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A veteran Vietnam War survivor and long lived flying workhorse - before eventually succumbing to gravity…… Douglas A-4E Skyhawk with last four numbers of Navy serial 1087 on center tail (Full number being 151087) Belonging to VA-163 ‘Saints’ Modex 344 with tail code AH of Carrier Air Wing Sixteen (CVW-16) Seen being prepared for catapult launch aboard CVA-34 USS Oriskany during 1965. In left background is another A-4E of VA-163 and on the stern are folded wing piston engine A-1H/J Skyraiders of VA-152 with a E-1B Tracer Airborne Early Warning plane. The jib of a flight deck emergency heavy lift crane is also prominent. The US Navy accepted A-4E 151087 from the manufacturer on May 15, 1964 Flew first with the Navy and into the thick of war with VA-163 flying off CVA-34 USS Oriskany in both 1965 and 1966. On July 12, 1966 while flying a combat mission, A-4E 151087 suffered substantial flak damage over North Vietnam Luckily its pilot was uninjured and landed it safely. On October 26, 1966 a major fire swept through parts of USS Oriskany with the loss of ….. lives including four VA-163 pilots. The carrier was saved by the heroic efforts of crewmen. a4skyhawk.org/3e/va163/va163-oriskany-oct66-herold.htm a4skyhawk.org/3e/va163/va163.htm A-4E 151087 was one of those airframes that escaped damage. The deployment was immediately curtailed and the ship headed for emergency repairs. Transferred to VA-93 ‘Blue Blazers’ for work ups aboard USS Hancock at the end of 1966, by May 1967 it had found its way back across the Pacific to serve with Marine Corps squadron VMA-311 ‘Tomcats’. From 1967 to 1973 A-4E 151087 logged many tough missions with VMA-311 ‘in country’ – first from Chu Lai Marine Air Base and later Bien Hoa Airfield in the then South Vietnam On six separate occasions this aircraft got hit by ground fire – some minor but some Major. The amazingly lucky plane kept its pilot safe every time. In 1970, it went for a rest and repairs with the squadron to Japan. 1971 saw it back to war battling over the Mekong Delta area from Bien Hoa. To Japan again during 1972 for another few months of rest and repairs. Returning to the South and Bien Hoa for more two years of being worked hard supporting the gradually failing Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVIN) under the communist North’s relentless onslaught . Finally pulled to the Philippines and Japan in 1974 to fly - in the aftermath of the war – on West Pacific guard duty with VMA-211‘Wake Island Avengers’. After such illustrious service the Marine Corps seemed to have developed an affinity for this particular bantam bomber and retained it on secondary duties. Returning A-4E 151087 to the US mainland in 1976 and Tennessee based Marine Air Reserve units. A-4E 151087 met an ignominious end on August 14, 1979. Due to an APC engine shutdown US Marine Corps Major David A. Hallin had to eject from the aircraft somewhere near NAS Memphis, Tennessee At that time A-4E 151087 was assigned to the NAS Memphis Detachment of Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron (H&MS) 42 [APC; Approach Power Compensator] A 1965 picture with A-4E 151087 of VA-163 as Modex 344 included: a4skyhawk.org/content/buno-151074-va-163-ah-343-0 www.flickr.com/photos/va163saints/802137981/ Variant: A-4E Custodian: VA-163 BuNo: 151074 Modex: AH-343 Location: CVA-34 Date: 1965 Photo Credit: Bill Tomkow BuNo 151074, AH-343, and BuNo 151087, AH-344, of VA-163 being manned by their pilots. Note Bullpup missiles on their outboard wing stations A further 1965 picture with A-4E 151087 of VA-163 as Modex 344 included: a4skyhawk.org/content/buno-151074-va-163-ah-343-1 Variant: A-4E Custodian: VA-163 BuNo: 151074 Modex: AH-343 Location: CVA-34 Date: 1965 Photo Credit: Bill Tomkow BuNo 151074, AH-343, and BuNo 151087, AH-344, of VA-163 being manned by their pilots. Note Bullpup missiles on their outboard wing stations All operational information and above two images courtesy the ‘A-4 Skyhawk Association’ In 2001, A-4E 151087 was chosen as one of the subjects for a set of ‘Cutting Edge Decals’ 1/48 scale model decals when with VMA-311 ‘Tomcats’ as side number 7, squadron code WL www.internetmodeler.com/2002/february/new-releases/ce_dec... CED48147 - A-4E/F Skyhawks - MSRP: $8.99 USD. This sheet provides markings for two aircraft: A-4E, WL-7, Buno 151087, VMA-311, USMC www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/decals/ce/decal_ced48147.shtml Picture of A-4E 151087 when with VMA-311 ‘Tomcats’ as side number 7, squadron code WL www.millionmonkeytheater.com/a4dpics/151087.jpg www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A4D.html A-4E 151087 VMA-311 WL-7 1973-1974 A Japanese enthusiasts website records A-4E 151087 VMA-311 WL-7 at Naval Air Facility Nah Okinawa during 1973-1974 www.phantomojisan.com/bbs/joyfulyy.cgi?mode=past [582] 日付ネタ 投稿者：A-330 投稿日：2012/10/08(Mon) 09:47 A-4E WL-2 151087 VMA-311 73～74年那覇. F-4E PN 71-1085 xx年横田です。 Only available commercially – a picture of A-4E 151087 when with VMA-211: www.cloud9photography.us/US-Squadrons-USMC/US-Marine-Corp... A-4USMC 00139 A taxing Douglas A-4 Skyhawk USMC 151087 VMA-211 WAKE ISLAND AVENGERS Yokota AB 6-1974 military airplane picture by Hideki Nagakubo An image of A-4E 151087 of H&MS 42 Det Memphis VMA-124 may be viewed in this viewable/downloadable PDF document: www.scribd.com/doc/132064382/Ginter-S-and-Albright-S-2001... Caption reads “Bottom, A-4E 151087 with a Shrike missile attached to the outer left pylon. The Shrike was white with blue markings. (Harry Gann)” Only available commercially – a picture of A-4E 151087 when with VMA-124: www.aviationphotocompany.com/p934046062/h6084C1F3#h6084c1f3 USMC VMA-124 Douglas A-4E 151087/QP12 (1978) Late 1970s picture of A-4E 151087 with US Marine Air Reserve squadron VMA-124: a4skyhawk.org/content/151087-vma-124-photographer-unknown... a4skyhawk.org/content/151087-vma-124-photographer-unknown... A-4E 151087 VMA-124 Modex: QP-12 Right front view of VMA-124 Whistling Death A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 151087, QP-10, on the flight line with a pair of drop tanks, October 197x. Location and photographer unknown.

As per the Joe Baugher site: www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries18.html [BuNo] 150032 - . . . "Shot down by small arms fire near Tam Ky/Hiep Duc, South Vietnam May 30, 1967. Pilot [1st Lt. Michael Walter Thoennes, USMC,] KIA." www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/51555/MICHAEL-W-THOENNES/ www.findagrave.com/memorial/1247676/michael-walter-thoennes

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk 152015 VX-5 ‘Vampires’ tail code XE and side number 6 On the static line at an airfield open house Edwards Air Force Base May 1969 A-4E 152015 was used only as an air to ground ordnance test plane during the urgent era of the Vietnam War. The US Navy accepted A-4E 152015 on April 28 1965 and it went straight to VX-5 on April 30, 1965 as a weapons test platform. Then spent five years flying from Naval Air Station China Lake California It only flew until September 9, 1970. While over China Lake ‘B’ Range, the pilot had to eject after test firing folding fin aircraft rockets (FFAR) that may have broken up – the engine ingested the debris causing it to fail with the loss of the aircraft. a4skyhawk.org/content/buno-152015-vx-5-xe-6-0 A-4E 152015 VX-5 ‘Vampires’ code XE side number 6. Circa 1965 Photo Credit: Ray Powell VX-5 A-4E BuNo 152015, XE-6, circa 1965. Ordnance from l-r is Fireye, Shrike, Sadeye, Walleye; can not really see #1, but it might be Rockeye a4skyhawk.org/content/152015-vx-5-official-us-navy-photo-... A-4E 152015 VX-5 ‘Vampires’ code XE side number 6. China Lake, CA Dated June 6,1968 official U.S. Navy photo right side view of Vampires Skyhawk BuNo 152015, XE-6, FAE ordnance. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A-4_with_ZAP.png a4skyhawk.org/content/152015-vx-5-official-us-navy-photo-... A U.S. Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk (BuNo 152015) from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 5 (VX-5), carrying a ZAP rocket pod at NAWC China Lake, 19 January 1970 Official U.S. Navy photo a4skyhawk.org/content/152015-vx-5-photographer-unknown-g-... A-4E 152015 Edwards AFB 18 May 1969 right side view of Vampires Skyhawk BuNo 152015, XE-6, on the Edwards AFB flight line. a4skyhawk.org/content/4e-buno-152015 A-4E 152015 Edwards AFB 18 May 1969 VX-5 Vampires A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 152015, XE-6, tail close-up, Edwards AFB. Photo from Clay Jansson Collection, courtesy A. Romano www.navarchives.com a4skyhawk.org/content/buno-152015-vx-5-xe-6 Douglas A-4E Skyhawk 152015 VX-5 ‘Vampires’ code XE side number 6 Edwards AFB May 1970 Photo Credit: Hansen Description: BuNo 152015 of VX-5.