A-4 Skyhawk "First and Last" Events"
SKYHAWK - "FIRST & LAST" MILESTONES
updated 05 JUL 2010
FIRST LAST Event Remarks
21 JUN 52 Contract awarded for XA4D-1 Douglas Aircraft
26 JUL 52
Preliminary design begins Douglas Aircraft
13 OCT 52
Authority to Proceed Douglas Aircraft
01 FEB 54 XA4D-1 Rollout El Segundo Plant
22 JUN 54 First Flight - Bob Rahn XA4D-1 at Edwards
14 AUG 54 First production A4D-1 flight (A-4A)
OCT 54
Authority to Proceed , A4D-2 (A-4B)
12 SEP 55 First Carrier Trials U.S.S. Ticonderoga
15 OCT 55 Speed Record - 500Kilometer LT Gordon Gray 695.163 MPH at Edwards
26 MAR 56 First A4D-2 (A-4B) flight Test Pilot Dru Wood
27 SEP 56 First fleet delivery of A4D-1 VA-72 Quonset Point RI
29 SEP 56 First Delivery A4D-1 to the Marine Corps VMA-224 - BuNo139920
26 OCT 56 BuNo.139935 first A-4 declared fleet ready VA-72 Quonset Point RI
01 SEP 57 Fleet Delivery of A4D-2 (A-4B)
00 OCT 57 First WestPac Deployment of A-4 VA-93
00 JAN 58 First "E"s earned by A-4s VA-34
00 APR 58 First Jet Landing on Ranger VA-12 with A4Ds
21 AUG 58 First Flight A4D-2N (A-4C)
00 OCT 58 First Deployment 300 Gallon Drop Tanks A4D-2 & VA12 aboard USS Forrestal
00 OCT 58 First Night Quals in Night Air/Air Refueling A4D-2 & VA12 aboard USS Forrestal
00 OCT 58 First Buddystore & Standby Tanker A4D-2 & VA12 aboard USS Forrestal
00 JAN 59 U.S.S. Intrepid Landing Record A4D-2 of VA-106
00 JUL 59 First Skyhawk Trans-Atlantic with BuddyStore Marine Air Wing 2 - A4D-2s
00 SEP 59 First Operational Bullpup firing by a Skyhawk VA-34 in the Atlantic Fleet
01 FEB 60 Fleet Deliver of A4D-2N VMA-225
00 MAR 60 First delivery A4D-2 to Marine Corps VMA-225
00 APR 61 First Bullpup firing in Fleet Air Jacksonville Area VA-46
00 JUL 61 1000th Skyhawk rolls off the production line Douglas Aircraft
12 JUL 61 First Flight A4D-5 (A-4E)
00 DEC 62 Last Delivery A-4C
01 JAN 63 Deliver of A4D-5 (A-4E)
26 DEC 62 First unit to receive A-4E VA-23 Black Knights with A-4E
08 FEB 64 First Driver to get 100 landings in A-4E Dale Evans
04 AUG 64 First Skyhawk Raids into North Vietnam
05 AUG 64 First Skyhawk lost to combat - Vietnam VA-144 BuNo149578
25 APR 65 Shrike Missile into combat via a Skyhawk VA-23 Black Knights with A-4E
01 JUN 65 First Skyhawk lands at Chu Lai, Vietnam BuNo147779, VMA-225, Col. J. Noble
30 JUN 65 First Flight TA-4E Quickly redesignated TA-4F
01 APR 66 Production ended on A-4E
01 MAY 66 First Fleet Deployment TA-4F VA-125 NAS Lemoore CA
31 AUG 66 First A-4F Flight converted "E"
01 NOV 67 First Skyhawk Unit equipped with Walleye VA-212 a/c modified for Walleye
11 MAR 67 First Walleye fired in combat VA-212 CO CDR H. Smith - SE Asia
01 MAY 67 01 MAY 67 MIG-17 Shootdown by a Skyhawk VA-76 LCDR Ted R. Swartz
00 JUN 67 Fleet Delivery A-4F
19 JUL 67 First A-4G Flight Test Pilot Jim Stegman
21 JUL 67 First TA-4G Flight Test Pilot Jim Stegman
26-Jul-1967 First Delivery A4-G & TA-4G Produced for Australia
27 OCT 1967
First Flight of A-4H for Israel Test Pilot John Lane
17 DEC 68 First Flight TA-4J
00 xxx 69 First Deployment TA-4J VT-17 NAS Kingsville TX
10 APR 70 First A-4M Flight Test Pilot Walt Harper
00 OCT 70 First "Production" A-4M BuNo.158148 VMA-324 MCAS Beaufort, SC
26 FEB 71 Fleet Delivery A-4M VMA-324 MCAS Yuma AZ
16 APR 71 Fleet Delivery A-4M VMA-324 MCAS Yuma AZ
06 SEP 72 Last Skyhawk lost to combat - Vietnam VA-212 BuNo155021
27 JAN 73 Last Skyhawk Bomb Dropped - Vietnam Col. John Caldas, CO VMA-311
00 SEP 73 Skyhawk selected for Blue Angel Duty
00 xxx 74 00 xxx 86 Skyhawks fly with Blue Angels
00 DEC 75 Last USN A-4 Line Squadron disestablished
27 FEB 79 Last Production A-4 Delivered - BuNo160264 #2,960, a "Skyhawk II" A-4M to VMA-331
27 FEB 90 Last A-4M Active Duty xferred to Reserve Unit VMA-211 xfers a/c to MAG-42
22 JUN 94 A-4 retired from the USMC Reserves VMA-131
09 SEP 95 Skyhawk Association formed Tailhook at Reno
00 SEP 99 TA-4 retired from VT-7
03 MAY 03 Last USN Active Duty Skyhawk Flight VC-8 TA-4J to Palm Springs Airport
23 AUG 03 Formal Retirement of the Skyhawk - USN VC-8 Red Tails Deactivation NAS Oceana