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DOUGLAS AD SKYRAIDER.
H/B 1999 (ISBN 1 86126 249 3)
The complete history of the last of the dive bombers, the famous Spad. Originally conceived by Ed Heinemann of Dauntless fame, as a replacement for the Helldiver for the Pacific war, great care went into producing an aircraft in which weight was limited but load carrying capacity was maximised. These objectives were both achieved so well that the Skyraider went on to serve well beyond her expected life span, seeing hard service in the Korean war with the US Navy and Marine Corps, becoming the Navy's first atomic bomb carrier in the cold war, and then creating a whole new career with the US Air Force and Vietnamese Air Force in the 1970's.
The Skyraiders ability to carry a bigger bomb load than most World War II heavy bombers meant she served on and on. The French and Thai air forces also made good use of her, while the Royal Navy adopted the US Navy Guppy concept to produce an airborne long-range warning system that was sorely missing when ill-judge British defence cuts axed it prior to the Falklands. campaign. The Skyraider still survives in large numbers today in Museums and as a fully flying Warbird the world over and all these aspects of her auspicious career are fully covered in this comprehensive volume.
Rare photographs, both Colour and Black & White, diagrams, tables, illustrations and biographical details of designers, test pilots and aircrew plus detailed Appendices, make this the final word on this famous aeroplane.
Order Peter C Smith's Douglas AD Skyraider Today!