- 2 days ago
For educational purposes
The consummate carrier jet, the Skyraider, was such a success that the Navy used it for three decades.
Air Force engineers considered its design the pinnacle of piston-powered aviation.
The consummate carrier jet, the Skyraider, was such a success that the Navy used it for three decades.
Air Force engineers considered its design the pinnacle of piston-powered aviation.
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00:05Advances in aviation history give way to legendary aircraft that become the most powerful and
00:12innovative weapons of our time. Each airframe is unique with limitless capabilities, but one
00:22thing remains the same. Underneath the surface, they are all simply great planes.
00:41It was built in the final years of World War II to fill the need for a carrier-based long
00:46-range torpedo bomber.
00:47The plane seemed outdated from the moment it hit the drawing board, but this prop-designed aircraft
00:53engineered in the early days of jet propulsion would see service well into the space age.
00:58I'm Paul Max Mova, and I've flown some of the most sophisticated airplanes ever built.
01:07And this is the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia,
01:12home to one of the largest private collections of restored warbirds in the world.
01:19Over its long career, it went by many names.
01:22Spad, Able Dog, Batface, and the Flying Dump Truck.
01:28But the Douglas Sky Raider had one of the longest service careers in aviation history.
01:43My name is Mike Spalding. I'm a volunteer pilot.
01:46And we're at the Sky Raider right now, so tell me a little bit about this specific plane.
01:51Our airplane is a 1949. It was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft.
01:55It went straight into the Navy, went straight to Korea, ended up with VA 195, a squadron known as the
02:03Dam Busters.
02:05What was its main purpose when it was originally built?
02:07It was designed as a ground attack airplane. It wasn't designed air-to-air, although it has, and it can
02:13defend itself if it has to with its 20-millimeter guns it had.
02:16It's very responsive. It has hydraulically boosted ailerons for roll. It won't roll fast, but it takes the pressure off
02:23the controls for the pilot.
02:25It's got dive brakes, so it can go straight down and really not accelerate to drop its load and then
02:31pull out.
02:32It was very versatile, and almost anything you wanted to hang on it, it would take and drop, and it
02:38could do just about anything you did.
02:451944. The world is at war.
02:48In the skies over the Pacific, U.S. forces are locked in a brutal air battle with Japan.
02:53Military planners and engineers struggle to keep up with the quickly evolving tactics and technology of modern warfare.
03:01It is this pressure-charged atmosphere that forges the Douglas Sky Raider.
03:11But even as the Douglas engineers are developing the Sky Raider, many in the aircraft industry thought it was already
03:17obsolete.
03:21The waning days of World War II was an era obsessed with speed.
03:26It was the beginning of the development of the jet engine.
03:30While the rest of the industry is working to shatter the sound barrier,
03:36the Douglas engineers are wrestling old-fashioned problems with propellers and radial engines.
03:43The Sky Raider is the pinnacle of piston-powered aviation.
03:47But at the time, no one saw the need for climbing that pinnacle.
03:51History would prove the doubters wrong.
03:56The evolution of this remarkable aircraft is rooted in the decades of technological and military advancements.
04:061925.
04:0820 years before the Sky Raiders' first flight.
04:11The U.S. Navy has only one aircraft carrier.
04:15Ten years later, in 1935, this figure only increases to four.
04:24Naval aviation is in its infancy.
04:32The use and worth of the carriers is becoming evident.
04:37But the world's navies assess their strength by the number and caliber of battleship guns they deploy.
04:45As the numbers of ships and planes slowly increases,
04:49the value of naval aviation and the function and worth of carriers becomes apparent.
05:01It is also becoming clear to many that the future of naval conflict will be dominated by air power.
05:13The war at sea will soon be won or lost in the air.
05:23The side with the most sophisticated aircraft will win.
05:27Ship versus ship will mean plane against plane.
05:36In 1938, American Navy pilots carry out a mock raid on a major Navy installation
05:42and demonstrate the overwhelming threat to ground forces of a carrier-based attack.
05:57The U.S. Navy pilot.
05:58Their target is Pearl Harbor.
06:01Three years later, the Japanese carry out the same attack.
06:05Only theirs is no exercise.
06:08The United States is at war.
06:14The Japanese Imperial fleet were keen students of carriers.
06:19They learned much, not only through their own experiments,
06:23but through close observation of their nearest powerful neighbor, the U.S. Navy.
06:29The methods they employ are similar.
06:33Their types of planes mirror the Americans, and the results they achieved were similar to those of the American naval
06:39exercises.
06:42Total surprise and devastating victory.
06:51Pearl Harbor not only silences all arguments from the die-hard battleship supporters, it also settles the matter in a
06:58practical way.
07:04After Pearl Harbor, the only American force of real power capable of action are the carriers.
07:13In the early days of the war, the carrier complements are in transition.
07:19Monoplanes are taking over from the trusty biplanes.
07:24But early combat highlights the fact that American aviation technology is terribly flawed.
07:32Fortunately, the conflict in Europe gives a short but significant lead time to aircraft designers.
07:37And production is already underway on new, more effective planes.
07:47Two planes will carry the weight of the war for U.S. ships.
07:55Both planes follow the established pattern of two-seat dive bombers and three-seat torpedo bombers.
08:03The Helldiver, ordered in 1939 and first flown in 1940, becomes the standard Navy dive bomber of the last two
08:10years of the war.
08:11But throughout its career, it is troublesome and displays several flaws.
08:18The Curtiss SB-2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber produced for the United States Navy during World War
08:25II.
08:28Developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless, it was a much larger and faster aircraft, able to operate from the
08:35latest aircraft carriers of the time.
08:40The Helldiver could carry a considerable array of armament and featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying
08:47heavy ordnance.
08:53It's unstable, and it's a tough plane to maintain.
09:04The plane does not live up to its expectation as a load carrier for its short takeoff capability.
09:11But the Helldivers are the best planes available for the job, and they are used to good effect.
09:18On the other hand, the Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers are a great success.
09:24The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber.
09:27The aircraft had a large bomb bay, allowing for one torpedo, a single 2,000-pound bomb, or up to
09:34four 500-pound bombs.
09:40With a 30,000-foot ceiling and a fully loaded range of 1,000 miles, it was better than any
09:46previous American torpedo bomber.
09:49And better than its chief opponent, the then-obsolete Japanese Nakajima B-5N.
09:58The planes the Avengers were to replace, the aging Douglas Devastators, are so outdated, the Avengers are ordered to full
10:05production even before the prototype flew.
10:09The gamble pays off.
10:11With its 2,000-pound bomb or torpedo load, the Avengers are invaluable, and stay with the fleet until 1954.
10:21Another message is also loud and clear.
10:25The layout of attack and bomber aircraft is outdated.
10:29The speed and firepower of fighters is such that there was no way for bombers to protect themselves.
10:36Their gunners are no deterrent to fighter attack.
10:40They need to depend on their own fighter escorts for control of the sky.
10:46This meant there is no real point to the wasted weight of revolving gun turrets.
10:50The load will be better carried as fuel and bombs.
10:58Despite casualties, there is no doubt that America's naval strength, based on her carriers, dominates the vast Pacific battlefield.
11:08Japan loses 39 battleships and cruisers during the war.
11:12Only four are sunk by American surface ships.
11:16Eight more are dealt with by submarines, and the remaining 27 are sunk by carrier-based planes.
11:26Naval aviation is clearly one of the most powerful weapons at America's disposal, and plans are developing to meet needs
11:33far beyond the war's end.
11:36New, reliable, and powerful engines are available.
11:41Experience makes it possible to predict accurately the behavior of a design shape.
11:47Combat indicates the gunner is a redundant concept.
11:50And in the same way, the observer or bombardier is wasted in a specialized airframe.
11:57The next specification for a Navy attack plane to be issued is for a single-seat aircraft.
12:05Douglas is working on their submission, the BTD-1.
12:25They start in 1942, but it becomes clear that the plane, which is a pre-war design, is no match
12:32for its competitors, including the formidable Martin AM-1.
12:38To answer the call, Douglas engineers propose a bold change in direction, and the Sky Raider is born.
12:48During its long service career, the pilots who flew the Sky Raiders gave it several names,
12:53including Sandy,
12:55including Sandy, Spad, Hobo, Firefly, Zorro, The Big Gun, Old Faithful, Old Miscellaneous, Guppy, Q-Bird.
13:07During World War II, as the war in the Pacific rages on, the Navy searches for the next generation of
13:13carrier-based attack planes.
13:15On the 16th of June, 1944, the leaders of the Douglas Aircraft Company and Navy representatives meet.
13:23The chief designer of the Douglas Navy plan is working on a design for the BTD-1, a plane he
13:29knows is outdated.
13:30In a bold move, he asks the Navy for permission to cancel the BTD-1 and use the contract's funds
13:36on a new aircraft.
13:39In a hotel room overnight, the design team literally goes back to the drawing board.
13:44Using the knowledge they gained in the years since the design of the BTD, the men come up with the
13:49outlines of a new plane.
13:55The sketches they present the next morning, and their technical detailed explanation, intrigues and impresses the Navy's representatives.
14:21The Navy allows Douglas to re-enter the competition.
14:25The catch is that they only have nine months to get their plane into the air and comply with very
14:30tight and unforgiving specifications.
14:35Douglas misses their deadline.
14:37The Skyraider was one day late to its first flight.
14:42About an hour after takeoff, the test pilot is back on the ground, enthusiastic about the plane.
14:49Douglas completed the Skyraider on schedule, but they still may be too late.
14:56The war is drawing to a conclusion.
14:59Douglas now faces the prospect that their market is disappearing.
15:07Wartime contracts for 548 planes are canceled.
15:12Three are delivered in 1945, and only another 22 in 1946.
15:17But these few planes save the Skyraider.
15:22With the end of World War II, the future of a piston engine aircraft seems questionable.
15:28But this plane is clearly something to be reckoned with.
15:35Recognizing the versatility of the aircraft, in 1947, the Navy purchases 239 in three different versions.
15:51Over time, the Skyraider will operate in many other roles.
15:59There will be 30 major types, and about the same number of subtypes.
16:05The Skyraider never ran out of uses.
16:10The peace that canceled the Douglas contracts is very short.
16:14Korea sees Skyraiders thrown into conflict, where they play a major part in the war.
16:23The aerial war is shared between generations of aircraft.
16:27Jets are deployed, but their need for long, straight runways hampers their effectiveness.
16:32Especially in the frantic early days of the war.
16:35The North Koreans sweep the peninsula, and capture all but the tiny pocket around Pusan.
16:41Surrounding US forces.
16:44The Air Force is hampered by having to fly from Japan with relatively short range jets.
16:52The Navy's carriers are called on for much of the support for soldiers fighting desperately to hang on.
17:01Skyraiders are essentially a big fighter plane.
17:05They don't have an internal bomb bay.
17:08The designers did not include it for two reasons.
17:12One, additional weight in hydraulics and hinges for the doors.
17:16And two, it restricts the nature of the load.
17:20It is reasoned that strengthened wings, with multiple mounts, will accommodate a greater variety of armaments.
17:29In fact, the Skyraiders will carry at one time or another the whole inventory of armaments.
17:35Including weapons that were rumors or theories in 1944, when the plane was first drawn up.
17:43During the Korean War, Skyraiders take part in highly secret experiments carrying nuclear weapons.
17:52And later, in 1953, the AV-4D variant will be developed specifically for that purpose.
17:59It was never called on to deliver these weapons.
18:08The Skyraider will make and polish its enduring reputation with a range of conventional stores.
18:16Seven major models and 28 different versions of the Skyraider were produced.
18:21More than any other aircraft in history.
18:25During the Korean War, as the fighting drags on, Skyraiders become an important part of the Navy's big punch.
18:32The versatile aircraft can carry loads of rockets, napalm, and a range of small and large bombs.
18:39The Skyraider's slow speed allows its pilots to deliver munitions with great precision.
18:44But Skyraiders have one other outstanding feature.
18:47They can carry an enormous variety of armaments.
18:50Powered by a 2,800-horsepower radial piston engine, the Skyraider will be able to deliver the military.
18:54Which weighs only 11,000 pounds, can deliver up to 14,000 pounds of bullets, rockets, and bombs.
19:03So here we are at the front section of the aircraft by this big old prop.
19:08Dripping by what appears to be a very large engine.
19:11It is.
19:12The right.
19:143350, 2800 horsepower.
19:162800 horsepower.
19:18That's impressive.
19:20How about how the pitch is controlled by the propeller?
19:22Is there anything different about that system?
19:24This particular propeller is pretty much self-contained.
19:28You have a lever in the cockpit that moves the lever out here.
19:32And it's thrown by hydraulics internally and adjusts the pitch of the prop depending on what you need to take
19:39off or cruise.
19:39Now, the other thing that I always think about when I'm at the front of an airplane is, especially a
19:44fighter or an attack or a bomber aircraft, is what comes off of the damn thing.
19:49You know? I mean, tell me about what kind of armament this plane had on it. It had a multitude
19:53of options, right?
19:54Pretty much anything that was designed to be dropped off an airplane, it could do it. It even had missiles,
20:00fuel tanks, rockets, bombs, and in one case, a toilet.
20:06That's a story for a different show, right?
20:09Now, how about cannons? How many cannons did it have on it?
20:11It has two 20-millimeter cannons that they started putting on in the AD-4.
20:18It looks like a pretty big aircraft to me with obviously just a single propeller for the power plant.
20:24What are we talking about as far as minimum speeds, maximum speeds for the airframe?
20:29It's quite versatile on that end. It can fly very slow off the carrier. It would take off with full
20:35flaps, 75 knots, and it redlines at 410 knots if it needs to go on straight.
20:41410? Yeah.
20:43And would that be in just a straight down dive?
20:45That would be in a dive.
20:46I remember reading somewhere about a design feature this plane has called dive flaps, which if people don't know, those
20:54are basically on the aircraft to prevent it from over-speeding itself when it's gaining energy by going down.
21:00This thing has some pretty big ones, if I'm not mistaken.
21:04It's called dive brakes. This particular one has three. They come out the side here. It's a very large door.
21:10There's one out each side.
21:12It's a whole door right here.
21:12The whole door comes out, one each side, and there's a slightly larger one in the bottom that comes out.
21:17It allows the airplane to pretty much go, well, it can go straight down to its target and then pull
21:23up and not over-speed itself.
21:26And you say there's one on this side, there's one on the other side, and then there's one on the
21:28bottom.
21:28And they would all come out at the same time?
21:30All at the same time.
21:31Automatic. Is it just a switch in the cockpit?
21:32It's just basically an in and out switch that hydraulically puts them out.
21:38Well, it's a big rudder, I'll tell you that.
21:41It has to have one for the amount of power that it has for takeoff and all that.
21:46Stability purposes.
21:47Elevators seem pretty standard. What are these right here?
21:50These are called static wicks that dissipate any static that builds up on the airplane.
21:55Prevent explosions from happening when you don't want them to.
21:58I mean, it's a thick fuselage.
22:00It is.
22:02I'm surprised when you tell me they've got up to 410 knots.
22:05That's pretty incredible.
22:07And then the fold-up wings.
22:08It's standard for back then for carrier use to minimize the size of the aircraft so they could fit more
22:17on the carrier.
22:17Yeah, yeah. Navy planes had those.
22:19Were they automatic? Did they have to crank? Were they hydraulic?
22:22This one is hydraulic.
22:23Some of the early ones were crank or manual, but most of them were hydraulic.
22:27Fuel tank?
22:28Fuel tank, 150 gallons.
22:30How many? 150? One on each side?
22:31One on each side.
22:33Now, kind of what you just got done describing was pretty much anything an aircraft could want to do an
22:39air-to-ground mission, this thing added.
22:41It was capable of any time the roles change for the military, it could change right along with it, which
22:48was part of its longevity in the military.
22:49Yeah, it's just an amazing place.
22:54The Sky Raiders' versatility and power was far beyond what could be expected from most other aircraft in service.
23:02As the war in Korea rages on, additional orders flow into the Douglas factory.
23:17The design team determines that these problems are partly the result of poor landing technique.
23:27In response, pilots are given additional practice.
23:30Also, the Sky Raider is strengthened to withstand heavier impacts.
23:47While the Douglas team modifies the Sky Raider, other planes serving in Korea are being phased out rapidly.
23:55The jets because of the rapid developments in technology, and the piston planes because they are simply too old.
24:06The Sky Raider is also being scrutinized in order to develop specifications for a replacement aircraft.
24:13The conclusion is a tribute to the Big Douglas aircraft.
24:20The Navy decides to buy three aircraft, splitting the roles performed by the Sky Raider to a range of airplanes.
24:28In 1949, the future of the AD's seems uncertain.
24:33No one could have predicted they'd endure long into the jet era, but orders continue.
24:40When production finally ceases on the 18th of February, 1957, 3,180 Sky Raiders have been built.
24:53In September 1960, the first Sky Raiders arrive in a new theater of conflict, in a new role, as fighters
25:00to join the Vietnamese Air Force.
25:03In May, 25 more aircraft arrive, where they become a major factor in the air war over Vietnam.
25:12The United States' involvement with the Vietnamese Air Force grows, not only in supplying aircraft, but helping in many ways
25:19to turn the Vietnamese into a combat-ready force.
25:24The challenge facing military planners is determining what type of aircraft will best answer the tactical requirements in counterinsurgency operations.
25:37The answer is an aircraft with the attributes of a Douglas Sky Raider.
25:44U.S. involvement with the Vietnamese Air Force started in 1955.
25:48But it wasn't until the early 60s that the U.S. advisors are sent to Vietnam in noticeable numbers.
25:56American pilots supplement the locals.
26:08American administrators, ground crew, and trainers also multiply, and the flow of aircraft continues.
26:20When the Vietnamese pilots received their first Sky Raiders, they are disappointed.
26:25They were expecting jets.
26:28However, the Geneva agreement outlaws the introduction of such advanced weapons into the conflict.
26:35The Vietnamese Air Force will not get its first jets, Northrop F-5s, until 1967.
26:43In the interim, they use a variety of aircraft in well-organized and effective operations against guerrilla forces.
26:52Spotters and attack aircraft work together closely to provide powerful and precise support to ground operations.
27:00Under the close and often hands-on guidance of the U.S. Air Force advisors,
27:05the Vietnamese Air Force develops tactical responses to guerrilla operations that are to remain models for much of the war.
27:13Smoke markers, fired by Cessna bird dogs operating as forward air controllers, indicate targets for the Sky Raiders.
27:27In 1962, with a revision of Navy nomenclature, the name of the Sky Raider changes again to the A-1.
27:40Sky Raiders continue to arrive for service with the Vietnamese Air Force, and an A-1 is lost in combat
27:46on the last day of the war.
27:49The remnants of the Vietnamese Air Force flew their air-worthy planes out to Thailand, and 11 of those planes
27:55were A-1s.
27:59But over the skies in Vietnam, Sky Raiders perform an outstanding role in counterinsurgency.
28:04And another customer, the United States Air Force, was soon to be flying them alongside the Vietnamese.
28:13Once again, the Sky Raider goes to war.
28:22During its service in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese nicknamed the A-1 the Crazy Water Buffalo.
28:31In 1964, after the incident in the Gulf of Tonkin, the United States formally commits its force to all-out
28:38war in Vietnam.
28:42With the U.S. entering the war, comes a transformation of the conflict.
28:48Helicopters are the enduring image of Vietnam, as gunships, as troop carriers, and as rescue for downed pilots.
28:56Airporter.
29:00Rival 8-1, this is Clearwater. Roger.
29:04Your vision to point Cairo 28014. Over.
29:08The helicopters provide a focus for forces on the ground, and become a persisting symbol of the conflict.
29:16U.S. Air Force Sky Raiders start Vietnam operations in May 1964, with Vietnamese observers in charge of activity.
29:27The twin seat A-1Es they use are to be the first of many U.S. Air Force Sky Raiders
29:31to serve in theater.
29:35By the time the E's begin to run out, they could be replaced with the still numerous single-seaters.
29:43The versatile aircraft is used to fly alongside Mach 2 jets.
29:52Sky Raiders have exceptional attributes.
29:55The ground troops appreciate their heavy load of ordnance, and the fact that they can loiter, waiting for work.
30:03Their pilots love the accuracy that can be achieved when flying something as stable, slow, and maneuverable as their A
30:09-1s.
30:12They are also grateful for the armed toughness of the planes, which can absorb tremendous battle damage.
30:21In their long career, the Sky Raiders earned several nicknames.
30:26There is a drive to have them known as the Pulverizer, which never took.
30:31They are known after their call sign in Korea as ADs, Able Dogs.
30:38They also have other names.
30:39They are called SPADs, and in their rescue work, Sandy.
30:50Their activity and close air support is unmatched.
30:54They pound away with an accuracy impossible to achieve with supersonic aircraft.
30:59They can fly in virtually all weather.
31:03When the jets are grounded, the Sky Raiders are out there working.
31:07Admittedly, they offer a pretty good target.
31:12Someone trying to hit a Mach 2 jet with a rifle welcomes the sight of a SPAD to shoot at.
31:16But the SPADs soaked up damage and kept on going, at least to the extent of getting home, even if
31:22they wouldn't fly again.
31:43The U.S. Air Force loses 153 Sky Raiders in combat in Vietnam between 1962 and 1973.
31:53A further 41 are listed as operational losses.
31:58Considering the job they perform, this is a testament to the aircraft.
32:04146 of the U.S. Air Force losses are caused by ground fire.
32:10Only three are lost to surface-to-air missiles.
32:13Two to MiGs and two in attacks on airfields.
32:17This reflects the way they are used in close support, wherever the troops happen to be that day.
32:23Or as escorts for rescue helicopters.
32:26Incredibly dangerous roles, day after day.
32:28Whereas the overall U.S. average of losses due to ground fire is 57%.
32:33For the Sky Raiders, the figure is 75%.
32:41The selection of propeller-driven aircraft for counterinsurgency reflects the advantage of this aircraft.
32:48They are less susceptible to being downed by small arms fire.
32:52They can loiter almost indefinitely and deliver their loads with pinpoint accuracy.
32:58The experience with the A-1s in Vietnam is so impressive that the Douglas Company is asked to provide an
33:04estimate to produce more of the planes 12 years after the Sky Raider was out of production.
33:11The price per aircraft on a limited run to turn out new Sky Raiders is considered too high, and the
33:18proposal is dropped.
33:20But the fact that this idea is contemplated is some measure of the status the aircraft has attained.
33:27It is unusual for a plane to go back into production, especially when the technology is considered obsolete.
33:35A-1s are coming directly out of combat into retirement, and there is still a strong demand for the plane.
33:44The twin-seat A-1E models that the Air Force first took out of Navy mothballs simply wore out.
33:52There comes a time in the life of an aircraft when the next rebuild cannot be justified, and the E
33:58models reach that point.
34:01The U.S. Air Force continues to use Sky Raiders, replacing the aging E's with single-seat H models.
34:08The last E model flies its final mission on the 10th of April, 1967, and is hoisted aboard a ship
34:15for its journey back to the USA.
34:19It was a moment that held quite a bit of history.
34:23Next, the Sky Raider literally becomes a lifesaver.
34:32March 10, 1966.
34:34A-1E pilot Major Bernard Fisher rescues a fellow pilot shot down over South Vietnam in the midst of enemy
34:41troops.
34:41Fisher is the first living Air Force pilot awarded the Medal of Honor.
34:46His Sky Raider is now preserved at the Air Force Museum in Ohio.
34:53The Sky Raider's nickname, SPAD, refers to a World War I biplane.
34:58It was a name jet pilots gave for the lumbering old war horses.
35:04However, the SPADs of Vietnam changed the jet pilots' scorn into grudging respect.
35:10The SPADs find their finest hour in a new role as a rescue helicopter escort.
35:16Because of the plane's unique design, it could carry a large amount of fuel and loiter in the air for
35:22long periods of time.
35:24Now, how about fuel capacity for this plane?
35:27You talked about being able to stay at the slow airspace for long times on station to support the ground
35:32war.
35:33What did it have as far as a maximum fuel capacity, internal, external?
35:37This airplane could stay up for over 10 hours.
35:4010 hours.
35:40It has about a 380-gallon fuel tank behind the pilot down in the fuselage,
35:47and it carried external fuel, another 300 gallons externally.
35:50380-gallon behind the pilot.
35:52Yep.
35:53That's a good place for it.
35:54Yeah.
35:55How about the design of the tank?
35:57Was it a metal tank, aluminum tank?
35:59It's a rubber bladder.
36:01A rubber bladder fuel tank.
36:03Interesting.
36:07The large fuel tank makes the Skyriders an important part of the rescue parties.
36:12Their ability to fly slow means they could protect the helicopters on their vital mission of rescuing downed pilots.
36:23The rescue parties involve a variety of aircraft.
36:27Control aircraft, spotters, the rescue choppers, and the pugnacious A1s as escorts.
36:34The control aircraft patrols at altitude, listening for the radio beacon of a downed pilot.
36:41After establishing the pilot's whereabouts, a rescue team is directed to the area.
36:46Strike aircraft will also cover the operation, especially when the rescue is conducted deep inside North Vietnam.
36:54The work of these crews in the helicopters, and the other aircraft, requires great courage.
37:00Despite the danger, the units press each mission as hard as possible.
37:04And in the course of the war, are credited with an amazing 3,833 rescues.
37:10Commander Rooester lead, Rooester lead, this is Crown 1.
37:14We have verified your identity.
37:16Sandy's are in route.
37:17We'll arrive in your area in 8 minutes.
37:19Jolly Green, 19 minutes.
37:20We have a call mini cap for you.
37:22It should be in your area by now.
37:24Roger, I have teleho the mini cap.
37:27Stay in orbit over red Rooster 2 until Sandy's arrive.
37:31Roger, Crown.
37:32Roger Crown, this is Sandy 1. Go ahead.
37:35Red Rooster lead is still orbiting over downed pilots at coordinates 1-0, 2-0 north.
37:39105-50 East, he has reported enemy automatic weapon fire one mile north of downed pilot.
37:46There may be a lot more around the pilot himself.
37:49Sandy-1, this is Crown. I have designated you on the scene, Commander. Take over.
37:53Roger, Crown. I've got it.
37:57Sky Raiders fill the role of escort well.
38:00They have the endurance to stay aloft for hours.
38:04They can hover along with the slow helicopters.
38:08At the location of a rescue, they bring their firepower into play to suppress the hostile activity in the area,
38:15allowing the Jolly Greens to go about their business with little interference.
38:22For these missions, the Sky Raiders are fully loaded with ordnance and ammunition.
38:28Because of the vulnerability of the helicopters to ground fire,
38:31it is essential that enemy activity is suppressed before the choppers present themselves as stationary targets.
38:37hovering above the downed crew.
38:40As a result, the A-1s engage in what is referred to as trolling for fire.
38:46This consists of flying low and deliberately drawing fire from enemy guns near the scene.
38:51When these guns are located and silenced, the air is safer for helicopters.
38:58It did, however, make the Sky Raider a dangerous place to be.
39:03The rescue team's motto is that others may live.
39:08To that end, they were prepared to risk their lives.
39:17The parajumpers, or PJs, are the men who go down the wire to the pilot and are trained scuba divers
39:23in case the rescue takes place over water.
39:25The PJs are qualified parachutists and experts with small arms and in hand-to-hand combat.
39:32They are also fully trained in first aid.
39:35With the rest of the crew, they face the danger of flying low and slow in their chopper to the
39:40rescue site,
39:41often under intense fire.
39:44Then, they left even the aircraft's limited safety to become dangling targets that others may live.
39:55The replacement for the SPAD in this role is another Navy plane, the Corsair II, or the Vought A7.
40:04Although it's a jet, the Corsair is chosen for its SPAD-like qualities.
40:08It's subsonic, rugged, carries a huge load, is very accurate, and can loiter for long periods of time.
40:17The Navy splits the Sky Raider's role among three other airframes.
40:24The Grumman Tracker takes over anti-submarine missions.
40:29The Douglas Sky Warrior carries out long-range bombing, including nuclear bombing.
40:34And the Douglas Skyhawk, the A4, does everything else.
40:44But no one tells the Sky Raiders.
40:47They are still there in 1964 when the carriers find themselves in Vietnam.
40:52Still a standard medium attack plane.
40:59Certainly, the other types are present as well.
41:02But mingling with the screaming jets of the Phantoms, Skyhawks, and Vigilantes is the throbbing piston engine roar of the
41:10Sky Raiders.
41:12They are an important part of the striking power of the carriers in the early years of Navy involvement.
41:17And their slow and accurate attacks bring huge bomb loads to targets with deadly effect.
41:24In contrast to their jet-powered comrades, they are likely to be found on their way back to the ship,
41:30quietly looking for targets of opportunity.
41:33Their accuracy, sizable payloads, and long range makes them uniquely valuable.
41:41But all good things come to an end.
41:44If the production lines are not to be reopened for further construction, there are only the existing Sky Raiders.
41:53They are getting old, not just because of their date of manufacture, but because they are being worked so hard.
42:00What happens to a plane in combat is extraordinary.
42:03And the Sky Raiders are in the process of being replaced by a fourth aircraft, the Grumman A6 Intruder.
42:11Although some are taken out of mothballs to be revitalized by the U.S. Air Force, the A1s are being
42:16phased out of service.
42:18And this time, it's for real.
42:25On Sunday, the 20th of February, 1968, a young pilot lands his Sky Raider on the USS Coral Sea after
42:32completing a combat mission over Vietnam.
42:36He is 23 years old, and the Sky Raider has been in service for 23 years.
42:43He had just completed the last combat mission of the U.S. Navy Sky Raiders.
42:50That was it.
42:52The old plane has finished its Navy service.
42:56No amount of polishing can extend their lifespan.
42:59They could have still been loaded up with weapons and sent on more missions, but it's time to call it
43:05a day.
43:08After a long career, the Sky Raider finally earns an overdue retirement.
43:13For the men who flew them, the spads were difficult to give up.
43:17This was by no means a reflection on their new aircraft.
43:21But for anyone who flew the Able Dogs, there was simply no replacement for the seat of your pants flying,
43:27the ponderous but dynamic control, the stability and accuracy and power of the Sky Raiders.
43:34The air is using the United States.
43:41The N 있다고 he says.
43:41Is to use any of the foamy objetos.
43:41Is to use the U.S. Navy Sky Raiders.
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