douglasa4

VX-5 Vampires A4D-1 Skyhawk BuNo 139925, XE-7, inflight with a centerline T-63 nuclear shape, circa 1957. Official U.S. Navy photo.

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Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 149644 VA-56 ‘Champions’ Modex 514 Tail code NG of Carrier Air Wing Nine CVW-9 Original image possibly dated summer 1967 Twelve mission bars on side of intake. Belly tank painted with squadron markings. Wing pylons loaded with a representative collection of twelve dummy Mk82 bombs. Seen at an air base open house with a man taking a picture of two small children and a group of men and children inspecting the forward undercarriage wheel well. Shadow angle quite steep, so perhaps summer season on an airfield in California Boeing C-97/KC-97 in background Much more could be ascertained if definition of scanned image was better. A4D-2N 149644 was accepted from the manufacturers El Segundo plant on October 19, 1962. After November 1962 all US Navy aircraft designations were simplified and A4D-2N became A-4C. For the first two years A-4C 149644 flew with the VA-86 ‘Sidewinders’. The only deployment record is for a short period in June 1963 aboard CVA-62 USS Independence off the Virginia Capes with Carrier Air Wing Seven code AG.VA-86 used Modex numbers in the 500 range. Still US East Coast based it spent several months with training squadron VA-44 in Florida before being posted to the Pacific Fleet. From August 1965 to January 1966 with VA-195 ‘Dambusters’ on the West coast. California based VA-192 ‘Golden Dragons’ also had the aircraft in 1966 for six months. 7th Fleet squadron VA-56 ‘Champions’ had A-4C 149644 from June 1966 for another eighteen months. At last to fly in Vietnam War combat with VA-56 off CVAN-65 USS Enterprise between November 19, 1966 and July 6, 1967. This was with CVW-9 code NG and wearing numbers in the 400 range. Not as depicted above wearing Modex 514 however…….. The VA-56 aircraft may be wearing ‘twelve mission bars’ after returning safely home from a long and arduous period of heavy use and Modex 514 from a possible planned administrative change that never took place………. A-4C 149644 flew next with VA-195 ‘Dambusters’ from 28 December 1967 to 17 August 1968 on another Vietnam War tour off CVA-14 USS Ticonderoga. This time with CVW-19 code NM and squadron numbers from 500 up. The aircraft then flew with VA-112 ‘Broncos’ for a few months. A-4C 149644 was transferred to US Marine Corps VMA-214 ‘Black Sheep’ in December 1968 and flew from MCAS Yuma Arizona & El Toro California Sadly, Sunday September 14, 1969 was the day A-4C 149644 was tragically lost. US Marine Corps Major Charles C. McLennan, was killed Sunday, September 14, when his A-4C Skyhawk crashed in the rugged Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs, Colorado State while he was on a routine high level navigation cross-country training flight (5 miles west of Lake City, CO) Taken from the ‘San Mateo Times’, Friday, September 19, 1969 My respect to the pilot his family and friends 1968-1969 picture of A-4C 149644: a4skyhawk.org/content/149644-vma-214-nick-williams-2465 A-4C 149644 VMA-214 ‘Black Sheep’ squadron tail code WE & side number 2 assigned to MAJ R.J. Reid parked on the line. Nick Williams MCAS Yuma? Dec. 1968 - Sept 1969 1969 picture of A-4C 149644: a4skyhawk.org/content/buno-149644-vma-214-we-27 A-4C 149644 VMA-214 ‘Black Sheep’ side number 27 & squadron tail code WE 1969 Photo Credit: Richard "Hans" Vogelpohl BuNo 149644 WE-27 landing at MCAS El Toro