The Don Englebreston Collection
Crewmember Being Hosed Down Beside the Rear Fuselage of a Douglas A-1 Skyraider Marked AF 39, Southeast Asia, Vietnam War Period
A crewmember in a soaked flight suit throws up his hands as a fire hose sweeps across him beside the tail of a Douglas A-1 Skyraider — the traditional soaking given to aircrew completing a milestone or final combat mission. The aircraft shows the wavy three-tone Southeast Asia camouflage, a closed cockpit canopy, spine antennas, a red warning triangle on the forward fuselage and the tailwheel beneath the stabilizer. Stencilled on the fin at the frame edge is the serial presentation 'AF' above '39', the remaining digits cut off. This differs from the AF 37 618 recorded on the TC-coded Skyraider elsewhere in this collection, showing that a second airframe, with a Bureau Number in the 139000 series, was also present. Airborne spray has softened the exposure. Project: 219827