There are a couple photos at above link -- scroll down to see jet.
They can put it in my back yard. My kids would love it. Besides, I am proud of the USMC and their accomplishments.
From Sunday's Palm Springs Ca. desert Sun:
Cold War fighter retired
Newest addition to air museum was last A-4 Skyhawk still in military service
By Benjamin Spillman
The Desert Sun
May 4th, 2003
PALM SPRINGS -- Another American link to the Cold War retired from service Saturday in Palm Springs.
The cold warrior stood silently on a tarmac at the Palm Springs Air Museum while friends celebrated the unprecedented airborne accomplishments the undersized, spindly-legged fighter achieved in a career spanning five decades.
Navy Lt. Rob Woods, the guest of honor’s partner in their final mission together, described the unique relationship.
"It has got a lot of personality," said Woods, 32, of the unflappable Redtail 101, the last A-4 Skyhawk jet in active military duty. "You can do just about anything to it; the engine won’t stall; the thing won’t spin."
A crowd of onlookers at the local museum cheered and gawked as Woods, the Redtail and Navy Capt. Greg Cooper, 48, cut the screaming engine for the last time.
It was a bittersweet moment for the two pilots as technicians conducted post-flight activities on the 36-year-old aircraft for the final time.
"This plane was a revolution," said Woods of the breed of tiny aircraft designed early in the Cold War to carry a nuclear bomb on a "one way trip" into Russia. "You don’t get into it, you strap the thing on or you wear it like a suit."
Puerto Rico base
The A-4 that arrived in Palm Springs came from Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico where it was cast in the role of adversary for pilot training.
Despite being designed to perform in a situation that never unfolded, the Skyhawk evolved into one of the most enduring aircraft to ever serve the military.
There were 3,960 of the jets built from 1952 to 1983. The planes were used for bombing, airborne fighting and training.
In Vietnam, the planes were popular for bombing missions and suffered heavy losses.
The strength of the A-4 Skyhawk was in its simple design. A cramped cockpit hugged pilots who described flying the Skyhawk as "being at the controls of a bullet in flight."
Could fly at 653 mph
It had a range of 700 miles and reached speeds of 653 miles per hour. Visibility from the cockpit gave the nimble plane an advantage in dogfights.
Yet it was also strong. Retired Navy Capt. John Duncan, 69, said the A-4 was the first military plane that would carry its weight in bombs. The tall "legs" above the wheels enabled the small plane to carry huge bombs, which at times made it look, "like a spider on an egg" according to its pilots.
Duncan, of Cathedral City, said he flew 120 A-4 combat missions in Vietnam.
He said the reliability and versatility of the plane was a major confidence boost to pilots.
"It could take punishment from the enemy and still get you back to the base," Duncan said.
However, despite upgrades, the model began to show its age in recent years. Most notably, it is unable to carry precision guided bombs, so-called smart bombs, which were used heavily in the recent war in Iraq.
Duncan, who is also on the board of directors at the air museum and attended the ceremony Saturday, said he’ll miss knowing the venerable aircraft is no longer part of the American military.
"It is sad," said Duncan. He brightened, "But what a fabulous history."
End of relationship
Woods will also miss the A-4.
He described the relationship between a fighter pilot and plane as nearly as nuanced as one between people -- with the same type of rewards and challenges.
"It will frustrate you sometimes; it will challenge you sometimes. It will try to kill you," he said describing how a pilot comes to know the plane’s subtle "personality" traits.
‘Hard to fly well’
"It is not hard to fly; it is hard to fly well," he said. "A plane that doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t teach you."
The A-4 Skyhawk is now on permanent loan to the Palm Springs Air Museum. It will no longer fly but will rest on display in front of the museum at 745 N. Gene Autry Trail.
Sharon Maguire, the museum’s director, said former A-4 pilots affiliated with the museum, "carried enough weight," with the Navy that it allowed the last active A-4 to rest in Palm Springs. "We are very proud," Maguire said.
Benjamin Spillman can be reached at 778-4643 or by e-mail at
Benjamin.Spillman@thedesertsun.com