a1h

Classic aircraft.

U.S. Navy Douglas A-1H Skyraider BuNo 135272 of VA-165 "Boomers" in flight VA-165 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 10 (CVW-10) aboard the CVS-11 USS Intrepid for a deployment to Vietnam from 4 April to 21 November 1966. A-1H 135272 was later transferred to the U.S. Air Force as s/n 52-135272. It served with the 6th Air Commando Squadron, 14th Air Commando Wing, and was shot down by ground fire near the Kham Duc Special Forces Camp, Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam on 12 May 1968. The pilot bailed out and was rescued by a U.S. Army helicopter.

Contaminated monochrome image of Douglas A-1H Skyraider in USAF Southeast Asia (SEA) camouflage scheme of Tan (FS30219), Dark Green (FS34079), and Medium Green (FS34102) over Light Gray (FS36622) undersides. White tail code AD of 4407 Combat Crew Training Squadron And letter number combination AF 52 243 below. Its full former Bureau of the Navy serial 135243 fits within AD-6/A-1H serial batches. Becoming 52-135243 with the USAF. When in USAF service this was altered to suit Air Force taste to become AF 32 243. 4407 Combat Crew Training Squadron was based at Hurlburt Field, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and trained all USAF Skyraider pilots. A July 1971 4407th CCTS A-1 Skyraider inventory includes A-1H 135 243: skyraider.org/hook/skytail.htm#anchor470101 4407th CCTS picture webpage: www.skyraider.org/skyassn/otherpics/mignard/4407ccts/4407... The Douglas Skyraider originally served with the US Navy from the 1950s and flew off aircraft carriers both in peace time and combat during the Vietnam War. After retirement from the US Navy many single and dual seat A-1 Skyraiders were acquired by the US Air Force, for service mainly in South East Asia. Then refurbished and modified with pneumatic tail wheels, tailhooks removed, new radio and navigation gear plus a YANKEE seat extraction unit installed. A-1H 135243 is recorded as being transferred to the air force of the then Republic of South Vietnam (VNAF). From approximately 290 Skyraider of all types supplied to the VNAF, at least three quarters were lost, and most of those remaining were captured by the then North Vietnamese when South Vietnam was invaded and over run between 1973 & 1975.

Flew this A-1 H on 9/1/71 during my training program at Hurlburt Field in preparation for my combat tour with the 1st SOS from Oct 71 to Oct 72. Read about it at Skyraider.org

Douglas AD-6 Skyraider 137532 VA-165 ‘Boomers’ Modex 504, code AH of CVG-16. Circa 1961. Carrier Air Group 16 was assigned to CVA-34 USS Oriskany and the Pacific Ocean region. Douglas AD-6 (A-1H) Skyraider BuNo 137532 *9/22/1964: Struck off charge at NAS Alameda, CA. *Transferred to the USAF as 52-137532. *Transferred to the South Vietnamese AF. *518th Squadron. *12/30/1967: December 30, 1967. Written off.