Scale Aviation Modeller International – September 2019

33

M D F

SKYRAIDER

A

ble to carry a greater payload than

a four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress,

the single-engine A-1 Skyraider was

considered one of the inest attack and close air

support aircraft ever built. Skyraider’s proved

critical during the Korean War and over the

jungles of North Vietnam. The airplane that

became the AD Skyraider (redesignated A-1 in

1962) evolved from a 1943 Navy decision to

combine the dive-bombing and torpedo mission

into one aircraft. First lown in 1945, the Skyraider

entered US Navy service the following year. Later

nicknamed ‘Spad’ for its ‘old-school’ design and

appearance, reminiscent of the famous World

War I aircraft, the Skyraider earned a reputation

for ruggedness that not only packed a punch,

but also brought back many

an airman, despite taking

heavy damage from enemy

ire. Some AD pilots also

trained for an atomic war,

practicing long-range

lights to deliver nuclear

bombs at low altitude.

A-1s were also part of the

irst attacks against North

Vietnam following the

Tonkin Gulf Incident, and in

June 1965, a pair of Skyraiders

even shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 in air-to-air combat.

It was perhaps in the

‘Sandy’ Combat Search And

Rescue role the USAF Skyraider

earned most respect, and its heavy payload and long

loiter time proved vital in rescue of downed airman

in Southeast Asia. The Skyraider was also used by

the air forces of South Vietnam, France, Cambodia,

Chad and Gabon, and the Royal Navy operated a

dedicated airborne early warning version from her

aircraft carriers, and the Swedish Air Force used the

Skyraider as a target tug. All told, 3,180 Skyraiders

rolled off the Douglas Aircraft Company assembly

line, and here the Skyraider story is brought to

life. Packed with many never before seen images,

concise text, colour proiles, technical diagrams,

scale plans and how to model the Skyraider in

popular scales, with a new look and updated content,

this reprint is a must have for the enthusiast and

modeler alike.

MDF 33

SKYRAIDER

£24.99

+ P&P

OUT NOW!

SKYRAIDER

THE DOUGLAS A-1

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans with Andy Renshaw

Reprinted by Popular Demand!

ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1908 597029

ORDER ONLINE: http://www.sampublications.com

SKYRAIDERM D F^33

SKYRAIDER

THE DOUGLAS A-1

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

with Andy Renshaw

Modellers Dataile • 33

LIMITED EDITION REPRINT

Cover for illustrative purposes only