A-1 Skyraider Historical Study Notes

A-1H Skyraider "Spad Dad" flown by the 6th Special Operations Squadron in Vietnam AD-4 Skyraider flown by VA-195 commanding officer Harold "Swede" Carlson when he led the "Tigers" on the only aerial torpedo attack of the Korean War (the successful May 1, 1951, torpedo attack on the heavily-defended, 250-foot-tall Hwachon Dam - an action that earned the group a new nickname, the "Dambusters") The tough and versatile Skyraider was among the final piston-powered, prop-driven attack planes produced before the dawn of the "jet age."Forrestal operating with the 6th Fleet in the 1950s and features Skyraiders, Demons and Skyhawks AD Skyraider, which was the workhorse of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War A-1H Skyraider flown off the USS Midway (CVA-41) by Lt. Clint Johnson of VA-25, "The Fist of the Fleet" (the U.S. Navy's last operational Skyraider attack squadron) when he shot down a MiG-17 over North Vietnam on June 20, 1965 A-1J Skyraider flown by Lt. (jg) Dieter Dengler of the U.S. Navy's VA-145 "Swordsmen" when he was shot down over Laos during his first combat mission on February 1, 1966 (he was captured by Pathet Lao forces and later became one of only a handful of Vietnam War POWs to escape from captivity)To commemorate the 6 millionth pound of U.S. ordnance dropped during the Vietnam War, the A-1H Skyraider "Paper Tiger II" - flown by Commander Clarence W. Stoddard, Jr., the executive officer of the VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" - carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese: a large ceramic toilet. Talk about giving new meaning to the phrase, "bombs away!"
In 1965, when U.S. air operations in Vietnam became more aggressive, more than 300 Skyraiders were employed on Close Air Support and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. an A-1J Skyraider flown by the commander of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing, when it flew out of Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in the late 1960s Col. Bernie Fisher was awarded the Medal of Honor for this rescue  mission in the A Shau Valley in March 1966, where he landed his Skyraider on the  heavily damaged field to rescue a squadron-mate.   With A-1 Skyraiders and A-4 Skyhawks providing close air support, Lt. Hal Moore and the troopers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division stand their ground during the battle of the la Drang Valley, Vietnam, 1965.  The Skyraider was one of the U.S. Navy's most successful and versatile aircraft ever  - and it was also its last piston-engined fighter-bomber.  A-1 Skyraider Specifications.  The A-1E Skyraider was 40' 1" long, 15' 10" high and had a wingspan of 50' 9".  The Skyraider had an empty weight of 12,313 lbs and a maximum weight of 25,000 lbs.  It used 1 Wright R-3350-26WA 2700 hp radial engine giving it a cruise speed of 200 mph and a maximum speed of 311 mph with a climb rate of 2,300 ft/min and a service ceiling of only 26,000 feet.  The A-1E  had a maximum range of  1,202 miles.  Later versions the A-1J used a Wright R-3350-26W engine with 3020 hp with a maximum speed of 322mph and range of 1,316 miles.    Mutza. Thanks to its remarkable service during the war in Southeast Asia, the Skyraider became legendary. Serving with distinction with both U.S. and South Vietnamese forces, the Skyraider took the war to the enemy, often at low altitude and in the face of devastating losses from anti-aircraft fire.   Skyraider missions covered the spectrum, from dive and torpedo  bomber, to airborne early warning aircraft, to flying ambulance, to aerial tanker, to  fighter. The A-1 performed all of these rolls with distinction.

an A-1H Skyraider flown off the USS Midway (CVA-41) by Lt. Clint Johnson of VA-25, "The Fist of the Fleet" (the U.S. Navy's last operational Skyraider attack squadron) when he shot down a MiG-17 over North Vietnam on June 20, 1965

To commemorate the 6 millionth pound of U.S. ordnance dropped during the Vietnam War, the A-1H Skyraider "Paper Tiger II" - flown by Commander Clarence W. Stoddard, Jr., the executive officer of the VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" - carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese: a large ceramic toilet. Talk about giving new meaning to the phrase, "bombs away!"
"Paper Tiger II" when it made that special delivery off of the USS Midway (CVA-41) in October, 1965

The tough and versatile Skyraider was among the final piston-powered, prop-driven attack planes produced before the dawn of the "jet age."

The Skyraider was one of the U.S. Navy's most successful and versatile aircraft ever  - and it was also its last piston-engined fighter-bomber.

the AD-4 Skyraider flown by VA-195 commanding officer Harold "Swede" Carlson when he led the "Tigers" on the only aerial torpedo attack of the Korean War (the successful May 1, 1951, torpedo attack on the heavily-defended, 250-foot-tall Hwachon Dam - an action that earned the group a new nickname, the "Dambusters")

the A-1J Skyraider flown by Lt. (jg) Dieter Dengler of the U.S. Navy's VA-145 "Swordsmen" when he was shot down over Laos during his first combat mission on February 1, 1966 (he was captured by Pathet Lao forces and later became one of only a handful of Vietnam War POWs to escape from captivity)

In 1965, when U.S. air operations in Vietnam became more aggressive, more than 300 Skyraiders were employed on Close Air Support and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions. an A-1J Skyraider flown by the commander of the 602nd Special Operations Squadron, 56th Special Operations Wing, when it flew out of Nakhon

With A-1 Skyraiders and A-4 Skyhawks providing close air support, Lt. Hal Moore and the troopers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division stand their ground during the battle of the la Drang Valley, Vietnam, 1965.

Col. Bernie Fisher was awarded the Medal of Honor for this rescue  mission in the A Shau Valley in March 1966, where he landed his Skyraider on the  heavily damaged field to rescue a squadron-mate.

U.S. Navy pilot Dieter Dengler, who is shot down while flying a Skyraider combat mission over Laos in 1965.

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider shown in this propeller driven aircraft model fighter aircraft page come in Plastic Models, Wooden Models, and both Wood and Mahogany Display Model Aircraft.  One nickname for the Skyraider that never took was the pulverizer.  Other nicknames were the SPAD, AD Able Dogs, or in their rescue work they were known as Sandy.   They were used as slow, all weather, close ground support with their loiter for long periods and also carry large payloads.   The U.S. Air Force lost  153 Skyraiders were lost in Viet Nam between 1962 and 1973.  Another 41 were listed as operational losses.  146 of the U.S.  Air Force Skyraiders were lost due to ground fire, 2 to MiGs,  3 to Sams, and 2 in attacks to airfields.  They were also used as escorts for rescue helicopters.  Overall losses of aircraft were 57%, for Skyraiders the losses were 75%.