France's Flying Warbird

Douglas AD4N "Skyraider"

Registration : F-AZFN

Previous identities : SFERMA n°11, F-T.QJ, F-T.QL, F-TGZC, F-UIDG

Owner: SNC SDPA

Serial Number: c/n 7609, BuAer 125 716

Wright R335 Cyclone 2800HP............Listen ==>

Harald LUDWIG more pictures

The shipboard attack and dive bomber Skyraider was conceived and built by Douglas as a replacement for the Douglas SBD Dauntless. In fact the prototype's new designation was XBT2D-1 Dauntless II. Conceived in 1944 and first flown the 18^th of march 1945, too late to participate in the final stages of World War two, the XBT2D-1 engine choice was the Wright R-3350-8 of 2 300 hp.

The US Navy officials were so impressed by the performances of the Dauntless II that the Bureau of Aeronautics placed an order of 548 Dauntless II. As the war was over this order was reduced to 277 aircraft and in 1946, the name Dauntless II was changed from BT2D (BT for Torpedo Bomber, 2 for the second built by D for Douglas) Dauntless II to AD (A for Attack) Skyraider. The engine was then the R-3350-24W of 2500 hp. First flown in november 1946, the AD-1 was the first Skyraider to enter production and was followed by the AD-2 with a strengthened airframe and the new Wright R-3350-26W of 30 20 hp.

Many variants of the Skyraider where conceived and built to fulfill a wide variety of missions like Anti Submarine Warfare to Electronic Conter Mesure, with a crew attaining two radar operators in addition to the pilot. During the Korean War AD-2 to AD-4 Skyraider showed themselves as a formidable weapon. A new version of the Skyraider appeared as the Korean war was over : the “side by side” AD-5, combining in one aircraft the two previously used, one for hunting submarines and the other to kill them. The AD-6 reverted to a single pilot and featured strengthened wing structure and and improved weaponry.

The final version of the Skyraider was the AD-7 with an improved Wright R-3350-26W engine, the last of them leaving the production line the 18^th february 1957. In the same time the sea blue color adopted by all US Navy aircraft since..... was changed for a gull grey, the designation of all aircraft changed, the Skyraiders changing from AD to A-1, from A-1D (previously AD-4) to A-1J (previously AD-7) The Skyraider was to fight in an other conflict than Korea, with the US navy, the Air Force and the South vietnamese Air Force during the Vietnam war were it proved one more time a more than useful. Il all the Skyraider production attained 3 180 aircraft.

The Royal Navy and the French Air Force were foreign customers of the Skyraider. The Brits purchased 50 AD-4W, a Three place Early Warning version. The second but main foreign customer of the Skyraider was the Armée de l'Air searching a replacement for his aging and tired P-47 D.

In 1959, France purchased 20 AD-4, 5 AD-4NA and 88 AD-4N representing 113 surplus ex U.S. Navy Skyraiders. All the aircraft were brought to AD-4NA and french status by SFERMA.

The first of these AD-4N was taken in charge in february 1960 by the 20^th Escadre based in Algeria to fight against the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale). They stayed until 1963 and the independence of Algeria.

French Skyraiders were based in Djibouti operating in Somaliland, Madagascar and Chad since 1970.

In 1965, 15 french AD-4NA were sold to Cambodia.

In 1975 6 more aircraft were received by Chad to fight against libyan forces and in the end of the seventies 4 others went to Gabon. These Skyraiders were flown by french pilots till the late eighties. C/n 7609, BuAer 125716, France's Flying Warbirds's Skyraider is an AD-4NA supposed to have fought with VC-35 in Korea between 1952 and 1953.

It was taken on charge by SFERMA (Société Française d'Entretien et de Réparation du Matériel Aérien) in Bordeaux Merignac to be brought to french Armée de l'Air standards and the suppression of the arrester hook and radar equipment.

Then it served :

from mai 1960 till november 1963 in EC2/20 Ouarsenis

from november 1963 till april 1964 in EC3/20 Oranie

from november 1966 till december 1972 in EAA2/21 Oranie

from january 1974 till october 1975 in EAA 1/22Ain

It was then stocked in BA 601 of Chateaudun till the end of 1975.

Following a demand of general Felix Maaloum it was diverted to Chad Republic to fight against Libyan guerrilla.

In april 1976 a squadron of six ex french Skyraiders was formed and flown by french mercenary pilots. C/n 7609 was flown there from till 1982 and parked on a remote place of N'Djamena airport.

It was discovered in 1986 by members of AMPAA (Association des Mécaniciens Pilotes d'Aéronefs Anciens) and after long and tiring negotiations with the Chadian authorities, AMPAA members were allowed in 1988 to obtain and fly back two aircraft.

It took two month of hard work to restore the two Skyraiders (BuAer 125716 and BuAer 126959) to flight status when in early september 1988 they take off N'Djamena airport. After a stop to refuel in Zender, Niger, they landed in Niamey, Niger.

The Two Skyraiders stayed in Niamey for about one month as the two pilots Didier Chable and Roland Bousquet had to fly an airline back to France before returning to Niamey in in the end of october. As BuAer 126959 had a mechanical problems, BuAer 125716 was the only Skyraider to take off N'Djamena, the other on left there to wait for a replacement carburetor. Many stops after, in Niger, Algeria and Morocco, the Skyraider landed in Perpignan before the last flight to Melun.

BuAer716 ex SFERMA n°11 was registered F-AZFN in august 1989 now in the AMPAA collection, with the colors it wore in EAA1/22 in 1974.

Flown with AMPAA in several Air shows since now, it was bought by SDPA of France's Flying Warbirds in september 2013.

I flew the Skyraider

Christophe BAILLY says:

"The Skyraider" aircraft is a legendary one it s the more powerful single-engine piston in the world with 3050 HP in its most accomplished version , capable of carrying so many bombs as the Flying Fortress , that s the dream of many pilots "But this is not a plane in which we can" jump in "start and roll without a serious briefing ... We need to learn to know it before all things .

The instruction begins by many hours in learning the circuits, procedures and failures, and a good knowledge of the cockpit as well . The main difficulty of the aircraft is .... its engines as the procedure of engine launching is a rather complex and delicate one. The plane was designed for aircraft carriers, with a very short taxi , it means that we must adjust the temperature in cylinder head very finely, because it heats very quickly. If the taxi is long and the limit is reached before takeoff, the only solution is to shut down the engine and wait a long time ... .. "At take-off ,the nose quickly heads to the left and needs to be couteracted on the oposite of course as being a thick profile it takes off very shortly .

. In the air it s a pure happiness. The flight controls are efficient on the 3 axes, especially when buckling . The head tilted back,the canopy bubble, will remind you the feeling of a fighter; That's good, Yes! "The engine will always draw your attention and remember you to adjust non stop a correct setting of the the cylinder temperature .
Presentation in flight, to perform a good diving presentation a very accentuated dive is compulsory to do a high speed low pass (without straining the engine), because of the thick airfoil . The final speed takes place at 100 kt, 90 with flaps. Don t worry on a dry grass runway, but anyway pay caution , if wet , the steelbrakes are powerful and they overheat quickly. In conclusion, this is not an airplane very difficult for a pilot (somewhere) experienced, but, as many other machines, which requires rigorous, method and precision. In any case, to fly it is an enjoyment of every moment! "

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