Originally designated AD, and later A-1, the 1944-designed Skyraider was conceived and bought by the U.S. Navy as a carrier-borne attack aircraft, and saw combat as such in Korea and Vietnam.   During the latter war, the U.S. Air Force obtained and used Navy surplus Skyraiders, as did the South Vietnamese Air Force.   Other nations continued to use the venerable Skyraiders into the 1980s.   Known alternately as the "flying dump truck," a testament to its payload capacity, or "SPAD" - an homage to its anachronistic propeller, turned by a massive radial engine - in an age when virtually all other US combat aircraft were jets, the rugged Skyraider endeared itself to both air and ground crews.   Retrace the history of the famous Douglas Skyraider through this all-new 80 page book.   This volume features numerous detailed line drawings, color profiles, and over 180 vintage photographs, over 30 of which are in vintage color.

By David Doyle