Douglas A1 Skyraiders

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The Navy was still flying Skyraiders when I was in ,in the late 60s..We had one in Pensacola..I did get to fly as a passenger many times to get flight pay and they were a great old fighter plane,,,many good times then...I miss those days..
 
Always liked the Skyrsiders. Used by both the Navy and the Air Force in many different roles. Probably one of the last piston powered attack aircraft.
 
Loved the Spad, when I joined the NAVY back in" 71" I entered as an (ADJ) Aviation Machinist Mate, wanted to be a recip mech but they made me a jet mech, had a few Skyraiders on the maint line for student turn ups, loved that R 3350 on start ups.

48978049076_4d6fb396ae_o.jpg
 
That tube on the vert stab is a Air speed indicator , at least on the A1e and J&H versions that i worked on at NKP (Nakhon Phanom Thailand) during 1968-1969. And yes they flew with that much ordinance and more (ref the picture in the first post) and our planes were full camouflage paint , with a few painted in full black paint. at this point I cant/wont say why.

The base was never there and neither was I.

Opps , don't tell anyone .

TOMB
 
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The air speed tube is understandable. Does anyone see like a human figure behind it? Maybe my Hamms is making me see things..
 
The image over the top of the vert fin could be a person standing on the folded wing (bombs) of the plane behind the plane in the foreground.



The link for your entertainment.

TOMB
 
I remember seeing one at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola with a hole blown right through one of the prop blades by a AAA cannon round. I assume it happened in Vietnam.

And they made it back aboard ship!

Those A1s had enormous props!
 
I read somewhere that it could carry it's own weight in ordnance . I don't know if that's true but it sounds cool . I do know that it was used extensively for SAR of downed airmen in VietNam . Heavily armed and had a long loiter time .
 
My favorite aircraft of all time is the A10 Warthog. It is amazing to watch them fly low in the canyons sideways. I remember going to Dumont Dunes and Death Valley and looked forward to seeing them. Sometimes they would fly so low that me and the kids would wave and the pilots would wave back with their wings!!
 
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