The F-86 Sabre turns 68 years old today.

On Oct. 1st. 1947, North American Aviation test pilot George S. “Wheaties” Welch, made the first flight of the F-86 Sabre. The F-86 has the destinction of being the US's first jet powered swept wing fighter aircraft and flew with distinction against the Mig-15 in the Korean war.

Over 7,800 aircraft were built between 1949 and 1956, in the US, Japan, Italy, Canada and Australia.

The last active duty Sabre was retired in 1994, still being flown by the Bolivian air force.

a reply to: Sammamishman

At last year's Oregon Air Show, three Sabers flew in formation backed by the Late James Horner's score.

It was perhaps the most beautiful event I've ever seen at a air show......

a reply to: Sammamishman

Based on the evidence available it also beat Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Wasn't that in a 'dive'?

a reply to: nwtrucker

Yes. They were ordered not to attempt it but he did anyway.

a reply to: nwtrucker

That would have been a sight t see for sure.

Those were the golden days of aviation days... Now if a pilot attempted to think about going against orders their ass would be grounded before the nose wheel touched the runway on landing. Ive got a really cool F-86 book around here with a lot of first hand accounts of things. I`ll try and dig it out and post a few interesting ones.

Down in Mobile, Alabama. at the USS Alabama Battleship(worth going to if in the area (about a hour away from where the Blue Angles practice at Pensacola FL NAS/museum, also worth seeing) park they have a beautiful F-86D on display with the half nose and integrated rocket pod instead of the .50 Cals. I got up close to it and was able to really check it out before it was roped off. For the 3-4 people who don't know about this variant, the D model was designed as a bomber interceptor and housed a radar in the nose cone and had the machine guns replaced with a rocket pod that retracted just after the nose gear. Not as sexy as the D model but packed a lot more firepower and would have been one of the interceptors used against the Soviet Bear bombers.

a reply to: Sammamishman
Nice Sammamishman,
The F86 is a beautiful aircraft, one of the most in my opinion.
About 25 years ago while camping near Mammoth mountain, I had the pleasure of seeing a an F86 and a MIG 19 mock dogfighting in the high sierra canyons. It was quite the sight to see those aircraft twisting and juking their way upthe south fork of the san Joaquin river canyon.

An acquaintance of mine spent 20+ years at the ANG base here, it was formerly known as Hammer Field, and during the Korean war it was a final assembly depot for the F86. When the base was modernized in the mid '80's, they discovered long forgotten underground storage bays, that were full of F86 parts, all brand new and still in shipping containers and packaging. To my HORROR he told me it was all sold to a local scrap dealer, for the cost of removal. From the pictures he saw it looked as though several complete aircraft could have been built from the cache.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Easily one of my most favorite fighter jets. Gotta love the gyro assisted piper site and that iconic V shape.

originally posted by: DrumStickNinja
a reply to: Sammamishman

Easily one of my most favorite fighter jets. Gotta love the gyro assisted piper site and that iconic V shape.

Mountain Home Idaho, B5'2s/ and F104 Starfighters, McConnell AFB F86 SuperSabers and F106 Delta Darts!!. At Offutt were the F4 Phantoms. Fun to reminisce. Actually all of those stalwart planes (even the failures) are dear to me.

originally posted by: nwtrucker
a reply to: Zaphod58

Wasn't that in a 'dive'?

It sure was. About 40 degrees nose down. Yeager was the first in level flight and adequately instrumented. The 1st Sabre pilot to hit Mach 1 was George Welch, a North American test pilot in the XP-86 at Muroc. There were some controllability issues, probably resulting from compressibility factors.nose down.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Sammamishman

Based on the evidence available it also beat Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier.

Yep I have heard the same thing but unfortunately I have forgotten the guy's name ? That was a bird that came just in time (almost to late IMO) and saved many American lives.... In today's world you have to wonder how long it would take from first paper to finished product to build even an F-86 type aircraft ?

I am old enough to still remember them flying especially at National Guard units; luckily to young for Korea.

I always wanted one but alas, I could not afford the av-fuel.. It seems that someone once told me the best of the lot (latest K or J or ?) the Canadians ended up with ?