The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is one of the most timeless turbojet aircraft ever to have been produced. Despite the fact that the design is over fifty years old, with it’s first flight taking place on June 22, 1954, it still flies as a front line fighter in some Air Forces and Naval Arms worldwide today.
The A-4 was designed by famous Douglas aircraft designer Ed Heinemann in response for a U.S. Navy order to replace the carrier-borne, propeller-driven Douglas A-1 (AD) Skyraider attack aircraft. The simple, delta-winged design weighed only half the U.S. Navy specification and the wings were so small that they didn’t require wing-folding mechanisms to operate and be stored on aircraft carriers. It’s nimble performance earned it the nicknames “Scooter” and “Heinemann’s Hot-Rod”.
The Skyhawk remained in production until 1979 and 2,960 aircraft were built. it fought through the Vietnam War and was used by Israel in the Yom Kippur War and Argentina in the Falklands War against the British Royal Navy.
A tribute to the tiny attack jet, this realistic tattoo was created by tattoo artist Jesse Rix, owner of Secret Lake Tattoo located in Keene, NH.
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