Ken wrote:
k5083 wrote:
Some profiles and models I've seen suggest that the entire white underside may have been overpainted to gray. True?
August
Sorta true. The airplanes were stripped and repainted 100% COIN gray, so no "overpainting" occurred. There were a few tails that made it to the AF in full USN paint, but they are rare oddities, as were some early USN transfers to the VNAF that sometimes later transferred to USAF units. I only mention this because combat paint is a topic where one can not say "always" or "never".
Ken
Interesting. So can we infer that 649 was one of those with the tail still in USN paint, since it has the USN font? Otherwise the switch in fonts from fin to rudder is hard to explain, though still possible. But I haven't squinted at enough photos of USAF A-1Es to have much of a theory.
August