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Douglas Skyraider

AD-6 Skyraider/Bu. 137496 of VA-176, preparing to launch from USS Intrepid (CVS-11)
[Source: U.S. Navy Photo via Mark Allen Collection]

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).

– Design & Development
– Specifications
– Operational History
   – Variants
– Image Gallery
– Survivors
Sources:
Wikipedia: A-1 Skyraider
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