A4 Skyhawk

[Dr Jekyll]

Are any of these preserved in the UK? I fancy having a close look at one but even though so many were built I've never seen one. I'm not sure any A4 has even visited the UK.

[Eric Mc]

A-4s have visited the UK on many occasions - usually as part of the contingent aboard visiting Us Navy or Australian carriers. In 1977, HMAS Melbourne visited the UK as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. Two of them took part in the 1977 International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common. I remember seeing them at the time.

I don't think there are any examples preserved in the UK.

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

A-4s have visited the UK on many occasions - usually as part of the contingent aboard visiting Us Navy or Australian carriers. In 1977, HMAS Melbourne visited the UK as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. Two of them took part in the 1977 International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common. I remember seeing them at the time.

And it would be 40 years before a Skyhawk would return to RIAT.

One of the fleet of ex-IAF A4-N being operated in Germany by Canadian firm Discovery Air Defense on contract work, visited the 2017 RIAT static.

[MonkeyHanger]

I thought the A-4 cancelled just before RIAT last year?

[anonymous-user]

Dr Jekyll said:

Are any of these preserved in the UK? I fancy having a close look at one but even though so many were built I've never seen one. I'm not sure any A4 has even visited the UK.

A4s visited UK territory loads in the 1980s loads didn’t make it home again though.

[uncinqsix]

I have a bit of a soft spot for the A4, as the main fast jet that was around when I was growing up in NZ in the 80s and 90s. A photo in my work's internal newsletter last week reminded me of one in particular that received a rather interesting paintjob for the RNZAF's 50th anniversary back in 1987:

[Eric Mc]

I built a model of one of the Aussie A4s that was displayed at Greenham Common in 1977 -

[dr_gn]

Dr Jekyll said:

Are any of these preserved in the UK? I fancy having a close look at one but even though so many were built I've never seen one. I'm not sure any A4 has even visited the UK.

Closest you’ll get in the UK is this 1/4 scale radar model at Doncaster air museum:

[Eric Mc]

It looks like it's been cooked.

[eharding]

I've seen a couple of the preserved NZ A4s - one at Wanaka and the one below at Ardmore. There is a plaque commemorating the NZ pilots who flew the A4 behind this one, with the name of the father of one of our Kiwi interns back in Oxfordshire right in the middle..



There was another one of the flight-worthy ones on the flight line at Oshkosh a couple of years ago, but I don't remember seeing it actually fly...

[uncinqsix]

eharding said:

There was another one of the flight-worthy ones on the flight line at Oshkosh a couple of years ago, but I don't remember seeing it actually fly...

8 of the ex-NZ aircraft are now being used for aggressor training with Draken International in the states.

[dr_gn]

There was an immaculate airworthy two seater for sale a few weeks ago.

[zsdom]

aeropilot said:

Eric Mc said:

A-4s have visited the UK on many occasions - usually as part of the contingent aboard visiting Us Navy or Australian carriers. In 1977, HMAS Melbourne visited the UK as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. Two of them took part in the 1977 International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common. I remember seeing them at the time.

And it would be 40 years before a Skyhawk would return to RIAT.

One of the fleet of ex-IAF A4-N being operated in Germany by Canadian firm Discovery Air Defense on contract work, visited the 2017 RIAT static.

No it didnt.......

[IforB]

zsdom said:

aeropilot said:

Eric Mc said:

A-4s have visited the UK on many occasions - usually as part of the contingent aboard visiting Us Navy or Australian carriers. In 1977, HMAS Melbourne visited the UK as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. Two of them took part in the 1977 International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common. I remember seeing them at the time.

And it would be 40 years before a Skyhawk would return to RIAT.

One of the fleet of ex-IAF A4-N being operated in Germany by Canadian firm Discovery Air Defense on contract work, visited the 2017 RIAT static.

No it didnt.......

Ummm.

https://www.airtattoo.com/news/2017/jun/29/discove...

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

[zsdom]

IforB said:

zsdom said:

aeropilot said:

Eric Mc said:

A-4s have visited the UK on many occasions - usually as part of the contingent aboard visiting Us Navy or Australian carriers. In 1977, HMAS Melbourne visited the UK as part of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations. Two of them took part in the 1977 International Air Tattoo at Greenham Common. I remember seeing them at the time.

And it would be 40 years before a Skyhawk would return to RIAT.

One of the fleet of ex-IAF A4-N being operated in Germany by Canadian firm Discovery Air Defense on contract work, visited the 2017 RIAT static.

No it didnt.......

Ummm.

https://www.airtattoo.com/news/2017/jun/29/discove...

It cancelled & didnt show, the ground crew made it but not the aircraft. I was there all 6 days last year & spoke to the crew

[Penguinracer]

A-4 "Plugged-In Barrel Roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AubU5FeUIs

[eharding]

Penguinracer said:

A-4 "Plugged-In Barrel Roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AubU5FeUIs

I've flown a lot of aerobatics, and a fair amount of formation, and - not as much as I'd like to - some formation aerobatics - and that is just very, very good.

[aeropilot]

Penguinracer said:

A-4 "Plugged-In Barrel Roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AubU5FeUIs

A sad reminder of a once proud RNZAF castrated by Helen Clark.

[richomk6]

If you're ever down here in Australia there is a single seater and a two seater Skyhawk at our Fleet Air Arm museum at Nowra a couple of hours south of Sydney. Beautiful aircraft.