Spotted: Desert Camo T-38/F-5s over Dayton, OH

[Shay]

Was helping my Dad put in a brick walk-way today. Their house is great because it's right in the in one of landing patterns for Wright-Patt AFB.

Anyways I hear the distinct sounds of jet fighters and look up and see what appear to be F-5 or T-38s in desert type camoflage paint schemes.

There were 6 that I counted. I did notice something interesting on the 2nd to last aircraft which was definately a T-38. On it's Tail it had what looked like the marking of the VF-111 Sundowners setting sun. Anybody got any pictures these aircraft?

I didn't relise that the Sundowners had been restablished until today as the VFC-111.

Cool to know. Like I said anyone got some good pictures of the new unit and their aircraft.

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[TAdan]

Darn, I was at the Dayton Airport for a car show all weekend and didnt see them.

I did see a Waco cruising around yesterday though.

[Shay]

Darn, I was at the Dayton Airport for a car show all weekend and didnt see them.

I did see a Waco cruising around yesterday though.

Oh yeah i heard there was some big National Car show....Volks Wagon I think (I'm a GTO owner x2).



Anyways it was pretty cools to see the the Tiger IIs and Talon coming in and the markings looked great.

Never know what's gonna show up over my parent house. I've heard jet turbines off in the distance and looked up just in time to catch a couple of Blue Angels comingin.


Speaking of Talons and Tiger IIs (Or Freedom Fighters) I thought there was an issue of running out useable wings. This is why some the Swiss AF and swap some wing with museum display aircraft. Is the supply of good wings drying up? Or is this not the case?

Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Karpis]

Were they headed in or out? Keep in mind that they were using 5 today.
I saw two headed in at aprox 1815

[dc8jet]

They had a WACO fly in Saturday at the WACO Museum which I think is in Troy just north of Dayton.

[Shay]

Were they headed in or out? Keep in mind that they were using 5 today.
I saw two headed in at aprox 1815

What I saw was 3 pairs heading in for a landing. The first two pairs arrived maybe a minute apart from each otherand the 3rd pair arrived maybe 5 to 10 minutes later. What do you mean by, they were using 5 today?

Here is a picture of a VFC-111 bird. It maybe one of the ones i saw today. The aircraft with the Sundowner tail markings I saw was a 2 seater and the Sundowner setting sun markings encompassed the entire tail (just like the early '80s Tomcats) and were High-Vis. This F-5 depicted only has the markings on the rudder.

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6035882

Interesting history on this F-5 says it was previously a Swiss AF bird.


Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Mike Bates]

There's some more pic's here. And yes the U.S. bought surplus F-5's to replace ones that are worn out.

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/ind ... pic=129162

Mike

[Ztex]

Here's some pics of a couple that have showed up in Ft. Worth in the past couple of weeks...
[img]
http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index. ... 28.60.html[/img]

[Shay]

Thanks guys

I like the the fact their keeping their Sundowner heritage present on the new aircraft. Makes for a very striking scheme.

How the tables have turned the the U.S. is buying American made aircraft from foriegn Air Forces. I wonder why the USMC and USN decided on buying Swiss airframes instead of using USAF T-38s? Is there that huge a difference performance wise? just curious

Oh and I've been corrected.......only the USAF call them "Aggressors" while the UMSC and the USN call them "Adversaries"



This most probalbly was the bird I picked out of the flight I saw



Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Vulture]

How the tables have turned the the U.S. is buying American made aircraft from foriegn Air Forces. I wonder why the USMC and USN decided on buying Swiss airframes instead of using USAF T-38s? Is there that huge a difference performance wise? just curious

Well, the F-5 has those strakes that makes it tighter in the corner, and has greater endurance with tip tanks etc. The F-5 can also carry some EW equipment like RWR etc... The T-38 is more robust for flight training.

As for why to buy swiss? Well they maintain their aircraft like they do watches. Switzerland is a small country and the flight time I am assuming is pretty low. The USN F-5s were wearing out and the F-5 is not the same as the T-38, so where do you find F-5s that were (mostly) sold to third world nations as a point defence fighter that are maintained the same as the USN ????

I have seen the way the Swiss maintain their F-5 fleet and other aircraft ... VERY VERY VERY impressive, considering maintain their manuals in 4 languages!

[Shay]

Good points Vulture

Thanks!



Shay
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Semper Fortis

[Karpis]

Sorry, Shay...I figured being at the base you'd know what I meant if I just said "5".....as in runway 5

[Shay]

Sorry, Shay...I figured being at the base you'd know what I meant if I just said "5".....as in runway 5

Sorry for me being a little slow to catch on. I'm on WP quite a bit but for whatever reasons never became familiar with the airfeild's orientation.


Airfields I am familiar with from being stationed there are:

NAS Norfolk, Chamber Field NGU with runways 10 and 28.

NAS Oceana, Apollo Soucek Field NTU with runways 5R/23L, 5L/23R, 14L/32R and 14R/32L

And my first Airfield:

Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, YNG - when with the 910th ALW USAFR

Although when I was there last there I think they only had runways 14/32 and now they seem to have built runways 5/23, but I could be wrong.


Shay
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Semper Fortis