These US Air Force Skyraider Pilots Were Flying Antiques, But They Made the Most of Them
This video is a segment taken from an Air Force Now film featuring US Air Force Douglas A-1H and A-1E Skyraiders of the First Special Operations Squadron (SOS) Hobos. The Hobos are about to fly a Sandy mission as escort/cover for a Jolly Green Giant search and rescue helicopter. The video was uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm. Pretty cool they used the theme music from Shaft too.
A Very Important Relic
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (AKA Spad) played an important part in the Vietnam War. Its ability to carry an immense amount and variety of weapons and loiter over the battlefield for extended periods of time made it a powerful weapon. Spads provided close air support to ground forces, attacked enemy supply lines, and, as depicted in the video, protected helicopters rescuing airmen downed in enemy territory.
Skyraiders Head to Southeast Asia
In the early 1960s, the United States provided South Vietnam with increased military assistance and training to resist communist forces, and the United States provided A-1H Skyraiders to the South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF). In 1961, US Air Force instructors started training VNAF pilots at Bien Hoa Air Base with Skyraiders in VNAF markings and their tail hooks removed. Gradually, the USAF instructors started flying combat missions with the VNAF pilots over South Vietnam.
The Air Force Spad
The first US Air Force Skyraiders, two-seat A-1Es, arrived at Bien Hoa Air Base in May 1964. They were assigned to the 1st Air Commando Squadron (later the 1st SOS), which operated under the call sign Hobo. Other USAF squadrons flew Skyraiders from bases in South Vietnam and Thailand under the call signs Spad, Firefly and Zorro. Wherever they went, the Skyraiders provided critical close air support to ground forces and other operations, such as defoliant spraying or supporting the insertion and extraction of special operations teams inside enemy-held territory along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Medal of Honor Machine
Spad pilots were a courageous bunch. On 10 March 1966 A-1E pilot USAF Major Bernard F. Fisher flew a mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing downed Major Dafford Wayne “Jump” Myers at A Shau Special Forces Camp. On 1 September 1968 USAF Colonel William Atkinson Jones, III (callsign Sandy One) piloted an A-1H on a Sandy mission for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In that mission, despite damage to his aircraft and suffering serious burns, he returned to his base and reported the position of a downed American airman.
