Douglas A-1 Skyraider

A-1 (AD) Skyraider
Role	Attack aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight	18 March 1945
Introduction	1946
Retired	1973 (US use) 1985 (Gabonese Air Force) [1]
Primary users	United States Navy United States Air Force Royal Navy South Vietnam Air Force
Produced	1945–1957
Number built	3,180
Developed into	Douglas A2D Skyshark

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly designated AD before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s, which served during the Korean War and Vietnam War. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age (when most piston-engine attack or fighter aircraft were replaced by jet aircraft); thus becoming known by some as an "anachronism". ^{[2] [3]} The aircraft was nicknamed "Spad", after the French World War I fighter. ^[4]

It was operated by the United States Navy (USN), the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and the United States Air Force (USAF), and also saw service with the British Royal Navy, the French Air Force, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), and others. It remained in U.S. service until the early 1970s.

Design and development

The piston-engined, propeller-driven Skyraider was designed during World War II to meet United States Navy requirements for a carrier-based, single-seat, long-range, high performance dive/torpedo bomber, to follow on from earlier aircraft such as the Douglas SBD Dauntless, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and the Grumman TBF Avenger. ^[5] Designed by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company, prototypes were ordered on 6 July 1944 as the XBT2D-1. The XBT2D-1 made its first flight on 18 March 1945, and the USN began evaluation of the aircraft at the Naval Air Test Center (NATC) in April 1945. ^[6] In December 1946, after a designation change to AD-1, delivery of the first production aircraft to a fleet squadron was made to VA-19A. ^[7]

The AD-1 was built at Douglas's El Segundo plant in Southern California. In his memoir The Lonely Sky, test pilot Bill Bridgeman described the routine yet sometimes hazardous work of certifying AD-1s fresh off the assembly line at a rate of two aircraft per day for delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1949 and 1950. ^[8]

A Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider prototype

The low-wing monoplane design started with a Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engine which was later upgraded several times. The aircraft had distinctive large straight wings with seven hardpoints apiece. The Skyraider had excellent maneuverability at low speed, and carried a large amount of ordnance over a considerable combat radius. It had a long loiter time for its size, compared to much heavier subsonic or supersonic jets. The aircraft was optimized for ground attack and was armored against ground fire in key locations, unlike faster fighters adapted to carry bombs, such as the Vought F4U Corsair or North American P-51 Mustang, which were retired by U.S. forces before the 1960s.

Shortly after Heinemann began designing the XBT2D-1, a study was issued showing that for every 100 lb (45 kg) of weight reduction, the takeoff run was decreased by 8 ft (2.4 m), the combat radius increased by 22 mi (35 km) and the rate-of-climb increased by 18 ft/min (0.091 m/s). Heinemann immediately had his design engineers begin a program for finding weight savings on the XBT2D-1 design, no matter how small. Simplifying the fuel system resulted in a reduction of 270 lb (120 kg); 200 lb (91 kg) by eliminating an internal bomb bay and hanging external stores from the wings or fuselage; 70 lb (32 kg) by using a fuselage dive brake; and 100 lb (45 kg) by using an older tailwheel design. In the end, Heinemann and his design engineers achieved more than 1,800 lb (820 kg) of weight reduction on the original XBT2D-1 design. ^[9]

The Navy AD series was initially painted in ANA 623 glossy sea blue, but during the 1950s, following the Korean War, the color scheme was changed to light gull grey and white (Fed Std 595 27875). Initially using the gray and white Navy scheme, by 1967 the USAF began to paint its Skyraiders in a camouflaged pattern using two shades of green, and one of tan.

A-1E Skyraider in RVNAF colors during an air show

Used by the US Navy over Korea and Vietnam, the A-1 was a primary close air support aircraft for the USAF and RVNAF during the Vietnam War. The A-1 was famous for being able to take hits and keep flying thanks to armor plating around the cockpit area for pilot protection. It was replaced beginning in the mid-1960s by the Grumman A-6 Intruder as the Navy's primary medium-attack plane in supercarrier-based air wings; however Skyraiders continued to operate from the smaller Essex-class aircraft carriers.

The Skyraider went through seven versions, starting with the AD-1, then AD-2 and AD-3 with various minor improvements, then the AD-4 with a more powerful R-3350-26WA engine. The AD-5 was significantly widened, allowing two crew to sit side-by-side (this was not the first multiple-crew variant, the AD-1Q being a two-seater and the AD-3N a three-seater); it also came in a four-seat night-attack version, the AD-5N. The AD-6 was an improved AD-4B with improved low-level bombing equipment, and the final production version AD-7 was upgraded to an R-3350-26WB engine.

For service in Vietnam, USAF Skyraiders were fitted with the Stanley Yankee extraction system, ^[10] which acted in a similar manner to an ejection seat, though with twin rockets extracting the pilot from the cockpit.

In addition to serving during Korea and Vietnam as an attack aircraft, the Skyraider was modified to serve as a carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft, replacing the Grumman TBM-3W Avenger. It fulfilled this function in the USN and Royal Navy, being replaced by the Grumman E-1 Tracer and Fairey Gannet, respectively, in those services. ^[11]

Skyraider production ended in 1957 with a total of 3,180 having been built. In 1962, the existing Skyraiders were redesignated A-1D through A-1J and later used by both the USAF and the Navy in the Vietnam War.

Operational history

Korean War

AD-4 Skyraider taking off from USS Princeton during the Korean War

The Skyraider was produced too late for use in World War II, but became the backbone of United States Navy aircraft carrier and United States Marine Corps strike aircraft sorties in the Korean War (1950–1953), with the first ADs going into action from Valley Forge with VA-55 on 3 July 1950. ^[12] Its weapons load and 10-hour flying time far surpassed the jets that were available at the time. ^[11] On 2 May 1951, Skyraiders made the only aerial torpedo attack of the war, hitting the Hwacheon Dam, then controlled by North Korea. ^[13]

On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major George H. Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Soviet-built Polikarpov Po-2 biplane, the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war. ^[14] AD-3N and -4N aircraft carrying bombs and flares, flew night-attack sorties, and radar-equipped ADs carried out radar-jamming missions from carriers and land bases. ^[11]

During the Korean War, AD Skyraiders were flown by only the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, and were normally painted in dark navy blue. It was called the "Blue Plane" by enemy troops. ^[15] Marine Corps Skyraiders suffered heavy losses when used in low-level close-support missions. To allow low-level operations to continue without unacceptable losses, a package of additional armor was fitted, consisting of 0.25–0.5 inches (6.4–12.7 mm) thick external aluminum armor plates fitted to the underside and sides of the aircraft's fuselage. The armor package weighed a total of 618 pounds (280 kg) and had little effect on performance or handling. ^[16] A total of 128 Navy and Marine AD Skyraiders were lost in the Korean War – 101 in combat and 27 to operational causes. Most operational losses were due to the tremendous power of the AD: ADs that were "waved-off" during carrier recovery operations were prone to performing a fatal torque roll into the sea or the deck of the aircraft carrier if the pilot mistakenly gave the AD too much throttle. The torque of the engine was so great that it would cause the aircraft to rotate about the propeller and slam into the sea or the carrier.

Cathay Pacific VR-HEU incident

On 26 July 1954, two Douglas Skyraiders from the aircraft carriers USS Philippine Sea and Hornet shot down two Chinese PLAAF Lavochkin fighters off the coast of Hainan Island while searching for survivors after the shooting down of a Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 Skymaster airliner three days previously. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

Vietnam War

An A-1H of VA-115 in 1965

As American involvement in the Vietnam War began, the A-1 Skyraider was still the medium attack aircraft in many carrier air wings, although it was planned to be replaced by the A-6A Intruder as part of the general switch to jet aircraft. Skyraiders from Constellation and Ticonderoga participated in the first U.S. Navy strikes against North Vietnam on 5 August 1964 as part of Operation Pierce Arrow in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, striking against fuel depots at Vinh, with one Skyraider from Ticonderoga damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and a second from Constellation shot down, killing its pilot, Lieutenant Richard Sather. ^{[20] [21]}

Shoot-downs

A-1H "Paper Tiger II" carrying a joke bomb made from a toilet in October 1965

During the war, U.S. Navy Skyraiders used their cannon to shoot down two Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 jet fighters. The first, on 20 June 1965 by Lieutenant Clinton B. Johnson and Lt. (jg) Charles W. Hartman III of VA-25, ^[22] was the first gun kill of the Vietnam War. The other was on 9 October 1966 by Lt. (jg) William T. Patton of VA-176. ^[14]

Tactical operators

As they were released from U.S. Navy service, Skyraiders were introduced into the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF). Skyraiders were also used by the U.S. Air Force, specifically Special Operations elements of the Tactical Air Command, for search and rescue air cover. They were also used by the USAF to perform one of the Skyraider's most famous roles — the "Sandy" helicopter escort on combat rescues. ^{[23] [24]} On 10 March 1966, USAF Major Bernard F. Fisher flew an A-1E mission and was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing Major "Jump" Myers at A Shau Special Forces Camp. ^[25] USAF Colonel William A. Jones III piloted an A-1H on 1 September 1968 mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In that mission, despite damage to his aircraft and suffering serious burns, he returned to his base and reported the position of a downed U.S. airman. ^[25]

Losses

On 5 August 1964, the first A-1E Skyraider was shot down during Operation Pierce Arrow. The pilot, Lt. (jg) Richard Sather, was the first Navy pilot killed in the war. On the night of 29 August 1964, the second A-1E Skyraider was shot down and the pilot killed near Bien Hoa Air Base; it was flown by Capt. Richard D. Goss from the 1st Air Commando Squadron, 34th Tactical Group. The third A-1 was shot down on 31 March 1965 piloted by Lt. (jg) Gerald W. McKinley from the USS Hancock on a bombing run over North Vietnam. He was reported missing, presumed dead.

While on his first mission, Navy pilot Lt. (jg) Dieter Dengler took damage to his A-1H over Vietnam on 1 February 1966, and crash-landed in Laos. ^[26]
Col. Oscar Mauterer ejected from his A-1 after taking heavy enemy fire while providing cover for a damaged friendly aircraft on February 15, 1966. Radio reports confirmed Mauterer had a good chute, but was captured by enemy forces. Mauterer is still POW/MIA status.

A-1H 52-139738 of the 1st SOS was the last USAF Skyraider lost on 28 September 1972.

The next A-1 was shot down on 29 April 1966, and Pilot Capt. Grant N. Tabor, was lost on 19 April 1967; both were from the 602 Air Commando Squadron. A Skyraider from Navy Squadron VA-25 on a ferry flight from Naval Air Station Cubi Point (Philippines) to USS Coral Sea was lost to two Chinese MiG-17s on 14 February 1968: Lieutenant (jg) Joseph P. Dunn, USN flew too close to the Chinese island of Hainan and was intercepted. Lieutenant Dunn's A-1H Skyraider 134499 (Canasta 404) was the last Navy A-1 lost in the war. He was observed to survive the ejection and deploy his raft, but was never found. Initially listed as missing in action, he is now listed as killed in action and posthumously promoted to the rank of Commander. In October 1965, to highlight the dropping of the six millionth pound of ordnance, Commander Clarence J. Stoddard of VA-25, flying an A-1H, dropped a special, one-time-only object in addition to his other munitions – a toilet. ^[27] During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy lost 65 Skyraiders, 48 of these in combat. ^[28]

The U.S. Air Force used the naval A-1 Skyraider for the first time in Vietnam. As the Vietnam War progressed, USAF A-1s were painted in camouflage, while USN A-1 Skyraiders were gray/white in color in contrast to the Korean War, when A-1s were painted dark blue. After November 1972, all A-1s in U.S. service in Southeast Asia were transferred to the RVNAF. The Skyraider in Vietnam pioneered the concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long loiter times and large ordnance loads. The USAF lost 191 Skyraiders in Southeast Asia, 150 of these in combat. Of the combined total of 256 lost A-1s, five were shot down by Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), and three were shot down in air-to-air combat; the rest were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. ^[29]

Republic of Vietnam Air Force

The A-1 Skyraider was the close air support workhorse of the RVNAF for much of the Vietnam War. The U.S. Navy began to transfer some of its Skyraiders to the RVNAF in September 1960, replacing the RVNAF's older Grumman F8F Bearcats. By 1962 the RVNAF had 22 of the aircraft in its inventory, ^[30] and by 1968 an additional 131 aircraft had been received. Initially Navy aviators and crews were responsible for training their South Vietnamese counterparts on the aircraft, but over time responsibility was gradually transferred to the USAF.

An A-1H Skyraider of the VNAF 516th Fighter Squadron being loaded with napalm at Da Nang Air Base in 1967

The initial trainees were selected from among RVNAF Bearcat pilots who had accumulated 800 to 1200 hours flying time. They were trained at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, and then sent to NAS Lemoore, California for further training. Navy pilots and crews in Vietnam checked out the Skyraiders that were being transferred to the RVNAF, and conducted courses for RVNAF ground crews. ^[31]

Over the course of the war, the RVNAF acquired a total more than 350 Skyraiders, and was operating six A-1 squadrons by the end of 1965. About one third of these were A-1E/G. These were reduced during the period of Vietnamization from 1968 to 1972, as the U.S. began to supply the South Vietnamese with more modern close air support aircraft, such as the A-37 Dragonfly and Northrop F-5, and at the beginning of 1968, only three of its squadrons were flying A-1s. ^[32]

As the U.S. ended its direct involvement in the war, it transferred the remainder of its Skyraiders to the South Vietnamese, and by 1973, all remaining Skyraiders in U.S. inventories had been turned over to the RVNAF. ^[33] Unlike their American counterparts, whose combat tours were generally limited to 12 months, individual South Vietnamese Skyraider pilots ran up many thousands of combat hours in the A-1, and many senior RVNAF pilots were extremely skilled in the operation of the aircraft. ^[34] The last Skyraiders transferred to the VNAF were 23 A-1H/J and 21 A-1E/G in late 1972. In 1974, 61 were put in storage. A year later, eleven fled to Thailand (5 A-1E, 1 A-1G, 5 A-1H) and more than 40 were captured by North Vietnam. ^[35]

A-1H 134600 was operated by the VNAF from 1965 to 1975. In 1997, it was acquired by the U. S. Army Center of Military History before it was restored and put on display at the National Museum of the USAF in 2022 (painted as 52–139738). ^[36]

United Kingdom

Four Royal Navy Douglas Skyraider AEW.1s from D Flight 849 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, in flight in the 1950s

The Royal Navy acquired 50 AD-4W early warning aircraft in 1951 through the Military Assistance Program. All Skyraider AEW.1s were operated by 849 Naval Air Squadron, which provided four-plane detachments for the British carriers. Flights from HMS Eagle (R05) and HMS Albion (R07) took part in the Suez Crisis in 1956. ^{[37] [38]} 778 Naval Air Squadron was responsible for the training of the Skyraider crews at RNAS Culdrose until July 1952. ^[39]

In 1960, the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 replaced the Skyraiders, using the AN/APS-20 radar of the Douglas aircraft. The last British Skyraiders were retired in 1962. ^[39] In the late 1960s, the AN/APS-20 radars from the Skyraiders were installed in Avro Shackleton AEW.2s of the Royal Air Force which were finally retired in 1991.

Sweden

Fourteen ex-British AEW.1 Skyraiders were sold to Sweden to be used by Svensk Flygtjänst AB between 1962 and 1976. All military equipment was removed and the aircraft were used as target tugs supporting the Swedish Armed Forces. ^[39]

France

The French Air Force bought 20 ex-USN AD-4s as well as 88 ex-USN AD-4Ns and five ex-USN AD-4NAs with the former three-seaters modified as single-seat aircraft with removal of the radar equipment and the two operator stations from the rear fuselage. The AD-4N/NAs were initially acquired in 1956 to replace aging Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in Algeria. ^[40]

The Skyraiders were first ordered in 1956 and the first was handed over to the French Air Force on 6 February 1958 after being overhauled and fitted with some French equipment by Sud-Aviation. The aircraft were used until the end of the Algerian War. The aircraft were used by the 20e Escadre de Chasse (EC 1/20 "Aures Nementcha", EC 2/20 "Ouarsenis" and EC 3/20 "Oranie") and EC 21 in the close air support role armed with rockets, bombs and napalm.

The Skyraiders had only a short career in Algeria, but they nonetheless proved to be the most successful of all the ad hoc counter-insurgency aircraft deployed by the French. The Skyraider remained in limited French service until the 1970s. ^[40] They were heavily involved in the civil war in Chad, at first with the Armée de l'Air, and later with a nominally independent Chadian Air Force staffed by French mercenaries. The aircraft also operated under the French flag in Djibouti and on the island of Madagascar. When France at last relinquished the Skyraiders it passed the survivors on to allied states, including Gabon, Chad, Cambodia and the Central African Republic ^[41] (several aircraft from Gabon and Chad were recovered by French warbird enthusiasts and entered on the French civil register).

The French frequently used the aft station to carry maintenance personnel, spare parts and supplies to forward bases. In Chad they even used the aft station for a "bombardier" and his "special stores" – empty beer bottles – as these were considered as non-lethal weapons, thus not breaking the government-imposed rules of engagement, during operations against Libyan-supported rebels in the late 1960s and early 1970s.^{[ citation needed ]}

Variants

The XBT2D-1 in 1945

VC-35 AD-1Q in the late 1940s

VC-33 AD-3Q, AD-4N, and AD-5N in 1955

AD-4W AEW aircraft landing on USS Leyte

VMA-331 AD-5 in flight

EA-1F (AD-5Q) ECM aircraft, BuNo 135010, of CVW-9 in 1966

VAW-11 AD-5W aboard USS Kearsarge, 1958

AD-6s from VA-42

XBT2D-1

Single-seat dive-bomber, torpedo-bomber prototype for the U.S. Navy

XBT2D-1N

Three-seat night attack prototypes; only three aircraft built

XBT2D-1P

Photographic reconnaissance prototype; only one built

XBT2D-1Q

Two-seat electronics countermeasures prototype; one aircraft only

BT2D-2 (XAD-2)

Upgraded attack aircraft; one prototype only

AD-1

The first production model; 242 built

AD-1Q

Two-seat electronic countermeasures version of the AD-1; 35 built

AD-1U

AD-1 with radar countermeasures and tow target equipment, no armament and no water injection equipment

XAD-1W

Three-seat airborne early warning prototype. AD-3W prototype; one aircraft only.

AD-2

Improved model, powered by 2,700 hp (2,000 kW) Wright R-3350-26W engine; 156 built

AD-2D

Unofficial designation for AD-2s used as remote-control aircraft, to collect and gather radioactive material in the air after nuclear tests

AD-2Q

Two-seat electronics countermeasures version of the AD-2; 21 built

AD-2QU

AD-2 with radar countermeasures and target towing equipment, no armament and no water injection equipment; one aircraft only

XAD-2

Similar to XBT2D-1 except engine, increased fuel capacity

AD-3

Proposed turboprop version, initial designation of A2D Skyshark

AD-3

Stronger fuselage, improved landing gear, new canopy design; 125 built

AD-3S

Anti-submarine warfare model; only two prototypes were built

AD-3N

Three-seat night attack version; 15 built

AD-3Q

Electronics countermeasures version, countermeasures equipment relocated for better crew comfort; 23 built

AD-3QU

Target towing aircraft, but most were delivered as AD-3Qs

AD-3W

Airborne early warning version; 31 built

XAD-3E

AD-3W modified for ASW with Aeroproducts propeller

AD-4

Strengthened landing gear, improved radar, G-2 compass, anti-G suit provisions, four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon and 14 Aero rocket launchers; 372 built

AD-4B

Specialized version designed to carry nuclear weapons, also armed with four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon; 165 built plus 28 conversions

AD-4L

Equipped for winter operations in Korea; 63 conversions

AD-4N (A-1D)

Three-seat night attack version; 307 built

AD-4NA

Designation of 100 AD-4Ns without their night-attack equipment, but fitted with four 20 mm cannon, for service in Korea as ground-attack aircraft

AD-4NL

Winterized version of the AD-4N; 36 conversions

AD-4Q

Two-seat electronic countermeasures version of the AD-4; 39 built

AD-4W

Three-seat airborne early warning version; 168 built. A total of 50 AD-4Ws were transferred to the Royal Navy as Skyraider AEW Mk 1s.

AD-5 (A-1E)

Side-by-side seating for pilot and co-pilot, without dive brakes; 212 built

AD-5N (A-1G)

Four-seat night attack version, with radar countermeasures; 239 built

AD-5Q (EA-1F)

Four-seat electronics countermeasures version; 54 conversions

AD-5S

One prototype to test magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) anti-submarine equipment

AD-5U

The AD-5 when modified for target towing became the UA-1E in 1962. The same model converted as a transport was sometimes referred to as the AD-5R.

AD-5W (EA-1E)

Three-seat airborne early warning version with an AN/APS-20 radar installed; 218 were built

UA-1E

Utility version of the AD-5

AD-6 (A-1H)

Single-seat attack aircraft with three dive brakes, centerline station stressed for 3,500 lb (1,600 kg) of ordnance, 30 in (760 mm) in diameter, combination 14 in (360 mm) and 30 in (760 mm) bomb ejector and low/high altitude bomb director; 713 built

AD-7 (A-1J)

The final production model, powered by a R-3350-26WB engine, with structural improvements to increase wing fatigue life; 72 built

Operators

Main article: List of Douglas A-1 Skyraider operators

•   Cambodia
•   Central African Republic
•   Chad
•   France
•   Gabon
•   South Vietnam
•   Thailand
•   Sweden
•   United Kingdom
•   United States

Surviving aircraft

Main article: List of surviving Douglas A-1 Skyraiders

Specifications (AD-6 / A-1H Skyraider)

3-view line drawing of the Douglas XBT2D-1 Dauntless II

Data from McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I ^[42]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.84 m)
• Wingspan: 50 ft 0.25 in (15.2464 m)
• Height: 15 ft 8.25 in (4.7816 m)
• Wing area: 400.33 sq ft (37.192 m²)
• Airfoil:root: NACA 2417; tip: NACA 4413 ^[43]
• Empty weight: 11,968 lb (5,429 kg)
• Gross weight: 18,106 lb (8,213 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 380 US gal (320 imp gal; 1,400 L) internal tanks
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)
• Propellers: 4-bladed Aeroproducts constant-speed propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 322 mph (518 km/h, 280 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
• Cruise speed: 198 mph (319 km/h, 172 kn)
• Range: 1,316 mi (2,118 km, 1,144 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,700 m)
• Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
• Wing loading: 46.6 lb/sq ft (228 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.149 hp/lb (0.245 kW/kg)

Armament

• Guns: 4x 20 mm AN/M3 cannon with 200 rounds per gun
• Hardpoints: 15 external hardpoints with a capacity of 10,500 lbs (4762.71kg) per NAVWEPS manual 01-40-ALF-1, with provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Other: bombs, torpedoes, mine dispensers, unguided rockets, and gun pods. ^[27]

Naming

The A-1 Skyraider received various nicknames including: "Spad" and "Super Spad" (derived from the aircraft's AD designation, its relative longevity in service and an allusion to the "Spad" aircraft of World War I), "Able Dog" (phonetic AD), "the Destroyer", "Hobo" (radio call sign of the US Air Force's 1st Air Commando/1st Special Operations Squadron), "Firefly" (a call sign of the 602nd ACS/SOS), "Zorro" (the call sign of the 22nd SOS), "The Big Gun", "Old Faithful", "Old Miscellaneous", "Fat Face" (AD-5/A-1E version, side-by-side seating), "Guppy" (AD-5W version), "Q-Bird" or "Queer Bird" (AD-1Q/AD-5Q versions), "Flying Dumptruck" (A-1E), "Sandy" (the 602nd ACS/SOS call sign for Combat Search And Rescue helicopter escort), and "Crazy Water Buffalo" (South Vietnamese nickname). ^{[44] [ failed verification ]}

Notable appearances in media

Main article: Aircraft in fiction § A-1 Skyraider

See also

Related development

• Douglas A2D Skyshark

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Aichi B7A
• Martin AM Mauler
• Westland Wyvern

Related lists

• List of attack aircraft
• List of military aircraft of the United States

References

Notes

1. Thornburg, Chris. "World Air Forces – Historical Listings: Gabon (GAB)." Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine WorldAirForces.Com, 3 December 2006. Retrieved: 24 March 2011.
2. Suciu, Peter (30 March 2021). "'Flying Anachronism': Douglas A-1 Skyraider Was a Vietnam War Warrior". The National Interest.
3. "Douglas A-1 Skyraider Registry - A Warbirds Resource Group Site". www.warbirdregistry.org.
4. Burgess and Rausa 2009, p. 7.
5. Parker, Dana T. Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II, p. 33, Cypress, Calif., 2013. ISBN   978-0989790604.
6. Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 176.
7. Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 177.
8. Bridgeman and Hazard 1955, pp. 38–40.
9. "Headaches of a Jet Designer." Popular Mechanics, January 1953, pp. 81–85, 248.
10. "The Ejection Site: Stanley YANKEE Extraction System". www.ejectionsite.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2002. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
11. Johnson, E.R. "Able Dog." Aviation History, September 2008.
12. Mersky 1983, p. 144.
13. Faltum 1996, pp. 125–126.
14. Grossnick and Armstrong 1997
15. Jordan, Corey C. "Douglas AD-4 Skyraider." Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine A Frozen Hell... The Air War Over Korea, 1950–1953, 2001. Retrieved: 14 July 2011.
16. De Vine, Carl R. "Aluminum Armor Protects AD's" Archived 2017-01-26 at the Wayback Machine . Naval Aviation News, May 1953, p. 33.
17. "From all Quarters: The Hainan Incident". Flight . Vol. 66, no. 2375. 30 July 1954. p. 130.
18. "U.S. Alert to New Red Air Attacks" . Aviation Week . Vol. 61, no. 5. 2 August 1954. p. 15.
19. " Air Clash off Hainan." Archived December 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine South China Morning Post, 27 July 1954.
20. Dorr Air Enthusiast 1988, p. 3.
21. Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 34–35.
22. Johnson, Clinton. "Skyraider vs Mig-17." Archived 2007-11-28 at the Wayback Machine Untold Stories. Retrieved: 14 July 2011.
23. "Douglas A-1H and A-1J" Archived March 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 30 December 2007.
24. "Rescue in Vietnam." Archived March 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 30 December 2007.
25. "Medal of Honor Citations: Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipients (A-L)." Archived 2009-05-27 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Army Center of Military History, 16 July 2007. Retrieved: 23 December 2007.
26. Dengler 1979
27. Johnson, Captain Clint. "VA-25's Toilet Bomb." Archived 2007-02-22 at the Wayback Machine USS Midway. Retrieved: 24 March 2011.
28. List of aircraft losses of the Vietnam War
29. Hobson 2001, pp. 268–269.
30. Chinnery 1997, p. 95.
31. Denehan 1997, pp. 10–11.
32. Denehan 2007
33. "Skyraider." Archived 2008-05-15 at the Wayback Machine NASM. Retrieved: 7 October 2009.
34. Chinnery 1997, p. 96.
35. Wayne Mutza: The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam. The Spad's last War: Schiffer Military History, Atglen, Pennsylvania (USA), 2016 (ISBN 9780764317910), p. 143-144.
36. "A-1H Skyraider 134600". aerialvisuals.ca. 22 July 2023.
37. Ballance 2016, p.228-229
38. "Canal Zoners Photos: The Suez Crisis from HMS Albion – Operation Musketeer 1956". CanalZoners.co.uk. 1995. Archived from the original on 28 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020. Photo caption: Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Douglas AD-4W Skyraider AEW1 of C Flight of No. 849 Squadron taking off from the deck of HMS Albion during the Suez Crisis of 1956.
39. Baugher. Joe. "Service of AD Skyraider with Fleet Air Arm." Archived 2010-11-24 at the Wayback Machine Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider, 18 October 2001. Retrieved: 7 October 2009.
40. Francillon 1979, p. 403.
41. Francillon 1979, pp. 403–404.
42. Francillon, René J. (1988). McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I. London: Naval Institute Press. pp. 368–391. ISBN   0870214284.
43. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
44. "The Sandy Spad" Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , Robert S. DeGroat, story appeared in the Feb 1996 issue of EAA Warbirds magazine. Retrieved: 25 March 2017.

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External links

• Skyraider.org
• Air Force Fact sheet on the Douglas A-1E Skyraider flown by Major Fisher
• "The Able Dogs". Abledogs.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
• The A-1 in Airpower Classics from Air Force Magazine
• Douglas A-1 Skyraider articles and publications
• AeroWeb: List of A-1 survivors on display
• Heritage Flight Museum: A-1 Skyraider "The Proud American"
• The short film Staff Film Report 66-21A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive .
• "AD-5 Skyraider: Dipping into the Horsepower Pool" (pilot report), Budd Davisson, 1999, Flight Journal