A Douglas A-1 Skyraider, nicknamed "Spad" by its crews, rests in a protective steel revetment at a Southeast Asian airbase during the Vietnam War. Ground crew in olive-drab flight suits inspect the aircraft, which carries external fuel tanks and ordnance rigged with safety streamers, evidence of preparations for a strike or rescue-escort sortie. The rugged single-engine Skyraider was prized for its long loiter time and heavy weapons load, making it a mainstay of close air support and search-and-rescue escort missions throughout the war. Project: 218963