Tag Archives: Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-4

Black Bunny gets some Love!

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If you ever built a scale model in the 1980s (raises hands), odds are you may have had (or at least pined for) one particular U.S. Navy F-4S Phantom II, that of The Evaluators of VX-4’s “Black Bunny/Vandy 1.”

The Black Bunny at Point Magu, circa 1982

Well, it looks like the BuNo 155539 is being pulled from the Boneyard at AMARC in Arizona, where it has languished since 1986 and is headed to a display at the Castle Air Museum, Castle Airport (formerly Castle AFB), in Atwater, California.

Via the Pima Air and Space Museum:

Why did “Black Bunny” cross the road? Always something new happening at Pima but this one is not for permanent display here, in case you were wondering. The VX-4 “Evaluators” F-4 Phantom will move on to another museum.

For the record, built as an F-4J-33-MC (#2777) in St. Louis, 155539 served in the fleet with The Starfighters of VF-33 in the 1970s– likely trapping in Indy and Ike– then, after her S upgrade, was assigned to VX-4 in 1981. This means she has spent more than twice as long in DOD storage than she did in active service. 

Happy Independence Day

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VX-4 F-4J Vandy 1 and Vandy 761 independence day

Classic F-4J Phantom IIs Vandy 1 and Vandy 761 of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-4, back in the smokey J79 days of Naval Aviation.

And when Playboy wasn’t just about the articles.

The Black Bunny

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F-4 Phantom II from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 4 and Naval Missile Center (NMC) China Lake, California 1975

F-4J Phantoms from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-4, “The Evaluators”, out of NAS Point Mugu and Naval Missile Center (NMC) China Lake, California 1975. They disestablished in 1994 and were blended with VX-5 out of NAS China Lake to become VX-9.

As they flew through the Vandenburg Test Center, their call sign was “Vandy” and the squadron leader flew Vandy 1, which in this photo is the Black Bunny sporting the playboy emblem on the vertical stabilizer. The black scheme was actually a test to see how visible it would be at night.

Bunny_F-4S_VX-4_at_Point_Mugu_1982

Mr. Hefner, always a supporter of the sexier things in life, had no objections to the use of the Bunny as an insignia, and when the Phantom was retired to the boneyard…

5539 boneyard

The squadron promptly gave the scheme to an F-14

F-14_TOMCAT_VX-4PINPATCH4