Legendary A-1 Skyraider, War Museum, Hanoï, Vietnam

[stmerry]

EDIT: Original pictures lost. Kept thread for info below

[gwb123]

 

 

As noted on the other post about the UH-1, while it is great to see the old bird preserved, the paint scheme and markings are questionable. It is more likely that the aircraft was captured with VNAF markings.

[nguoi tien su]

Hey, that new, isn't it? they did not have an A1 in Hanoi before, just one in SGN, right?

[stmerry]

As noted on the other post about the UH-1, while it is great to see the old bird preserved, the paint scheme and markings are questionable. It is more likely that the aircraft was captured with VNAF markings.

Very questionable indeed. All the vietnamese war museums have poor informations. The plane is in a pretty good condition and refurbished each year after monsoon season. So you can imagine the mistakes they can do !

[stmerry]

It is more likely that the aircraft was captured with VNAF markings.

Not VNAF. Some USAF Skyraiders was on Nakhon Phanom Air base, Thaïland, as the 602 SOS and 56 SOWg.

[Steindaddie]

Not VNAF. Some USAF Skyraiders was on Nakhon Phanom Air base, Thaïland, as the 602 SOS and 56 SOWg.

 

A number of VNAF A-1's were abandoned and this is probably one of them. If 134636 is the actual S/N of this "USAF" Skyraider, then it is a VNAF bird from the 514th Fighter Squadron. It is certainly an ex-USN or USAF plane, but was not captured as such. Painted up as one for sure, but that probably looks nicer to the masses than a reminder of the South Vietnamese Air Force and the people and cause it served.

Abandoned by the VNAF, it's easy to see how it ended up in a museum. And even if it's not the real S/N, the odds of it being a Skyraider from the 56th SOW in Thailand are rather slim.

Perhaps somewhere under all that museum paint and it's phony USAF markings are the true colors as seen in the attached photo.

 

The "US Navy" Skyraider looks to be one of the EA-1's that were converted to an A-1E and given to the VNAF as well. These ex-USN aircraft and usually wore the Navy gray after they were transferred to the VNAF. Likewise abandoned.