A-4C Skyhawk - Hide's Last Ride

I flew the A-4 with the Navy as a young man. At age 70, I was invited to fly A-4C 149606 for Skyhawk Ventures and for the next 3.5 years, flew the airplane at airshows and various flyby events.

At age 74 I remained comfortable in the cockpit, but it was time for me to step down, which I did during the Valiant Air Command's 2016 Tico War Bird Airshow. It had been just short of 50 years since my initial A-4 training flight in the Navy. It was all a hoot!

Special thanks to Dan Carr and Porter Spangler, who bought and restored the airplane and to Phil Ricker, who was part of the restoration team and kept the airplane safe for me to fly. Very special memories go to my good friend and fellow A-4 pilot, Larry Elmore, who was my partner in flying the Skyhawk, until dying in a tragic skydiving accident. ...and to Scott Roth who alternated the flying with me the last year. Thanks also to the Valiant Air Command, who later acquired the jet and allowed me to continue as it's pilot.