Douglas Skyraider - The "BIG IRON" Beast of Warbirds !
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- This video is of "Big Iron" Douglas Skyraiders as they appeared at various airfields in Southern California. Big, bad and ugly, these rugged and L-O-U-D warbirds were also affectionally known during the Vietnam war as "Sandys" or "Spads." Although designed as a Naval aircraft, they were utilized by both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam.
The mighty Wright R-3350, 18-cylinder, twin-row radial powers this beast. This thing burns more oil per hour than your automobile burns gasoline. Not exactly environmentally friendly, as you can see at the startup. If you could do real-time mapping of the earth's ozone holes, there would be a Skyraider right at the center of each one, ha!
The Flying Dump Truck!!! They could carry up to 8,000 lbs of deadly stuff on 15 hardpoints under the the wings and fuselage. That's roughly what a B-17 would carry in WWII during a short range mission! My dad was a "Sandy" pilot with the 602nd ACS in Vietnam around 1965-66. This aircraft brought him home safe! I love this plane.
In 1966 when I was 11 years old I had a Squadron (must have been 8 of them) fly directly over me wing tip to wing tip, at about 500 feet, where I lived at NAS Lemoore (possibly VA-122). I can still remember to this day (I'm 60 now) how those 3000hp engines made the ground below my feet shake and how cool they looked!
That I believe was the last 2 years of A1's at NAS Lemoore. They were replaced by a-7's another great airplane. I lived in Armona 76'-84' 😬
In 1961, I lived across the street from NAS Alameda (our house was the last house the planes cleared before landing on the base. My brothers and I saw these plane many times (in fact, we always knew air aircraft carrier was coming into NAS Alameda because all the planes flew off the ship, and one by one, landed at the base). I clearly remember the "cackle" of 20 A-1 Skyraiders coming over our house and pealing off to land one after the other. Imagine the sound of 20 of these planes in the sky (in formation) flying over you. The sound was unreal and I have heard NOTHING like it since (I also saw JFK driving out of NAS Alameda in his limousine on his way to give a speech at the U.C. Berkeley campus in the spring of 1962). Those were such fun, carefree days, now gone forever...
@@foxtrot312 My squadron VAH-4 A-3 Skywarrior flew out of NAS Whidbey Island Washington, we would fly into NAS lemoore in the early 60’s for buddy bombing exercises with VA-163 and VA-164 who flew A-4 Skyhawks!
Use to load weapons on these in Pleiku Vietnam during the mid 60's. I saw some of them return with damage that would down most other aircraft. Saw one land with half a wing missing!
Larry Blake .....633rd SPS ‘67 ‘68👍 Brother.
Owe my life to these old birds. As a nineteen year old infantryman in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam more than once they came to my rescue. They could stay above us and support us for long periods of time.
Thank you for your service brother.
So its job was similar to what the warthogs did or thunderbolts???
joelm 1948.... I remember the "Spads" flying out of the airbase at Binh Thuy near Can Tho. I flew Charlie model gunships (the famous Maverick gun team out of the Vinh Long airfield) for two years over there (my 2nd & 3rd tours). We covered the central and northern tiers of the region from the Gulf of Tonkin all the way across to the Cambodian border down to the south in the Can Tho area or the southern leg of the Mekong River.... and sadly, were deeply involved in the "Easter Sunday" Massacre (of ARVN forces)... we lost four "ships" and some of the crews, including Col Dempsey (who fought with Gen. Patton) in that tragedy!
I remember the Skyraiders along with F-4C's and F-100's out of Saigon that were called in to bomb & strafe the tree line while our slicks attempted rescue of all our guys and ARVN's. It was a "bad day" for all. : (
Me too Joe
Thank you for your service! USMC veteran here. Thank you for paving the way for us! 1987 till 1995. Semper Fi!
I got to check one of these out at an air show. You don't realise how much bigger than a P-47, they are. What a beast.
2nd favorite bird of all time (F4U Corsair will always be my fav). These birds were/are beasts. I adamantly believe that the Sky Raider should be brought back to be flown by the Army as close air support. They STILL have a role in our military!
Yeah, the massive load and long loiter times are what's needed at times
You will note that all Navy planes of the day used radial engines instead of the streamlined in-line engines of the P-51, ME109, and Spitfire look. That's because a radial engine could take damage and still fly while an in-line engine was pretty much toast. So, if you're flying over the water as the Navy did in the Pacific, you want to ensure that you have a platform that can take a beating yet still return to the ship. Beautiful sound, that big radial is!
Not only that, but a radial is more suited for repeated stressed landings, typical for carrier operations. Inline engines can't operate on carriers routinely without becoming somewhat of a maintenance nightmare.
... and don't forget, radial engines are air-cooled! No need for glycol! Saves more space to store fuel on board the carrier!
Radials take up less room on a bird farm flight deck than inline engines.
You could shoot out two or three cylinders the radial engine and keep flying
Their fuel and oil burn rate is legendary, you have to be well heeled to fly one of those, same with the Jug and Corsair.
I may be wrong, but wasn't the Skyraider the first aircraft to be able to lift and carry it's own weight in ordnance? Douglas built some great planes.
My uncle flew Skyraiders off the Ranger and Midway and was at Pensacola flying A1 during Bay of Pigs. When my great uncle died he flew his plane to Vance AFB in Enid Oklahoma, I was about 8 yrs old and got to get in the cockpit, wear his flight helmet, awesomeness
Ah, brings back old memories! One of the great aircraft of naval aviation.
Great video. The thing that you don't realize until you see one in person is how HUGE a Skyraider is. They're just monstrous.
Many twins were smaller in fact the Spad is not much smaller span than a Tigercat.
I believe this was the last government ordered radial prop driven aircraft to which they saved the best for last ! I just love listening to a Sky Raider and P-47 starting up !
Just love the sound of a big Made in USA radial engine.
the sounds of sandy are soocomforting. you just know you are loved
For me this is the most perfect and beautiful piston engine plane of all times
I had a family member that was in Vietnam and said these planes gave a very good account of themselves. Prop plane or no it was awesome and its firepower and capability was unbelievable. Thank you for the great posts!
Wow what a beauty. Love these old war birds.
One of my favorite aircraft ever built.
Fun fact: the Skyraider had more than just "Sandy" and "Spad" as its nicknames.
Other nicknames include; Able Dog, The Big Gun, Old Faithful, Hobo, Firefly, Zorro, and Crazy Water Buffalo.
This is the most beautiful airplane ever built. But to realize that, you have to be alone and far from home, with bad guys looking for you, when the "Sandies" come motoring in to cover you.
I delivered munitions to the awesome A1E, A1H and A1Js in 1968 at NKP Thailand. You could load and load and load munitions and these birds never had problems getting off the ground. The Sandy was the backbone of many search and rescue missions in SE Asia.
R-2800's are nice - but the 3350 on this airframe ?? Perfect !! Thank you, Mr. Douglas !!
Loved these birds. Always liked to have them for cover when on convoy down "Bloody" Highway 13 from Lai Khe to Di Ahn as they had the loiter time and carred as much, if not more, ordinance than a F-100 or F-4.
Beautiful, tough, and formidable aircraft.
Oh, and totally NOT ugly, thank you very much.
juuuuu8
There was a striking-looking turboprop would-be successor to the 'AD', the 'A2D' "Skyshark'', which had technical problems.
I totally disagree with you,the A-10 is a Beautiful Airplane. Stop listening to propaganda and see just how beautiful the Thunderbolt II truly is! I'm not saying the Skyraider would not be a great addition to cover missions when the A-10 was overkill. But to call the A-10 ugly shows a lack of knowledge as to why Aircraft are built to do a curtain job.
The sound of the “Sandy” is one once heard sound , a grunt simply will never forget.
Nor will Sandy and her loiter time with soooooo much ordinance bringing smoke 💨 and hell in danger close ever
Be forgotten.
Legendary aircraft indeed she was !
I once saw a Skyraider in a Paris air show and damn, it was BIG
Fudge yeah Brother!! LOVE that big radial startup sound!
I have a friend who was in Vietnam and he said that the guys on the ground loved the Skyaiders over head more than anything.
RVN Air Force made a point to buzz our base. I loved the roar!!
I flew the F4F-4 FM-2 and the AD in Korea. The AD was superior except it only had a single speed aux supercharger, therefore about 30,000 was its altitude limit.
It was also best in carrier operations
Very cool to hear a first hand account, I've always admired the AD and those who flew them, thank you for your service..
I have been on the Yorktown quite a few times. It is in Charleston. You could really get lost on that huge carrier. Wow mr. Melvin Brantley I bet you have many great stories to tell. I also had the privilege to go on a maiden voyage of a new carrier that was built in Pascagoula, Mississppi back in 2001. It was named the Iwo Jima. It was one of two that were built. I was on the ship with Woody Williams and many other living veterans who fought on Iwo Jima. It was such an honor. Thank you for your service and protection Mr. Melvin Brantley. You are a wonderful person always.
I'm a former news journalist of nearly 20 years with a focus on economics (blech) but I'm also a pilot.. and I loved covering aviation and war history (yay!). Like Bobby said, you probably have some great stories to tell. How I'd love to sit and talk with you for about 3 days!!! *salute* Mr. Brantley.
+Melvin Brantley My father flew AD's in Korea, he was a Marine pilot with VMA-121. He flew Banshees after the war as well. Dad loves the AD, I grew up with all his stories as well
Burnsengine j
I was in country (Viet Nam) 67 and 68. I saw these big birds taking off and on many raids. These and the Fantoms remain my very favorite planes to this day.
These were amazing piston powered attack aircraft that were used well into the jet age. Despite their slow speed they were able to take large amounts of battle damage and still return home after a mission. I'm fairly sure they were still in service until the mid seventees and were eventually replaced with the jet powered A-10.
Yup, and piston engines are far more fuel-efficient than a jet engine. Piston engines sip fuel, while jets guzzle fuel at an enormous rate. This is the primary reasons why piston-engined airplanes are more suited for ground attack and close air support.
And in both Korea and Vietnam AD's managed to shot down MiGs.
What a beast! Love it!
They sound incredible! Like 100 harleys all in sync! That sound and cologne that smells like av gas...that's heaven!!
Great shot of this aircraft landing, full flaps.................you gotta love it.
Just as they are they would have been useful in Afganistan or against ISIS. Can't imagine how good they would be with today's materials, propelers, engines, avionics, etc...
They are such jewels!
Loved that plane. Served at a base in Vietnam that had these assigned to the South Vietnam Air force. Watching them take off fully loaded at night was spectacular. The sound alone gave you goose bumps. And then there was the fire from the exhaust that said look at me I'm special. Those engines made the ground shake, believe me. I don't suppose there are any flying today? Probably cost too much to fly.
Expensive, yes: but some are still flying...see my post up above.
I will NEVER understand how anybody could look at this bird and think its ugly, and if that didn't make the plane beautiful just look at its service record. My Dad was and aircraft Engineer for Belanca and I was a pilot for 15 years and have ALWAYS had a very soft spot in my heart for the Skyraider. One of the few planes we ever produced that we actually wore them all out through use, we used them up. I kind of have a feeling that the A10 will be the same way!
Best A/C ever. My dad flew them in Korea. I've actually sat in 39606; they've changed the paint scheme since then.
thanks for you`re service Mr. Brantley, I had two brothers in korea , me and two brothers in nam,
What a Wonderfull warbird!
I love this plane!
Pure rock- and- roll this twin-bank, 18-cylinder, 2,500-horsepower Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engine...!
Fantastic!
🇧🇷⚔👍👏👉
These old planes were so tough, it took the A-10 to replace them.
That tells you how good of a craft they were.
I am a retired Navy pilot. I served a tour with VC-35 night attack and special weapons. I was selected to do the Operational Suitable Test on delivering the MK-7 (31KT ) from a 50' approach. I departed Oriskany CV-47 and proceeded to Navy Ordnance test @ Inyokern 50' and below. The fissionable core was removed before takeoff.
Toss bombing, right?
This was the last USN plane to not need a catapult to be launched. Beautiful bird.
Gotta love a big noisy Skyraider!!
Fight to Fly Photography, i do!
It occurs to me that the Skyraider is a member of the same class of aircraft as the A-10 Thunderbolt II: A plane that can go in close, stay in close, and lay so much iron on enemy ground forces that they never come out of hiding ever again.
Correct, EXCEPT the A-10 isn't a "warthog" or any other kind of hog. It's a Thunderbolt II [2]!
@@russg1801 the nickname by some was the warthog. Thunderbolt was its official tag.
Totally agree! The A-10 Warthog is the present-day Skyraider. Could take lots of punishment & keep on flying while protecting ground forces with devastating ordnance.
My first T-38 Instructor pilot, Major Jim Maxam, flew these straight out of UPT in SEA. Had a lot of good stories. I hope he was able to get that A-10 assignment he wanted after IP duty.
I had a pair of A1Ds fly close air support for me December 23, 1968. We had just attacked a regimental base camp on the top of an unnamed hill. We over ran it in a very short while and sent the survivors scrambling off the north side of the mountain.
We left them only one escape, into an open valley. There we used artillery, Cobra gunships and A1Ds to help us out. They are very good at delivering napalm in large quantities.
One of the best ground attack aircraft ever, the a1 skyraider really proved itself in Korea and vietnam
My father in-law was on the Midway during the early parts of Vietnam War, he calls these spads and said they used watch them launch for recon mission. They use them to maneuver the ship in dock too. Great plane.
They were misused when their massive engines were run flat out on the carrier-decks to facilitate docking: this was mentioned in the 1954 "Toko Ri" picture when the carrier is shown docking " in Japan".
When I deployed to Korea aboard Orinsky. I was attached to VC-35 San Diego and we brought only 4 AD-4ns. For my special weapons missions, I flew the basic Squadron AD-4s. This caused a minor chain of command obedience problem. Most of my missions require the use of high power and water injection. The maintenance system responded to their pilots and yellow sheet comments.
The only way I could check out the water injection system was to have the aircraft taken to the flight deck and placed for a full power check. After I approved the aircraft, I was not allowed near it until after the"Weapon" had been installed and readied for flight.
Thank you, sir, for your service aboard Big "O".
My father was a USMC electrical tech in a squadron of F4U's when the AD-4 was introduced. To hear him tell it (RIP) the Skyraider looked like the shipping crate for a Corsair...HUGE and hard points from here to hell on each wing. He ended up liking that bird, and so do I. Close ground support never grows old... which is why the A-10 is coming back. (and should go back into production, I says).
That was just one of several 'call signs' that were used in NKP Thailand, during my tour there in 1968 -1969. As an air traffic controller during that time , it was no small wonder to watch those pilots rotate carrying their weight in armament. It is always the greatest thrill to see them RTB, many times just limping across the fence, with a lot of damage, while helping to save other pilots . One of my 'Sandy' friends referred to the A-1 as a 'Harley on steroids'.
My father was the maintenance officer for a squadron of Skyraiders in Norfolk. He told me those big radials drank so much oil that you never changed it; you just kept adding.
What a fabulous aeroplane!
I could be wrong, but I remember reading that certain models of the Skyraider could carry the same bomb load (in lbs) as a B-17. Pretty impressive.
These monsters were despised by the fighter pilot fraternity but absolutely loved by the troops on the ground, where it really mattered. Unlike the jets of the day, they could loiter for ages, carry an enormous load and get down low and slow enough to deliver same right into Charlie's ear'ole. Lovely to see 'em again.
Zoomies put the pilots and planes down...until they needed their keister pulled out the the sh*t.
I was in SEA '66/'67 Pleiku AB, 633 CAMRON, serviced the nav electronics on the A1-E. This bird was a beast, flew with holes in her, armed with either a couple 2k# bombs, or napalm, CBU's you name it the Spad carried it, dropped it, messed up allot of Charlie's plans. Brings back lots of memories looking at this footage.
serious eargasm happening here.... ooooooooh man! Love them radials....
Last of the badges prop war birds love them dearly
Last of a great era in avionics.
The torque on the Sandy's engine was so good that they could launch this plane from a carrier without using the catapult. That's a damn good plane.
The A1-E, has a special place in my heart. I was a crew chief on a Huey Gunship and we were covering a Medivac when we got shot down, Fortunately we weren't all that high after we crashed an rolled, everyone got out but then NVA and VC tried to overrun us fortunately I got 3 M-60s off my ship and tons of ammo. Things were getting tight when a flights of A1-Es showed up and Napalmed the shit out of the tree line and that was that, They were so low I swear they came back with grass stains on their props.
I thought they were called A 1's. Anyway it was the best bird in Vietnam. When the Spooky was overhead, things stayed quiet. When the A,1's came in you new the shit was about to hit the fans. When it was too hot for Phantoms, or helicopters, we called the Skyraiders. I don't know who flew them but they could put a rocket or bomb in a teacup. A run seemed to last forever. They'd open up with the cannons, then a rocket or 2, then the Minigun, then drop a bomb on target before pulling out, and about that time, another one seemed to be coming in right behind him. I loved the sound f the A 1's.
She's a beast! Beautiful airplane, as long as you realize her role.
i would think it was alot like the p-47 thunderbolt. they took that massive radial engine, laid out the turbo supercharger and all its pluming along all the fuel tanks and built the rest of the plane around it.
Kick ass airplane! Love it.
Ole granddad knew how to build them.
Wright radials are tough reliable powerplants. Great airplane. Go Navy!
That's like riding a huge Harley in the sky.
Skyraider is AWESOME. Definitely my new favorite!! :D
They didn't need a catapult to launch from a carrier. These beauties still rock.
When I first saw this aircraft, as a child, I thought it was butt ugly. Then I started learning about its heroic service in Vietnam, close air support, helping to rescue down pilots in North Vietnam. I now think that plane is one of the best looking ever produced............
While stationed at NKP Thailand during the Vietnam war, 70-71 We had a squadron of USAF A-1E's and watching them take off on SAR missions was a sight to behold.
As was usual...Douglas Aircraft gave another great design its wings!
This aircraft is very impressive. When I was a little boy I bult the 1/32 Airfix model and fell in love .... now I wait for the release of the Trumpeter 1/32 Skyraider. Still love it.
One of the sexiest smells a man can experience is that made when a BIG Radial first has her mags switched on after she,s turned over the # of turns in relation to her # of cylinders(not total in case of multiple rows, only front row) and she fires off. When you see that puff of smoke thats what I,m talkin, about. I used to do engine run ups on HU16e,s with R1820s in the USCG and I loved that smell.
@Ca1861: Yes, you are correct, portions of this video were taken at Chino, CA and other portions were taken at Torrance airport and also at Gillespie Field near San Diego. Thanks!
My dad was Commander of VA 165 at Alameda Nas and on the Oriskany in 1963-4. This is a plane from his squadron. I could show you some pictures if you want. Remember this since 4th grade.
The A-1 "Spad" is a great airplane. It wasn't fast (about 350mph) but it was a real tank. It could carry more ordnance than a WW II B-17. It had 4x20mm wing cannon and very long range. It could deliver a variety of weapons including tactical nuclear bombs. It even destroyed a North Korean dam with torpedoes! One of the Douglas Ironworks classics and a true son of the Dauntless.
Beautiful Sandy!
I remember reading that the Skyraider was first being developed during World War 2 as a dive bomber for the U.S. Navy. However it first flew in 1946-47, and from there it was produced and used both during the Kprean and Vietnam War. Very impressive, very rugged aircraft. We would have had a lot of aircrews captured and tortured had it not been for the pilots of the Skyraider.
As one Marine said to another at least a thousand times in I Corps: "Oh, let us be glad for the big, bad SpADs."
Landing runway 27R @ Gillespie Field (KSEE), basically in my back yard. These guys come out every year and it's always great.
What a monster of an airplane.
The thing that made this plane great was its longevity. First used in the early 50's up to the 70's when the sky was dominated by jet planes is a remarkable statement to its design and application.
Plus, it was the inspiration for the A-10 which in itself is the sweet plane.
Fun fact, my neighbor was an A-1 pilot pre Vietnam and actually named his plane "Big Iron".
Lived in between Miramar and North Island air bases as a kid during Vietnam war, was great! Something in the air every day, and sonic booms were frequent back then too. Saw much ww2 aircraft that were still in use. And coast guard had a PBY back then that had to cross a public street to get to Lindbergh field.
We had A-1E's at Pleiku AB, helluva bird. Salvaged several of them, kind of joined the front to the back behind the cockpit, painted a vertical red line with "Glue Part A to Part B" to make one intact bird. Got some 35mm film slides buried somewhere nearby with the photo and other stuff. I think the group was the 2nd Air Commandos. Ground maintenance was the 633 CAMRON, Pleiku AB, '66 -'67.
I would hate to be "Charile" in my foxhole having to look up and see one of these beasts bearing down on me!
I had the honour to take a picture right beside one in Saigon 1971...sp4 38th bpo...long binh.
Beautiful aircraft and love that Radial rumble.
The Spad was the last aircraft used by the US that didn't need a catapult to launch from a carrier. Damn, what a great plane.
Love those Skyraiders!!
Kind of rare to see something like that flying.
SPADS!!! Alright! That was the he-man plane in the carrier wing. Those days are, alas, long gone. But NOT FORGOTTEN!
The only aircraft that makes a 18 cylinder radial engine look small. 😀
The P&W R=2800 wasm in various dash numbers, used in the Corsair and F8F Bearcat. The Curtis-Wright R-3350 (non-turbo-compounded) was used on the A-1 Skyraider
Man,I love that sound! What a bird!
They were called SANDYS when they flew escort for the rescue helos in Vietnam
3,350 cubic inches. That's a BIG BLOCK, Wright!