Mojave jet fighters.

K5DH · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:01 am

Pointless? Nonsense! Keep 'em coming, Neal! Classic jets are cool, and I think they're way under-represented here on WIX. I have a special affinity for F-86s, so please post lots of them!

The Thunderbirds-marked F-84F resided at Addison, Texas, for a while in the 1980s. I have photos of it somewhere in my archives (taken with a Kodak 110 pocket camera!). Where is it now, and is there any chance it is or might be a flier?

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 7:28 am

Neal Nurmi wrote:

This thread is getting a bit scattered and is beginning to feel somewhat pointless. Too bad -- I hadn't even gotten to the Sabres yet.

Nonsense, this is a very cool thread of some underloved aircraft. Keep it coming!

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

K5DH wrote:

Pointless? Nonsense! Keep 'em coming, Neal! Classic jets are cool, and I think they're way under-represented here on WIX. I have a special affinity for F-86s, so please post lots of them!

The Thunderbirds-marked F-84F resided at Addison, Texas, for a while in the 1980s. I have photos of it somewhere in my archives (taken with a Kodak 110 pocket camera!). Where is it now, and is there any chance it is or might be a flier?

I think the F-84F was taken back by NMUSAF (USAFM as was) and I recall it's a gate guard now...somewhere.

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

ALOHADAVE wrote:

More jets (wrecks) spotted at Mojave Airport back in March 15, 2009 Anybody have any info on them?

Sabre appears to be an ex-RCAF Sabre 5, but there the trail goes cold. There were a few (very few) unconverted aircraft left at the end of the drone program and this looks like one of those, rather than a retired QF-86E (yes there were some!). However the 'experimental' script makes it look like a flier. Do you have a larger scan?

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:53 pm

OK, back to some of my photos. There were Sabres all over the ramp. I think these were mostly if not all ex-Canadian.

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 1:56 pm

A question -- why were the speed brakes always open when the aircraft were sitting on the ramp? Also, why would the glare panels forward of the cockpit be painted white on the drone aircraft?

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

Neal Nurmi wrote:

A question -- why were the speed brakes always open when the aircraft were sitting on the ramp? Also, why would the glare panels forward of the cockpit be painted white on the drone aircraft?

Speed brakes were left open to gain visual inspection of the accumulator pressure gage in the RH brake well.

White paint was supposed to reflect heat away from the drone gear in the fwd radio bay.

All bar one of the QF-86Es were Canadian Sabre 5s.

Keep 'em coming!

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:36 pm

Some of the QFs had N numbers, and others US Army serials. Why Army and not Air Force, and why some N numbers? Were the Army serial numbers specifically for aviation, and were they just mixed in with helicopters and the usual Army light aircraft serials?

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

Neal Nurmi wrote:

Some of the QFs had N numbers, and others US Army serials. Why Army and not Air Force, and why some N numbers? Were the Army serial numbers specifically for aviation, and were they just mixed in with helicopters and the usual Army light aircraft serials?

N-numbers were applied to ALL QF-86Es prior to delivery from FSI: post-delivery some aircraft returned to Mojave for repair etc, and hence the mix.

Since the QF-86E was a pure Army program (the USAF had MQM-102 etc), the Sabres were marked 'US Army' and were marked with their former RCAF s/n.

For info, the two a/c visible are:

23309 (ex-N92473), which was received by the Army on 6th February 1979, performed 6 drone missions and was shot down by a Chaparral missile on 11th June 1986.

N70726 (RCAF 23291) was taken on by the Army 9th July 1979 and survived 2 drone sorties until shot down by a Roland GAM on 29th August 1983.

JohnB · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 3:47 pm

quemerford wrote:

I think the F-84F was taken back by NMUSAF (USAFM as was) and I recall it's a gate guard now...somewhere.

Great Falls, Montana, IIRC.
The internet tells me: "52-6974, on static display at the Malmstrom AFB Museum, Great Falls, Montana".

There was a thread on this topic back in 2005 and WIX-member Steven M. Dennis said at that time:

Actually, if the info I have in my records is correct, Mr. Ward's "Streak", (painted in Thunderbirds colors), N84JW s/n 52-6969, (which performed at TICO shows down in Florida as Rob Rohr mentioned) was apparently repossessed by the USAF and stuck on a pole at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, where she was repainted in the markings of a 407th Strategic Fighter Wing bird with the false I.D. of 52-6974.

The Pima '-84F in Thunderbird colors is supposedly 52-6563.

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:10 pm

23309 (ex-N92473), which was received by the Army on 6th Februaru 1979, performed 6 drone missions and was shot down by a Chaparral missile on 11th June 1986.

N70726 (RCAF 23291) was taken on by the Army 9th July 1979 and survived 2 drone sorties until shot down by a Roland GAM on 29th August 1983.

Where were they shot down at? Holloman AFB Range, Barry-Goldwater Range in Arizona or where?

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

ALOHADAVE wrote:

23309 (ex-N92473), which was received by the Army on 6th Februaru 1979, performed 6 drone missions and was shot down by a Chaparral missile on 11th June 1986.

N70726 (RCAF 23291) was taken on by the Army 9th July 1979 and survived 2 drone sorties until shot down by a Roland GAM on 29th August 1983.

Where were they shot down at? Holloman AFB Range, Barry-Goldwater Range in Arizona or where?

Most shoot-downs at WSMR, New Mexico and missions flown from Northrop Strip. FSI kept a detachment at Holloman to support.

Lon Moer · **Posted:** Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:20 pm

ALOHADAVE wrote:

23309 (ex-N92473), which was received by the Army on 6th Februaru 1979, performed 6 drone missions and was shot down by a Chaparral missile on 11th June 1986.

N70726 (RCAF 23291) was taken on by the Army 9th July 1979 and survived 2 drone sorties until shot down by a Roland GAM on 29th August 1983.

Where were they shot down at? Holloman AFB Range, Barry-Goldwater Range in Arizona or where?

Here's a webpage archive of the Flight System Sabre's and they're fates; http://archive.is/xAGaH

quemerford · **Joined:** Tue Jun 17, 2014 4:19 pm **Posts:** 1596

Lon Moer wrote:

ALOHADAVE wrote:

23309 (ex-N92473), which was received by the Army on 6th Februaru 1979, performed 6 drone missions and was shot down by a Chaparral missile on 11th June 1986.

N70726 (RCAF 23291) was taken on by the Army 9th July 1979 and survived 2 drone sorties until shot down by a Roland GAM on 29th August 1983.

Where were they shot down at? Holloman AFB Range, Barry-Goldwater Range in Arizona or where?

Here's a webpage archive of the Flight System Sabres and their fates; http://archive.is/xAGaH

Part of my old website! Well well - nice to see it was archived/seen to be of merit. It's a bit out of date, but not bad for a starting point. Expect an update in a forthcoming issue of The Aviation Historian magazine!

Neal Nurmi · **Posted:** Sat Jul 25, 2015 9:04 pm

This was the prettiest of the Flight Systems Sabres that I saw. It apparently does still survive, somewhere over in Montana. Was this one not part of the drone program?

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