I have an A-4 tailhook that an industrious retired Avenger from Mobile got for my squadron from the Museum of naval aviation.
As the snack-o at the time, he contacted me saying that there were 3 VMA-211 A-4 tailhooks there that the museum would "let him have" if my CO signed a letter saying that we didn't need them and that we were releasing them to him. He offered to refurbish them and give the squadron one in return for this letter. The other 2 he was going to use as part of a squadron bar he was building in his garage.
When the hook got out here to Yuma, it turns out that we already had one laying around which we eventually put in our squadron bar. Seeing as we don't use them at all anymore, we didn't see a need for two of them in our bar. I ended up with the one he gave us. It's in my house.
If the museum has some Hornet tailhooks, I'll bet it'll be harder for you to get than it was for the guy that got me mine. I don't know if a current Hornet squadron will want to let one go. They may want to actually use it (doubtful) or at a minimum use it in their bar or let one of their own dudes have it. Maybe that could be you. Who knows?
