Warbirds in Review: MiG-17F and A-4B Skyhawk

Flying the F-4 Phantom, Duke Cunningham and Willie Driscoll shot down their first North Vietnamese MiG on January 19, 1972. They scored their second MiG kill on May 08, 1972. On May 10, 1972, they became the first American fliers to qualify as Aces in the Vietnam War when they shot down three MiG's in a single action. In ad- dition to becoming the first Vietnam Aces, the two became the first Team of Aces, the first to score a triple kill over Vietnam and the first U.S. all-missile Aces.

Here is a bit of the story....As they approached the coast at 10,000 feet, Cunningham spotted another MiG-17 heading straight for them. He told Driscoll to watch how close they could pass the MiG's nose, so he could not double back as easily to their six o’clock. While this tactic worked against A-4s back in training at Miramar, it turned out to be a near-fatal mistake here. ... A-4s didn’t have guns in the nose.

The MiG's nose lit up like a Roman candle! Cannon shells shot past their F-4. Duke pulled up vertically to throw off his aim. As he came out of the six-G pull-up, he looked around below for the MiG. MiGs generally avoided climbing contests. They turned horizontally, or just ran away. He looked back over his ejection seat and was shocked. There was the MiG barely 100 yards away! He began to feel numb and his stomach knotted, as both jets roared 8,000 feet straight up.

In an effort to out-climb the MiG, Cunningham went to afterburners, which put him above the enemy aircraft. As he started to pull over the top, the MiG began shooting. This was Cunningham's second near-fatal mistake; he had given his opponent a predictable flight path, and he had taken advantage of it. Duke rolled off to the other side, and the MiG closed in behind...

Featured Aircraft - MiG-17F and A-4B Skyhawk
Aircraft Owners - Randy W. Ball and Fighterjets, Inc. and The Warbird Heritage Foundation
Guests - Commander Randall “Duke” Cunningham and
Commander William “Willy Irish” Driscoll