The Don Englebreston Collection
USAF Douglas A-1 Skyraider on SAR Alert with Pilot Wearing Sunglasses, Southeast Asia, Vietnam War
A second view of the same Skyraider on search-and-rescue alert in Southeast Asia. The aircraft's mixed load of rocket pods, bombs and a drop tank is fully visible, safety streamers still fitted, and the yellow marker reads SAR ALERT A/C CONTROLLED AREA. Skyraiders assigned this duty flew as 'Sandy', leading combat rescues of downed aircrew: slow, heavily armed and able to loiter for hours, they suppressed ground fire while helicopters made the pickup. The pilot, in flight suit and survival vest, is unidentified, and the aircraft's serial is only partly legible. Project: 219827