A-4s Forever!
By Art Nalls
When I received my wings of gold in June, 1979, those bumper stickers were all over every U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps jet base, and for good reasons. By that time, the A-4 “Skyhawk” built by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation, had already been in service for nearly three decades, been to war, and was a workhorse of USN and USMC jet aviation. Known as the “Scooter” and “Heinemann’s Hot Rod,” all but a few jet aviators, who were provided advanced jet training by the USAF during Viet Nam, cut their teeth in A-4’s. I carrier-qualified in a TA-4J, BuNo 158509 on May 2, 1979 with a whopping 250.2 hours of total flight time. That was the average flight time for Student Naval Aviators (SNA) making their second and final carrier qualification before being “winged” and was already fond of and comfortable with the “Skyhawk.”
Many newly minted pilots, myself included, also flew A-4s at their next duty station, prior to transition training in their actual fleet jet. I flew the OA-4Ms, assigned to Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron (H&MS-32) at MCAS Cherry Point. This version was a highly modified TA-4J, designed specifically as a platform for Forward Air Controller (FAC) Airborne. These proficiency flights were to keep me current before my Harrier flight class convened and so I could become familiar with the local course rules. It was considered too much for students to learn new course rules anda completely new airplane such as the “Harrier,” so we took baby steps. In my opinion, the multi-tone gray camo OA-4M, with its added hump back for the radios, and “MARINES” on the aft fuselage, was one of the best looking A-4s. It was just plain sexy. Flying it, however, was another story for another time, and its service with the Marines was short lived.
Cherry Point was also home to several A-4M squadrons. Together with the Harriers, we were the foundation of the Marine Corps close air support and light attack force. There was always a friendly rivalry between “Harrier” and “Scooter” pilots, all of whom were part of Marine Aircraft Group (MAG)-32. Eventually, all those A-4 pilots either transitioned to “Harriers” or went on to other things in the Marine Corps.
Besides a front-line-light attack jet, the A-4 was used by aggressor squadrons––and still today fulfills that vital mission flown by government contractors. Its flying characteristics and small size make it the ideal adversary––difficult to see and difficult to shake once it’s stuck on your six.
Dale Snodgrass, a retired Navy F-14 fighter pilot, is still flying as the chief pilot for Draken International, providing adversary support for multiple services. According to Dale, “It’s the 90-percent solution for about 20 percent of the cost. It’s still an awesome airplane and a bargain for the U.S. Government.”
The USN’s Blue Angels flew beautiful blue and gold A-4s with polished leading-edge slats, from 1974 until 1986, replacing the F-4 “Phantom” and prior to their current jet, the F/A-18 “Hornet.” For those decades, the A-4’s were literally all over the world, with multiple services and multiple countries.
When I was stationed at NAS Patuxent River, Md., I was fortunate to be the project test pilot for an upgraded engine. This required verifying the engine would re-light if the pilot had a flameout. My test plan was to intentionally shut down the engine at about 40,000 feet and glide down to below 20,000 feet and attempt a relight. Doing this flight test, I accumulated more than three hours of flight time in A-4s without the engine running. This was some of the most fun, and most dangerous, of flight testing, as we had to be prepared to land the airplane dead-stick, in case it did notrelight. Fortunately, all the starts were successful.
So many aviators fell in love with the jet, the bumper stickers, T-shirts and hats were everywhere, probably in multiple foreign languages as well.
Almost everyone loved this jet and hoped they’d be in the inventory for years to come. It created a near-cult following, but nothing lasts forever. Eventually, they all retired to the bone yard to support our allies still flying the jets with spare parts.
Today, there are a precious few in civilian hands and flying, either for U.S. Government work or at airshows. Victor Miller, owns the beauty on this month’s cover and keeps it in a hangar, at Dennison, Texas, just north of Dallas. It’s been in his hands and flying since 1996, and at one time augmented Draken International’s fleet as adversaries for the U.S. Government. For the past couple of years, it just sat idle in the barn, surrounded by his multiple single-seat models, engines, and spare parts.
But Victor wanted to get the airplane back in the air. Imagine my delight when, out of the blue (no pun intended), Victor called and invited me to be part of getting this airplane back into flying shape. I jumped at the opportunity. Who wouldn’t?
I had a business trip scheduled for Dallas in April of this year, so I took my helmet and flight suit along with me. Victor could supply the rest of the gear I needed. So with a day off from business, my wife, Pat, and I headed to his airfield meet Victor in person.
I must say, the photos, as brilliant as they are, do notdo this airplane justice. It’s downright gorgeous! A quick walk-around, and I was almost ready to hop in and go. I have a type rating, by virtue of past flight experience, and re-read the entire flight manual on the airline trip. Much of it came back instantly, but after an hour or so in the cockpit, I felt as comfortable as I had ever been. All the checks and emergency procedures came back like they’d never left.
One of the critical parts of the pre-flight, is checking the leading-edge slats. The A-4 has a tapered wing, and aerodynamically actuated leading-edge slats, to improve slow speed and high angle-of-attack lift and handling. They are simple but critical.
Adjusting the slats to get them perfect is more of an art rather than a science. They take correct lubrication and small shims to make sure they both come down and go up simultaneously. There is not an interconnect between the two. On a normal landing, they are partially out in the approach and fully extended when on-speed. In air combat maneuvering, they also extend at slow speed or high AOA. Here’s where the art comes in. If they are not perfect, one will extend before the other and cause a roll. There is also a possibility that one can get stuck, either full in or out. That becomes a handful quickly, especially if trying to stay on the enemy’s tail. They need to be perfect.
When I did the walk around on Victor’s jet, the first thing I did was test the slats. Admittedly, I expected them to need some “tune up,” but they were perfect! I even repeated the tests to make sure. If the slats are fine, the rest of the airplane maintenance is usually fine as well. The slats are the hard part.
Unfortunately, I did not bring my torso harness, which is what we use to strap into the ejection seats. Victor’s supply didn’t have the size I needed, so a flight was not going to happen. This was even more disappointing, since I had a perfect-fitting one, hanging in my office. There was no way to get it in time.
We quickly moved to our backup plan. We would start, go through all the checklists, taxi, and do a high-speed run down the runway. I was at least going to go that far.
Victor’s cockpit is not stock. I don’t think any civilian models are stock but have a combination of civilian gyros, navigation avionics, and civilian radios. I took some time to fully absorb the avionics and be ready to start.
Not to let the back seat go empty, and as a backup to my procedures, I was accompanied by David Lanham in the backseat. He’s been studying the manuals and has taxied the airplane. He’s working toward his type rating. He knows this particular airplane very well. With the engine started, checks complete, off we go to the runway.
The little jet certainly accelerated like a rocket because we were only about at half of theinternal fuel load, and the drop tanks were empty. It would have leaped off the ground, I’m sure. But we planned to hit 80 knots, stop, and take it back to the barn.
Once back in the chocks, I passed a short list of “touch up” gripes to Victor. These were minor things that needed a little adjustment before we actually flew. He promised to get them all corrected, by the next time, and I certainly hope there is a next time.
As of this writing, I haven’t been able to get back to Dallas. In the meantime, Victor has enlisted some other experts to go over the airplane and make sure it’s safe and ready to get back in the air.
He wants to get the airplane back working for the U.S. Government. I’m still on the list to do some government flying and possibly some flight instruction.
I’m confident our schedules will align, sooner rather than later, and I’ll get back in the cockpit and back in the saddle. I can’t wait! I love this jet and truly hope to be flying A-4s forever, or as long as I can fool a flight surgeon.
