PHOTO GALLERY
SKYRAIDER A1-E - May 1966
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This is the Skyraider, A1-E, from VA 125 (I think) I took this in May 1966, right after I got my first Polaroid camera.
(10 weeks later, I left Bennington and went to work for Polaroid for 33 years!) We were doing carrier qualifications, after coming out of the yards in Long Beach.
Even though I worked on the flight deck for 3 years and saw thousands of take offs and landings, I never really got tired of watching them.
Bill Copeland
And the two sailors watching all this were, Joe Pires and Dwyane Carroll from Chico, California.
S-1 Division and S-3 Division
Joe Pires
Folks,
Picture labeled SKYRAIDER A1-E May 1966 Is actually an A-1H Skyraider of VA-122.
A-1H was single seat, A-1E sat six, A-1H bureau numbers started with 13, but painted on the bird they started with 3.
A-1J started with 14 and were painted on bird starting with 4.
In May 1966 VA-125 may have been doing carrier qualifications aboard Bennington, but they’d have been using A-4C and A-4E.
VA-122 would’ve done CQ with A-1H and A-1J.
In May 66 I was an AO3 in VA-52, an A-1H/J squadron aboard Ticonderoga.
In Jul 66 I was an AO3 in VA-125 and besides being in the AO shop I was an A-1E plane captain.
Jim
James W. Doran
CWO4, USN (Ret)
Veteran Service Officer
WV Department of Veterans Assistance
407 Neville St., Ste 113
Beckley, WV 25801