Skyraiders ...

[Ken]

Walk around the Hurlburt static A-1E with a real hero ... Stretch Ballmes

https://youtu.be/3nUYO_mrvb8

Sad to see via the Skyraider Assoc that Stretch Ballmes has flown West. Blue skies and tailwinds; thank you for your service to our nation!

Ken

[Ken]

"New" Skyraider display in Hue, Vietnam, A-1H 135344:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkell ... otostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithkell ... otostream/

[Adam Kline]

Looks like the Vietnamese don't care about what the color scheme should be.

[Ken]

No Adam, you're right... however, given the satellite imagery that, up until 2002, showed as many as 15 Spads parked out at places like Bien Hoa, and now shows none, I'm just glad to see another airframe "saved" vs the unknown fate of the others.

A curiosity to me is the absence of the air inlet at the top of the cowl. Many A-1's left from SEA are missing this, including the A-1H NMUSAF is trying to restore. I'm not familiar enough to know if these are corrosion prone or in the North "demilled" these specifically to prevent defections?

Ken

[Blackbirdfan]

A friend gave me this pic, on the back its labed as Cubi Point NAS PI Summer 1968. I know he flew Skyraiders in Vietnam off the Bohmian Richard but I don't think this was his plane. I wonder if this plane survived?



Will

[Chris Brame]

Per the Forgotten Jets site's Skyraider listings:

AD-5N (A-1G) b/n 132572
*1968: VAW-13 as “NM-704”.
*2/3/1970: Struck off charge at NARF Quonset Point, RI.

Would it have been scrapped there or sent to Davis-Monthan?

[Blackbirdfan]

Another pic of 704


Will

[JOMiller]

Speaking of SPADS.....let's see some pix from the VA-195 guys that
flew the torpedo raid on the Hwachton Dam during Korea. Would
particularly like to see images of the '195 birds with the MK13s slung.

THX,
Owen

[stuart n]

A photo of F-AZDP at Duxford in 2011 with part of the wing missing. The aircraft collided with P-51D "Big Beautiful Doll" which was lost but Rob Davies parachuted to safety. The accident happened at the end of Flying Legends, still don't know how the Skyraider pilot regained control and landed.


Douglas AD-4N Skyraider F-AZDP by stu norris, on Flickr

[StangStung]

Nice pic.

Speaking of Spads, what happened to the one that came back via Iceland and the ATF took an interest in because of the cannons?

[ffuries]

Nice pic.

Speaking of Spads, what happened to the one that came back via Iceland and the ATF took an interest in because of the cannons?

That would be the Hendrickson one, thought it went to a museum, heard Pensacola or in Mobile Alabama with the battleship Alabama.

[JOMiller]

Hendrickson SPAD is happily esconced us Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL.
One of my favorite birds in the collection. NNAM display two more.........

[Warbird Kid]

Hendrickson SPAD is happily esconced us Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL.
One of my favorite birds in the collection. NNAM display two more.........

Even though it was flyable when impounded though right?

[marine air]

Yes it was one of the great shames of the warbird movement. It was flying in France and had tons of spares. Then by trying to import it illegally, his financial investment was lost forever. The "dumb ace" should be inducted into the Warbirds Hall of Shame.

[airnutz]

Yes it was one of the great shames of the warbird movement. It was flying in France and had tons of spares. Then by trying to import it illegally, his financial investment was lost forever. The "dumb ace" should be inducted into the Warbirds Hall of Shame.

Was that what happened? Or did the Hendrickson's hire the wrong people to disassemble, ship, and export the aircraft? Has anyone ever gotten the Hendrickson's story after the trial? I lost track after the last one which was held locally here. I've heard of a similar instance of a MiG jet in the 80's bought from a broker in Europe which was seized at the Mobile docks because it was shipped with the cannons still installed. If you hire an "expert at these things" and their agent screws-up, you're still in deep kimchi, but it puts a different aroma on the intent.