- 3 months ago
For educational purposes
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly designated AD before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s, which served during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in frontline service well into the Jet Age (when most piston-engine attack or fighter aircraft were replaced by jet aircraft); thus becoming known by some as an "anachronism".
The aircraft was nicknamed "Spad", after the French World War I fighter.
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly designated AD before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s, which served during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in frontline service well into the Jet Age (when most piston-engine attack or fighter aircraft were replaced by jet aircraft); thus becoming known by some as an "anachronism".
The aircraft was nicknamed "Spad", after the French World War I fighter.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:29on wings. Take off
00:32with the Discovery Channel in the
00:33Douglas A.D. Sky Raider.
00:36A carrier-based dive bomber and torpedo
00:38plane, the Sky Raider evolved
00:40into one of the most versatile aircraft
00:42ever deployed by the U.S. military.
00:44The post-World War II design
00:46saw service in several variations in both
00:48Korea and Vietnam.
00:50The Sky Raider's ability to carry a wide
00:52assortment of weapons made it a devastating
00:54ground attack aircraft.
00:56Tonight, soar high in the Douglas
00:58A.D. Sky Raider on wing.
01:06Some planes
01:07have short lifetimes,
01:10generally because they reflect
01:12the needs of their era.
01:14A very few remain
01:16in service for so long that they
01:18seem permanent.
01:20This plane stayed around
01:21long enough to be three planes.
01:23It was initially the
01:26BT-2D.
01:28Then it was the A.D.
01:30And then it was the A.1.
01:34It was such a success
01:35that the only major criticism
01:38leveled at it
01:39was that not enough were built.
01:41The first Douglas
01:57Sky Raider, known then as
01:59the Destroyer II, took off in
02:01March 1945,
02:03beginning a service career
02:04that was to stretch, unbroken,
02:07to Vietnam.
02:07After the last U.S. Navy A-1
02:11combat missions were flown,
02:13the plane was still being used
02:15ashore by the United States
02:17and South Vietnamese air
02:18forces.
02:20Where or when the last Sky Raider
02:22in combat service flew a mission
02:24is somewhat of a mystery.
02:26It's probable that they were in use
02:28in the African state of Chad
02:30as recently as 1979.
02:34Even as the Sky Raider
02:36was in development,
02:37it was already widely believed
02:39to be obsolete.
02:41After all,
02:42it was designed and constructed
02:44at the same time
02:45as the development
02:45of jet engine aircraft
02:47in an era that was
02:48obsessed with speed.
02:51While other designers
02:52were scratching their heads
02:53about the best way
02:54to get around the sound barrier,
02:57Douglas engineers were wrestling
02:58old-fashioned problems
03:00with propellers
03:01and radial engines.
03:03Nobody questioned
03:04that the design
03:05was a pinnacle
03:06of piston-powered aviation.
03:08But many questioned
03:10the need for climbing
03:11that pinnacle.
03:12In hindsight,
03:13it can be seen
03:14that the Sky Raider
03:15was the sum
03:16of an enormous bank
03:17of knowledge
03:18built up over time.
03:19In 1925,
03:30just 20 years
03:31before the first flight
03:32of the Sky Raider,
03:34the U.S. Navy
03:34had one aircraft carrier.
03:37By 1935,
03:39this figure
03:39had only increased
03:40to four.
03:42Naval aviation
03:43was an experimental area.
03:45There was no debate
03:46about the use
03:47and worth
03:47of these big ships,
03:48but the navies
03:50of the world
03:50still assessed
03:51each other's strength
03:52in the number
03:53and caliber
03:54of battleship guns
03:55deployed.
03:56Through the 20s
04:22and 30s,
04:23the numbers
04:24of ships and planes
04:25slowly increased.
04:27Experimentation
04:28and testing
04:29went a long way
04:30toward sorting out
04:31the systems,
04:32methods,
04:33and value
04:33of naval aviation.
04:36The increasing
04:37sophistication
04:38and expertise
04:38of the crews
04:39soon demonstrated
04:41telling points
04:42in the debate
04:43about the function
04:44and worth
04:44of carriers.
04:46It became evident
04:47to many
04:47that the future
04:48of naval conflict
04:50would be dominated
04:51by air power.
05:08Pearl Harbor
05:09not only settled
05:11all arguments
05:11from the die-hard
05:12battleship supporters.
05:14In the Pacific,
05:16it also settled
05:17the matter
05:17in a practical way.
05:18For the moment,
05:20the only American force
05:22of real power
05:23capable of action
05:24was the carriers.
05:26At the outbreak
05:27of war,
05:28the carrier complements
05:29were, as usual,
05:30in transition.
05:32It was a major
05:33turning point
05:34in aviation
05:34with monoplanes
05:36taking over
05:37from the trusty biplanes.
05:39As war started,
05:41the planes in use
05:42were quickly shown
05:43to have major flaws.
05:45War demanded
05:46different specifications.
05:48Fortunately,
05:49the conflict in Europe
05:50gave a short
05:51but significant lead time
05:53to aircraft designers,
05:55and production
05:55was already underway
05:57on new,
05:58more effective planes.
05:59in the U.S.
06:18Curtis Helldivers
06:19and Grumman Avengers
06:21were to carry
06:22the bulk
06:22of the weight of war
06:23for the U.S. ships.
06:25These followed
06:26the established pattern
06:27of two-seat dive bombers
06:28and three-seat
06:30torpedo bombers.
06:31The Helldiver,
06:33ordered in 1939
06:34and first flown
06:35in 1940,
06:36became the standard
06:37Navy dive bomber
06:38of the last two years
06:39of the war.
06:40But throughout
06:41its career,
06:42it was troublesome
06:43and displayed
06:43several flaws.
06:45Among these
06:46were instability,
06:48an operational range
06:49of only 250 miles,
06:51and poor maintenance access.
06:53The plane had not
06:54lived up to expectation
06:56as a load carrier,
06:57or for its short
06:58take-off ability.
07:00But the Helldivers
07:01were the best planes
07:02available for the job,
07:04and they were used
07:05to good effect.
07:05On the other hand,
07:27the Grumman Avenger
07:28torpedo bombers
07:29were a great success.
07:31The planes they were
07:32to replace,
07:33the aging Douglas
07:34devastators,
07:35were so outdated
07:36that the Avengers
07:37were ordered
07:38to full production
07:39even before
07:40the prototype flew.
07:42The gamble paid off.
07:43With a 2,000-pound bomb
07:45or torpedo load,
07:47the Avengers,
07:48when they went
07:49into service,
07:49were invaluable,
07:51and they were to stay
07:52with the fleet
07:52until 1954.
07:54Another message was also
08:04loud and clear.
08:05The layout of attack
08:06and bomber aircraft
08:07had become outdated.
08:10The speed and firepower
08:11of fighters was such
08:12that there was no way
08:14for bombers
08:15to protect themselves.
08:17Their gunners
08:17were no deterrent
08:18to fighter attack.
08:19They needed to depend
08:21on their own
08:22fighter escorts
08:22for control
08:23of the sky.
08:25This meant there was
08:26no real point
08:26in the wasted weight
08:28of revolving gun turrets.
08:30The load would be
08:30better carried
08:31as fuel
08:32and bombs.
08:33Despite casualties,
08:48there is no doubt
08:49that America's
08:50naval strength,
08:51based on her carriers,
08:52dominated the vast
08:53Pacific battlefield.
08:55Japan lost 39 battleships
08:57and cruisers
08:58during the war,
08:59and only four of these
09:00were sunk
09:01by American surface ships.
09:03Eight more were dealt
09:04with by submarines,
09:06and the rest,
09:0727, were dispatched
09:09by carrier-based planes.
09:23Naval aviation
09:24was clearly one
09:25of the most powerful
09:26weapons at America's disposal,
09:28and plans were developing
09:30to meet needs
09:31far beyond the war's end.
09:33New, reliable,
09:34and powerful engines
09:35were available.
09:37Experience made it possible
09:38to predict accurately
09:40the behavior
09:40of the design shape.
09:42Combat indicated
09:44that the gunner
09:44was a redundant concept,
09:46and, in the same way,
09:48the observer or bombardier
09:50was wasted
09:50in a specialized airframe.
09:53The next specification
09:54for a Navy attack plane
09:56was going to be issued
09:56was for a single-seat aircraft.
10:16Douglas had been working
10:17on their submission,
10:18the BTD-1,
10:20from 1942,
10:21but it was clear
10:23that the plane,
10:24essentially a pre-war design,
10:26was no match
10:27for its competitors,
10:28including the formidable
10:30Martin AM-1.
10:32While war went on,
10:33the situation came to a head
10:35on the 16th of June, 1944,
10:38at a meeting between the heads
10:39of the Douglas team
10:40and Navy representatives.
10:43The chief designer
10:44of the Douglas Navy plant,
10:46Ed Heineman,
10:47asked for permission
10:48to cancel the plane
10:49and use the contract's
10:51unexpended funds
10:52on a new aircraft.
10:54In their hotel,
10:55overnight,
10:56he and two assistants,
10:58working on the basis
10:59of the knowledge
10:59they had gained
11:00in the years
11:01since designing the BTD,
11:03came up with the outlines
11:04for a new plane.
11:12The sketches they presented
11:22the next morning,
11:23accompanied by their
11:24technical explanation,
11:25intrigued and impressed
11:27the Navy's representatives.
11:29Douglas was, in effect,
11:30allowed to re-enter
11:31the competition.
11:33They had only nine months
11:34to get their plane
11:35into the air,
11:37and it had to comply
11:38with very tight
11:39and unforgiving specifications.
11:42It was, in fact,
11:52nine months and one day,
11:54one day late
11:55to its first flight.
11:57About an hour
11:58after takeoff,
11:59the test pilot
12:00was back on the ground,
12:01enthusiastic about the plane.
12:04It had exceeded
12:04his expectation,
12:06as it was to exceed
12:07the expectations
12:08of many people
12:09during its lifetime.
12:11But the war
12:12was drawing
12:12to a conclusion.
12:14Douglas,
12:15having produced
12:15the goods,
12:16faced the prospect
12:17of the market
12:18disappearing.
12:30Wartime contracts
12:32for 548 planes
12:33were canceled.
12:35Three were delivered
12:36in 1945,
12:37and only another 22
12:39in 1946.
12:41But this minimal production
12:43saved the Sky Raider.
12:45Though the future
12:46of a piston-engine aircraft
12:47seemed questionable,
12:49this plane was clearly
12:51something to be reckoned with.
12:53And in 1947,
12:55the Navy purchased 239
12:57in three different versions.
12:59In time,
13:08the new plane
13:08would operate
13:09in many other roles.
13:11Ambulance,
13:12ECM platform,
13:13RPV or drone director,
13:16target tow,
13:17anti-submarine warfare aircraft,
13:19night fighter plane,
13:21rescue helicopter escort,
13:22early warning radar platform,
13:24and even as a transport
13:26seating 12 passengers.
13:29In all,
13:30there were to be
13:30around 30 major types
13:32and about the same number
13:33of subtypes.
13:35The Sky Raider
13:36never ran out of uses.
13:38The 82 was a very stable aircraft.
13:42It was not difficult to fly.
13:44In fact,
13:44to check out
13:45from going from one plane
13:47to another,
13:48going from training command
13:49where I flew Corsairs
13:50to the A-2.
13:54I merely read the handbook
13:55and took an open book test
13:57and sat in a cockpit
13:59and learned the location
14:01of everything.
14:03And then it was time to go.
14:05It was very quick
14:06and a lot of fun.
14:09The 82 was a good plane
14:11to land on a carrier.
14:12I went on one full cruise
14:14of six months
14:15and never got a wave off.
14:17And I was not,
14:18you know,
14:18I was not the exception.
14:19It was just a neat
14:20pain in the carrier.
14:22When I was a young pilot,
14:23I even took off
14:23with the flaps up
14:24by mistake.
14:26Still got airborne.
14:28And it was just fine.
14:34Korea saw Sky Raiders
14:36thrown into conflict
14:37where they played
14:38a major part in that war.
14:39Korea brought the world's
14:45remaining ideological camps
14:46into conflict.
14:48Remnants of the 1930s
14:49school of dictators
14:50would be swept
14:51under the skirts
14:52of one camp or the other
14:53for the next 40 years.
14:55And history would come
14:56to see the Cold War
14:58as a continuation
14:59of the Second World War.
15:01On the ground,
15:03there were times
15:03when battles
15:04resembled World War I,
15:06with the new
15:07American technologies
15:08of war
15:08pitted against infantry
15:10armed with rifles
15:11and trenches.
15:13The helicopter
15:14became a major weapon.
15:16United Nations air
15:17domination was,
15:18for most of the war,
15:20complete.
15:21The services of Korea's
15:22giant neighbor,
15:23China,
15:24effectively replaced
15:25North Korean forces
15:27because these
15:28had been destroyed.
15:30China is still coy
15:31about what it cost
15:32to maintain the line
15:33near the 38th parallel.
15:35but that line
15:36would hold
15:37and the war
15:38would be settled
15:39with pens.
16:01The aerial war
16:02was shared
16:03between generations.
16:05jets were deployed,
16:07but their need
16:07for long,
16:08straight runways
16:09hampered their
16:10effectiveness,
16:11especially in the
16:12frantic early days
16:13of the war
16:13as the North Koreans
16:15swept the peninsula
16:16and captured all
16:17but the tiny pocket
16:18around Pusan.
16:26The air force
16:27was hampered
16:28by having to fly
16:29from Japan
16:29with relatively
16:30short-range jets.
16:31the Navy's
16:32The Navy's carriers
16:33were called on
16:34for a high proportion
16:35of support
16:36for the soldiers
16:37fighting desperately
16:38to hang on.
16:49Sky Raiders
16:50are essentially
16:51a big fighter plane.
16:53They don't have
16:54an internal bomb bay.
16:55This was not included
16:56for two reasons.
16:57one,
16:58additional weight
16:59in hydraulics
17:00and hinges
17:01for the doors
17:02and two,
17:03it restricted
17:04the nature
17:04of the load.
17:06It was reasoned
17:07that strengthened wings
17:08with multiple mounts
17:09would accommodate
17:10a greater range
17:11of stores packages.
17:13In fact,
17:13the Sky Raiders
17:14would carry
17:15at one time or another
17:16the whole inventory,
17:18including weapons
17:19that were rumors
17:20or theories
17:21in 1944
17:22when the plane
17:23was first drawn up.
17:24During the Korean War,
17:27Sky Raiders
17:27took part
17:28in highly secret experiments
17:30carrying nuclear weapons
17:31and later,
17:33in 1953,
17:35the AD-4D variant
17:36would be developed
17:37specifically
17:38for that purpose.
17:39But it would never
17:40be called on
17:41to deliver these weapons.
17:43It would make
17:43and polish
17:44its enduring reputation
17:45with a range
17:46of conventional stores.
17:48In the desperate days
18:01early in the Korean War
18:02and later
18:03as the fighting
18:03dragged on,
18:05the Sky Raiders
18:05were increasingly accepted
18:07as being the Navy's
18:08big punch.
18:10Their varied loads
18:11were delivered
18:11precisely and effectively
18:13and could include
18:14rockets and napalm
18:16and a range
18:17of small and large bombs
18:18to suit particular targets.
18:21Their loads
18:21had one other
18:22outstanding feature.
18:24They were enormous.
18:33On several occasions,
18:34a Sky Raider
18:35would deliver
18:35a weight of bombs
18:37that was greater
18:37than its own weight.
18:39Loads of up to
18:4014,000 pounds
18:42were carried
18:42in a plane
18:43that weighed
18:44only 11,000 pounds.
18:45This was well
18:47outside the parameters
18:48of what could
18:49be expected
18:49from most other
18:50aircraft in service
18:52and the longer
18:53the war went on,
18:54the more additional
18:55orders flowed
18:56into the Douglas factory.
19:06The orders
19:07had in fact
19:07been stockpiling
19:08due to delays
19:09in delivery.
19:11There was a series
19:11of problems
19:12with a new engine.
19:13There had also
19:14been problems
19:15with the introduction
19:16of the plane
19:16into service.
19:18The design team
19:19had expended
19:19a great deal
19:20of energy
19:21on minimizing weight.
19:23This led
19:23to some modifications
19:24to cure stress problems
19:26which had developed
19:27in the initial
19:28carrier trials
19:29of the plane.
19:30These problems
19:31were partly
19:32the result
19:32of poor landing technique.
19:34In response,
19:36pilots were given
19:36additional practice,
19:38while the Sky Raider
19:39was also strengthened
19:40to withstand
19:41heavier impacts.
19:51Most of the planes
19:52they served with
19:53in Korea
19:54were to be phased
19:54out rapidly.
19:56The jets
19:56because of the rapid
19:57developments in technology
19:59and the piston planes
20:00because of their age.
20:03The Sky Raiders' future
20:04was also already
20:05being scrutinized
20:06in order to develop
20:07specifications
20:08for a replacement aircraft.
20:10The conclusion
20:11was a tribute
20:12to the Big Douglas aircraft
20:13because the Navy
20:15decided to buy
20:16three aircraft
20:17splitting the roles
20:18performed by the Sky Raider
20:20to a range
20:21of airframes.
20:28In 1949,
20:30the future of the ADs
20:31could at best
20:32have been described
20:33as uncertain.
20:34Very few
20:35could have predicted
20:36they would endure
20:37long into the jet era.
20:39But orders continued
20:40and when production
20:41eventually ceased
20:43on the 18th of February
20:441957,
20:463,180 Sky Raiders
20:48had been built.
20:50It would be many more years
20:52before they would be
20:53found in museums.
20:56When we would get back
20:58to Japan
20:58on rest and recreation,
21:02if we ever met
21:03Army people
21:03or Marines
21:05that had been
21:06on the ground
21:06up in the front lines
21:08and told them
21:09what we flew,
21:11they always said,
21:12well, you guys
21:13are the ones
21:13that saved our lives
21:15and we wouldn't have
21:16your job for anything.
21:19Oftentimes,
21:20we'd find,
21:20particularly,
21:21a Vietnamese pilot
21:22who was rather short
21:23that we'd have to put
21:24a seat cushion
21:26or a pillow behind them
21:27so we could move
21:28the Vietnamese pilot
21:30forward
21:31so that he could get
21:31full right rudder,
21:32particularly with a heavy
21:34load on a short runway
21:35where it needed
21:36full power instantly.
21:38In September 1960,
21:40the first Sky Raiders
21:41arrived in a new
21:42theater of conflict
21:43in a new role
21:44as fighters
21:45to join the
21:46Vietnamese Air Force.
21:48In May,
21:49a further 25 arrived
21:50where they became
21:51a major factor
21:52in the air war
21:53over Vietnam.
21:54United States' involvement
22:04with the Vietnamese Air Force
22:06grew,
22:07not only in supplying
22:08aircraft,
22:09but helping in many ways
22:10to tune the Vietnamese
22:11into a combat-ready force.
22:14In 1962,
22:16pilot training
22:16was transferred
22:17to the United States.
22:20Coincidentally,
22:21military aviation experimentation
22:23was being directed
22:24toward the question,
22:26what type of aircraft
22:27would best answer
22:28the tactical requirements
22:29in counterinsurgency operations?
22:35The answer was,
22:37an aircraft
22:37with the attributes
22:38of the Douglas Sky Raider.
22:40U.S. involvement
22:53with the Vietnamese Air Force
22:55had formally started
22:56in 1955,
22:58but it was not
22:58until the early 60s
23:00that U.S. advisors
23:01were sent to Vietnam
23:02in noticeable numbers.
23:05American pilots
23:06supplemented the locals.
23:07American administrators,
23:10ground crew,
23:11and trainers
23:11also multiplied,
23:13and the flow
23:13of aircraft continued.
23:27Also increasing
23:29through this time
23:30was the level
23:30of insurgent activity.
23:32The Saigon regime,
23:34riddled with corruption
23:35and badly out of touch
23:36with the population,
23:38was tottering along
23:39under Diem.
23:40The country
23:41was a breeding ground
23:42for civil discontent.
23:44Leaflet drops
23:45and aerial propaganda
23:46broadcasting
23:47were no answer
23:48to the situation.
23:49The flow of arms
23:58and then troops
23:59from the north
24:00made the situation
24:01in much of the south
24:02untenable.
24:04For military efforts
24:05to work,
24:06the nature of the regime
24:07would have to change,
24:09giving some recognition
24:10to the interests
24:11of the people.
24:13Sadly,
24:13southern politics
24:14would be limited
24:15to a series of presidents.
24:17The system persisted.
24:18The only movement
24:20was a gradual decay
24:21that eventually
24:22became defeat.
24:32When they received
24:33their first Sky Raiders,
24:35the Vietnamese
24:35were disappointed.
24:37They had been
24:37expecting jets.
24:39However,
24:40the Geneva Agreement
24:41outlawed the introduction
24:42of such advanced weapons
24:43into the conflict.
24:45The Vietnamese Air Force
24:46would not get
24:47its first jets,
24:48Northrop F-5s,
24:50until 1967.
24:52In the interim,
24:53they used a variety
24:54of aircraft
24:55in well-organized
24:56and effective operations
24:57against the guerrilla forces.
25:06Spotters and attack aircraft
25:08worked together closely
25:09to provide powerful
25:10and precise support
25:11to ground operations.
25:13Under the close,
25:14and often hands-on guidance
25:16of the U.S. Air Force advisors,
25:19the VNAF
25:20developed tactical responses
25:21to guerrilla operations
25:23that were to remain models
25:25for much of the war.
25:28Smoke markers
25:29fired by Cessna bird dogs
25:31operating as forward air controllers
25:33would indicate targets
25:35for the Sky Raiders.
25:35In 1962,
25:54the name of the Sky Raider
25:55changed again
25:56with a revision
25:57of Navy nomenclature
25:58to the A-1.
26:00The Sky Raider's
26:01third official designation
26:02actually suited
26:03the plane perfectly.
26:04A-1 was certainly
26:07an accurate description.
26:15Over the skies in Vietnam,
26:18Sky Raiders performed
26:19an outstanding role
26:20in counterinsurgency,
26:22and another customer,
26:23the United States Air Force,
26:25was soon to be flying them
26:26alongside the Vietnamese.
26:27The Sky Raiders
26:28were flying them
26:28alongside the Vietnamese.
26:28My fellow Americans,
26:52as president
26:54and commander-in-chief,
26:57it is my duty
26:58to the American people
26:59to report
27:01that renewed
27:04hostile actions
27:05against United States ships
27:08on the high seas
27:09and the Gulf...
27:09President Johnson's announcement
27:11after the Gulf of Tonkin incident
27:13was not actually
27:15the first American involvement
27:16in the Vietnam conflict.
27:18President Kennedy
27:19had promoted
27:20counterinsurgency
27:21as essential,
27:22and Air Force units
27:24had grown up
27:24around this specialty.
27:26Nor had they taken long
27:28to arrive in Vietnam
27:29with its long-running
27:30guerrilla war.
27:32Now they were joined
27:33by the full weight
27:34of the military,
27:35and the lessons
27:36they had learned
27:37were passed into operations
27:38on a far grander scale.
27:40with the formal commitment
27:53of United States forces
27:54came a transformation
27:56of the conflict.
27:58The entire conventional weight
27:59of the U.S.
28:00was committed
28:01in a guerrilla war.
28:03Helicopters would be
28:04the enduring image
28:05of Vietnam
28:06as gunships,
28:08as troop carriers,
28:08and as rescue
28:10for downed pilots.
28:11This is Bravo 8-1.
28:13Airborne at the flight of 16.
28:15Event 101-4, over.
28:18Bravo 8-1,
28:19this is Clearwater.
28:20Roger.
28:21Your pigeons
28:21to Point Cairo 28014, over.
28:25Now this is 8-1.
28:26The helicopters
28:26provided a focus
28:28for forces on the ground
28:29and became
28:30a persisting symbol
28:32of the conflict.
28:38The increasing weight
28:48of war machinery
28:49and new methods
28:50of employing it
28:51developed along
28:52with a bewildering series
28:53of political skirmishes.
28:55Together,
28:56these military
28:57and political developments
28:59gave new meaning
29:00to the expression
29:01the futility of war.
29:03U.S. Air Force Sky Raiders
29:14had started
29:14Vietnam operations
29:16in May 1964
29:17with Vietnamese observers
29:19who were nominally
29:20in charge of activity.
29:22The twin-seat A-1Es
29:24they used
29:24were to be the first
29:25of many U.S. Air Force
29:27Sky Raiders
29:27to serve in the theater.
29:29By the time
29:30the Es began
29:31to run out,
29:32the U.S. was fully involved
29:34and they could be replaced
29:35with the still
29:36numerous single-seaters.
29:38The use of these planes
29:39alongside Mach 2 jets
29:41was not incongruous.
29:43It was a result
29:44of specialization.
29:46Sky Raiders
30:08had exceptional attributes.
30:10The ground troops
30:11appreciated their heavy load
30:12of ordnance
30:13and the fact
30:14that they could loiter
30:14waiting for work.
30:16Their pilots
30:17loved the accuracy
30:18that could be achieved
30:19when flying something
30:20as stable,
30:21slow,
30:22and maneuverable
30:23as their A-1s.
30:24They were also grateful
30:26for the armored toughness
30:27of the planes
30:28which could absorb
30:29tremendous battle damage.
30:31In their long career,
30:53the Sky Raiders
30:53earned several nicknames.
30:55There was a drive
30:56to have them known
30:57as the Pulverizer
30:58which never took.
31:00They were known
31:00after their call sign
31:01in Korea
31:02as A-Ds
31:03which were able dogs.
31:06They also had other names.
31:08They were Spads
31:08and in their rescue work,
31:10they were Sandy.
31:11Their activity
31:23in close support
31:24was unmatchable.
31:26They pounded away
31:27with an accuracy
31:27impossible
31:28with supersonic aircraft.
31:30They provided this service
31:32in virtually all weather.
31:34When the jets
31:35were grounded,
31:36the Sky Raiders
31:37were out there working.
31:39Admittedly,
31:39they offered
31:40a pretty good target.
31:41Someone who had been
31:42trying to hit
31:43a Mach 2 jet
31:44with the rifle
31:44would have welcomed
31:45the sight of a Spad
31:47to shoot at.
31:48But the Spad
31:49soaked up damage
31:50and kept on going,
31:51at least to the extent
31:53of getting home,
31:54even if they
31:55wouldn't fly again.
31:56The U.S. Air Force
32:18lost 153 Sky Raiders
32:20in combat in Vietnam
32:21between 1962 and 1973.
32:24A further 41
32:26were listed
32:27as operational losses.
32:29Considering the job
32:30they did,
32:31this is a testimony
32:32to the aircraft.
32:35146 of the U.S. Air Force
32:37losses were caused
32:38by ground fire.
32:40Only three were lost
32:41to SAMs,
32:42two to MiGs,
32:44and two in attacks
32:45on airfields.
32:46This reflects
32:47the way they were used,
32:49in close support
32:50wherever the troops
32:51happened to be that day,
32:52or as escorts
32:54for rescue helicopters.
32:56Incredibly dangerous
32:57roles,
32:58day after day.
33:00Whereas the overall
33:01U.S. average
33:02of losses
33:03due to ground fire
33:04was 57%,
33:05for the Sky Raiders,
33:07the figure was 75%.
33:09On one occasion,
33:12we had a four-ship
33:13of A-1Es
33:14land at Nacomphanam,
33:17and between us,
33:18four A-1s,
33:20and the two helicopters,
33:22there were 619 holes
33:24in our aircraft.
33:25That's exciting.
33:27And it was immediate,
33:29and oftentimes
33:30it was dramatic,
33:31high drama
33:32over a long period of time.
33:34Now we continue
33:39with Wings
33:40on the Discovery Channel.
33:46The twin-seat A-1E models
33:48that the Air Force
33:49had first taken out
33:50of Navy mothballs
33:51simply wore out.
33:53There comes a time
33:54in the life of an aircraft
33:55when the next rebuild
33:57cannot be justified,
33:58and the E-models
33:59had come to that point.
34:01The U.S. Air Force
34:03would continue
34:03to use Sky Raiders,
34:05replacing the aging E's
34:07with the single-seat H-model.
34:09The last E-model
34:11flew its final mission
34:12on the 10th of April, 1967,
34:14and was hoisted aboard ship
34:16for its journey
34:17back to the USA.
34:19There was quite a bit
34:20of history in that moment.
34:29The nickname SPAD
34:30referred to a
34:31First World War biplane.
34:33At first,
34:34it expressed the scorn
34:36of the jet pilots
34:37for the lumbering
34:37old war horses
34:38that cluttered
34:39their airfields.
34:41However,
34:41the SPADs in Vietnam
34:42changed that scorn
34:44into grudging respect
34:45and then into awe.
34:48In time,
34:49many of the jet jockeys
34:50would owe a great deal
34:51to the SPADs
34:52because Vietnam
34:54had given the Sky Raiders
34:55a new task.
34:57Many knowledgeable people
34:58maintain that the SPADs
35:00found their finest hour
35:01in this new role,
35:03Rescue Helicopter Escort.
35:05The rescue parties
35:22involved a variety
35:23of aircraft,
35:24control aircraft,
35:26spotters,
35:27the rescue choppers,
35:28and the pugnacious
35:29A-1s as escorts.
35:31The control aircraft
35:32would patrol at height,
35:34listening for the radio beacon
35:35of a downed pilot.
35:37After establishing
35:38the pilot's whereabouts,
35:40a rescue team
35:41would be directed
35:41to the area.
35:43Strike aircraft
35:43would also be involved
35:45in covering the operation,
35:47especially when the rescue
35:48was conducted
35:48deep inside North Vietnam.
35:51The work of these crews,
35:53in the helicopters,
35:54and the other aircraft,
35:55required great courage.
35:57Despite the danger,
35:58the units pressed
36:00each mission
36:01as hard as possible
36:02and in the course
36:03of the war
36:04were credited
36:05with an amazing
36:053,833 rescues.
36:09Rooster Lead,
36:18Rooster Lead,
36:18this is the Crown One.
36:19We're verified
36:19at your identity.
36:20Sandys are en route.
36:22We'll arrive
36:22in your area
36:23in 8 minutes.
36:23Jolly Green's
36:24in 19 minutes.
36:25We have called
36:26MCCAP for you.
36:27It should be
36:28in your area by now.
36:29Roger.
36:30I have Tally Ho
36:30the MCCAP.
36:32Stay in orbit
36:33over Red Rooster 2
36:34until Sandys arrive.
36:35Roger, Crown.
36:37Roger, Crown.
36:38This is Sandy One.
36:38Go ahead.
36:39Red Rooster Lead
36:40is still orbiting
36:41over downed pilot
36:42at coordinates
36:4310, 20 north,
36:4410 by 50 east.
36:47He has reported
36:48enemy automatic weapon fire
36:49one mile north
36:50of downed pilot.
36:51There may be a lot more
36:52around the pilot himself.
36:54Sandy One,
36:55this is Crown.
36:55I am designating
36:56you on the scene,
36:57Commander.
36:57Take over.
36:58Roger, Crown.
36:59I've got it.
37:06Sky Raiders
37:07filled the role
37:08of escort well.
37:09They had the endurance
37:10to stay aloft
37:11for hours.
37:12They could quite happily
37:13hover along
37:14with the slow helicopters.
37:16At the location
37:17of a rescue,
37:18they could bring
37:18their firepower
37:19into play
37:20to suppress
37:20any hostile activity
37:22in the area,
37:23allowing the Jolly Greens
37:24to go about
37:25their business
37:25with little interference.
37:27For these missions,
37:29the Sky Raiders
37:29were fully loaded
37:30with ordnance
37:31and ammunition.
37:33Because of the vulnerability
37:34of the helicopters
37:35to ground fire,
37:36it was essential
37:37that enemy activity
37:38be suppressed
37:39before the choppers
37:40presented themselves
37:41as stationary targets
37:42hovering above
37:43the downed crew.
37:45As a result,
37:46the A-1s would engage
37:48in what was referred
37:49to as trolling
37:50for fire.
37:51This consisted
37:52of flying low
37:53and deliberately
37:54drawing fire
37:55from enemy guns
37:56near the scene.
37:57When these guns
37:58had been located
37:59and silenced,
38:01the air would be safer
38:02for helicopters.
38:03It did, however,
38:04make a Sky Raider
38:05a dangerous place to be.
38:29The rescue team's motto
38:33was
38:33that others may live.
38:36To that end,
38:37they were prepared
38:38to risk their lives.
38:47The para-jumpers,
38:49the men who went
38:49down the wire
38:50to the pilot,
38:51were trained scuba divers
38:53in case the rescue
38:54took place over water.
38:55They were qualified
38:56parachutists
38:57and experts
38:58with small arms
38:59and hand-to-hand combat.
39:00They were also
39:01fully trained
39:02in first aid.
39:03With the rest
39:04of the crew,
39:05they faced the danger
39:06of flying low
39:07and slow
39:07in their chopper
39:08to the rescue site,
39:09often under intense fire.
39:11Then,
39:12they left even
39:12the aircraft's
39:13limited safety
39:14to become dangling targets
39:16that others may live.
39:21The tremendous
39:23personal satisfaction
39:24they had
39:25out of seeing a guy
39:26step out
39:27of that helicopter
39:28was,
39:29it was tremendous.
39:30It was a very exciting
39:31experience
39:32from a tactical standpoint.
39:34A beautiful thing
39:34about the A-1
39:35is that it could stay
39:37over the guy
39:37for hours on time.
39:39It had a versatile load
39:42with 15 external stations.
39:44You could put
39:44a wide variety
39:45of ordnance
39:46on the aircraft.
39:47So it meant
39:48that when you got airborne,
39:49you could be applied
39:49to a wide variety
39:50of targets
39:51in situations.
39:52The disadvantage
39:55to the A-1
39:55is obvious
39:56because while it was
39:58an airplane
39:58with tremendous
39:59staying power
40:00and time in the air,
40:02it was very slow.
40:03And as a result,
40:04it was a fairly easy target
40:06for less sophisticated
40:08automatic weapons
40:09and anti-air.
40:10The Navy
40:13had apparently
40:14replaced the Sky Raider
40:15when it split
40:16the rolls of the plane
40:17among three airframes.
40:19The Grumman Tracker
40:20was to take over
40:21anti-submarine missions
40:22and went into service
40:23in 1954.
40:25The 1952
40:27Douglas Sky Warrior
40:28was to carry out
40:29long-range bombing,
40:30including nuclear bombing.
40:32And the Douglas Sky Hawk,
40:34the superb A-4,
40:35was to do everything else.
40:36But no one
40:38had told the Sky Raiders.
40:40They were still there
40:41in 1964
40:42when the carriers
40:44found themselves
40:45in Vietnam,
40:46still a standard
40:47medium attack plane.
41:00Certainly the other types
41:01were there as well.
41:03But mingling
41:04with the screaming jets
41:05of the Phantoms,
41:06Sky Hawks,
41:07and Vigilantes
41:07was the throbbing
41:09piston engine roar
41:10of the Sky Raiders.
41:12They were an important part
41:13of the striking power
41:14of the carriers
41:15in the early years
41:16of Navy involvement.
41:18And their slow
41:19and accurate attacks
41:20brought huge bomb loads
41:22to targets
41:22with deadly effect.
41:24In contrast
41:25to their jet-powered comrades,
41:27they were likely
41:28to be found
41:29on their way back
41:29to the ship,
41:30quietly looking
41:31for targets
41:32of opportunity.
41:33Their accuracy,
41:35huge loads,
41:36and long-range
41:37made them uniquely valuable.
41:38But all good things
41:59come to an end.
42:01If the production lines
42:02were not to be reopened
42:03for further construction,
42:05there were only
42:06the existing Sky Raiders.
42:08They were getting old,
42:09not just because
42:10of their date of manufacture,
42:12but because they were
42:13being worked so hard.
42:15What happens
42:15to a plane in combat
42:17is extraordinary,
42:18and the Sky Raiders
42:19were in the process
42:20of being replaced
42:21by a fourth aircraft,
42:22the Grumman A-6 Intruder.
42:25Although some were taken
42:26out of mothballs
42:27to be revitalized
42:29by the U.S. Air Force,
42:30the A-1s were being
42:32phased out of service,
42:33this time
42:34for real.
42:35Music
42:36On Sunday,
42:58the 20th of February, 1968,
43:00Lieutenant Theodore Hill
43:02landed his Sky Raider
43:04on the USS Coral Sea
43:05after completing
43:06a combat mission
43:07over Vietnam.
43:09He was 23 years old,
43:11and the Sky Raider
43:12had been in service
43:12for 23 years.
43:14He had just completed
43:16the last combat mission
43:17of U.S. Navy Sky Raiders.
43:20That was it.
43:21The old planes
43:22had finished
43:22their Navy service.
43:23No amount of polishing
43:34could extend
43:34their lifespan.
43:36They could still
43:37have been loaded
43:37with arms
43:38and sent on more missions,
43:40but it was time
43:41to call it a day.
43:43After a career
43:44as a full-time anachronism,
43:46the Sky Raider
43:46had finally earned
43:48a long-overdue retirement.
43:50Their replacements
43:51were already in service.
43:54Indeed,
43:54some of their replacements
43:55were due
43:56for replacement themselves.
44:01Music
44:01Pilots had a love affair
44:18with their A-1s.
44:20They were disappointed
44:21that they had to give up
44:22the spans.
44:23This was no reflection
44:24on their new planes,
44:26but there was simply
44:27no replacement
44:28for the seat of your pants flying,
44:29the ponderous
44:31but dynamic control,
44:32the stability,
44:34the leisure,
44:35the intensity of action,
44:36the accuracy
44:37and power
44:38of the Sky Raiders.
44:40They flew such long missions
44:42that the pilots
44:43often took their lunch
44:44with them.
44:45Substitutions were made
44:47for the Sky Raider,
44:48but there was never
44:49a real replacement.
44:50Music
44:50was just COMING
44:54to be here.
45:08Music
45:09is like the
45:09show.
45:15Music
45:15is like a
Be the first to comment