14 Aug 1954: First flight as a XA4D-1. Ca.1955: TOS USN. By 1957: NATC, NAS Patuxent River, MD. 1960: NARF, upgraded to A4D-1. It was then transferred to VA-83, NAS Oceana, VA. 7/62: Redesigned A-4A. By 10/62: NAF China Lake, CA for testing. 1 Jul 1963: SOC, stored at NAS Litchfield, AZ. By 1967: TOS USN and returned to NATC Patuxent River. 10/69: SOC. By 1975: Naval Aviation museum, marked as it was when in service with VA-83.

This first production Skyhawk flew on August 14, 1954, just two months after the prototype XAD4-1. Designated as the first of sixteen YA4D-1s, it was brought up to full AD4-1 specs in 1960. Retired in 1969, it has been with the Naval Aviation Museum since about 1979, marked as it was in service with VA-83.

On display on the museum's restoration area ramp.

Mounted on the pylon inside the main gate at Alameda Point (former NAS Alameda), beautifully repaired after the mishap on 14 June 2011 when the crane tipped over (see here).

This A-4 served with the Navy until retirement to AMARC during Oct. 65. She was in the desert for only a year and has now ended up, in this rather perilous state, in the storage yard of the Yanks Air Museum. Presumably she has been 'reclaimed' over the years for parts so that other A-4s may live.

Photo 1 of 3 (see here). After over two years of volunteer restoration work on the A-4 at the former NAS Alameda this beautiful Douglas A-4 was about to be remounted on the pylon at the main gate.

Photo 2 of 3 (see here). Suddenly the plane dropped and hit the pylon as the cables were slacked off. The reason was that the crane was tipping over and about to fall. It can be seen in the upper left hand corner.

Photo 3 of 3 (see here). The final scene with the crane on its side after hitting the tail section of the A-4 as it came down. The Skyhawk was eventually repaired and successfully mounted on the pylon (see here).

Early production A4D-1 wearing the markings of attack squadron VA-83.

This is how the A-4 - or A4D - looked like before they started nailing extra bits on.