- 4 weeks ago
For educational purposes
The A-4 Skyhawk, creation of Douglas's chief engineer Ed Heineman, has become a living legend "A Great Plane".
It is a unique aircraft in at least two respects :
First, its small, light, simple and relatively cheap design goes completely against the trend for combat aircraft being even larger. heavier, more complex and more expensive.
Second, although it first flew back in 1954, it is still in front line service with some air arms today and there are very feasible plans to have it still serving into the next century.
A fifty year lile span is simply not expected of a combat jet, but then the A-4 - Heinemans Hot Rod - has always exceIIed at the unexpected.
Hundreds of A-4s served aboard US Navy carriers and with the Marines, both used it to great effect throughout the Vietnam conflict.
The Navy's crack Blue Angels aerobatic team were, until recently, equipped with this small, immensely manoeuvrable aircraft.
Skyhawks have been exported to Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Israel. The latter country has consistently updated its A-4s as more and more combat experience has been gained.
Now at last there is a professional aviation video devoted exclusively to this unique aircraft.
Superb air to air colour filming is combined with expert commentary in a complete visual profile of the Skyhawk.
The A-4 Skyhawk, creation of Douglas's chief engineer Ed Heineman, has become a living legend "A Great Plane".
It is a unique aircraft in at least two respects :
First, its small, light, simple and relatively cheap design goes completely against the trend for combat aircraft being even larger. heavier, more complex and more expensive.
Second, although it first flew back in 1954, it is still in front line service with some air arms today and there are very feasible plans to have it still serving into the next century.
A fifty year lile span is simply not expected of a combat jet, but then the A-4 - Heinemans Hot Rod - has always exceIIed at the unexpected.
Hundreds of A-4s served aboard US Navy carriers and with the Marines, both used it to great effect throughout the Vietnam conflict.
The Navy's crack Blue Angels aerobatic team were, until recently, equipped with this small, immensely manoeuvrable aircraft.
Skyhawks have been exported to Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Israel. The latter country has consistently updated its A-4s as more and more combat experience has been gained.
Now at last there is a professional aviation video devoted exclusively to this unique aircraft.
Superb air to air colour filming is combined with expert commentary in a complete visual profile of the Skyhawk.
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LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:30The
00:45Douglas Skyhawk is a legend. It's had a very long lifetime, beginning in 1954. Around the world,
00:53that life is continuing, and examples will still be providing small nations with combat-capable
00:59air power beyond the turn of the century. Though they now verge on the antique, Skyhawks
01:06continue to be maintained and refurbished. They're still agile and venomous.
01:12The
01:31predominant thrust of aviation design since World War II has been for planes to become
01:36larger and more complex, to the point where some types have been virtually unmaintainable.
01:47The Douglas Company's designer, Ed Heinemann, was a man who understood this trend in aviation
01:52design and was deeply concerned about it. Not only were planes becoming expensive, they
01:59were becoming unmanageably big and complex. Operational costs multiplied in line with construction costs.
02:07Also, there were huge investments in training that were often lost, as these skills were
02:12in demand outside the armed services. Adding to this brain drain was the constant need
02:19to retrain personnel to keep abreast of technology.
02:27Heinemann was convinced there was no underlying need for this expensive trend. Certainly, some
02:43roles like air superiority fighter demanded a very high degree of performance and capability.
02:49But there's little to be gained from that kind of performance in a battlefield observation
02:55aircraft. Heinemann wanted to design a family of lightweight and low-cost workhorses. He was
03:02aware of the difficulties the US Navy was having in getting useful jet aircraft to operate from
03:08its carriers. His humble little workhorse went on to a career that shows up some other very famous
03:25aircraft. Heinemann was right in most of his assertions. To a certain extent, the pursuit
03:31of low cost and lightweight harmed the aircraft in its initial form. But the airframe was an
03:37extraordinary success. Within that design, the problems caused by excesses of cost-cutting
03:43were rectified. And by the mid-1960s, the A4's career appeared to be almost infinite.
03:50There were bumper stickers that read, A4 forever. Not only did a surprising number know what the
03:56message meant. Most agreed.
04:02In January 1952, the meeting of the Pentagon, Ed Heinemann outlined a concept for a lightweight carrier-based
04:21interceptor. There was no Navy need for such a plane. But the force of his argument applied
04:27equally to the role of jet-powered light attack bomber. By the time the meeting was over,
04:33Heinemann had agreed to produce a working concept for such a plane. As the design was developed,
04:40a constant exchange between engineers and service representatives settled the parameters the
04:45aircraft would have to meet. On the 21st of June 1952, the US Navy formally issued a contract
04:52for production of prototype aircraft designated A4D, with some very rigid specifications. The
05:01agreement described a lightweight, single-engined, single-place, high-performance carrier-based day
05:07attack plane. It was to be capable of performing dive-bombing, interdiction, and close support
05:13missions. It would be capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear stores. The mission of
05:21these planes would be to strike sea or land targets, with or without fighter protection.
05:27Prime objectives included simplicity of design, leading to ease of manufacture and maintenance.
05:34The aircraft would have a maximum speed of 500 miles an hour. It would have to be able to carry
05:40a 2,000-pound bomb load over a 460-mile radius. And most important, the aircraft would have to cost
05:48less than one million dollars each. In the end, the requirements were all exceeded, and the first
05:55500 aircraft averaged a cost of only $860,000. By October 1953, the A4D design had been fully
06:11evaluated, and while the prototypes were being built, orders for 19 production models had been
06:17placed. Confidence in the soundness of the little plane was growing rapidly.
06:29Not only was the Navy becoming more convinced of the A4D's excellence, but world events were giving a new
06:35urgency to the need for them. The developing Cold War carried with it a growing certainty of nuclear conflict.
06:41The U.S. Navy had a theoretical role as a prominent part of America's atomic capacity, but in reality
06:50was ill-equipped for the task. Its North American savage bombers were of limited use, and of the designs
06:57available, only the Skyhawks seemed to have the necessary capacity. For a while, the impetus behind the plane
07:04became the tactical nuclear lead. Fortunately, the nuclear consideration did not come to dominate the design.
07:21Far from a single-purpose plane, the Skyhawk emerged as a very versatile light attack aircraft.
07:29Central to the capacity of the plane were Ed Heinemann's philosophers. The plane was kept as simple as possible,
07:36with the nature of a particular mission, not the overriding consideration. For the future, the design could be
07:43changed or added to as new missions arose. The plane should be constructed in sections that could be easily
07:50disassembled for maintenance. To avoid weight, entire systems were deleted. By squeezing the plane down in size,
07:58it was small enough to fit on carrier lifts, which eliminated the weight and complexity of folding wings.
08:04By having the undercarriage retract forward, the need for a backup hydraulic system was eliminated.
08:11If the system failed, gravity and airflow would lower the wheel and force it into a down position.
08:19At no time, however, did the search for weight control interfere with the strength of the airframe. In fact, the aircraft was all the more rugged as a result of the process.
08:32The short span delta wings could be constructed simply, but with enormous strength as one unit. There was no need for complex folding mechanisms. The wing was available for fuel storage and provided accommodation for 560 gallons. This allowed further savings in the weight of fuel valves and pipes.
08:54Two years and one day after the first formal contract, on the 22nd of June 1954, the first A4D took its first flight and the serious work of testing began. Instead of the normal limited prototype evaluations, there were soon 11 aircraft busily conducting the 1500 flights of the test program.
09:19The Navy was anxious to have the new plane. The Navy was anxious to have the new plane as soon as possible for inclusion in its arsenal. A series of orders had now been placed, which had defined the expected shape of US carrier attack aircraft.
09:32There would be three aircraft types to cover the entire range of specialties.
09:37First of these was another Douglas plane, the A3D Sky Warrior. This was such a successful design that the USAF bought a variation as the B66. It had an internal bomb bay for atomic weapons, bombs or mines.
09:56Subsonic, with a range of 1,000 miles and a 12,000 pound bomb load. It was, at the time, easily the biggest plane that had been designed for carrier use. Its role in Navy attack would be as the long-range, nuclear-capable strategic bomber.
10:14Design of the A3D. Design of the A3D began in 1947 and it first flew in October of 1952. After satisfactory testing, it went into full-scale production.
10:26In 1954, Ed Heinemann received the Collier Trophy for his work on the Sky Warrior in recognition of the excellence of its design.
10:35The second specialist was the Grumman Tracker, designed for long, slow, anti-submarine patrolling. The Tracker combined the functions of search and attack in its large frame. It was elaborately equipped for its specific tasks.
11:01Between these two roles, strategic bomber and anti-subpatroller, there's a very wide gap. The task of the A4 was to fill this gap. Another Douglas Classic, a redoubtable AD, was doing the job at the time.
11:22Despite its phenomenal lifting power, long range and indestructible ruggedness, the AD was seen as a piston-powered dinosaur that needed replacement.
11:32Perhaps the Navy's only disappointment with the A4 was that it never did actually replace the AD. The two planes ended up complementing each other right through to the Vietnam War.
11:44Skyhawk testing dissolved quickly into active surface. The early models showed some undesirable side effects of the cost controls.
11:59There were problems in the simplified instrument panel and the need for special ground equipment. Everything that could be eliminated from take-off weight had been, to the point of a non-electrical starting system and the replacement of seat belts with a harness on the pilot.
12:17Some of these innovations were effective, but others proved to be highly impractical. However, this was exactly what the busy testing program and early deployment were designed to establish.
12:29As deficiencies were identified or clever suggestions made, they were all noted and the plane began its long process of refinement.
12:38In addition to aircraft, Ed Heineman is famous for a large number of other developments.
12:57Quite a few of his refinements were either designed for the Skyhawk or were incorporated into it at some stage.
13:04Among them were innovations in the bomb racks, in-flight refueling, the streamlining of store shapes and the continuing refinement of ejection systems.
13:15The initial ejection mechanism for the Skyhawk weighed less than half the standard equipment of the day.
13:21Later, Heineman's team would refine ejection to a system which worked safely with the aircraft stationary on the ground.
13:29This became standard on later Skyhawks. His contribution to aviation is enormous.
13:36Of course, an engineer or designer can only be as innovative as his employers will allow.
13:52Heineman's career can also be seen as a testimonial to the courage and vision of the Douglas company.
14:00The company was richly rewarded for its support.
14:03It was one of the most successful aviation companies of all time because of its capacity to gamble on development.
14:11Sadly, the gambling eventually destroyed the firm when it became overextended in its fleet of jet airliners.
14:19By the time this happened, it had written a huge amount of aviation history.
14:26The A4D1 quickly gave way to the A4D2, which incorporated a number of changes to overcome problems in the original aircraft.
14:36From that point, variant Skyhawks would multiply.
14:40With retrofitting of improvements to older airframes and the continuing process of development leading to new types,
14:47and further retrofitting and specialist subtypes, there came to be no standard Skyhawks.
14:54This was compounded by the unexpectedly long life of the individual airframes.
15:02The A4D2 first flew in 1956, with 28% of the structure altered.
15:08In 1958 came the next model.
15:11Even before that first flight, another two versions had been developed and dropped,
15:17and a fresh major variation was being prepared.
15:20It would fly for the first time in 1961.
15:25On the 18th of September 1962, all American Armed Services adopted a new method of aircraft designation.
15:33After deliberation, the A4D family became the A4 family.
15:39Variants would now be specified by suffix letters.
15:42The A4D1 became the A4A, and so on.
15:47The A4D designation was skipped to avoid adding additional confusion.
15:53By then, there were four models in operation, with a range of refurbished variants wearing other standards of equipment.
16:03The Navy had long wanted a twin seater, but had been unable to convince Congress of the need.
16:11Navy submissions asserted that a twin seat A4 would be ideal for advanced training, navigational training, in-type training, and some combat requirements.
16:21But to no avail.
16:23Eventually, the course of history intervened.
16:26The Vietnam War broke out, and the need was acknowledged.
16:29If nothing else, a trainer would release combat-prepared single-seaters for conflict.
16:34In 1964, approval was given for construction of a twin seat TA-4E version.
16:41In addition to 28 inches of fuselage added to allow for the second seat, several other improvements were tried out in the prototypes.
16:57Soon after, most of these were being busily retrofitted to airframes in the now considerable A4 fleet, or built into planes under construction.
17:07Among these were the newly finalised zero-height ejection, wing spoilers, and a steerable nose wheel.
17:15The twin seaters were developed from the A4E model, which had been refined because of a basic shift in policy, away from reliance on the nuclear deterrent.
17:29The US had been confronted by the Soviet Union, but now there were myriad small uprisings around the globe.
17:36These were sponsored by the Soviets, but they were not arenas for nuclear weaponry.
17:41Iron bombs and guns were not as out of date as had been believed.
17:46The A4E resulted from efforts to enhance the conventional capability of the already very flexible Skywalk.
17:55Entering service in 1962, the new model, and the further spate of refurbished predecessors which followed it, were on hand for the challenge that arose.
18:09From the Gulf of Tonkin incidents onwards, the A4E became part of the heroism and horror of the Vietnam War.
18:16The pilots loved them. For a start, this plane was fun to fly.
18:37It was demanding and wouldn't fly itself, but it was fast and aerobatic.
18:43In addition, it was small and not easy to hit.
18:47If it was hit, it could generally be relied on to continue flying, even if the damage was major.
18:54It could be pulled around viciously without the wings coming off.
18:58It could be flown as low as your confidence allowed.
19:02It could be as accurate as your training made you.
19:05It was as sophisticated as a mission demanded.
19:08But beyond that, it was always as good as its pilot was capable of.
19:14The targets were difficult, and the pilots knew that despite their heavy losses, no other plane would have survived so well.
19:24And the targeting was believed as the
19:36and the Zhelps was capable of waiting.
19:39So there's no tyranny in front of the vehicle, and it was likely to be a chance to take away.
19:44One, two, three.
20:14Meanwhile, the Douglas Company was trying to capitalize further on the successful little
20:32plane by securing overseas orders.
20:35In the course of sales campaigns, the Skyhawks demonstrated their ability to operate from
20:41the small decks of Canadian and French carriers.
20:44However, despite successful demonstrations, Douglas secured very few foreign sales for
20:51carrier A4s.
20:57The offer developed for Canada led Douglas on a long search to find a buyer for a re-engined
21:03NATO variant.
21:04For a variety of reasons, the succession of decisions went against the Douglas sales drive.
21:11Few countries operate carriers, and some, like France, have their own fairly aggressive
21:16aircraft manufacturers.
21:18With this and other factors to contend against, the foreign sales efforts were only occasionally
21:23successful.
21:24The first sales were to Argentina, refurbished U.S. Navy B-models for their air force in
21:381965, and later orders for the Argentine Navy's carrier.
21:42The first sales of new aircraft were to the Australian Navy in 1967.
21:49Given that the Australians only had one carrier in operation, that order was small.
21:54Ten aircraft, including two twin-seaters.
21:57When the full order was ready, the Australians sailed their carrier into San Diego and picked
22:05the planes up.
22:07The Australian Navy managed to lose almost half their Skyhawks in operational accidents,
22:11and eventually withdrew them from carrier service, before abandoning their carrier altogether.
22:18Their aircraft included some specialised fitting to what was basically the A4F model.
22:24The plane's equipment had an emphasis on air defence, which set them apart from their mainstream
22:29U.S. counterparts.
22:32Another customer was New Zealand.
22:38They didn't have a carrier, but the New Zealanders could spot a bargain.
22:43They're still refurbishing and maintaining their Skyhawks, and are also negotiating to buy up more airframes.
22:50Like Singapore and Israel, they've reveled in the performance and durability of the plane.
22:56They've seen the advantage of keeping them available and updated as potent specialist weapons
23:01in any modern context.
23:11Delivery of the New Zealand aircraft began in 1970, and the planes have been in the front line
23:17of that nation's strike force ever since.
23:20With purchases made to supplement their fleet, it's likely that New Zealand will be one of the countries
23:25still employing the A4F past the year 2000.
23:37Other countries to have bought the A4F are Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore and Israel.
23:43The aircraft of Kuwait, Argentina and Israel have all seen active combat, with mixed results.
23:51The Iraqi assault overwhelmed the Kuwaiti forces, and the Argentinians sent their planes on virtual
23:57suicide missions against the British in the Falklands.
24:01The Israelis, with a larger, better trained air force, and a balanced mix of aircraft types,
24:07found the A4s well and flexibly suited to their needs.
24:11Only the USA has operated A4s in combat from carriers.
24:22The Skyhawks bore the brunt of the US Navy offensive against North Vietnam until 1968.
24:28Then they were replaced on the larger carriers by A7s.
24:33The A4s continued in action, operating from the older carriers, and with the Marines,
24:38right through to the end of US involvement.
24:46Targets for the carrier A4s attacking the North abounded.
24:50In the attempt to freeze the transport system, bridges and other key points were identified,
24:55and the Skyhawks' missions followed.
24:58The Vietnamese network was under constant surveillance,
25:01and as often as repairs were affected, the raiders could return.
25:06Later in the war, this attention was spread to other major infrastructure, including power stations.
25:12The A4s flew strike missions against targets that were obvious key points, and therefore well defended.
25:27They also flew ground support attack missions, which tended to expose the aircraft to concentrations of ground fire.
25:34Because they were there all through the conflict, and flew such a large percentage of combat missions,
25:41it's not surprising that more A4s were lost in Southeast Asia than any other carrier-based type.
25:47They accounted for nearly 37% of Navy combat losses, and 36% of Marine losses.
25:54A total of 266 Skyhawks were lost in combat.
26:09The Skyhawk, despite all the improvements, was still a very small and light aircraft.
26:15The empty weight of the E-model was only 9,853 pounds.
26:20Fully loaded, they could haul 8,200 pounds of external stores,
26:25though they often flew with much smaller loads,
26:28particularly with the Marines operating from inadequate runways ashore.
26:32The key to using the planes effectively was in-flight refuelling.
26:37Heinemann's dictum was that the plane should take off, and then what is necessary for the mission added.
26:43The plane itself should remain as basic and flexible as possible.
26:48Lessening the amount of fuel carried at take-off allows a greater arms capacity.
26:53Take-off and climbing to height uses a considerable percentage of fuel storage available.
26:59And to keep the store's pylons free of external tanks as much as possible,
27:03refuelling after climbing to height helps a great deal.
27:07But Heinemann was unimpressed when it was suggested that the A-4 be developed as a tanker aircraft to do the refuelling.
27:17To him, there were two problems in the Navy order.
27:20In the first place, the crammed droves and pumps and fuel lines into the Skyhawk would turn it into a specialist plane.
27:28Secondly, the size of the A-4 was itself a problem.
27:32There would be great difficulty in fitting the equipment in.
27:36The answer was to not fit the system into the plane, but rather bolt it to the outside of the standard model.
27:42With typical ingenuity, the Douglas team designed a streamlined 300-gallon refuelling tank,
27:57which could be suspended from the bomb rack hardpoints.
28:00The tanks were designed to operate independently of the aircraft's power sources.
28:05The propeller at the front of the tank provided the power that drove the pumps and operated the fuel line reel.
28:12These self-contained refuelling packages became known as buddy stores
28:17and are another example of the innovation and lateral thinking of the Douglas team.
28:23With a centre-line mounted buddy store in place, an A-4 could transfer all the tanker's external fuel
28:33and half the internal storage.
28:36This totaled 1,300 gallons and made the operation well worth the effort.
28:41It provided a multiplying factor on the available power and range of carrier-based airstrikes.
28:47They were used extensively, not only to refuel other Skyhawks.
28:52The buddy stores also found their way onto other aircraft types,
28:56turning them into tankers just as effectively.
29:06The Skyhawks had served the Navy well,
29:09but because of their limited load and other considerations,
29:12a decision was made to replace them with the new A7s,
29:16which could carry roughly twice the load.
29:19However, the A7 Corsairs were only adapted to the large carriers,
29:23as they were over twice the size of the Skyhawks.
29:27While the A7 was an excellent aircraft,
29:29there were many who questioned the wisdom of abandoning the A4s,
29:33which were obviously still more than capable of their tasks.
29:37However, the decision had been made in 1963,
29:41and the phasing out of the A4 from Navy duties commenced at the height of the war,
29:47progressively restricting their operations to ships that were too small to use the Corsairs.
29:53Not only were there voices in the Navy questioning the decision to replace the Skyhawks,
29:59there were voices in the Marines,
30:01which flatly refused to accept the Corsair.
30:04As far as the Marines were concerned,
30:06the A7 was unable to operate effectively on the rough, short forward airstrips.
30:12They cost too much and were equipped with mission capability
30:15that had nothing to do with the job in hand.
30:18Thus, the Corsair was of no interest to the service.
30:22An A4 would drop the last Marine bomb of the Vietnam conflict.
30:26The Marines were pleased with their Skyhawks,
30:33and considered that the little planes were more than coping with the tasks allocated to them.
30:38They decided to stick with the plane,
30:40but now that they had their preferences,
30:42they ordered several improvements.
30:44A 20% more powerful engine was the first change,
30:48along with such improvements as greater ammunition storage, self-contained starting,
30:53a larger windscreen and canopy, and a drag chute to reduce landing length.
30:58The new model was designated the A4M.
31:07The authority to proceed with the project was given in May 1969,
31:11and 11 months later, on the 10th of April 1970,
31:15test pilot Walt Smith flew the new model for the first time.
31:23A distinctive change to the look of the plane was the squaring off of the tail,
31:32to incorporate IFF equipment.
31:35The Marines introduced the A4M to service in 1971,
31:39and bought 160 of them.
31:41Eight years later, the last of these was delivered.
31:45It was the last A4 made.
31:47The Marines were not the only ones to stick to the Skyhawk.
31:56The Blue Angels Navy display team was another enthusiastic A4 user.
32:01They flew the Skyhawk for 13 years,
32:03from 1974 until 1987.
32:07Ironically, by the time they started using the little plane,
32:10the Navy had stopped buying them.
32:13The last Navy single-seater had been delivered long before, in 1967.
32:19A full 20 years later,
32:21the Blue Angels finally parted with their beloved A4s.
32:25The initial decision to transfer the Blue Angels to the Skyhawk
32:45was made on economic grounds.
32:47They required far less maintenance,
32:49and burned far less fuel than their predecessor, the F4 Phantom.
32:53The display pilots soon came to appreciate that here was a plane
32:58that was also far better suited to their work.
33:01What they lost in speed, in comparison to the Phantoms,
33:04was more than compensated for by the maneuverability of the A4.
33:08A tight turning radius, high thrust-to-weight ratio,
33:12and the roll rate of 720 degrees per second
33:15made the Skyhawk a natural aerobatic aircraft.
33:19One Skyhawk virtue emphasized during their service with the Blue Angels
33:31was the low number of man hours needed to maintain them.
33:34The display team could go on a two-week tour of air shows
33:38with a maintenance crew of only 27
33:40to service the seven A4s and the transport Hercules.
33:44With this small backup crew, the team flew about 80 shows a year.
33:49This was in a design that was 22 years old when they first started using it,
33:54and 35 years old when replaced by F-A-18 Hornets.
34:04The Blue Angels planes had an uprated engine,
34:07and everything not needed for their performance was deleted.
34:10A dorsal hump full of avionics that had spread across the Skyhawk fleet was removed,
34:15along with the armaments and bomb racks.
34:18The planes were returned to a lean and clean condition,
34:21and the pilots found them a pleasure to fly.
34:24For men trained in a higher technology environment,
34:27the A4 was a real eye-opener.
34:29Its small size, powerful responsiveness and manoeuvrability
34:34introduced them to a simpler age,
34:36where they found, to their delight,
34:38that the possibilities were more exciting.
34:40At air shows around the world,
34:42audiences came to appreciate this fact too.
34:46The rugged simplicity of the Skyhawk's construction
34:59was the factor that served to keep the weight and cost down in the original plans.
35:03In addition, it had the effect of lengthening the plane's lifespan.
35:07For example, Douglas had been contracted to guarantee a life of 4,000 hours for the wings.
35:13Experiments conducted on the wing during the Vietnam War showed a surprising result.
35:18Factoring in the excessive strain of combat loadings, as established in Vietnam,
35:23tests showed that the wing was good for 15,000 hours,
35:27even if all those hours were flown at maximum combat stress levels.
35:31In normal use, the wing was virtually indestructible.
35:35The plane might have been simply constructed,
35:38but that simplicity hid an enormous amount of redundant strength.
35:42This not only made them last longer,
35:45but explained why they were taking so much damage and remaining in the air.
35:49It's also one of the factors which helped to explain
35:52the continued affection of the Marines for the Skyhawk.
35:56The Marines A4M was a surprise package, even for those already convinced by the Skyhawk.
36:13Its new power plant gave 20% more power, but weighed only 1% more.
36:18In addition, there was no significant rise in fuel consumption.
36:22This greatly increased available power for marine operations from short fields.
36:27For the first time, the A4s could be safely operated from 4,000 foot runways.
36:33The new engine developed 11,200 pounds of thrust,
36:42and allowed an increase in maneuverability, rate of climb and acceleration,
36:47greatly enhancing combat survival chances.
36:50Empty, the A4M weighed only 10,600 pounds.
37:00Fully loaded, it was capable of take-off at 25,500 pounds,
37:05including 9,100 pounds of all types of modern tactical armament.
37:10It was still only 40 feet long, and its wingspan a tiny 27 feet.
37:16As with other Skyhawks, its dimensions permitted it to operate comfortably on carriers
37:21without folding its wings.
37:30The original Skyhawk had three store stations,
37:33but with strengthening of the wing from the E-model onwards,
37:36this was increased to five.
37:38Another factor served to multiply this arrangement's effectiveness.
37:42Multiple carriage bomb racks were conceived by Navy and Marine personnel
37:46working at the Naval Air Facility at China Lake.
37:50After assessment at the Naval Ordnance Test Center,
37:53the design came to Douglas, where it was refined and put into manufacture.
37:58Subsequently, these racks were to be very important
38:01to the success of the Skyhawks in Vietnam.
38:04They allowed for six 250-pound bombs to be carried on the wing stations,
38:10with a further six 500-pound bombs on the centerline.
38:14In addition, the planes could launch any of a range of rockets and missiles
38:18for varying sophistication.
38:20The M-model gave the Marines what they'd wanted in ground attack and close support,
38:36and made quite an impression.
38:38Indeed, so noticeable was the new version that Israel,
38:41which had already been flying the A-4 since 1966,
38:45decided to buy a quantity for its own use.
38:47The Israeli planes were closely modeled on the Marines' new plane.
39:03Among the few changes were an improved navigation and attack system,
39:07and revised cockpit design, including a head-up display.
39:11The built-in starter was also deleted.
39:19One of the aspects of the M-model, which had caught Israeli attention,
39:23was demonstrated in a series of time-to-height trials,
39:26which were conducted with the plane.
39:28These were designed to demonstrate the swift response capability of the aircraft,
39:32and its usefulness in area defensive work.
39:36In the tests, the plane was parked at an angle
39:39to the main Palmdale runway, engine off, to simulate an alert condition.
39:44With a time clock running, the test pilot, Walter Smith,
39:47used the self-starter on the plane to get the engine going,
39:50and then taxied the plane directly into its take-off run.
39:54The aim was to take the plane from engine off and parked
40:15to 3,000 metres, nearly 10,000 feet, in less than two minutes.
40:20The trials conducted in August 1972 were a complete success.
40:31The little plane passed the 3,000 metre mark in one minute, 50 seconds,
40:36and continued on to pass 5,000 metres in less than two and a half minutes.
40:41Demonstrations like this served to emphasise the fact
40:50that the new engine had given the redoubtable Bantamweight a new potency.
40:54On the face of things, this was a 20-year-old design,
40:58which should not have been still a contender.
41:00In reality, its longevity was one of the things that ensured its competitiveness.
41:05There were no bugs left to iron out.
41:08The plane's already good handling had been markedly improved,
41:12and its attack remained as powerful as the ordnance bolted to it.
41:21The Israelis had extensive combat experience with the Skyhawk
41:25in the 1970 and 73 wars,
41:28and were well aware of the plane's virtues and vices.
41:31Their reaction to the upgraded power of the M model
41:34was to purchase 120 of their own version, the A4N.
41:39This first flew on the 8th of June, 1972.
41:43To further emphasise the changes in the plane,
41:54the Douglas marketers distinguished the M and N models as the Skyhawk II.
41:59Despite their best efforts and the merits of their product,
42:02there was to be only one further sale of new aircraft.
42:05This was to Kuwait,
42:07and their version has been cited as the most refined Skyhawk of all.
42:13That contract was approved in 1975.
42:16Though the fact would not be confirmed for another couple of years,
42:19the end of the production line was now in sight.
42:23With many American military aircraft,
42:49the end of production has been quickly followed
42:51by the phasing out of the type.
42:54With the durability of the individual Skyhawk airframes
42:57and their capacity for absorbing new avionics and new functions,
43:01they've taken a very long time to disappear even from U.S. service.
43:06One of their long-standing roles
43:08is with the U.S. Navy's Top Gun School,
43:10more correctly known as the Navy Fighter Weapons School.
43:13Here, their small size and agility
43:16gave them employment in simulated combat as opponent aircraft,
43:20mimicking the performance of Russian jets
43:23and the tactical training of their pilots.
43:34In many ways,
43:35they are ideal opponents for the new high-tech aircraft.
43:38In many places around the globe,
43:40the likely opposition will be older Soviet designs,
43:43as was the situation in Vietnam.
43:45Hopefully, unlike the situation of the outbreak of that combat,
43:49U.S. airmen will already know how
43:51to take advantage of their enemies' weaknesses
43:53and deal with their strengths.
43:55The learning curve in Vietnam proved to be a costly exercise.
43:59Top Gun training has hopefully made such expensively sobering moments
44:04a thing of the past.
44:05A4s have also served into the 90s with the U.S. in other roles.
44:20The trainer version is still going strong,
44:23although its replacement has been developed.
44:26The Marines have remodelled some for forward air control work.
44:30More surprisingly, there are programmes in train
44:32to once again rebuild Skyhawks to front-line status.
44:36In Singapore, there's an ambitious remanufacturing effort
44:40which involves upgrading power on the plane by a staggering 35%.
44:44With the sophistication of modern engines,
44:48this actually involves a 14% reduction in fuel consumption.
44:52A more powerful Skyhawk that is even cheaper to run
44:55is a very attractive proposition.
45:05The 2000th A4 was delivered on the 10th of July 1967.
45:10The last was handed over on the 27th of February 1979.
45:14In the end, 2,960 were built
45:17in a continuous production run that went for 26 years.
45:21In all, there have been 17 different models.
45:24The total was made up of 2,405 attack bombers and 555 trainers.
45:30If you measure a plane by how well it does its job,
45:34the Skyhawk presents a problem.
45:36It did many jobs.
45:38Then again, it did them all well.
45:41The Skyhawk series will be part of the world aviation scene
45:45for the coming decades.
45:46In the year 2002, it will be a 50-year-old design
45:50but still going strong.
45:52It is assured of a highly regarded place in aviation history.
45:56It deserves the recognition for its success
45:59and further for the effect it has had on subsequent developments.
46:03Some would argue that, in fact, it has not had as much impact
46:07as the lessons it taught warranted.
46:09Ed Heinemann once described the A4
46:12as just an honest, low-cost attack aeroplane
46:15that did better than it was intended.
46:17There are two ways to read this statement.
46:20Either Heinemann had very high expectations
46:24or he had a remarkable gift for understatement.
46:28I've met it in the world today.
46:32If it was me, I don't want to offend you.
46:33That was a very nice one.
46:34Where is it?
46:35I have to be a photographer.
46:36I'm coming back.
46:37I'm coming back.
46:38You know he goes back.
46:39I'll be right back.
46:40Before the next day, I'm coming back.
46:41It's an edge.
46:42I'm coming back.
46:43I'm coming back.
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