Hi NC,
It was tricky, but I think I have it pinned. 1979.
What threw me for a loop was that the photos of the grey top+belly scheme I had were dated 1979, but most photos of VA-83 A-7s, right up to 1982, have high-vis (grey top, white belly) - so that was counterintuitive, suggesting a reversal of the transitional schemes ... so I did some digging ...
So, my hunch was 1979, since that's when other units were flying that scheme - take VF-74's F-4, for example ....
http://www.cloud9photography.us/US-A...6668&k=Fstsfcp
But to really double-check, I vetted the 1979 Forrestal cruise book photos ... not many there, but bingo - there was that one-colour, all-grey fuselage ... you have to look closely, but you see no white belly ...
http://navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-80/256.htm
http://navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-80/257.htm
And then, I see the cruise book images of their 1981 Forrestal cruise, and their A-7Es are now sporting white undersides ... a reversal indeed, back to full high-vis
http://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-82/398.htm
http://navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-81/308.htm
The 1982 cruise book shows they continued with high vis (grey top, white belly) then too ...
http://navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-82/393.htm
http://navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv59-82/398.htm
So there's the scoop on the lovely, but short-lived 1979 era VA-83/Forrestal cruise livery. Maybe Steve can help it come back to life for us in the sim?
Now back to NC's question: if you were in during the last full year of VA-83's A-7E period (1987), then the ram emblem you'd have seen was this, right?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...V-60_1986.jpeg
Photo was taken in 1986, but assuming the scheme was the still the same or very close the next year ...
Anyway, a fun research project to spend lunch at ... hope it helps our paint teams ....
dl