1957 Douglas AD-5 Skyraider found off Miami

[aue-mike]

Divers find sunken Korean War-era Marine plane off Miami

 

[RyanT]

Interesting...I'm far from an expert, but the photos of the airplane on the bottom look like two side-by side seats. The sky raider only had a single seat up front. Maybe there was a side by side version? @beldridg?

 

[Cthippo]

There were a number of versions of the Skyraider, including (IIRC) several with side by side seating. I think the AEW and ASW versions, specifically? Some versions also had two crew positions in the lower hull behind the wing. it is a MASSIVE aircraft for a single engine.

From Wiki:

The AD-5 was significantly widened, allowing two crew to sit side-by-side (this was not the first multiple-crew variant, the AD-1Q being a two-seater and the AD-3N a three-seater); it also came in a four-seat night-attack version, the AD-5N.

 

[RyanT]

it is a MASSIVE aircraft for a fingle engine

Indeed! I dove one in the gulf back in the 90's...incredible airplane!

 

[aue-mike]

Cthippo is correct. There were multiple variants of the Douglas Skyraider and it served many roles. This variant, the AD-5, was significantly widened, allowing two crew to sit side-by-side (this was not the first multiple-crew variant, the AD-1Q being a two-seater and the AD-3N a three-seater); it also came in a four-seat night-attack version, the AD-5N. The rear area could be used to carry additional passengers or cargo.

 

[beldridg]

@RyanT As others have mentioned, there was definitely a version with 2 pilots across from each other.

I dove a Skyraider here in California a while back. Here is the post with details:

Douglas AD-4L Skyraider (San Diego — XX fsw)

Douglas A-1 Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was designed as a carrier-based, single-seat, long-range dive/torpedo bomber and as the next generation of the TBM/F Avenger. Interestingly enough, t…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

I was back at that site a few months ago and built a photogrammetry model. It is one of the blog posts I still need to write. The wreck here is in shallow water and it has suffered from it and it is also buried in sand.

I do know of one other Skyraider that is too deep to dive out here off San Diego. It is in immaculate condition and there are some interesting anomalies with the tail number and the naval records we have been able to find. I can't talk too much about it quite yet but we are hoping to unravel the mystery one of these days.

The Skyraider was an amazing plane that had an impressive armament load.

- brett

 

[beldridg]

Divers find sunken Korean War-era Marine plane off Miami

View attachment 806756

Congrats - nice find!

Did you publish the model on Sketchfab?

- brett

 

[RyanT]

Thanks folks, that's really interesting. I don't know much about airplane design. For design variants, it seems like it would be much easier to add a bit a length to a fuselage than add width. As I said, I dove a skyraider in the gulf. It is indeed an impressive airplane. I still remember thinking how big it was compared the hellcats, we commonly dove.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

Thanks folks, that's really interesting. I don't know much about airplane design. For design variants, it seems like it would be much easier to add a bit a length to a fuselage than add width. As I said, I dove a skyraider in the gulf. It is indeed an impressive airplane. I still remember thinking how big it was compared the hellcats, we commonly dove.

May or may not be easier. I suspect side by side doesn't impact movement of the center of gravity as much. It still has to be within the same range aft of the datum (usually the firewall). Lengthening the fuselage and positioning payload fore and aft tandem style actively does move it. That can impact a lot of the flying inputs as well as the design of the elevator and trim systems, the position of the wing forward and aft, as well as ground handling characteristics. It would become an entirely new aircraft design in those respects.

Tandem puts more concentrated weight at a single point in the fuselage, which, depending on where the CG is designed may or may not impact it (not if the designed CG point is forward or aft of the center of the occupied space).

If the CG moves outside its designed envelope, the aircraft will become unstable (control surfaces - elevator) does not have enough authority (leverage) to maintain the pitch attitude and may likely be fatally uncontrollable.

Very analogous to proper dive trim weighting. You can add more weight on you belt and it makes you heavier. If you add more weight higher on the body in the trim pockets instead it greatly impacts your buoyancy characteristics moving through the water.

 

[aue-mike]

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