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| CATEGORIES ABOUT A-1 SKYRAIDER | |
| propeller aircraft | |
| carrier-based aircraft | |
| korean war aircraft | |
| u.s. attack aircraft 1940-1949 | |
| vietnam war aircraft | |
| douglas aircraft | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
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The Douglas AD (later '''A-1''') '''Skyraider''', nicknamed the " SPAD " after early American fighter ace Eddie Rickenbacker 's mount of choice, was a US single-seat attack Bomber of the 1950s , 1960s and early 1970s , a propeller-driven anachronism in the Jet Age with a remarkably long and successful career. DEVELOPMENT The Skyraider was originally designed in the 1940s by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company , as a simpler alternative to the XBTD-1 . At the time of the first prototype's flight on 18 March 1945 , it was the largest production single-seater aircraft. The low-wing monoplane design started with a Wright R-3350 Radial Engine , later upgraded multiple times. Its distinctive feature was the presence of seven Hardpoint s on each wing, enabling it to carry a tremendous amount of Ordnance for its size. SERVICE Although the Skyraider entered production too late for active service in World War II , it turned out to be of great value in both the Korean and Vietnam War s, as its weapon load and 10-hour flying time far surpassed the jets that were available. One of the Skyraider's most famous roles was as the "Sandy" helicopter escort. In one incident an A-1 pilot landed under fire to rescue another downed A-1 pilot. Late in the Vietnam war, A-1 roles were taken over by the subsonic A-37 Dragonfly and A-7 Corsair II . Most press accounts credit the Stuka and Sturmovik for inspiration for the AX / A-10 Thunderbolt II dedicated close air support mission in Europe, but it was really the Skyraider in Vietnam which pioneered the concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long loiter times and large ordnance loads. An A-1 was even credited with downing a MiG-17 that happened to fly across its gunsight. In addition to serving during Korea and Vietnam as an attack aircraft, it was modified into the first airborne early warning aircraft to see service off aircraft carriers. It served in this function in the USN and Royal Navy , being replaced by the E-1 Tracer and Fairey Gannet respectively in those services. USAF Major Bernard F. Fisher piloted a A-1E on the March 10 , 1966 mission that won him the Medal Of Honor . USAF Lieutenant Colonel William A.Jones, III piloted a A-1H on the September 1 1968 mission that won him the Medal of Honor, where despite numerous hits to his aircraft and suffering serious burns, he returned to his base and reported the position of a downed Flight Crew member. PRODUCTION AND VARIANTS Production ended in 1957 with a total of 3,180 built. However, in 1962 the existing Skyraiders were redesignated A-1D through '''A-1J''' and later used by both the USAF and the Navy in the Vietnam War. The Skyraider went through seven versions, starting with the AD-1, then '''AD-2''' and '''AD-3''' with various minor improvements, then the '''AD-4''' with a more powerful R-3350-26WA engine. The '''AD-5''' was significantly widened, allowing two crew to sit side-by-side (this was not the first multiple-crew variant, the '''AD-1Q''' being a two-seater and the '''AD-3N''' a three-seater); it also came in a 4-seat night-attack version, the '''AD-5N'''. The '''AD-6''' was an improved AD-4B with improved low-level bombing equipment, and the final production version '''AD-7''' was upgraded to a R-3350-26WB Engine .
Operators
See Also: List of A-1 Skyraider operators SPECIFICATIONS (A-1H SKYRAIDER)
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