A US Navy Douglas Skyraider (37627) A-1E ground attack aircraft flying along side a Caribou of ...

A US Navy Douglas Skyraider (37627) A-1E ground attack aircraft flying along side a Caribou of the RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam (RTFV). The RTFV Caribou is on an low level aerial delivery mission to an unsecured airfield or drop zone where the cargo is usually delivered by a low level parachute assisted extraction system. These missions were usually escorted and this US Navy Skyraider is probably being flown by a US Navy instructor, as at the time the South Vietnamese Airforce were being equipped with US supplied A-1 Skyraider aircraft. This Skyraider escort is carrying a full bomb load and is having difficulty maintaining formation with the slow flying Caribou and has deployed the arrester hook in an effort to reduce airspeed. This photograph was taken by Flying Officer K. Henderson from the cockpit of an RAAF Caribou aircraft of the RTFV based at the Vung Tau airfield.