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Red Flag 84-3: VMA-133


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VMA-133, the Dragons, a Marine Reserve unit out of NAS Alameda at Red Flag in April 1984. They were deactivated in 1992.

 

BuNo 154987, Modex ME01

154987 vma-133 ME01 KLSV 19840402 31cr

 

154203 ME03

154203 vma-133 ME03 KLSV 19840402 21cr

 

154970 ME07

154970 vma-133 ME07 KLSV 19840402 23cr

 

155026 ME11

155026 vma-133 ME11 KLSV 19840402 19cr

 

155018 ME12

155018 vma-133 ME12 KLSV 19840402 20cr

 

154204 ME13

154204 vma-133 ME13 KLSV 19840402 30cr

 

And one that was visiting Edwards, December 1981. 155057 ME09

155057 vma-133 ME09 KEDW 19811201 06cr

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

 

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Awesome! My all time favorite period of US Navy/Marine aviation - the 80's! I love all the variation in greys and patterns. 01 has the earliest pattern and 13 is faded so much you can hardly tell where one colour ends and another begins.

Are you able to read the names under the cockpit of 01 and 03?

Richard.

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Nice.

18 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

What is up with that first plane's national insignia?  It definitely is weird. 

Besides being larger than those on the other aircraft, I think it's the combination of different greys used to achieve the star and bar, against the grey camo scheme. 

 

Interesting that no two of these aircraft are marked the same :nerd:

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Another few gems from @Old Viper Tester's diamond mine.

18 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

What is up with that first plane's national insignia?  It definitely is weird. 

 

Nice pics BTW.

I wonder if the air brake panel had been swapped out from another airframe ?

16 minutes ago, Smudge said:

Nice.

Besides being larger than those on the other aircraft, I think it's the combination of different greys used to achieve the star and bar, against the grey camo scheme. 

 

Interesting that no two of these aircraft are marked the same :nerd:

 

Agreed - who would want to be a researcher for a quality decal manufacturer ?

 

 

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14 hours ago, Gekko_1 said:

Are you able to read the names under the cockpit of 01 and 03?

Richard.

Richard,

01 only the rank, Lt. Cd. possibly first name 'Bill'?

03 I'm reading it as 'NASTY'!

Well.........they ARE Marines!!

 

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15 hours ago, Gekko_1 said:

Are you able to read the names under the cockpit of 01 and 03?

I've pulled the slides for these birds and did a higher-rez scan. PhoenixII has 03 correct as NASTY:

154203 vma-133 ME03 KLSV 19840402 21hrcr1

 

and 01:

154987 vma-133 ME01 KLSV 19840402 31hrcr1

 

Looks to me like LTCOL. BILL INGSWORTH. It would be Lt Col for a Marine. At first I thought I was seeing IRV.I. INGSWORTH (rather alliterative), but checking the spacing of the letters and the stenciled spaces in the other letters leads to BILL (which is a lot more believable).

 

Here's the national insignia FWIW...

154987 vma-133 ME01 KLSV 19840402 31hrcr2

 

Looks like the M in Marines has been blotted out, as I can make out the rough shape of the letter. The 4 in the vertical tail buno is there, but very faint. Why the very light upper roundel rather than the same light gray as in the bars is strange. Maybe it weathered that way?

 

Hope this is of some use,

Sven

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6 hours ago, Old Viper Tester said:

I've pulled the slides for these birds and did a higher-rez scan. PhoenixII has 03 correct as NASTY:

 

Looks to me like LTCOL. BILL INGSWORTH. It would be Lt Col for a Marine. At first I thought I was seeing IRV.I. INGSWORTH (rather alliterative), but checking the spacing of the letters and the stenciled spaces in the other letters leads to BILL (which is a lot more believable).

 

Here's the national insignia FWIW...

 

Looks like the M in Marines has been blotted out, as I can make out the rough shape of the letter. The 4 in the vertical tail buno is there, but very faint. Why the very light upper roundel rather than the same light gray as in the bars is strange. Maybe it weathered that way?

 

Hope this is of some use,

Sven

 

Excellent Sven, thank you!

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6 hours ago, Old Viper Tester said:

 

154987 vma-133 ME01 KLSV 19840402 31hrcr1

 

154987 vma-133 ME01 KLSV 19840402 31hrcr2

 

 

 

This Skyhawk is actually very unique. For instance I have never seen an intake warning marking with the forward vertical stripe before. The camouflage scheme is a variation on one of the earliest low-viz schemes applied to the Marine A-4F and A-4M's. To me it looks like FS. 35237 as the upper most colour, then FS. 36320 and FS.36495 underneath. Like this..........

low_viz_scheme_A-4_M_early.png

 

The national insignia is the right size and style for the early low-viz schemes, but the upper part of the circle and the two horizontal bars either side look like they have been sprayed FS. 36495 which is very unusual. Normally they would just be counter shaded in the upper and side colours in the same pattern shown.

It looks like a re-spray has happened underneath the "MARINES" and "4987". With the "ARINES" and the "4" being covered over by a stencil?

Fascinating stuff!

 

Richard.

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45 minutes ago, Glen said:

Are these A-4Ms?

They are upgraded A-4Fs and still carry the A-4F designation above the bureau numbers on the aft fuselage. Hence the earlier style canopy and, I think, original/smaller engine intakes. Though I think some Super Fs had the engine and intake upgrade. Others may know more.

 

Sven

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