Douglas AD-4N 'Skyraider'
HISTORY
- The Douglas Skyraider was designed in 1944 by Ed Heinemann to replace the TBF Avenger and the SB2C Helldiver. The Skyraider was the last piston-powered attack aircraft used by both the U.S. Navy and Air Force. It was built in 28 different versions but is most remembered for its superlative work as a close support aircraft during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
- The prototype first flew on 18 March 1945. It featured simplified flight systems, dive brakes on the fuselage, and the replacement of a bomb bay with wing hardpoints that carried a substantial ordnance load. The AD-1 did not see combat during WW II but its relatively inexpensive cost and outstanding performance resulted in orders for 500 aircraft by 1948.
- The AD-4 high-altitude version emerged in 1949. The increasing need for ground attack aircraft during the Korean War resulted in 100 AD-4Ns being retrofitted for attack roles. The resulting AD-4NA was an outstanding ground support and interdiction aircraft. The final Skyraider rolled off the assembly line in February 1957. A total of 3,180 aircraft were built and were used by all branches of the U.S. military plus the governments of France, Sweden, and South Vietnam.
- The museum's aircraft was ordered in 1948 (construction no. 7797) and delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1950 as AD-4N, Bureau No.126997. It was converted to an AD-4NA in 1951-52. The aircraft was purchased by France in 1961. It was sold as surplus by France and returned to the U.S. in 1977.
SPECIFICATIONS
| Status: Flyable |
| Manufacturer: Douglas |
| Year: 1950 |
| Model: AD-4N Skyraider |
Registration Number: NX409Z
|
| Serial Number: 126997 |
| Crew: 1 |
| Max T/O Weight: 24,000 lbs. |
| Span: 50 ft. 0 in. |
| Length: 38 ft. 2 in. |
| Height: 12 ft. 0 in. |
| Maximum Speed: 350 mph |
| Cruise Speed: 200 mph |
Rate of Climb: 2,880 ft/min
|
| Power Plant: 1 × Wright R-3350-26W Duplex Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engine, 2,700 hp. |
| Range: 900 miles |
| Service Ceiling: 23,500 ft. |
| Armament: Four 20-mm cannon and fifteen hard points for up to 9,900 lbs of ordinance |
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