| SKYHAWK - "FIRST & LAST" MILESTONES |
| updated 06 MAR 2012 |
| 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 |
| 10 NOV 58 |
|
Contract for A4D-2N |
( A-4C ) |
| 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 |
|
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