The A-1 Skyraider, originally given the designation AD Skyraider, was the result of a Navy decision in 1943 that consolidated dive-bombing and torpedo-plane missions into one kind of aircraft. Yet, despite the strapping power it displayed and the ability to carry upwards of 8,000 pounds of ordnance in its decidedly graceless barrel fuselage and hard-edged lines, the Skyraider looked anything but rakish when it took to the air.
First flying on March 18, 1945, the Skyraider entered fleet service the following year. First-time pilots in this aircraft were left with indelible impressions. One aviator recounted, “My first impression was that I was in for the ride of my life and was surrounded by noise and vibration. That first flight behind a 3350 radial all alone was something to behold.”
The “Able Dog,” otherwise known as the “Spad,” was tagged as one of the best attack aircraft in the Korean skies. Missions ran the gamut from attacking heavy industrial targets, such as power plants and bridges to the knocking out of the Hwachon Dam with aerial torpedoes. The Skyraider earned the ground troops’ affection because of its close air support capability. Its versatility was further demonstrated with modifications for electronic countermeasures and night attack missions.
The Skyraider would continue through the war in several roles, even as the jet engines began to dominate the carrier decks. In addition, trained for nuclear warfare, some pilots would fly long-range “Sandblower” missions that allowed the dropping of nuclear bombs at low altitudes. These longer flights, spent mostly inside the cockpit, would earn the pilots the nickname “Butt Busters”.
By the time of the Vietnam War, the A-4 Skyhawk had replaced the older type as the Navy’s primary carrier-based attack aircraft. Yet, Skyraiders took part in the opening rounds of attacks against North Vietnam that followed the Tonkin Gulf incident of August 1964 and continued to operate in these roles until 1968. Antiaircraft defenses became so advanced that Skyraiders eventually became too high in cost to keep losing at the rate they were going and were retired from these functions.
The Navy operated electronic countermeasures versions of the Skyraider right up to 1972, and the Air Force right up to 1972 for search and rescue and air commando missions, transferring the balance to the South Vietnamese Air Force. A total of 3,180 Skyraiders were manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company.
The museum’s A-1H Skyraider (Bureau Number 135300) served this role, as it flew the last attack mission by a Navy Skyraider in the Vietnam War on February 20, 1968.
The Skyraider featured the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial, arguably one of the largest and most powerful radial engines put into production in the United States during that era. Boasting 18 cylinders arranged in twin rows with supercharging, this was an American engineering marvel.
Although not strictly an airplane designed for air-to-air combat, the Skyraider had its moments of aerial triumph. On October 9, 1966, LTJG William T. (Tom) Patton famously shot down a MiG-17 over Vietnam very rare instance of a propeller-driven aircraft prevailing over a modern jet fighter.
This past April 2019, the Intrepid Museum aircraft restoration proudly unveiled the Skyraider after a nearly two-year effort in preservation. The aircraft has undergone extensive corrosion repair and received many new replacement parts, either sourced from historic collections or fabricated from scratch. The final paint coating represents the configuration of the prototypes when first introduced in 1945.
This A-1 Skyraider is now on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps, standing in testimony to the lasting legacy.