From 1968 until 1984

A Pictorial History
of the
Royal Australian
Navy Fleet Air Arm
Skyhawk A-4G
by

RAN callsign ‘Lucifer’ used for formation & armament sorties

Centre Colour Page of the ‘Navy News’ 21st Anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm edition – 03 Oct 1969
HELLO!
intro by
Gorillaz
Please click above for video clip
 In the beginning there were Sea Furies, HMAS Sydney and the Korean War…

Sblt
Fred
Lane
Click graphic top left & right for RAN & RN Sea Fury arrested landing videos
… Then came the Sea Venom F.A.W. 53 era…
Please click all corner graphics for Venom video clips
ZOOM IN to see DETAILS
 Click Earth
image, zoom to
NAS Nowra,
NSW Australia
This opening
video (or any
other video in
this PDF) can be
stopped at any
time by clicking
the "X" in the top
right hand corner
of the window
showing the
video
Please use the
‘Bookmarks’ tab
to navigate to an
individual
aircraft history

Opening Page
Only. Please go
to the next page
of this PDF for
the Pictorial
History of RAN
FAA A-4G
Skyhawks â
 USN A-4B – Skyhawk landing, May 1965
http://www.drawquick.com.au/ships/pic15.htm 1st Skyhawk to land on HMAS Melbourne!
 Click above for USN pilot story & exclamation !?!!

Singapore RSAF Super Skyhawk

A-4SU 926 at Tengah Nov., 2002
Photo from Errol Kavanagh
 1st Skyhawk catapult HMAS
Melbourne, May 1965

http://www.drawquick.com.au/ships/images/gallery/a41965_05.jpg
http://www.a4skyhawk.org/5E/G144868/html/144874b.htm

BuNo. 144874 – First A4 to land on HMAS Melbourne in May, 1965

USN VC-5
‘Checkertail
Angels’ A-4B

Please visit the Skyhawk Association at:

www.skyhawk.org for more information

Aircraft: A-4B Skyhawk Description: Checkertail Angels: Lead is A-4B BuNo. 145036,
Custodian: VC-5 UE 25, #2 is A-4B BuNo. 144074, UE 26, #3 is A-4B BuNo.
BuNo: 144874 142874, UE 27 and #4 is A-4B BuNo. 144974, UE 28. There is a
modex: UE-27 black "Queer" Whale, probably VQ-1, sitting in the far revetment
Location: Cubi Point Photo credit: John Mosbarger
Date: 1967 contact: John Mosbarger

Click BACK or use your browsers BACK button to return to the previous page.

http://www.a4skyhawk.org/5E/G144868/html/144874b.htm03-May-05 00:43:48
 Page replicated
from 805 Sqdn
linebook 1967-68

Then came
the A-4G
Skyhawk
era.…

…read on…

Please click graphic

below for video clip
Page from VF-805 linebook
Navy Week — HMAS Melbourne at Garden Island, Sydney, NSW, Australia 1968
805 Squadron Linebook Entry
1968
 Click the red rectangle for a zoom
view of NAS Nowra airfield today

Click the red rectangle below for

video of a dusk catapault launch

Click red rectangle below for zoom

HMAS Creswell animated ‘Google’ ride from outer
RAN College space to NAS Nowra airfield today

SKYHAWK
A pictorial history of the Royal
Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm
complement of Douglas A-4G
Skyhawk aircraft — 1968–84.

Please click the ‘Bookmarks’ tab on the left

hand side of this page to navigate to an
individual ‘side number’ of an aircraft.

Some PDF pages have video .WMV movies

or popup Flash .SWF graphics embedded. NAS Nowra, NSW area with Click the red rectangle on right for a
zoom animated ‘Google’ ride from
Please click images on pages as directed. Jervis Bay to the south-east the USA to NAS Nowra airfield today
Most of NAS Nowra
jet flying training
area ‘highlighted’
from Nowra south
along coastal strip
south of Braidwood
RANAS Nowra Main Gate with ‘Gate Guardian’ Sea Fury on left and Firefly on the right — 23 Nov 1967
Royal Australian Navy A-4G Skyhawk Pictorial Histories PDFs The Story of TA-4G 879. The last page of the PDF references the
original 724 line book page. Click on the icon in the lower right hand
TA- corner of this page to see the original photo of the page (much
3670
4G weathered). The image that will pop up is in Flash format. If you do not
KB
879 have a Flash player installed then the OS will ask to download this
from the web. Many thanks to Australian Museum of Flight and Dave
Masterson for this photo.

Title Size Details

TA- RAN TA4G 880 which became NZ6255 and still going strong has had
6240
4G an historic "last" flight for the RAN Fleet Air Arm role. Story in the
The PDF shows in graphical format the history of RAN A4G 870. This KB
880 PDF with video clips and graphics
A-4G 2541 Skyhawk survived a mid-air collision in 1975 but was lost due to engine
870 KB failure on 23/01/1979. Fortunately SBLT C. Tomlinson survived his RAN TA-4G side number 881 had a long life until just before the
ejection into rugged bushland cessation of use by the RNZAF it crashed on 20/03/2001 with the
Another pictorial history of the use of RAN A4G 871 (second-hand pilot ejecting successfully over water west of Perth WA. This PDF has
A-4G 5059
USN A4) now converted to NZ6215 Kahu standard. Perhaps it will fly TA- 5851 a glimpse of the rugged country around Nowra as well as some generic
871 KB
again in the USA 4G 881 KB information about the 'leading edge slat' problem for an A-4 pilot
Sadly ASLT Malcolm McCoy died in RAN A4G 872 when he collided from a USN safety magazine. The very last page of this PDF
A-4G 3309 with another Skyhawk whilst practising 'divisional bombing' (in loose expresses hope for the remaining A-4Ks to have a flying future
872 KB formation) on 17/07/1975. The PDF shows a pictorial history of this somewhere soon
aircraft - 872
Former RAN Skyhawk A-4G 882 had a long service life until a fatal
A story in graphics is told of the history of RAN A4G 873 which crash in 16/02/2001 at NAS Nowra while with the RNZAF as NZ6211.
A-4G 3914 crashed after engine failure 05/06/1973. The pilot SBLT Tony Der Previously this Skyhawk had been damaged in mid-air collision with
873 KB Kinderen from VF 805 Squadron ejected over water safely. 873 was A-4G 1438 NZ6210 during Kiwi Red practice doing the roll under break manoeuvre
the first Skyhawk loss in the RAN
882 KB on 24/10/89, returned to service 17/11/90. Served with 2 Sqn RNZAF
RAN A4G 874 had a varied life, first with the USN with service in 2001. Crashed while conducting practice of barrel roll with NZ6213
A-4G 5358 Vietnam and then a second life with the RAN Fleet Air Arm; and finally
hooked up at Nowra NSW. NZ6213 escaped. Tragically Sqn Leader
874 KB another life with upgrades with the RNZAF and the Kahu update.
Murray Neilson RNZAF was killed.
Maybe it will fly again in the USA
RAN A4G 875 was lost after engine failure immediately after being The story of RAN A-4G 883 in pictures. Thanks again to usual
A-4G 1231 suppliers of photos, John Bartels, Laurie Hillier, Don Simms and Calum
catapulted from HMAS Melbourne 02/10/1980. LCDR Clive
875 KB Gibson and others (RAN and RNZAF official). If any further pictures
Blennerhassett ejected with minor injuries A-4G 4224
People to thank for photos: Australian Museum of Flight; Dave or/and information can be supplied then that would be most welcome.
883 KB
Masterson; Calum Gibson; Don Simms; Laurie Hillier and more - the list
A-4G is long. Usually the story concentrates on the individual aircraft but
4084
often there will not be a lot of material for each one. Then aspects of
876 KB
the overall Skyhawk RAN to RNZAF (including previous USN) history A-4G 5180 Another long pictorial story about former RAN A4G 884 becoming
are included. Any errors or omissions can be easily corrected - please
advise
884 KB NZ6213 - perhaps to fly again one day in the US of A
Former RAN A4G 877 after becoming NZ6218 suffered a major The PDF shows the colourful history of RAN A-4G 885 before it went
A-4G 5168
accident during landing on a wet runway. The aircraft was repaired to A-4G 5835 to "Davy Jones' Locker" on 21/10/1980. Thankfully SBLT David
877 KB
fly again. Story of the aircraft in this PDF 885 KB Baddams ejected at the end of the soft catapault shot, being rescued
On 28/04/1980 RAN TA4G 878 suffered an engine failure during the by helicopter minutes later with minor injuries
TA-
3301 'break downwind' into the circuit for landing at NAS Nowra. Leut Andy A-4G
4G 5893 RAN A4G 886 rolled off the flight deck on 24/09/1979. The last
KB Sinclair ejected successfully, passing 500 feet, about 1NM south of
878
runway 26.
886 KB pages of this PDF demonstrate the rolling flight deck hazards
 A Pictorial history of A4G Skyhawk. This pictorial history of 887 in the
RAN, with a swansong in the RNZAF compiled, unfortunately without
A-4G photos of 887 in RNZAF garb; therefore the last 2 pages are of
3787
anonymous RNZAF A4s. The bird strike photos are of the actual
887 KB
former RAN 887 (NZ 6214) however. Thanks to Laurie Hillier,
John Bartels and others for their excellent colour photos

RAN A-4G 888 was usually referred to as "triple 8" until 23/05/1979
A-4G 4500 when it was lost over the side of HMAS Melbourne after the arrestor
888 KB wire broke during an arrest. LCDR K. Finan USN ejected successfully
as the Skyhawk went nose down off the deck
RAN A4G 889 was lost off the catapult due to catapult malfunction on
A-4G 08/11/1973. SBLT Barry Evans did a great job surviving being run over
6068
almost by the ship, surfacing after it passed by, to be then rescued
889 KB
quickly by the plane guard Wessex. A video embedded in page 390 shows
the story of this event in brief

THE A-4 ALLEY

Aussie A-4G Histories and Documents
The Royal Australian Navy operated A-4G and TA-4G Skyhawks from around
1968 to 1984. After this the remaining aircraft were sold to the Royal New
Zealand Air Force, eventually to be come RNZAF A-4K's. In the ultimate irony
they returned to their original home at HMAS Albatross in 1991 for a 10 year
stint supporting the RAN. This page contains a large number of PDF's on various
subjects related directly and indirectly to the operation of the A-4G Skyhawk
by the RAN.

Many of these PDF's contain video files and flash animations.

For help on these PDF's you can try this e-mail address:

lucyfer@msn.com.au
Navy Callsign Photo by LCDR J.R. Brown RAN (Ret.) LEUT Peter James LSO
All PDF's were created by Phil Thompson (Lucifer). We hope you enjoy them