DOUGLAS-GOESSLING A-4B SKYHAWK – N41CJ
In June of 1952, Douglas received a contract with the US Navy for development of a light weight attack aircraft. The Navy also wanted the aircraft to be capable of delivering conventional or “special” weapons and be able to defend itself in a hostile air environment. The Douglas design team, led by Ed Heinemann, went to work on the project and got the design approved by the Navy on June 22, 1954.
In the course of the Skyhawk’s test flights, it became the first attack aircraft to hold the 500 kilometer closed course speed record, flying around the course at an average speed of 695 mph, 300 feet in the air. The two basic features which contributed to the setting of this record were quick control response and structural integrity, which also enabled the A-4 to hold on to the record for many years.
The first flight of the A-4B was in 1956. During testing, an in-flight refueling probe was added on the starboard side of the fuselage. Eventually, 542 A-4B Skyhawks were manufactured and sold throughout the world. Countries such as France, Japan, Greece, Peru, Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia were among the many Skyhawk owners.
The A-4B became the first foreign Skyhawk when 25 ex-US Navy A-4Bs were refurbished and exported to Argentina in 1965. Argentina bought an additional 25 Skyhawks in 1969, which were used to equip the I and II Escuadrones de Ataque, that provided service units for duty aboard their carrier.
EAA’s Skyhawk was donated by the Combat Jets Flying Museum. Paul Gillen supervised a team of workers from the museum in reconstructing the A-4B. Paul did much of the work himself and the project took nearly four years to complete. When the reconstruction was finished, the A-4B was one of two Skyhawks in US civilian hands, though many A-4s remained in foreign service. The A-4B was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in 1992.
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