Skyraiders ...

[Ken]

1st photo, source unknown, 2nd was from a previous thread submitted by Jack Cook.

[Ken]

A little color to brighten up the day ... from airliners.net
EA-1F

[Snake45]

Very pretty, Ken!

Today I was ordering the new Stephen Hunter/Bob Lee Swagger novel from Amazon, and the brand new Osprey book of F9F Panther units of the Korean War, and went ahead and threw the Osprey US Navy Skyraider Units of Vietnam War in the shopping cart as well. I'm not that big on USN VN-era Skyraiders, but it's one of the few Skyraider books I know of that I don't yet have, so what the hell...'sides, I might find or learn something interesing in there, such as what VAW-13 airplanes were doing on that carrier delivering A-1s to VNAF in 1965....

[Ken]

Can anyone explain the shapes along the bottom edge of the kneecap gear door? The H/J have straight bottom edges (parallel to the ground) and I assume that's because of the aft gear doors.

The E/G has an irregular bottom edge, however there are some photos of E/G airplanes with nearly flat bottom edges or only a slight cutout. Was wondering if doors were interchanged between variants and/or were some of the stock E/G doors reshaped to remove some of the swooping curves?

Ken

[Ken]

Now that we know the mystery A-1H at NMUSAF is 134600, do any good pictures exist of her, either in USN or VNAF service? I've seen the grainy shot of her in VNAF camo in a revetment, but I honestly can't make out a serial, just going by the caption.

Ken

[Ken]

Neat article with photos from 2013 of two A-1's displayed at a museum in Vietnam.

http://travelforaircraft.wordpress.com/ ... mhm-write/

[Snake45]

A caption for one of these photos says "USS Core", Saigon, 1965, however I don't have a source or confirmation.

Just got the Osprey USN Vietnam War book. Of course first thing I looked for was any hint of what that 711 EA-1F is doing on the Core amid all the VNAF-bound Raiders in 1965. No new facts to add what I already knew about VAW-13 and its deployments. Only thing I can figger is they just put it on there to get it into SEA, and after being towed out to the airbase, it'll be flown to a carrier, or perhaps held in reserve as a spare.

Lots of pics of VN war EA-1Fs in that book--more than I think I've ever seen anywhere else. Very interesting.

[Ken]

Appropriate photo for Independence Day, credit as shown.

[Ken]

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum Facebook page alluded to a new paint scheme to be unveiled at OSH 2014. Although the Hank Avery scheme is special to some, it was time for an update, or should I say, retro-date? This shot doesn't appear to give away any of the secret just yet ...

Anyone know where we can find a pair of Mark 51 inboard pylons for this old girl?

[Snake45]

There's a new Skyraider book coming out. Link to details:

http://www.ginterbooks.com/NAVAL/NF98.htm

I was all set to order when I noticed it was "Part 1." I asked around and found out that if it follows the author's typical scheme, Part 1 will cover design & development and Part 2 will cover operational use. I think my needs would be best served by Part 2, so I'll wait.

[Ken]

New book, a must-read on the USAF use of the A-1 in Laos: "Firefly" by Dick Diller. An honest, personal, unvarnished look at the life of a combat pilot in the 602nd in Thailand.

http://www.amazon.com/Firefly-Skyraider ... 1457519690

[Snake45]

Shiny! (Let's see who gets that.)

I can't find any reference to how many photos are in it. Is it illustrated?

[shrike]

Shiny! (Let's see who gets that.)

I can't find any reference to how many photos are in it. Is it illustrated?

Snake, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle

[Snake45]

Shiny! (Let's see who gets that.)

I can't find any reference to how many photos are in it. Is it illustrated?

Snake, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle

Not sure what you're trying to say here. But I'll be happy to go ahead and feel insulted, if that's what you were going for.

I'm doing a pretty serious study of Skyraider photos. It's amazing what one can learn from the details, if one really pays attention.

BTW, here's the Skyraider books I have and have read so far (some of them multiple times). Can you think of any others I might need?


1. The Douglas Skyraider, Harry Gann, Profile Publications 1965 (No. 60)

2. Douglas Skyraider, B. R. Jackson, Aero Publishers 1969

3. The A-1 Skyraider, Steve Birdsall, ARCO, 1970

4. Famous Airplanes of the World #108, Burrin-Do, 1979

5. My Secret War, Richard S. Drury, Aero Publishers 1979

6. Skyraider in Action, Jim Sullivan, Squadron/Signal 198? (No. 60)

7. Douglas A-1 Skyraider: A Photo Chronicle, Frederick A. Johnson, Schiffer 1994

8. Skyraider: The Douglas A-1 “Flying Dump Truck,” Rosario Rausa, Nautical & Aviation Publishing, 1982 & 2001

9. Walkaround: A-1 Skyraider, Ed Barthelmes and Richard S. Dann, Squadron/Signal 2001 (No. 27)

10. Douglas A-1 Skyraider, Larry Davis and David Menard, Warbird Tech V. 13, Specialty Press 2002

11. AD Skyraider in Detail & Scale, Bert Kinzey, Squadron/Signal 2003

12. USAF and VNAF A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War, Byron E. Hukee, Osprey 2013

13. Air Classics magazine, February 1975, “Skyraider Part III,” Robert Trimble

14. Wings magazine, October 1988, “Skyraider,” Steve Pace

15. VNAF: South Vietnamese Air Force 1945-1975, Jim Mesko, Squadron/Signal 1987

16. 56th Fighter Group, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications 1991

17. Air War Over Southeast Asia, V1 1962-1966, V2 1967-1970, V3 1971-1975, Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal 1982, 1983, 1984

18. Air War Over Vietnam Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III, Vol. IV, Dana Bell, Arms and Armor Press, 1982, 1983, 1983, 1984.

19. Vietnam Air Warfare, editors Robert F. Dorr and Chris Bishop, Chartwell Books 1996

20. Vietnam: The War in the Air, Rene J. Francillon, Arch Cape Press 1987

21. Air Commando! 1950-1975: 25 Years at the Tip of the Speer, Michael E. Haas, no publisher or publication date found within.

22. The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973, An Illustrated Account, edited by Carl Berger, Office of Air Force History 1976, Revised Edition 1984

23. Skyraider: The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War No. 13, Robert F. Dorr, Bantam 1988

24. Flying Dragons: The South Vietnamese Air Force, Robert C. Mikesh, Schiffer, 2005 edition.

25. The A-1 Skyraider in Vietnam: The Spad's Last War, Wayne Mutza, Schiffer, 2003.

I have a few others too, but since they don't cover USAF or VNAF operations in SEA, they're not on my "formal" list yet.

[shrike]

Shiny! (Let's see who gets that.)

Snake, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle

Not sure what you're trying to say here. But I'll be happy to go ahead and feel insulted, if that's what you were going for.

You started the gorram exchange. You'd prefer if I had referenced a pretty floral bonnet?