Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2013 Share #1 Posted January 1, 2013 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! "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
phillock Posted January 1, 2013 Share #2 Posted January 1, 2013 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 Link to post Share on other sites
Bluehawk Posted January 1, 2013 Share #3 Posted January 1, 2013 A fine aircraft indeed. It wanted to fly, fast and... HONORING FAMILY LtCol Wm Russell (1679-1757) VA Mil; Pvt Zachariah McKay (1714-97) Frederick VA Mil; BrigGen Evan Shelby, Jr (1719-94) VA Mil; Pvt Vincent Hobbs (1722-1808) Wythe VA Mil; Pvt Hugh Alexander (1724-77); Lt John R. Litton (1726-1804); Bvt BrigGen/Col Wm W. Russell (1735-93) 5th VA Rgmt; Lt James Scott (1736-1817); Capt John Murray, Sr (1747-1833); Capt John Sehorn, Sr (1748-1831) VA Mil; Pvt Corbin Lane (1750-1816) Franklin/TN Mil; Cpl Jesse D. Reynolds (1750-1836) 5th VA Rgmt; Capt. Solomon C. Litton (1751-1844); 1Lt Christopher Casey (1754-1840) SC Mil; Pvt Mark Adams (1755-1828); Pvt Randolph White (1755-1831) Bailey's Co. VA Rgmt; Capt. John R. Russell (1758-1838); Pvt Joseph T. Cooley (1767-1826) Fort Hempstead Mil; Pvt Thomas Barron (1776-1863) 1812; Capt. John Baumgardner (1787-1853) VA Mil; Pvt Joel Estep (1828-1864) Co B 5th KY Inf CSA & US; Pvt George B. Bell (1833-1910) Co C 47th IL Inf US; Cpl Daniel H. Barron (1838-1910) Co B 19th TN Rgmt Inf CSA; Capt Richard K. Kaufman (1908-1946) 7th PRG/3rd AF CCU; T-5 Vernon L. Bell (1926-95) 1802nd Spec Rgmt; PO2 Murray J. Heichman (1932-2019) HQSB/MCRD; PFC Jess Long (1934-2017) US Army; PFC Donald W. Johnson (1931-) 43rd ID HQ; A1C Keith W. Bell (1931-2011) 314th TCW; A3C Michael S. Bell (1946-) 3346th CMS; A1C Sam W. Lee (1954-2017) 2d BW; AW3 Keith J. Price (1975-) VP-10; 1Lt Matthew Wm Bell (1985-) 82nd Abn/SOC Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks Phil and Blue'! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGwvPxr4Srg "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
J_Andrews Posted January 1, 2013 Share #5 Posted January 1, 2013 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). Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted January 1, 2013 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! "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
reddevil1311 Posted January 2, 2013 Share #7 Posted January 2, 2013 "I am a white male aged 18 to 45, everyone listens to me no matter how dumb my suggestions are" www.reenactor.se - Front Historiska Föreningen Link to post Share on other sites
General Apathy Posted January 2, 2013 Share #8 Posted January 2, 2013 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. Birthday card on the way to you, heehee ken . Young enough to care and enjoy militaria - Old enough to remember as surplus " Life's too short for reproductions " Life is like a tank of gas, the closer you get to a quarter tank, the faster it goes . Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted January 2, 2013 Thanks Ken! Poetry in motion! "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
J_Andrews Posted January 2, 2013 Share #10 Posted January 2, 2013 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. Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share #11 Posted January 2, 2013 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! "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
rr01 Posted January 2, 2013 Share #12 Posted January 2, 2013 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. Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share #13 Posted January 2, 2013 Yes...standard RAF NATO camouflage really does change the character of the usually natural metal finish Sabre! "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
ram957 Posted January 3, 2013 Share #14 Posted January 3, 2013 A model I've had for over 40 years ! Link to post Share on other sites
ram957 Posted January 3, 2013 Share #15 Posted January 3, 2013 A model I've had for over 40 years On closer inspection the base reads F84F Thunderjet..I always thought it was a Sabre.. Link to post Share on other sites
manayunkman Posted January 3, 2013 Share #16 Posted January 3, 2013 Happy Birthday Ian. Just got back from my shrink. 10 more groupings and I should feel a little better. Link to post Share on other sites
rr01 Posted January 3, 2013 Share #17 Posted January 3, 2013 A model I've had for over 40 years ! Very nice, uhm F~84. Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share #18 Posted January 3, 2013 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!) "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share #19 Posted January 3, 2013 Classic profile... "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
ram957 Posted January 3, 2013 Share #20 Posted January 3, 2013 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 Link to post Share on other sites
rr01 Posted January 3, 2013 Share #21 Posted January 3, 2013 "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" Here's a couple links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_F-84F_Thunderstreak, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Aviation. Link to post Share on other sites
Sabrejet Posted January 3, 2013 Author Share #22 Posted January 3, 2013 The F-84 was the Thunderjet. Just a passing resemblance really! More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_F-84_Thunderjet "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender!" Winston Churchill " Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." John Winston Lennon Link to post Share on other sites
hirsca Posted January 4, 2013 Share #23 Posted January 4, 2013 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. Link to post Share on other sites
ram957 Posted January 4, 2013 Share #24 Posted January 4, 2013 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. Link to post Share on other sites
rr01 Posted January 4, 2013 Share #25 Posted January 4, 2013 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. Link to post Share on other sites
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