Skyraider In Combat: Getting Shot At and Shooting Back

After eight right seat combat rides in the Skyraider and a series of briefing covering subjects ranging from avoiding venereal disease to combat Rules of Engagement and everything in between, I was finally allowed to get into the left seat and begin my local area and combat checkout.

“My Fighter Career” is a limited series of articles by Byron Hukee who flew everything from the F-100 to the F-16.  Here are his previous installments of ‘Hook’s career:

• 1: “I Wasn’t Born to Fly”
• 2: The F-100 Super Sabre Is My New Ride
• 3: Flying the A1-H Skyraider
• 4: Getting Ready For My Skyraider Deployment
• 5: Skyraider Weapons Employment

With 10 right seat rides under my belt, I began my combat checkout with just over 30 hours of combat time and 108 hours of Skyraider time, I finally was in the left seat of the A-1E to begin the final phase of my combat checkout. I will say for certain that I immediately felt more comfortable at the controls in the left seat that I did riding in the right seat with my life in someone else’s hand on every mission until now. There were four checkout rides, with the fourth being my check flight that I passed with no problems.

Going it Alone

I was finally considered combat qualified. although I was flying on the wing with a more experienced flight lead, I was on my own in the left seat of the A-1E. These were all missions under the squadron’s callsign of Hobo. These were close air support (CAS) missions under the control of an air forward air controller (FAC) to either northern Laos, referred to as the Barrel Roll, or to southern Laos known as Steel Tiger.

Each of these areas was approximately 100-120 nautical miles from our home base of Nahkon Phanom, Thailand. These missions lasted about 2.5 to 3.5 hours. I have written about of my Skyraider combat missions on my A-1 Skyraider Combat Journal website at https://a-1combatjournal.com.

Checklists For The A-1 Skyraider

Just getting airborne and up to cruising altitude in the Skyraider was not the simplest of tasks. There were 18 steps in the Before Takeoff checklist and six more in the After Takeoff section.

We used 56 inches of MAP (manifold pressure), and 2800 RPM for takeoff. At our field elevation and pressure altitude, we typically were airborne after about 4,000 feet of roll. Once safely airborne with the gear and flaps up, we reduce the MAP to 46 unches and reduced rpm to 2600 RPM for the rejoin and the slow climb to our cruising altitude of 10,000 feet.

Before Takeoff

1. Fuel selector — MAIN.
2. Fuel boost — ON.
3. Cowl flaps — OPEN.
4. Oil cooler door — AUTO.
5. Carb air — DIRECT.
6. Mixture — RICH.
7. Propeller — FULL INCREASE.
8. Supercharger — LOW BLOWER.
9. Flaps — AS DESIRED.
10. Trim — SET FOR TAKEOFF.
    a. Rudder — 5° right (No crosswind).
    b. Aileron — 0°.
    c. Elevator — 0°.
    11 . Flight instruments — CHECKED.
11. Fit inst power sel — INVERTER 1.
12. Wings — SPREAD AND LOCKED.
13. Controls — FREE AND PROPER MOVEMENT.
14. Pitot head — CLIMATIC.
15. Navigation equipment — CHECKED AS REQUIRED.
16. Shoulder harness and safety belt — LOCKED AND
    ADJUSTED.
17. Anti-coil lights — ON.

After Takeoff

1. Gear — UP.
2. Flaps — UP.
3. Power — ADJUST TO 46″ MAP/2600 RPM.
4. Cowl flaps — AS REQUIRED.
5. Flt inst power sel — INVERTER 2.
6. Fuel boost — OFF (1000 feet above ground).

Flying on the edge

Our normal cruise altitude was between 8,000 and 10,000 feet at a speed of approximately 120-140 knots. At our average gross weights of 22,500 lbs, that put us pretty near the stall speed and any maneuvering at all would necessitate either lowering the nose, or an increase in power, but probably both.

With two external fuel tanks and the main internal tank, we flew with about 5,000 lbs of fuel, and proper fuel management was critical. Once reaching our cruise altitude, we would switch the Fuel Selector lever from Main to RH-Ext for right hand external. This would begin to draw fuel from the 150 Gallon tank on the right inboard station.

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A sputter meant it was time to switch tanks

Thus fuel would last for between 50 minutes to one hour depending on the power setting, Even though there was an external fuel quantity gauge on the glare shield above the instrument panel, the gauge seldom was accurate so when the engine began to sputter and surge, you would know the tank was running dry, and an immediate change was necessary.

When this occurred, the procedure was to place the Fuel Selector Lever to a tank with fuel, in this case, the Centerline Tank, then turn the Fuel Boost On. Once the engine resumed smooth operation, the Fuel Boost could be turned to Off. The first few times this happened, it definitely got my attention. This was especially true if you were busy navigating, or talking on the radio. Before we entered the target area to commence an attack on the target, the Fuel Selector was turned to Main for the main fuel tank just behind the cockpit. If fuel remained in the external tanks, we would typically burn it off on the return flight to home base.

Normal Tactical Operations

We nearly always operated in two ship flights. When cruising to or from the target area in enemy territory, we flew in a spread formation about 1,000 to 3,000 feet line abreast. This allowed each of us to check our 6 o’clock for enemy aircraft. Once over friendly territory (Thailand) we would close it up to no more than 1,000 abreast.

When I arrived at NKP, we had 28 Skyraiders, seven A-1Es of which three were A-1E-5 models with no right seat controls, two A-1G models (essentially the same as A-1E), 13 A-1H models, and six of the newest A-1J model Skyraiders. I flew all but two of these during my one-year tour at NKP. We lost 9 aircraft due to enemy action, six were shot down and three were crash landed with gear-up landings and never flew again. Five of the six pilots shot down were able to extract and were rescued, only one was killed when his A-1E was shot down in southern Laos. More about him later.

The Skyraider “Supermarket” Load

Our two ship flights were more than sufficient to deliver enough fire power on most any target we encountered. For example we had one load that we called “the Supermarket Load” because of its varied ordnance that could be used on any kind of target. One version of this load carried had four M1-A4 Frag Clusters on Stations 1-2, 11-12, four BLU-32 Napalm on Stations 3, 5, 8, 10, two AN-M-47 white phosphorous bombs on Stations 4 and 7, two LAU-68 rocket pods with seven HE rockets each on Stations 6 and 7. Of course we also had nearly 800 rounds of 20mm for the four 20mm cannons and a SUU-11 minigun with 1,500 rounds of 7.62mm.
 

Another version of this load had Mk-82 500 lb GP bombs instead of napalm. Multiply this ordnance by two and you get the picture, we had enough for most any type of target.

To deliver all this ordnance in a single target area took quite a long time, perhaps 30 to 45 minutes. But the longer we stayed on target, and the more passes we made increased the risk level with each pass. For that reason, we most always selected Pairs to drop off each wing that also kept the load symmetrical. In most cases, we limited our passes to less than 10, but could do more if the enemy threat was not high.

On more than one occasion, we would be working a target and the FAC would say,

Our answer was almost always, “Sure, we can hold west. We’ll come back in to finish up where we left off.” And sure enough, we’d go back in and take care of what the F-4s missed!

After the strike mission, the flight lead would order a rejoin and first the wingman would check the flight lead for any battle damage, and following a lead change, the leader would check the wingman for the same. Assuming both aircraft had no visible damage, we would settle in for the long, slow ride back home.

Hard vs. Soft Ordnance

We used the term hard and soft ordnance to indicate which ordnance could be dropped close to friendly forces, or a survivor we were trying to rescue from a downed aircraft. Many times the enemy forces were too close to the friendlies to use “hard” ordnance such as a Mk-82 bomb.

The blast and frag pattern could be up to 800-1000 meters so if the enemy is inside that distance, we would use “soft” ordnance that could be safely dropped well inside that distance, as close as 100 meters from friendlies. And with the slow speeds < 200 knots and low altitude ordnance releases of 100’ to 300’ we could safely drop CBU-25 for example without fear of hitting the friendly… and we did this, time and again. But if your target is trucks or tanks or a storage depot with no friendly forces in the area, then the best option would be to use hard ordnance such as GP bombs or napalm. More bang for the buck with a better chance of killing the target.

Since 2.75” rockets had relatively small warheads, you might think they could be used close to friendlies, but that is not true. The fins of the rockets have to extend after launch and it was not unusual for one or more of the rockets to go no where near the target you were aiming at, so unless we were marking a target with a single white phosphorus marking rocket, we would normally fire several rockets per pass to ensure adequate target area coverage and increase the chances of target destruction.

Mission Highlights

One mission we had that was different, challenging, but seldom resulted in an air strike was the escort of the CH-54 Skycrane between Ubon RTAFB in Thailand andCamp Holloway near Pleiku AB, SVN. On 14 December 1971, I flew as wingman to our 1st SOS Squadron Commander, LtCol Martin Barbena on such a mission. On this mission, the Skycrane was traveling from Ubon to Camp Holloway.

We were to “protect” the helicopter as it crossed over the Ho Chi Minh trail. The problem was that the CH-54 flew at about 12,000 feet and 80 knots airspeed. We could fly no slower than about 120 knots so we set up a moving racetrack with our two A-1s at opposite ends of the pattern. We flew below them about 2,000 feet so we could stay above stall speed. It went on for about one and a half hours before they felt safe over more friendly territory. It was a long boring mission and we did not have enough fuel to return all the way to NKP, so we stopped at Ubon AB for fuel. After a short flight back to NKP, I logged 6.3 hours total for these two missions.

Another interesting mission occurred on 21 January 1972. Flew with one of our best flight leads, Capt John Lackey. We were sitting ground alert (Prairie Fire) at Ubon AB, Thailand. This mission was highly classified at the time, but since has become declassified. We were on alert should our SOG (Studies and Observation Group) team members need assistance either during their help infiltration or exfiltration from enemy territory.

On this day, we were not scrambled, but were released to launch back to NKP, and if possible get a target on the way home. You can read about it here in my A-1 Skyraider Combat Journal. We found a truck convoy in the trees and had our way with them. Very impressed with John Lackey’s ability to control our own strike, but also FAC in other fighters on the target.

Upgrade to Sandy Wingman

So far, all of my missions in the Skyraider were as a wingman, sometimes flying the A-1H or J, but more often flying the two seater A-1E or G. All of these missions were Hobo missions and all were CAS, supporting the Hmong troops either up in the Barrel Roll to the north or to Steel Tiger south and east of NKP. On the 29th of January, I was checked out as a Sandy wingman, which meant I could now get on the Sandy flying schedule and begin to learn the Search and Rescue (SAR) business. This was my 35th combat mission and I had amassed 109.9 hours of combat, and 172.2 total Skyraider hours. I felt more than ready to move on to the next phase of my tour.

In addition, the Sandy schedule was flown with the single seat A-1s which was always better. For starters, being alone in the cockpit with no one else to distract you or “help” you was best. I had learned this earlier when flying the F-100 at Luke AFB. When I was alone, I always felt as though I had a sharper acuity and was more ‘in the game’ mentally. I knew if I messed up, I had no one to blame but myself, and similarly, if I did well, it gave me a satisfaction that was hard to top.

At this time of my tour, there were four A-1s on Sandy alert at NKP. All four Sandy pilots for the day would rise early and using our dedicated Sandy Alert vehicle (a 1968 Chevy Suburban painted USAF blue) headed to the squadron and get briefed by intel and conduct our individual flight briefings. We had a ‘brick’ which was a radio device connected to the command post with which we would get our scramble orders.

Off to the flight line

After the briefing, we would go to life support and get our flying gear, then head out to the flight line to our assigned aircraft. We would preflight the aircraft, then climb in and start the aircraft and perform all the Before Taxi checks in the checklist. Sandy 1 would then conduct a radio check and determine if all four aircraft were ready to go. We would then shutdown the aircraft and leave our flying gear, helmet, survival vest and sidearm at the aircraft and it would be “cocked” and ready to go.

Once scrambled, we had 15 minutes to be airborne, so we did not stray far from the flight line in our Sandy alert vehicle.
Typically, if there was no SAR scramble after about four hours, Sandy 1 and 2 would be cleared to launch and would fly two hours of airborne alert. If there were still no SAR customers, the Sandys would be released from alert and were free to contact a FAC who might have a need for air support. Once Sandy 01 and 02 launched, Sandy 03 and 04 would assume 15 minute alert. They too would repeat the process and takeoff at mid afternoon complete their alert commitment, then strike if there were no SAR.

We also had two Skyraiders and Sandy pilots on alert at two forward operating locations at DaNang AB in South Vietnam and at Ubon RTAFB Thailand. These allowed faster access to aircraft shot down further east or south than NKP. Two pilots and planes spent six days at each of these locations at which time, two other Sandys flew to each location to replace those who returned to NKP.

Some of my best missions as a Sandy pilot were from our deployed locations.

A “Good Deal” Mission

One of our “good deal” missions was to fly a Skyraider to Don Muong AB in Bangkok for intermediate level maintenance. I got my chance to do this on 25 February 1972. The best part of this mission was that the aircraft pylons and guns were removed and well as both external fuel tanks… the A-1H was as clean (drag wise) as a whistle at a gross weight of around 12,000 pounds, a little more than half our combat load takeoff weight that I had been flying since I arrived at NKP 5 months earlier.

The takeoff was extraordinary! Although I did not need it, I used our normal takeoff power settings of 2800 RPM and 56” MAP. I smoothly pushed the throttle forward and applied a lot of left rudder to stay on the runway centerline. ThenI raised the tail wheel and shortly there after, I leapt into the air after a run of less than 2,000 feet! I quickly raised the gear and flaps and kept the nose high to keep my airspeed reasonable. Pushing forward gently, I leveled off at about 10,000 feet and reduced my power to our normal cruise power settings. I looked at the airspeed indicator and was was doing 230 knots.

Checking out the maneuverability of my bird

Since I was on a VFR clearance, I decided to check out the maneuverability of this “different” aircraft. Halfway and on a direct line between NKP and Bangkok was Korat AB, home of the F-105G Wild Weasel wing. I contacted Korat Tower and asked for a straight-in low approach with a departure to the southwest.

The next day I strapped on a seemingly showroom new A-1H with a brand new paint job and headed back to NKP. Once in the NKP area, I took about 15 minutes to checkout the maneuverability of this lightweight Skyraider. I have never flown the P-51, but I felt like that was somehow similar to the Skyraider I was flying… but probably was not even close.