Bruntingthorpe's newest addition to the collection is this Sabre....I know it doesn't look much like one at the moment but it's at the right place to be reborn -
It's forty-six years since I last worked on F86. Browning 0-5 inch machine guns popularly known as the 'Fifty Caliber' still on service as a fine ground weapon the M2.
I witnessed a foreign air force F86 fail a takeoff run and crash into a bank of sand at the end of runway (no barrier!) and disappear. When we got to the location found the aircraft 200 meters further on alongside the main road but with canopy missing and the seat and occupant gone. No fire. The ejection seat had not been fired; the catapult (seat ejection gun) was also missing and looked as if the seat had been ripped out by the impact of the crash. No sign of the pilot or seat although the canopy was found. Mystery!
Later were informed that a passing car with two occupants had witnessed the crash and had picked up the pilot - still in the seat - and had taken the combination to the nearby military hospital!
Circa 1966:
I too witnessed an F-86 explosion and crash. I was assisting in Flight Checking the Moron AB TVOR when the accident took place. The ground crew portion of the USAF Flight Checking was a USAF enlisted man who maintained communications with the flying C-47 Flight Check aircraft and operated the Theodolite. The ground member sighted the orbiting Flight Check aircraft through his theodolite and would signal when the nose of the aircraft crossed the Cross-Hairs in his scope. This ground generated signal would record on the airborne recorder and the difference between what the aircraft Navigational Aid equipment indicated and the reference signal from the ground was noted and the amount of error for that particular radial was shown. We were about half way through the first orbit when the "Bail-Out Bell" sounded in the TVOR shelter. (Note: The Bail-Out Bell was controlled by the USAF Control Tower Operator whenever there was danger to any of the Shelters along/near the active runway.) I immediately telephoned the Tower to determine if we should terminate the Flight Checking. The Tower Operator informed me there was a Spanish F-86 at two thousand feet above the runway and was showing a red "Fire" light on his instrument panel. We radioed the Flight Check Aircraft to keep them informed of the incident. Meanwhile we heard an unusual rumble coming from the F-86 above the runway. Moments later I could see the canopy fly away from the plane and a second later the pilot ejecting. The pilot's parachute opened and within five seconds the 86 exploded and fell onto the airfield in two large pieces. All of the debris was confined to the Airfield property so no civilians were affected. As all of this was happening, we stopped flight checking and the theodolite operator was visually tracking the pilot as he descended into an adjacent Olive Orchard. By this time the Base rescue helicopter was airborne and was guided to the pilot's location by the Theodolite operator. We learned the pilot had minor injuries and was back flying a short time later. All in a days work.
Last edit: 29 Jun 2016 13:30 by MSgtWilliamsUSAFRet.
Yes John.oldcivil runway northern heading. Sand bank the result of bulldozers grading during runway construction pre 1970s .Only a couple of metres high but a good slow down!
Jack, that must have been embarrassing, admitting that you worked at Moron Air Base What's in a name?
,
Much missed from the UK display scene for the last couple of years since it went stateside, the Golden Apple Trust's F-86. Seen here at Duxford in 2003 -
We use cookies to improve our website and your experience when using it. Cookies used for the essential operation of this site have already been set. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to this. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, see our privacy policy.
What's in a name?
