A-4E Skyhawk - Lady Jessie - NAS Pensacola, Florida, USA. - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

The A-4 Skyhawk is one of the longest serving, carrier capable, ground attack aircraft, with over 60 years of service (So far). Its first flight was in June 1954. Many A-4s are still in service to this day, with many nations around the World.

A-4s flew for Navy and Marine squadrons for 51 years from prototype to retirement, and logged more Vietnam combat missions than any other naval attack aircraft. They also served for over a decade with the Blue Angels, Navy Air Display team, their famous diamond formation depicted in the Museum's Blue Angels Atrium.

"The "Lady Jessie" aircraft are aircraft named in honor of Jessie Beck, a woman who was a close acquaintance of one of VA-164s pilots killed in action in Vietnam; who continued to send care packages to the squadron long after his death. The first plane to display her name was Lt Cdr Dick Perry's (the pilot killed in action) but later, the CO's aircraft would bear the honor until the squadron's disestablishment in 1975.

Discovery Saturday honors “Lady Jessie”
Members of the squadron will tell the story of those harrowing days of air combat, the loss of squadron-mates and the support of a special lady half a world away as they operated from aircraft carriers in the waters off Vietnam.
In the midst of the unpopular war, Jessie Beck of Reno, Nevada, provided unwavering support to a squadron of pilots tasked with flying dangerous combat missions over North Vietnam. Such was their appreciation for her that on each cruise, the Ghost Riders of VA-164 painted the name “Lady Jessie” on the side of one of their A-4 Skyhawks."

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Type of Aircraft: (make/model): A-4E Skyhawk Tail Number: (S/N): A-4E 149656 Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): National Museum of Naval Aviation - NAS Pensacola. inside / outside: inside Other Information:: A great day out in NAS Pensacola, can not wait to return & see all the things I missed, including the free tours. Access restrictions: You require a Passport or Government issued ID. (Some State IDs accepted, but not all). You must enter the Naval Airbase Station via the West Gate, off Blue Angel Parkway. Pensacola.

Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)

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