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Douglas AD-4 Skyraider
Of all the aircraft utilized
for close support and interdiction, none was as feared by the communists
as the mighty Skyraider. Known by the enemy troops as the "Blue Plane",
the sight of a flight of Skyraiders sent a wave of terror through the ranks
of those expecting to be on the receiving end of this remarkable aircraft.
First flown five months before the end of the Second World War, it arrived
too late to see combat against the Japanese. Despite missing the 'big show',
it was aboard every American fleet carrier when the North Koreans stormed
across the 38th parallel in June of 1950. Well armored and built to survive
heavy damage, the Skyraider could haul twice the standard bomb load of
a B-17 on a mission to Berlin. Fifteen years later, the Navy was still
flying the venerable Skyraider in Vietnam, where it continued to demonstrate
that it was irreplaceable in the close support role. When age and advancing
technology finally forced the Skyraider into retirement, an era passed
into Naval Aviation history. To this day, the old 'Spad' is remembered
with great fondness and admiration by the veterans who took her into harms
way, or kept her ready for duty.
Powered by a Wright R-3350 radial
engine, there was enough power to haul an incredible array of bombs, rockets
and napalm containers on no less than 15 hardpoints under the wings and
fuselage. Later development would include versions for night attack, anti-submarine
work and even a three-man early warning model designated as the AD-3W.
The AD-4B was specifically equipped to deliver nuclear weapons. No other
American naval aircraft would prove to be as adaptable as the Skyraider.
Typical of Navy ingenuity, the squadron operating the aircraft in the photo
obviously did not have a stencil for the number 5. Instead, they simply
turned a number 2 stencil upside-down to achieve the desired effect.
Read More About This Aircraft
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Unless otherwise indicated, all articles Copyright © Corey C. Jordan 2001.
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