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(The) SabreJet's anniversary!


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Sixty years ago on January 2nd, 1953, six days before I was born, the RAF took delivery of the first of 430 American-designed F-86 Sabre Jets! They were actually licence-built in Canada by Canadair and served with Fighter Command on NATO's front-line until gradually being phased-out in favour of the British designed Hawker Hunter from '56 on. Arguably, the F-86 was America's most beautiful fighter...and a perfect choice for an avatar!

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Gidday Ian , Happy New Year

 

Its always amazing to find out the small stuff the RAF used American aircraft built out of Canada!!!! Love it and happy anniversary and happy birthday in 6 days time.Three salutations , it can't all be that bad-Phill

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IIRC the ULTIMATE Sabres were those made by Canadair and CAC (in Australia). The Canuckians and Ozzies took the North American product and continued to develop it, so its performance was even better than the last USAF version(s), the F-86F and F-86H (optimized for low-altitude, ground-attack).

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IIRC the ULTIMATE Sabres were those made by Canadair and CAC (in Australia). The Canuckians and Ozzies took the North American product and continued to develop it, so its performance was even better than the last USAF version(s), the F-86F and F-86H (optimized for low-altitude, ground-attack).

 

Praise indeed John...and you might have a point there!

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General Apathy

Sixty years ago on January 2nd, 1953, six days before I was born, the RAF took delivery of the first of 430 American-designed F-86 Sabre Jets! They were actually licence-built in Canada by Canadair and served with Fighter Command on NATO's front-line until gradually being phased-out in favour of the British designed Hawker Hunter from '56 on. Arguably, the F-86 was America's most beautiful fighter...and a perfect choice for an avatar!

 

Hi Ian, well we learn new stuff everyday, I don't think I ever recall knowing that the RAF used Sabre jets, and I don't think that your birth was in the newspapers either, still I would have been too young to read of either of these events. :o

 

Birthday card on the way to you, B) heehee

 

ken

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I worked with an RCAF exchange officer in DC in the late 1970s. He had been a fighter pilot in his youth -- went to the UK to learn Gloster Meteor and DH Vampire, and flew the DH in Canada. He was one of the first RCAF Sabre drivers, going to Texas and Calif to qualify on them before going to Korea, as an exchange pilot, flying in a USAF sqn. Back in Canada, on Sabres, for a while, he was then seconded to the RAF to help them with the Canadair-made Sabres. Fine. But when he went back to Canada, circa 1956, he was told that he was too old to fly jets anymore (!?); he was 26 IIRC.

 

Anyway, he remarked that flying the Sabre was the pinnacle of his career. In later years he got to fly a BELGIAN CF-100 (Canadian-made) and even a German F-104, but Ottawa had banished him. In Canada, he was allowed only photo-recce, in Mitchells, Lancasters, and even Beech C-45s. After that it was nothing but staff jobs; he kept flying through the Canadian air cadets -- Chipmunks, Otters and T-6s.

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Interesting anecdotes...thanks John. A few years ago I had the thrill and pleasure of watching an F-86 "strut its stuff" in the skies over Duxford. It was in KW markings and a real "smoker" when the pilot hit the afterburner!

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Happy New Year!!!

You're right, this is a very beautiful plane which has not been preserved in the numbers they could have.

My Father flew these in Korean, in ROK colors in '61~'62 as a flight examiner with the 6146th AFAG at K~2. They ROKAF was still flying these planes well into the '80s though they looked very odd in the camouflage of the times.

Thanks for the reminder.

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Yes...standard RAF NATO camouflage really does change the character of the usually natural metal finish Sabre!

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Happy Birthday Ian.

 

Just got back from my shrink.

 

10 more groupings and I should feel a little better.

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Happy Birthday Ian.

 

Just got back from my shrink.

 

10 more groupings and I should feel a little better.

 

Thanks M! ;) (Actually, I share it with Elvis so it's not all bad!)

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Ian...I don't know much about jets...What are the differences between the F84F and the F86 ?? They look the same to me ??....Bob

 

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With all due respect to the USAF F-86, being a Navy guy, I herewith submit the aircraft carrier based, folding wing US Navy FJ-2 Fury. Thanks, Al.

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This model has always puzzled me .....The base is marked REPUBLIC F-84-F THUNDERJET USAF...I know the F-84 was designated as THUNDERJET and the F-84-F was designated as THUNDERSTREAK....So the marking on the base seems odd. It is a well made metal model and I'm assuming it is a manufacturers model.

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This model has always puzzled me .....The base is marked REPUBLIC F-84-F THUNDERJET USAF...I know the F-84 was designated as THUNDERJET and the F-84-F was designated as THUNDERSTREAK....So the marking on the base seems odd. It is a well made metal model and I'm assuming it is a manufacturers model.

It is a manufacturers model which are quite rare. My Father had one for the earlier model which he received for leading one of the earliest transatlantic crossings to England and back in 1950. When compared to the F~86 the F~84 was a very underpowered truck.

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