Douglas A3 Skywarrier

Today's war bird is the A3 Skywarrier introduced to the fleet as a carrier-based strategic bomber in the fifties, but was modified to act as a photo reconnaissance plane, or an electronic surveillance/radar jammer or an aerial tanker.

These planes nick-named "whales" were on board all of the big carriers during the Vietnam War. I always thought they were a really sharp aircraft. They were the biggest jets on board. On the Kitty Hawk they were either used as aerial tankers or for electronic jamming of NVA radar.

On Guam, VAP61 was a heavy photographic squadron using the A3. Occasionally they would land on board Kitty Hawk for reasons unknown to me and later in the war they moved a detachment into Vietnam. They also made aerial maps for use in country.

These planes were also used by the navy as spy planes in the fifties and sixties, night flights over countries unfriendly to the U.S.

I always wanted to take a ride in one of these or even be an electronic countermeasures operator in one.