 | Fleet Air Arm |
| Fleet Air Arm |
4 September 2011
A small US group has restored a Skyhawk jet to flying condition, a project which spanned almost five years and many hours of labour.
The TA-4J Skyhawk N518TA made its maiden flight over Arizona on 18 April 2010 following its thorough and lengthy build and restoration.
The work was carried out by Fighting Classics under the watchful eye of Mike "Maj" McDougall with a skilled and dedicated crew based in a single hangar at Marana Regional Airport in Arizona. It took just under five years.
The aircraft started as an A-4L Bu148602 which was one of a batch of A-4Cs that were converted to A-4L standard and sold to the Malaysian Air Force. This example was one of 36 that were left behind to be used for spare parts and stored at Dross Metals (later called Aircraft Restoration and Marketing). The aircraft were sold as a job lot by the Malaysian Air Force and changed hands a few times before being released to the open market.
For more information, see:
Global Aviation Resource story
YouTube video of flight.
See also YouTube video of Paul Wood's A-4 Skyhawk aerobatic performance over
Michigan 2011.
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