Warbird Information Exchange

Got any data on A-1H 134600 which has showed up at NMUSAF?

Ken

_________________
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

Ken, I haven't done anything on Hs at all, just the A-1E/Gs so far.

Right, I was hoping Barry would check his crystal ball as well, he seems to have a knack for the Bu No's.

Ken

_________________
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

AD-6, 134600 built under contract number 51630, was accepted on charge at El Segundo, 22 Jan 1954.
To O&R Norfolk, 3 Feb 1954
To O&R Quonset Point, 5 March 1954, for some sort of modification work
To VA-85, Oceana, 6 May 1954.
To VA-16, Oceana, 16 June 1955.
To O&R Quonset Point, 30 Dec 1955, on overhaul.
To VMA-324, Miami, 30 April 1956.
To VMA-225, Miami, 1 Nov 1956.
To O&R Quonset Point, 14 April 1958, overhaul.
To NART Seattle, 8 Oct 1958.
To storage facility, Litchfield Park, 22 Sep 1959.
To O&R Quonset Point, 22 Sep 1959, overhaul.
Selected as a "MAP" aircraft, 28 Feb 1961.
To O&R Alameda, 15 April 1961.
SOC Navy charge, 26 April 1961 with a TT of 1805, to the VNAF.

Thanks Sid, I was just about to get the Microfilm reader out, as you can see I've got sidetracked a little from H-19/H-34s! Thank goodness the USN & the USAF microfilmed their inventory information.

Rgds Barry

Wow, WIX can be a wonderful thing; thanks guys for the quick response!

If it's not too much trouble, a similar history for A-1H 139665 would be appreciated ... I think most of you know she still flies around.

_________________
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

AD-6, 139665 built under contract number 54325, accepted on charge at El Segundo, 30 Nov 1955.
To FASRON 10, Moffett, 17 Jan 1956.
VA-195, Moffett, 25 Jan 1956.
O&R Alameda, overhaul, 28 Feb 1958.
VA-145, Miramar, 17 Oct 1958.
O&R Quonset Point, overhaul, 6 Jan 1961.
Storage Facility, Litchfield Park, 5 July 1961.
VA-122, Moffett, 23 March 1962.
O&R Quonset Point, 11 April 1964.
NAS Lemoore, ?? July 1964.
VA-165, Alameda, 14 Oct 1964.
NAS Cubi Point, 16 Oct 1965.
VA-152, abd Oriskany, 12 Nov 1965.
O&R Quonset Point, overhaul, 20 May 1966
VA-215, abd BH Richard, 14 Sep 1966.
MASDC, Tucson, storage, 24 Aug 1967.
SOC Navy charge, 25 Aug 1967. TT 3989.
Gained by USAF, 21 March 1968.
Lost from USAF inventory, to VNAF, 7 Nov 1972.
Escaped to Thailand 29/30 April 1975 and put up for disposal at RTAF Takhli, 9 April 1976.

I believe there was a very nice writeup, with lots of great photos, on that airplane in Warbird Digest a couple years ago.

A random note from my photo-research project:

Several references I have say that the USAF A-1Es had a landing light (or taxi light?) installed on the left gear door, while VNAF Raiders didn't. In the beginning of my research I was logging these to see if this were accurate, but I soon found that I could find both USAF and VNAF airplanes with the light on the left, on BOTH doors, and on neither. About the only thing I didn't see was the light on the right only--and I'll bet if I went back and looked for it, I could find that, too.

The USAF Collins VHF antenna is almost always white. The VNAF VHF antenna (AT-145?) can be seen in both white and black. The radio compass cover of both USAF and VNAF can be white, black, or (most often on camo airplanes) the color of the neighboring fuselage.

Just some little details that are prolly only of interest to a model-nerd such as myself.

I believe I've now identified the antennas that I've been calling "short spike" and "tall spike."

The "short spike," as seen on nearly all USN, USAF, and VNAF A-1H and Js, seems to be the AT-141. Here's a closeup of it, courtesy eBay:



The "tall spike," as seen on many earlier Skyraiders such as USN AD-4s and earlier, and on all MAP-spec VNAF A-1E, G, H, and J airplanes, seems to be the AT-145. Pic, again via eBay (photos of both antennas are rare, even in google-image search):



Unless someone who actually knows what he's talking about can contradict this, I'll be referring to these two antennas in the above manner from now on.

I went by the hangar this week to take these on the AAHF O-1D for comparison ...

_________________
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."