1965 to evaluate the F-5 and the A-4. These pilots were Major Aviateur Hugo Cloeckaert, and Major Aviateur Paul Staf Declercq. Both pilots went on to have brilliant careers in the Belgian Air Force, achieving the rank of gen eral officer. After having flown the Northrop F-5 the week of 18- October, both pi lots reported to the Douglas Palmdale A-4E flown Pilot Major Paul Declercq for weapons testing at MCAS Yuma in late Oc tober 1965. (Photo from collection of Robert Verhegghen.) 1 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association A-4E evaluated by Belgian Air Force. Photo from collection of Robert Verhegghen. factory on 5 October to evaluate the cially bomb load and range. During our This meant the end of the joint A-4E Skyhawk. They were introduced interview, General Paul Declercq stated Belgian - Dutch pilot training program to the A-4 by Dougl as representative that the chances of the Skyhawk being and opened the door for consideration James Stegman and were allowed to selected were doomed from the be ginof new candidate aircraft by Belgium, fly the two-seat prototype TA-4E (later ning of the study because the politicians such as the Lockheed F-104S, the Fiat TA-4F) Bu.No. 152103. According to had already decided that the subsonic G-91Y and last but not least the French his log-book Major Cloeckaert was asThunderstr eak should be replaced by Dassault Mirage, which had gained a signed A-4E Bu.No very strong reputa15080, which was the chances of the Skyhawk being selected were t ion during the June just off the assem1967 Six Day war bly line awaiting doomed from the start because the politicians had in the Middle East. delivery to the H eavy lobbying by Navy. He made 6 already decided that the subsonic Thunderstreak Dassault, combined flights in that plane with many ecobetween 6 and 0 should be r eplaced by the supersonic fighter. nomic incentives, October to evaluate led to B elgium general characteristics, ceiling, range, the supersonic aircraft, e.g. th e Freedom making a final choice for 106 Mirage V radar, navigation systems and f ormation Fighter. According to members of the B in February 1968. The project co flying. Major Declercq was in charge project team interviewed, the Skyhawk ordin ator of Mirage V introduction in of evaluating armament systems and or- was disc arded due to political, economi- BAF was no less than Lt. Col. Aviateur dinance delivery. Log book information cal and industrial considerations, as Paul Decler cq. The Mirage entered into for his flights is not available. well as Dutch pres

sure for the Freedom service in August 1970 and soldiered Fighter. on successful ly in BAF service with 4 The Belgian F-84F replacement However, for months the B elgian squadrons until the end of 199, but that choice, exit the A-4E governments decision in favor of the is another story. On 11 March 1966, after evaluation, F -5 was delayed by the Defense MinThe Belgian Skyhawk both Air Force HQs announced a comister for budgetary reasons. At the end story of a picture mon decision in f avor of the Northrop of January 1967, the Dutch decided to F-5, but the real cho ice of the Belgian force the issue and placed an order for In the early eighties , a friend gave pilots was the Skyhawk. The evalua105 Freedom Fighters to be bui lt in me a picture of an A-4E Skyhawk with tion pilots did not like the F-5 Free dom a cooperative program with Canada, Belgian markings on the intakes and fin. continued... Fighter in all aspects studied, espewhich had made the same choice. The pilot in the cockpit Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 1 SkyHawk foR bElgium Continued... was reported as Major Staf Declercq. The plane in the picture also had VK markings on the tail fin. Most unusual were dual markings with Navy on the fin base and Marines on the fuselage, as normally seen on reserve squadron Skyhawks. On 1 Augu st 198, during a visit to 49 squadron at Beauvechain AB, I was introduced to a ver y kind and charismatic high ranking officer, General Paul Declercq, who had the nickname Staf on his flying jacket name tag. The General had been the Base Command ing Officer in the late seventies and early eighties , and during his assignment had been responsible for the introduction of the F-16A in 49 squadron, declared as NATOs 1st operational F-16 squadron in January 1st 1980. When shown the pictur e, General Declercq confirmed that it had come from his personal album and had b een taken in MCAS Yuma in late October 1965, when he was evaluating the ordnance delivery and armament of the Skyhawk. He told me that one morning he found his plane on the apron zapped with Belgian markings by the crew chiefs of a Marine Cor ps squadron on exercise in Yuma. His name had been painted under the cockpit and the nose wore OO for OSCAR-OSCAR, the civilian aviation call sign for Belgian (al though the authors interpretation is that this might also be a reference to use o f a MODEX 00 marking due to his high rank). But which aircraft was it? I did not ask, unfortunately. 5 years after meeting General Declercq, I resumed my attempt to identify the A-4E flown by him in the evaluation of the Skyhawk for duty in the Belgian Air Force. Sadly, General Paul Declercq had passed away some months before, and unfortunately his log books could not be recovered. The only way to progress was to start from the photo. Searching for the Bu.No, of the Mystery Sk yhawk I turned to the Skyhawk Association and made various contacts with VMA121 SDO Bill Jigger Egen and Gary 14 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association Douglas Production Test Pilot James Stegman (center) welcomes Majors Paul Decler cq (left) and Hugo Cloeckaert to Douglas Aircrafts Palmdale facility for Belgian Air Force evaluation of A-4E. Official Douglas photo via Robert Verhegghen. Verver. With their help, I eliminated several A-4Es which seemed to be good cand idates based upon evidence contained in photos and production records of Douglas Aircraft. VMA-11 was in fact on deployment to MCAS Yuma when Major Declercq was there, and the Marines of 11 were obviously responsible for zapping the aircraft. I f the aircraft left the Douglas factory with NAVY painted on the side, the paint ing incident by the VMA-11 Marines would explain both the VK tail markings and th e addition of MARINES on the fuselage, which gave the A-4E the appearance of a res erve aircraft. General Hugo Cloeckaert confirmed that the plane he evaluated (150 80) came directly off the assembly line, making it probable that the Belgian A-4E by Major Declercq was part of the 15071 to 15079 batch delivered at that time in t he fall of 1965. It was certainly a NAVY plane not yet assigned to a squadron. T he clean look and absence of 4 digits of the Bu.No on the tail above the NAVY ma rking on the Declercq plane confirms this. According to the three digits on the drop tanks,

most likely candidates would be 15071 or 15075. Unfortunately, further research on this particular block of A-4Es did not confirm the exact identity of the Belgian Skyhawk. _____ _____ [Ed. note: To this date , the identity of the Belgian Skyhawk remains a mystery The author is still actively pursuing any information about t he Belgian evaluation in 1965 and is especially interested in obtaining other pi ctures of the evaluation aircraft in order to determine the Bu.No. If you can he lp, please get in touch with robert.verhegghen@ skynet.be or fa062130@skynet.be. Check out additional information on the search for this bureau number at www.sk yhawk.org.] _____ _____ Acknowledgments: The author wishes to thank General Paul Declercq (deceased), Ge neral Hugo Cloeckaert, General Taymans, Col X. Janssens, Col G. Mullenders, Lt. Col. M. Brees, G. Verver, Bill Jigger Egen, the Belgian Mirage Pilot Association, the Skyhawk Association and all official US services, museums and archives conta cted for their appreciated help . aH, mEmoRiES of THE HigH JiNkS Colonel D. R. Duke Stanton, USMC (Ret.), VMA-214 1961-1963 We are talking about Ma rine Air Group Thirteen at MCAS Kaneohe, Hawaii and the years 1961-196. Located i n MAG-13 at the time was an F-8 fighter squadron, VMF- (The Red Devils), two attack squadrons, VMA-1 (Devil Cats) and VMA-14 (Blacksheep) and an H-4 squadron, HMM-161( Greyhawks). Having three different aircraft types within the Group made for some interesting high jinks when it came to Happy Hour on Friday evenings. During th at period of time BPC (Before Political Correctness), at 1600 on Fridays the pil ots of all four squadrons gathered at the Officers Club for camaraderie and high jinks. Wives were not permitted to join their husbands until 1800 and any pilot receiving a telephone call from his wife during this holy period purchased a round for his comrades. Each squadron had its own set of tables, complete with some a rtifact of immeasurable value which identified the squadron, and was always an a rticle that had to be watched over carefully by a junior officer lest the demons from other squadron should abscond with the treasured item. An F-8 from VMF- had t o make an emergency downwind landing on a wet runway and wound up sliding down th e seaplane ramp into Kaneohe Bay. Now the treasured artifact for VMF- was two squar ed, but angled, pieces of plastic, mounted on a base with a light bulb between t hem. On the side of one of the pieces of plastic was painted a Red Devil, complete with pitchfork and cape. The accident and the precious item posed too good an o pportunity to pass up, and several nights before the next Fridays Happy Hour, das tardly neer-do-wells from an unnamed attack squadron absconded with the treasured item. When Happy Hour rolled around, the attack squadron presented the treasure d item back, but the Red Devil now had an oxygen tank on his back, goggles on hi s eyes and a fish flopping on his pitchfork. All done to bawdy songs sang at the top of ones lungs. Bawdy songs were a staple of the times and each squadron always tried to top the other. It was good times. It wasnt always differ ent types of squadrons against others. The attack squadrons were just as competi tive against each other as against the fighter or helicopter communities. As all of the pilots from a squadron were mandated to attend Happy Hour, the only office r left in control of the squadron on Friday night was the Squadron Duty Officer. If you had the duty on a Friday, it was for the entire weekend. As Happy Hour w as coming to close on this particular Friday, the Squadron Duty Officer of VMA-2 12 received a phone call, supposedly from the guards at the front gate. They had a L/Cpl. Johnson from that squadron who had been turned over to them by the Haw aiian Police for being drunk in public, and the Squadron Duty Officer could eith er come down and pick him up or they would return him to the Hawaiian Police. Be ing a good junior officer, the Squadron Duty Officer made a decision that he cou ld handle this without bothering the squadrons commanding officer who was probabl y still enjoying the latter part of the Happy Hour and maybe a dinner out with h is wife. The Squadron Duty Officer left the Ready Room and proceeded to drive to the front gate to pick up L/Cpl. Johnson. Upon arrival he was told that there w as no L/Cpl. Johnson, and that they did not know what he was talking about. Deci ding that there had been continued... Blacksheep pilots circa early 1960s pose in front of A-4B 142935 at Kaneohe Bay, HI, with squadron memento. Photo courtesy of author, Duke Stanton, shown standi

ng in second row, last man on the right, under the tip of the refueling probe. Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 15 Hun reporting SkyHawkS STill SliPPiNg THE SuRly boNdS going for the surly skies. So with all that in mind, lets just take the following information as as good an estimate as we need and be satisfied.deal? It seems to us that the renowned Skyhawk Association ought to include in its wea lth of A-4 information and expertise a current and consolidated listing of Scoot ers still airborne. I mean, out of some 960 aircraft produced by Douglas Aircraft , just how many of our steeds still take to the air regularly? Weve got lots of t hat kind of information in several areas of the website, but were thinking that i t might be nice to maintain a full list of actual current operators. Thats what t his article means to do. Let me admit, upfront, that its not quite as simple as i t looks. On the military side, our foreign operators have legitimate security co ncerns about exact numbers. On the contract services side we have some competiti on concerns about how well and how many A-4 assets are available. And on the pri vate owners side, well, lets just say flyable can be sometimes shown right in fron t of you and at other times may just be some very hopeful and wishful thinking. And with all the civilian aircraft, just like in the airline business, tracking down the aircraft owner can be tricky and its a bit tough to avoid some double co unting. Show me the money also comes into major play. With worldwide economies tig ht, government budgets being cut, and rising costs of keeping old airframes and their engines airworthy, its no wonder any Scooters are still Military Service: Israel: The largest export operator of Skyhawks has had as many as 180 various m odels in service, the most recent being the A-4N and TA-4J/H. Although gradually removed from front line units, the Israelis still have a squadron (Flying Tiger s) of A-4Ns and TA-4J/Hs used for pilot training, EW work and other missions. La test guess is that they expect to maintain Skyhawk operations at this level at l east until 015. Estimate: In excess of 30 A-4N and about 15 TA-4J/H 1 Argentina: Argentinas Air Force and Navy at one time operated close to 100 A-4Bs but the las t of those older airframes were retired in 1999. In 1994, they purchased 6 A-4Ms (redesignated A-4ARs) and these are currently operational with their 5th Air Bri gade. The latest information available? About 14 single and dual seaters are on the flight lines with somewhat more than that in operational rese rve (stored in good condition). Its hoped another 4 aircraft will be brought on l ine from reserve when the budget allows. Estimate: 1 and A-4AR/OA-4AR 2 Brazil: T he Brazilian Navy acquired 20 Kuwaiti A-4KU and TA-4KU in 1997, redesignating th em as AF-1s and AF-1As. These aircraft are operated with the modernized French a ircraft carrier now named So Paulo. While exact remaining numbers are not availab le yet, we do know that a modernization contract was signed in 2009 to upgrade a mix of 1 AF-1/1A aircraft and that at least one of the KUs is sitting on a pedes tal. Estimate: 0 AF-1/1A 3 Malaysia: The Royal Malaysian Air Force purchased 88 s urplus A-4Cs from the US in 198 and had 40 of them delivered after extensive upgr ading to Malaysia as A4/TA-4PTMs (Peculiar to Malaysia). These aircraft were tak en out of service in 1999. The idea was to use the other 48 airframes as a sourc e for parts and they were left here in the US. I mention these Skyhawks, because those parts aircraft left in the Arizona desert have played a significant role in the continued use of A-4s by contract and private flyers below. Confirmed: 0 In donesia, Kuwait, Singapore, Australia and, finally, New Zealand Skyhawks are als o confirmed as gone; pedestaled, museumed, scrapped, sold or otherwise. 1 2 3 HigH JiNkS Continued from page 17... some mistake, the Squadron Duty Officer proceeded back to the squadron and his r ack, which was in the Ready Room. Alas, another long weekend for a junior office r, as junior officers were the only ones who were fit and intelligent enough to

handle such delicate duties. Came Monday morning and the Squadron Duty Officer h ad put his rack away, shaved, dressed and checked his duty log 16 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association for correctness while he awaited the arrival of the commanding officer who was n ormally an early show. The commanding officer passed the Squadron Duty Officer, asked about the weekend and then proceeded to his office. You could have heard t he yell from the next hangar. While the Squadron Duty Officer was attending to h is duties to rescue L/Cpl. Johnson from putting a black mark against the squadro n, some pilots from VMA-14 had skipped into the VMA-1 commanding officers office wit h stencils in hand and had spray painted Black Sheep all over his office and des k! VMA-14 waited for the retribution that was bound to come, and our commanding offi cer learned of a plan to paint something on our planes. The commanding officer o f VMA-212 was a good soul and put the kibosh on that, saying that one thing we d id not do was to mess with another squadrons airplanes. After that episode, and t he graciousness of VMA212s commanding officer to recognize a good weve been had!, we never again engaged with such foolery with our sister squadron and saved our de vilment for others. Contract Services: There are several operators, most with multiple aircraft types and numbers, who are performing contract services for the US and German military and defense manu facturers. Services cover a wide range of operations, from CAS and FAC training, air refueling evaluations, target towing, adversary air and the like. Some of t hat, youll recall, was great to do while you were fleet pilots, and some maybe no t so great. Well, the fleet pilots have their plates full these days, and so the re is a significant demand for such contract work. The major players here, in no particular order are: Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC): Headquarters in Newport News, VA. Operates several types of fighter/attack aircraft including 4 A-4N and 2 A-4L (leased). We dont believe the Limas are flying right now, perha ps awaiting word on the recent A-4L accident at NAS Fallon, but theyre probably q uite flyable. Estimate: 6 A-4N/L 4 Advanced Training Systems International (ATSI ): Headquarters in Mesa, Arizona. At one time, had an inventory of some 10 Israe li A-4Ns and 3 TA-4J. It has leased or sold several of these and now operates wi th about 5 A-4N and 3 TA-4F, but several are without engines at this time. Estim ate: 5 A-4N and TA-4 5 BAE Systems: Operates 6 A-4N Skyhawks (4 from Israel, fro m ATSI) in support of the German Air Force out of Wittmund Air Force Base, Germa ny, doing mostly target towing and other support work. As of now, expecting cont inued work through at least 01. Estimate: 6 A-4N 6 Teton Aviation Services: This I daho service company has available about 10 privately owned aircraft ranging fro m MIGs to a Citation and owner Rich Sugden is about to bring online TA-4J, 15406, currently in work in Texas (to be based in Idaho at Teton Aviation.) Estimate: a TA-4J (partial credit until 1st flight) Tactical Air Defense Services (TADS): This Carson City, NV, contract service company provides training and support ser vices to US and Allied air forces. Its 4 aircraft mix also ranges widely from MIGs to Falcons. It acquired Aerogroup, Inc in 006 which had an A-4 but we have no update on current Skyhawk flying other th an that their web site still lists them as an asset. Estimate: 0 Tactical Air Sy tems, Inc (TAS): This Mesa, AZ company spent some 5 years trying to purchase 17 stored New Zealand A-4s and after long US government approval delays and lack of financing available, appears to have given up the effort just last year. Estima te: 0 5 6 Private Collections: Collings Foundation: Dedicated to preserving the heritage of the sky, this perhaps most well known foundation operates some 18 flying historical aircraft and main tains for display several more. Its TA-4J, N524CF, is often seen around the most popular air shows around the country. With FAA certification to fly back seater

s, you too can fly againfor about $7500. Estimate: 1 TA-4J 7 Warbird Heritage Fou ndation: Has a similar mission as the Collings Foundation. It operates close to a dozen heritage warbirds in air shows and appearances around the country. Its A4B, N49WH, is actually owned by Mr. Paul Wood and first flew in late 009. It also shows up in research as a Navy Legacy Flight warbird demonstration aircraft. Es timate: 1 A-4B 8 Pacific Aero Ventures, LLC: Privately owned by Don Keating, thi s newly restored TA-4J (by Mike McDougal of Fighting Classics Restoration) is th e most recent addition to the flying Skyhawks. Don has parts for possibly more A -4s for Mike to work on once he sells this N518TA beauty. If I only had $6 milli on. Estimate: 1 TA-4J 9 Skyhawk Ventures, LLC: Porter Spangler and Dan Carr and their team have been wor king meticulously on this pure A-4C, N2262Z, for about 7 years now. Slowly but s urely this A-4 will be ready to fly from its base just north of Orlando, Fl. Est imate: an A-4C (again, partial credit) Aero Mark, Inc: Located in Idaho Falls, I D, owners Bob Hoff and Jerry Dust run two FBOs and are working on getting his A4L back in the air someday. Sugar Daddies welcome? Estimate: 0 A4L LLC: Bob Schn eiders outfit acquired 9 of the Malaysian parts aircraft in Arizona and has brought several of them into service under contract as orders come in. ATAC had , now ha s , of these aircraft and possibly 4 more can be flying fairly soon after ordered , with those spread through Sabreliners restoration facility in Perryville, MO, S herman, TX, and Bill Maszalas storage facility, ATW Aviation, Inc., in Marana, AZ . Neither Bob or Bill actually operate A-4s but well talk more about them when I try and put together another story on the main restorers and caretakers of Skyha wks for a future issue. One final note: AMARC, or the Aerospace Maintenance And R egeneration Center, also referred to as the boneyard, is a joint service facilit y managed by the US Air Force Material Command located in Tucson, AZ. It used to store, amongst its over 4000 aircraft, significant numbers of A-4s. There are v ery few remaining. There are several A-4 aircraft still for sale from several br okers (check the web), but just several. We appear to be running out of airframes gentlemen. Theres not too many more to play with! Totals: 98 79 Military 15 Contract 3 Private 7 8 9 Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 17 Va-23 black kNigHTS HoST Reunion at Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum By Jim Cameron After a year and a half of preparing, Navy Attack Squadron 23 got together to sh are memories of years just before and during the Vietnam War, and the deployment s made with Carrier Air Wing- and 19. In December of 196, VA- became the first squad ron in the world to receive the A4-E Skyhawk and later in April 1965, pioneered the employment of Shrike anti-radiation missiles in combat against North Vietnamese SAM missile sites. The last time the Black Kn ights met to catch up on life since the squadron was disestablished on April 1, 1970, was on board the USS Midway in 006. Picking the Evergreen Museum, McMinnvil le, Oregon, as the location for the 010 reunion was easy for me since Im a docent at the museum. Because it is located right in the heart of Oregon wine country and at the foot of the Oregon coast mountain range, I knew that it would blow my fellow squadron mates away. And it did! After scheduling the reunion dates with our museums spec ial events staff, my punch list began to grow. The staff was wonderful to deal w ith on the details of the meal, location, set-up, photo taking, colors, and timi ng. After all, they do this week after week. If I were to rate them for their ef forts, and the outcome of the reunion, it would be 5 Stars. The Evergreen museum campus, with over 100 aircraft and hundreds of space artifacts, comes alive onc e you enter the two beautiful 10,000 squarefoot buildings, and I just knew the IM AX Theater would captivate all that Attendees of the 2010 VA-23 reunion held at Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum,

McMinnville, OR. 18 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association took in a showing. The grounds of the complex provided the perfect place for guy s that still have jet fuel running through their veins to sit around with their wives and friends while catching up on old times. I picked the Space Museums mezz anine to establish our lounge for the three days, and the setting for Saturday n ight dinner. We had plenty of room there to spread out our memorabilia, includin g cruise books and photos that captured the lives of those 1959-1970 members that attended. We sat around to get reacquainted and told Sea Stories about ourselves, especially about those that werent there to defend themselves. We were fortunate to have a beautiful painting of a VA- aircraft, which represented the squadrons fo ur Vietnam deployments and the six pilots lost to the war, donated by fellow doc ent and artist Ron Weil to be given away to one of the squadron members attendin g the reunion. Jerry Whitcomb from Grants Pass, Oregon, was the lucky recipient. Our Executive Director Larry Wood, a retired Marine & A4 aviator, surprised us with another collection of commemorative art by artist and museum employee Micha el Abondo. Michaels beautiful pencil sketch features the A-4E displayed at Evergr een, surrounded by VA A-4s in three smaller sketches. One of the prints was signe d by all that attended the reunion. Our Saturday night dinner featured retired C olonel Russ Barney, a 1-year veteran Air Force pilot, recent inductThe painting donated by artist Jim Weil was presented to Jerry Whitcomb from Gra nts Pass, Oregon. ee to the Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame and fellow Evergreen docent. Russ piloted 5 B-17 missions into Germany during WWII, later flying in Korea and Vietnam. He charmed us with his wit and educated us on how hundreds or even thousands of air craft could form up under radio silence and fly their assigned missions over Ger many. Russ did not lose any crew or aircraft, certainly a fete only a few accomp lished. As the reunion closed, the parting question on everyones mind was: Was the re going to be an opportunity to reunite again? [Ed. note: Jim submitted a longer article with lots of pointers on how to plan a great reunion. Weve placed that version on the website for reference by those in clined to take on the task of reunion coordinator. It can be a daunting task, an d, as Jim points out, it takes a leap of faith to make hotel and restaurant rese rvations months (or even years) ahead, wondering if anyone will actually show up . Its also quite a task to locate members of the group, even with todays pervasive technology. The good news is that Skyhawk Association and other military affini ty groups are willing to help, and once the event is over, everyone will be glad you did it. Let us know if youre planning a reunion. We can help spread the word .] Go Ahead, Give A Guy A Gift Got a buddy who tries to leave with your copy of the A-4Ever? Got a pal who flew the Scooter but never reads about its illustrious history? Got women around you that think youre making up all those war stories and flying tales? Got kids who ask what you did in the war, daddy? Well, help is at hand--its called the Gift Me mbership Subscription for the Skyhawk Associations favorite publication, the A-4E ver. For less than half a tank of gas, you get a full years worth of Skyhawkabili a in print and not only that, it has become a collectors item as well. Three time s a year our members rejoice when finding the A-4Ever in the mailbox, and you ca n share in that love by giving a gift membership to those in need. A card will b e sent to the lucky recipient naming you as the donor, or not. Join or renew at $30 or $75, and give a one-year gift membership to someone for $20 at the same t ime. Contact Terry Cooney at skyhawkasn@woh.rr.com for your gift membership(s), or at 2421 Clubside Dr., Beavercreek, OH 45431. Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 19 Hun Reporting, All photos via Todd Frommelt. cENTENNial kick off aT NaS NoRTH iSlaNd! Entry to NAS North Island And it was a fine show! Actually, you may have expected an air show, but what we

got instead was what they advertised...a Parade of Flight. Close to 180 historica l and current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aircraft flew by the station fo r pretty much a solid two hours. The Parade started with a fly-by by the almost rea dy for the show circuit Blue Angels, and ended with a close to 35 aircraft fly-by by the USS Stennis airwing. Both were impressive, despite heavy restrictions on altitude and speed with SAN just a mile away. Aside from those two big events, i n my humble opinion, the most impressive shows were put on by the Marine mass he licopter fly-bys. I didnt know we had that many Cobras, Sea Stallions and Sea Knig hts! Way to go guys! Rumor has it that we missed the A-4N fly-by due to ground s upport equipment problems over at the staging point, Brown Field. Not to worry! Don Keatings (Pacific Aero Ventures) new TA-4J, N518TA, was there in all its glor y! Even sporting a great Naval Aviation Centennial decal! Don and his proud rest oration expert, Mike McDougal (Fighting Classics Aircraft Restoration) were on h and talking with all of us Skyhawk aficionadosand there seemed to be a constant s tream of us! Along with close to 80 other ground displays, the McDougalDouglas T A-4J was a standout. Its for sale, BTW; something around $6-7 million can get you a fine Scooter The McDougal-Douglas TA-4J N518TA Todd Frommelt and Mike McDougal pose in front of N518TA Don Keating and fiance Erika Part of the CH-53 flyby 0 Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association iSRaEli laST fligHT Last month, the Israeli Air Force celebrated the last flight of Lt.Col Ido Rosol io (age 60) and Colonel Dani Shaki (age 64) by sending them airborne in their TA -4H Skyhawks after 40 years of distinguished service to their country. Both fini shed their service as instructors at the Air Academy after some 4000 sorties of flying, much of that in various models of the A-4. Colonel Shaki also had 3 MIG kills during the Yom Kippur War in Phantoms. (Photo via new Skyhawk Association member Rami Lothan. SiZE doES maTTER Modelers Corner By Joe Turpen Visit www.a4model. a4skyhawk.org/models/ modelers.htm to 1969 cruise, so the plans showing green were correct. A more interesting fact was confirmed by the Association website, as well as the squadron history. Pict ures off the website showed VA-15 aircraft with the green on the tail in 1969, bu t also showed squadron aircraft with the yellow on the tail. However, they were A-4Es aboard the USS Shangri-La (CVS-38)! Checking the squadron history confirmed that VA-152s last cruise was aboard USS Shangri-La with CVW-8 in 1970. How Fujim i missed that I dont know since the box art is always so good. But it did make fo r some interesting research. I was sitting here wondering what to do for this edition of The A-4Ever when a h umorous thought struck me. What about the Fujimi 7nd scale A-4B Maverick kit? The kit was listed as 6101 when it appeared in 1988 and as F-7 in 004. It has markings for a VA-152 aircraft, BuNo. 144954 AA-51 from CVW-17 aboard the USS Forrestal(C VA-59), as well as an Argentinean Navy aircraft 3-A-307. That doesnt really sound all that different from other Skyhawk kits until you look at the box art for th e kit. The illustration on the box shows the rudder of the Maverick Skyhawk pain ted yellow, but when you look at the painting instructions with the kit, that same area is said to be painted gre en. Well, which is correct? I knew it couldnt be both. The first place I looked w as the association website to see what I could find. I also contacted a member o f VA-15 who had been on the 1969 cruise aboard the Forrestal. I also checked the attack squadron histories available through the Naval History Center. The result s were interesting in more ways than I thought. When I sent a picture of the mod el to a former squadron member, he confirmed the use of the green markings for t he 1968

Box art shows Fujimi A-4B from VA-152 with yellow tail markings. Photo from Skyhawk Association website shows VA-152 with green tail markings. VA-152 AJ 507 with yellow tail markings. Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 1 PuRESomE uNPluggEd YPs Excellent Adventures By Jack Puresome Woodul ~ A Near Thing ~ Way up in an obscure corner of the squadron flight schedule was a piece of routi ne trivia served up daily by Norman the Fink, the beloved schedules officer. Thi s was the assignment of the PT boat CAP to a pilot, whose responsibility was to be available to launch his heavily armed A-4 against any rat-eating commie that de cided to OD on rice wine and charge out to Yankee Station to do a PT-109 number on the Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club. The fact that no gomer JFK had seen fit to com e on out to do battle for a couple of years had been noticed by flight crews, an d certainly by Puresome. Since the assignment of the PT boat CAP seemed mostly c eremonial, this information tended to dusty abandon in comparison with real-life concerns, such as Alfa strikes, the nightly movie, and which brown-nosers were getting two day hops. Discussions with a NORDO Roomie It must have been fear of the dreaded scurvy that caused Puresome and his roomie Weed to get into the cact us juice and Hawaiian punch jug that night in their palatial stateroom above the boiler. About midnight thirty, Puresome realized that Weed must have rolled inv erted and crashed into his rack because Puresomes brilliant insights on practical ly everything had received no comment for some time. Youthlys last thought before his eyes rolled back in his head and he spun into his upper rack was that he ha d a NORDO roomie. The sounds of the telephone ringing and Weed trying to find it and answer the right end would have been hilarious to a milk-fed quarterback, b ut Puresome was not of that persuasion. He was mystified by the whole proceeding s, especially by Weed screaming in his face that the caller was the squadron dut y officer, and he wanted Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association too weak as a result of the near thing to do more than throw his flight gear in a chair. He gave the SDO a digital indication of disdain and humped back to the st ateroom, where Weed was obliviously snoring on. Puresome was sleeping the sleep of the recently reprieved within 0 seconds. Comes Around Again Shortly thereafter , he was treated to dj vu all over again. The phone rang and Weed eventually answe red. It was the SDO for Puresome, the duty PT boat CAP guy, and there was a laun ch! Again! Puresome was still in the domain of punch, but this was too much he w as pissed! He donned his flight suit and boots and stomped to the ready room, wh ere he told the SDO to perform illegal, immoral and painful acts upon his own pe rson. Still stewing, he donned flight gear and strode to the flight deck, whereu pon he found and mounted Sidewinder 41. He got external power and air, started th e aircraft; taxied to the No. 1 catapult, turned up and . . . launched! Up came the gear! Up came the flaps! On came the radar! And on came the armament switche s! Yahoo! Wagner was playing and fat ladies in horn hats were singing as Puresom e switched to Strike Common frequency, where he received a vector for the encroa ching rat-eaters. He turned on the gunsight and cranked in the mil lead for his Zuni rockets, and there on the scope were, yes! Blips! Yahoo! Puresomes eyes went all squinty in the dim red light of the cockpit as he closed with the radar con tacts. Behind him, newly awake and stone-cold, unpunched, the CAP aircraft from the other squadron was launched into the inky black. It was not a good thing. Uh, Sidewinder 412 from Blue Hawk 310, say posit, managed its driver. Youthly actual ly didnt say anything like missionary, but spat out his radial and DME from Guntrai n Tacan. Merge plot! Puresome giggled maniacally as he pickled off three parafla res, jammed on full throttle and climbed and turned to reach a rollin position. He switched weapons stations and rotated the armament to talk to Puresome! Eventually, Youthly understood and rolled out of his upper rack to land, cat-like, on his left hip and shoulder. Finally addressing the pho

ne through the correct end, the SDO made Puresome understand that he was the PT boat CAP and it was a launch! Launch em! It was zero dark-thirty, and Puresome di dnt like this at all. Stumbling into flight suit, boots and every kneeknocker on the way to Ready Room 4 Starboard, things didnt get any better when a wide-eyed S DO verified that he was to suit up and man up the commies were coming! Looks Lik e a Launch Puresome fumbled through putting on his g-suit and torso harness in a bject fear. He fumbled up the escalator through the red lights and into the dark ness of the flight deck. After tripping over most of the tie-down chains on the flight deck, he finally found Sidewinder 41, which seemed to have two wings and a whole bunch of flares and Zuni rockets. Since he was too befuzzled to think of any sophisticated downing gripe, he got real busy figuring out how to convince t he Big Guy that, if he saved him this one last time, he really was going to stra ighten out and join the boys soprano chorus. With that, Puresome finished his pre flight, zombied up the boarding ladder and crawled into the cockpit. The longest five minutes of his life were those spent strapping in, getting external electr ical power plugged in, fiddling with knobs and praying a lot. Reprieve came with a plane captain scrambling up the ladder and yelling that the launch had been s crubbed. Thanks again, Big Guy! After a reverse procedure of tripping over tie-d own chains, Puresome found his way back to the ready room, NEw mEmbER$ Welcome Francis Birties - New South Wales, Australia Michael Clarkin - Utica, NY Charles Del Pizzo - Mableton, GA Nelson Dewees - Prospect, KY Charles Hiebain - Evens, CO ClaudeJanssen - Liege, Belgium Join or renew, and give someone a one-year gift membership for $20 more. Contact Terry Cooney at skyhawkasn@woh.rr.com or at 2421 Clubside Dr., Beavercreek,OH 4 5431. Rami Lothan - Tel Aviv, Israel Claude Merrill - Coupeville, WA Steve Rooke - Anc horage, AL Ido Rosolio - Tel Aviv, Israel Henri Vanderstraeten - Lembeek, Belgiu m Robert White - Champaign, IL ScHEduliNg STuff Reunions & Requests PlaN aHEad Skyhawk Association Board Meeting: Saturday morning, April 9, 011, USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, TX. Coinciding with NAS Corpus Christis Centennial of Naval Avia tion observance, the board is planning several special events for Skyhawk Associ ation members April 8th and 9th, including a special tour of the NAS Kingsville, a Lexington tour, the Blue Angel air show, and more. The Omni Corpus Christi Ma rina Tower, 707N. Shoreline Blvd., will be the headquarters hotel, and a block o f rooms at a special rate will be available. Watch announcements on the Skyhawk Association home page, www.skyhawk.org, for more information, including instruct ions on making reservations for the block of hotel rooms. Marine Corps Aviation Association Symposium, May 18-1, 011, Town and Country Hotel, San Diego, CA. See w ww.flymcaa.org for details. Skyhawk Association 2011 Annual Meeting and Luncheon : 11:0 a.m., September 9, 011, Tailhook Symposium 2011, Reno, NV. Hook 2011 will c elebrate 100 years of Naval Aviation. Make your reservations early see www.tailh ook.org. PURESOME UNPLUGGED continued selector to Rockets. As the flares lit, he could see. . . . Theres something down th ere! Clear me to shoot, Guntrain, clear me to shoot! Ah, negative cleared to fire, 412, Strike Control came back. Were receiving radio transmissions that these are f riendly freighters bound for Haiphong, rest and relaxation. . . . In mid-dive wit h pipper on target and finger on the trigger, Puresome could only exclaim ratsfan nies! to himself over the lost opportunity to save his ship and his mates, and to cover himself with well-deserved glory. Uh, Sidewinder 41 from Blue Hawk 10 . . . say posit, crackled over the UHF. A Night Tra p and Back to the Rack The rest of the launch was a piece of pastry. Puresome dr oned about, pickled off the rest of his flares in a clear area, looked at the pr etty stars and awaited his approach time back at the ship. Blue Hawk 10 contracte d the vertigos and diverted to DaNang. There was enough punch still flowing in h

is veins that Puresome didnt even mind the night trap. By the time he had dumped his sodden flight gear in the ready room and fired off a further insult or two at th e sleepily indifferent squadron duty officer, the Wagnerian opus playing in Pure somes head had turned into an anthem played by the little man with the ice pick. And there was the growing quease that he just might have come close to letting t he team down. As he switched on the light back at his cozy stateroom, Weed pulle d the sheets over his head and whimpered. Its OK, dirtbag, said Puresome, Ive been ou t saving your sorry ass. Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 Skyhawk Association 2421 Clubside Dr. Beavercreek, OH 45431-2503 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID MOREHEAD CITY, NC PERMIT NO. 116 Skyhawk Association Spring 2011 Journal Volume 17 Number 1 Join the Skyhawk Association and get a free patch New _______ Years One of these outstanding patches will be included with each new membership. Want more than one patch? (Who doesnt?) See ordering info at left. Memberships are 1 year - $30 ($35 Foreign) 3 Years - $75 ($90 Foreign) in US funds. YES, Sign me u p! Send my patch and membership materials to: Renewal $______ Total Enclosed Name _________________________________________________________________________ A ddress _______________________________________________________________________ C ity __________________________________State _________ Zip ______________________ __ Order additional patches No flight suit/jacket should be without one of these outstanding patches. Additi onal quantities may be purchased for $5.00 each ($6 for nonmembers) plus $1 post age, by sending your check or money order (no credit cards yet, sorry) payable t o Skyhawk Association along with your name address and membership number (found on your card) to: Skyhawk Patch 2421 Clubside Drive Beavercreek, OH 45431 Phone _______________________________ E-mail ___________________________________ _ Call sign/nickname ____________________________A-4 hours ________ A-4 Traps __ ________ Skyhawk Squadrons: ____________________________________________________ _________ Referred By __________________________________________________________ ___________ Join by mail: Send payment in US funds to: Skyhawk Association 2421 Clubside Dr. Beavercreek, OH 45431-2503 Credit card payments may be made at the Skyhawk Association website: www.skyhawk .org If you are a new member and would like to extend your collection of The A-4Ever. copies are available for all back issues beginning with Fall 2004 (Vol 10, No. 4). Extra copies may be purchased for $5.00 per issue, including shipping and ha ndling (domestic addresses only). Contact: Bob Hickerson at sa-journal-editor@a4 skyhawk.org or mail to: Bob Hickerson 1 Balcones Drive, Fredericksburg, TX 7864. New Member? Like to Have Some Back Issues of The A-4Ever? This document is 2011 by blade - all rights reserved. HomeJoin UsHumor PageLink s PageShip s StoreAdvertise HereTerms of UseReady Room Copyright 1995-2011 . .