Scooter!: The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Story - Hardcover

Simonsen, Erik

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0859791602 ISBN 13: 9780859791601

Publisher: Crecy Publishing, 2011

Synopsis

Few modern military aircraft can claim the longevity and success of the legendary Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. First flown in the mid- 1950s the A-4 Skyhawk achieved combat fame in the Falkland and Vietnam wars and saw service with the air arms of seven foreign countries including Israel and New Zealand. It is still in use today in South America.

About this title

Review:

It's hard to think of an aircraft that has had a longer career than the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, frequently called the Scooter. That career started in 1954 (a very good year, by the way) and continues to this very day. The design was the result of Ed Heinemann's efforts to give the Navy the attack aircraft it wanted while making it fit on any aircraft carrier the Navy used. The maximum unfolded wingspan the Navy stipulated for carrier aircraft, 27' 6", determined the span of the A-4. The ability to carry the then-current Mk. 7 nuclear weapon resulted in the stalky landing gear with which we're all familiar. The product of Heinemann's genius was a reliable aircraft that could carry a useful weight of weapons a considerable distance while being tough enough and maneuverable enough to bring the pilot home after delivery.
This book starts with the background of naval aviation procurement at the time of the A-4's development. Most aircraft were getting bigger, faster, and more expensive. Douglas broke the mold and delivered an aircraft that was small enough to fit easily on carriers, fast enough to do the job needed to be done, and cheap enough that the Navy could afford to buy it.
The rest of the first half of the book covers growth and development of the basic aircraft from the A4D-1, as it was originally known, through the very capable and widely used A-4E, to the final versions of the A-4M. Comparisons are made throughout between the A-4 and its contemporaries, such as the F11F Tiger and the FJ-4B Fury. There is fairly detailed coverage of the competition between the A-4 and the A-7 for the follow-on attack aircraft. Some interesting bits of reading concerned some of the weapons that were tried with the aircraft, both those that worked and those that didn't.
The second half of the book covers the A-4's involvement in combat in Vietnam and in other conflicts and air forces around the world. Also covered in some depth is its use in the naval adversary role and by the Blue Angels.
To demonstrate the length of service, the A-7, chief rival of the A-4 in its later years and its intended successor, is scheduled to be retired from service in Portugal within a very short time. A-4s continue in service in Argentina, Brazil, Israel, and Singapore and look to do so for at least several more years. Additionally, several companies fly A-4s in contracted support roles for air forces and navies around the world.
This book is well written, interesting, and informative. Tommy Thomason continues to maintain his reputation as an expert on US naval aviation. Illustrated with over 350 photos, with a large percentage of them being color, and dozens of line drawings and charts, this book is highly recommended to any enthusiast of modern naval aviation and especially to fans of the Scooter, Ed Heinemann's Hotrod!
--Steve Collins, IPMS #33811 - ipmsusa3.org

THERE HAVE BEEN a number of books on the Skyhawk, but this handsome new volume will be welcomed by A-4 buffs for details of its development, service and history with the US and foreign air arms. Conceived in 1952, it was to be capable of carrier-launch and delivery of an atomic bomb to a Soviet target, an ability which fortunately was never tested. Lightness and simplicity of construction were the design's keynotes, and the type proved successful in most of the roles offered. The book opens with some of the company's earlier designs and projects before passing to the A-4, a small aircraft with a span of only 27ft 6in which enabled two to be fitted on the lifts of Essex-class carriers - a drawing of the hangar deck shows how much easier it was to fit A-4s compared with other aircraft. The XA-4-D1 first flew in June 1954 and production was already under way. In October 1955 a modified production A-4D-1 set a 500km closed-circuit speed record of 695.163 m.p.h., beating one set by an F-86H Sabre at 649 m.p.h. Further development led to the two-seat TA-4, there were tanker A-4s for flight refuelling, Skyhawks were involved in the Vietnam War and the US Navy Blue Angels operated A-4Fs for 12 seasons - but for UK readers the type will be best-known for its use in the Falklands Conflict. Argentina was the first foreign operator, and using refurbished A-4Bs sank several British ships, pressing home their attacks with considerable courage and losing 22 aircraft. Other foreign operators were Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. Douglas delivered almost 3,000 aircraft between 1954 and 1979, and there were a few in civil marks, such as F-ZMVD, leased by French company AVdef for work with EADS, others were used by Advanced Training Systems and Flight Systems Inc, while BAE Systems operates several ex-Israeli A-4Ns as target tugs for the German Luftwaffe. An appendix lists all Skyhawks built, with serials, and there is a useful glossary of a large number or acronyms.

A splendid and well-produced tribute to the Skyhawk.

MlKE HOOKS --Aeroplane Magazine, Feb 2012

When the Blue Angels transitioned from the hugely impressive F-4 Phantom to the diminutive A-4 Skyhawk, many thought it was a backwards move. How could the little Skyhawk possibly put on a show as good as that of the Phantom? While the A-4 lacked the absolute thunder of two J79 engines, it more than made up for it with its incredible maneuverability, and its small size made the tight formations even more impressive. The Skyhawk was so good that it ended up flying with the Blue Angels for well over a decade. This really sums up the Skyhawk well: a small plane that doesn't look like much, but once put through its paces, the plane proved itself time and again around the world.

This latest book from Crécy Publishing covers the history of the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, from its development through to its operational history, which actually continues today as the A-4 remains in active service with several air forces around the world (in fact, Brazil plans to keep their A-4s in service until 2025). Of course, any book about the Skyhawk would be sorely incomplete without a discussion of the man behind the plane, Ed Heinemann. A long-time fixture at Douglas, Heinemann designed several propeller aircraft, most famously the AD Skyraider. With the Skyraider, Heinemann focused on weight reduction, a trait that followed in his other designs. The Skyhawk was the ultimate in that concept, and while it met with some resistance, as Douglas was footing the bill, Heinemann got the go-ahead and the A4D was borne.

From that early beginning, the Skyhawk soon became a favorite with pilots in the Navy and Marine Corps, and the war in Vietnam gave it combat experience that proved its effectiveness. Exports to Israel again put the Skyhawk in combat, and the Skyhawk no longer had to prove itself. Exports grew, with Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore all flying the type. The US Navy used the plane as an aggressor aircraft, as well as the aforementioned Blue Angels aircraft, and the Skyhawk also found its way into the civilian market. This book covers all of that history in good detail, complementing the text with plenty of high quality photographs.

With the advent of new-tool Skyhawks due out from Airfix, finding a good reference on the A-4 is timely, and this book provides a great single-source reference for modelers and aviation historians alike. --Chris Banyai-Riepl - Internet Modeler

About this edition

• Publisher: Crecy Publishing
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0859791602
• ISBN 13: 9780859791601
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 276