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A-1D Skyraider Strafing demonstration (69th Battalion)


vcleary
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Back in the late 1990's and early 2000's air show producers could book a 12 minute show called the 69th Battalion featuring a Vietnam War-era Search and Rescue demo and strafing runs by an A-1D Skyraider providing close air support. Here are clips from the strafing runs at the Cox Communications Air Show Spectacular in Mesa, Arizona from the 1999 show. The event was held at the old Williams Air Force Base (Williams Gateway Airport - then).

 

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I've not seen live fire at an air show before, the crowd must have loved it!

 

 

They do that kind of thing at the MCAS Miramar Air Show (which is not allowed to have any moving airplanes this year) and I think it is all done with pyrotechnics laid out on the ground and controlled like a fireworks show.

 

 

 

nics

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Having witnessed combat sorties of these magnificent birds, I was always in awe. Somethng about the retro big rotary and guns over speed and missiles was a BLOOD STIRRER.

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All, thanks for your comments and thanks for watching the video. It's just a show. A company called "Rich's Pyro" works in the air show industry and sets up what he calls realistic bomb and strafing simulations. Rich Gibson, who owns the pyro business was an EOD guy in Vietnam and runs a great operation. he builds special cardboard boxes with infused detcord and fills trash bags with 5 gallons of JET-A or something similar to make the individual bombs and lines up a 1,000 foot wall of fire as well, which is impressive. I think he has done a 5,000 foot long wall of fire before as well. Not the real thing, but nevertheless, good enough for the crowd. It was always entertaining, and much more safe, as you can imagine. I'd love to see a live fire demo sometime -- from a distance of course.

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