This rugged, dump truck of an attack aircraft originally developed for the Navy was used to attack targets on the ground in Viet Cong strongholds in South Vietnam as well as in Cambodia and Laos. It was nicknamed "Spad," as pilots considered it a throwback airplane in the jet-age Air Force. The Skyraider was also used to cover rescue operations, where the type picked up a second nickname, "Sandy," its radio call sign. On March 10, 1966, Maj. Bernard F. Fisher, a 1st Air Commando Squadron A-1E pilot, landed on the A Shau airstrip after it had been overrun by North Vietnamese regulars and rescued Maj. D. Wayne "Jump" Myers. Major Fisher was awarded the Medal of Honor, and his A-1E was flown by Major Myers to the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where it is now on display. On September 1, 1968, Col. William A. Jones III, while leading a rescue mission, was hit and his A-1H was heavily damaged, but he returned to base and reported the position of the downed flyer, who was rescued that day. Shortly thereafter, Colonel Jones perished in a civilian aircraft accident, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Air Force flew Skyraiders in Vietnam until late 1972, when the aircraft were turned over to the South Vietnamese Air Force.
| Contractors: | Douglas Aircraft Co. |
| Locations Built: | El Segundo, Calif. |
| Bethpage, N. Y. | |
| Number Built: (USAF) | 3,180 (approx 100) |
| First Flight: | March 18, 1945 |
| First Flight Model: | XBT2D-1 |
| First Flight Location: | El Segundo, Calif. |
| First Flight Pilot: | LaVerne Brown |
| Models/Variants: | A-1E, G, H, J. EA-1E |
| Powerplant: | One Wright R-3350-26W89A Cyclone 18-cylinder radial of 2,700 hp |
| Wingspan: | 50 ft 0 in. |
| Length: | 40 ft 1 in. |
| Height: | 15 ft 10 in. |
| Weight: | 24,872 lb. |
| Armament: | Four 20-mm cannon mounted in the wings and 15 underwing and centerline hardpoints for up to 8,000 lb of bombs, rockets, gun pods, or fuel tanks |
| Accommodation: | Pilot only |
| Cost: | $414,000 |
| Max. Speed: | 321 mph |
| Range: | Approx 1,400 mi. |
| Ceiling: | 26,200 ft. |
Copyright Air Force Association. All rights reserved.