|
Air Superiority Series I Always First Series I Planes and Weapons Series I Ships and Boats Series I Airliner Series I Big Model Planes Series AFFORDABLE COLLECTIBLE, NOW AVAILABLE! A-1E Skyraider Vietnam Fighter Aircraft Model ONLY FROM THIS STORE! "IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP FROM OUR CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE" FREE Shipping!!! in Continental USA only BID NOW for this beautiful A-1E Skyraider Mahogany wood model of the United States Air Force. Lovingly carved and detailed by hand by the same Master artist-craftsmen making models for America for more than 30 years, this model airplane is a true three-dimensional work of art! Our stock is limited, so don't just watch it - BID NOW! Scale : 1/48Wingspan (inches): 12" Approx. New Collectors series A-1E Skyraider model airplane display FEATURES: Excellent, hand-carved and hand-detailed model 3-dimensional work of art by dedicated Master artist-craftsmen Painted panel lines and control surfaces in precise layout Comes with an elegant, hand-carved finish wood base Comprehensive history plate IN STOCK AND READY TO SHIP DIRECT FROM OUR CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE Perfect as personal office decor or home display, or as a special gift! Only available from this store! From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : The Douglas A-1 (formerly AD) Skyraider was a U.S. single-seat attack bomber of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. A propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, the Skyraider had a remarkably long and successful career well into the space age, and inspired a straight-winged, slow flying jet powered successor which is still in frontline service today, the A-10 Warthog. It carried various nicknames including: "Spad" (a bi-winged airplane flown in World War I), "Able Dog" (phonetic AD), the "Destroyer," "Hobo" (radio call sign of the USAF 1st Air Commando/Special operations Squadron), "Firefly" (602nd ACS/SOS), "Zorro" (22nd SOS), "The Big Gun," "Old Faithful," "Old Miscellaneous," "Fat Face" (AD-5/A-1E version, side-by-side seating), "Guppy" (AD-5W version), "Q-Bird" (AD-1Q/AD-5Q versions), "Flying Dumptruck" (A-1E), "Sandy" (Combat Search And Rescue helicopter escort) and "Crazy Water Buffalo" (South Vietnamese nickname). The A-1 was originally designed to meet World War II requirements for a carrier-based, single-place, long-range, high performance dive-/torpedo bomber. Designed by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company, the Skyraider was ordered in July 1944 as the XBT2D-1. In April 1945, one month after its first flight on 18 March 1945, it was evaluated at the Naval Air Test Center (NATC). In December 1946, after a designation change to AD-1, delivery of the first production aircraft to a fleet squadron was made to VA-19A. The AD-1 was built at Douglas' El Segundo plant in Southern California. In his memoir The Lonely Sky, test pilot Bill Bridgeman describes the routine yet sometimes hazardous work of certifying AD-1s fresh off the assembly line (quoting a production rate of two aircraft per day) for delivery to the US Navy in the 1949-1950 time frame. The low-wing monoplane design started with a Wright R-3350 radial engine, later upgraded several times. Its distinctive feature was the presence of seven hardpoints on each wing. The large straight wings give it excellent low speed maneuverability, and enable it to carry a tremendous amount of ordnance over a considerable combat radius and loiter time for its size, comparable to much heavier subsonic or supersonic jets. The aircraft is optimized for the ground-attack mission, and is armoured against ground fire in key locations, unlike faster fighters adapted to carry bombs such as the F4U Corsair or P-51 Mustang which would be retired by US forces long before the 1960s. The piston engined prop-driven Skyraider was a postwar follow-on to World War II dive bombers and torpedo bombers such as the Helldiver and Avenger. It was replaced in the 1960s by the A-4 Skyhawk as the Navy's primary light attack plane. Used over Korea and briefly over North Vietnam, it was adopted as the primary ground support attack for the U.S. Air Force and South Vietnamese VNAF during the Vietnam war, before being supplanted by the jet powered A-37 Dragonfly and A-7 Corsair II. Korea Though the Skyraider was produced too late to take part in World War II, it became the backbone of U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and United States Marine Corps (USMC) strike aircraft sorties in Korean War, with the first ADs going into action from the USS Valley Forge with VA-55 on 3 July 1950.[1] Its weapons load and ten-hour flying time far surpassed the jets that were available at the time.[citation needed] On 16 June 1953, a USMC AD-4 from VMC-1 piloted by Major George H. Linnemeier and CWO Vernon S. Kramer shot down a Soviet-built Polikarpov Po-2 biplane, the only documented Skyraider air victory of the war.[2] During the Korean War (1950-1953) A-1 Skyraiders were flown only by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, and were normally painted in dark navy blue. A total of 101 Navy and Marine AD Skyraiders were lost in combat during the Korean War, and 27 were lost to operational causes, for a total loss of 128 Skyraiders in the Korean War. Vietnam Although the carrier air wing was rapidly transitioning to jet aircraft, the A-1 Skyraider was still the medium attack aircraft in many air wings in 1965 with the A-6A Intruder slated to replace it. Skyraiders participated in the first strikes against North Vietnam, but were eventually replaced by Intruders. US Navy Skyraiders shot down two Soviet-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 jet fighters during the war on 20 June 1965 by LT Clinton B. Johnson and LTJG Charles W. Hartman III (shared victory) of VA-25,[3] and on 9 October 1966 by LTJG William T. Patton of VA-176.[2] While on his very first mission, Navy pilot Dieter Dengler's A-1H was damaged over Viet Nam on 1 February 1966, and then crash-landed in Laos.[4] As they were released from Navy service, Skyraiders were introduced into the Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) and adopted by the USAF as one of the Skyraider's most famous roles as the "Sandy" helicopter escort on combat rescues.[5] USAF Major Bernard F. Fisher piloted an A-1E on the 10 March 1966 mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing Major "Jump" Myers at A Shau Special Forces Camp.[6] USAF Colonel William A. Jones, III piloted an A-1H on the September 1, 1968 mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In that mission, despite significant damage to his aircraft and suffering serious burns, he returned to his base and reported the position of a downed flight crew member.[6] After November 1972, all A-1s in U.S. service in Southeast Asia were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) and their former roles were taken over by the subsonic A-7 Corsair II.[7] The Skyraider in Vietnam pioneered the concept of tough, survivable aircraft with long loiter times and large ordnance loads. The USAF lost 201 Skyraiders to all causes in Southeast Asia, while the Navy lost 65 to all causes. Of the 266 lost A-1s, five were shot down by surface to air missiles (SAMs), and three were shot down in air to air combat; two by North Vietnamese MiG-17s. The first A-1 was shot down on 29 April 1966, and the second A-1 was lost on 19 April 1967; both were from the 602 Air Commando Squadron (ACS). The third A-1 Skyraider was from Squadron VA-35 and was lost to a Red Chinese MiG-19 (J-6) on 14 February 1968. LTJG Joseph P. Dunn (USN), had flown too close to the Communist Chinese held island of Hainan, and had been intercepted. Lieutenant Dunn's A-1 Skyraider was the last U.S. Navy A-1 lost in the war, and he did not survive. Shortly thereafter, A-1 Skyraider naval squadrons transitioned to A-4 Skyhawks. In contrast to the Korean War, fought a decade earlier, the US Air Force, in Vietnam, utilized the naval A-1 Skyraider for the first time. As the Vietnam war progressed, USAF A-ls were painted in camouflage, while USN A-1 Skyraiders were gray/white in color; again, in contrast to the Korean War, when A-1s were painted dark blue. In 1965, to highlight the dropping of the six millionth pound of ordnance; CDR Clarence J. Stoddard, flying an A-1H, dropped a special, one time only, object in addition to his other munitions – a toilet. For Question and Inquiries email us at sales@kukuding.com Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. master_modeler Store
Place a Bid!
|