Fine Art!!!
Robert Grant "R.G" Smith was originally an engineer for the Douglas Aircraft Corporation, and helped design a number of WWII and later aircraft. He was also a VERY talented artist, and did something like 2000 paintings, many of them Navy birds, including the A-4, which he had actually helped design.
He was known for the accuracy of his paintings, and many of his works have been displayed at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. He also spent time underway with the Navy, and it showed in his art. He loved to capture the aircraft coming right at you!
You can go to his website- HERE to see more of his works, and even purchase copies if desired!
I was a Surface/Ops/Deck guy in my Navy career but I served with Aviators most of my career. We had a DASH Det on my first ship, was an ASAC-er on my second ship controlling ASW aircraft, fourth ship was CVA-19 (A-4's, F-8's VAQ A-3's), fifth, sixth and seventh ships were two Frigates and an Aegis Cruiser with LAMPS helos embarked. At CincPacFlt my boss was a former VAQ CO who was an O-6 EA-6B NFO EWO and our department head was an O-6 A-4 Aviator . So, you get a bunch of sailors together and who is the smartest guy in the room? Almost always the Aviator, unless that room is full of Fast Attack SSN Navy Nukes & Forward Pukes. Even locally, here in Pensacola...who was the smartest guy at the Cryptology training base at Corry Station? It was a former ABFCM O-6 LDO born in East Germany. I used to pal around with some of the NFO EWO's at Corry Station. Smart guys. Me? I felt pretty good about myself in the Navy hierarchy after my daughter married a SeaBee. That picture of the A-4 doing a trap brought back memories. When off watch, we'd sit in the port ECM room beneath the angle deck and watch traps on CCTV...the ka-Thunk and the occasional afterburner bolter. What a good life. But I liked being on Frigates better.
Cool. My dad worked airframes on A-4s with VA45