The Forgotten F-94, Some Iron Dogs, Another F-4 or Two, A Couple of Helos, Some More Scooter Tubs, and A Plug For a Friend

You Have to Start Someplace

We've been spending a lot of time covering the Convair F-102A of late, and we've stated the opinion that it was a vital weapons system for America's air defense during the 1950s, 60s, and a big chunk of the 70s. It's easy to forget just how amazing the "Deuce" really was until you look at What Came Before, and thanks to the kindness of Marty Isham we're going to do that today.

Before we get started, though, let's get ourselves what they call a perspective. Once we get past the handful of piston-engined aircraft that could somewhat loosely be termed "interceptors" from the 1940s (of which the P-61 and F-82 families come somewhat to mind) and enter the Jet Age, we've got an interesting row to hoe. The first American interceptors that were actually designed for that mission, more or less, were Northrop's F-89 Scorpion and Lockheed's F-94 Starfire family. The F-94 possessed a level of performance that was far beyond the reach of the F-89, although you could best describe both aircraft as slugs in the go-fast department. They were really pretty, though, as the following photos will prove. They were also pioneers in their own way, and therefore deserving of more notice than they're normally given.

Take an F-80, stretch the fuselage and add a second cockpit, and you've got a T-33. Take a T-33 and add a primitive fire control system and an even more primitive afterburner and you've got yourself an F-94. 49-2509 is an early example of the breed; an F-94A-5-LO; this example is from the 449th FIS and is seen placidly cruising along on a clear afternoon, an element far removed from her design criteria for an all-weather interceptor. That moniker was more than a little bit optimistic, but you have to start somewhere!  Dickman via Isham

Here's another bird from the 449th FIS, and this time we get a far better view of the squadron insignia on the nose. Conspicuity markings were often found on the Starfire since its intended stomping grounds were generally way up there in the Frozen North. How do you like that drop tank trim? Pretty cool, huh? 49-2520 is another A-5-LO.  Haufler-Homme via Isham

49-2526 comes a cropper! She was repaired and flew again, but was having a Bad Day when this photo was taken on 16 May, 1954. The squadron emblem has really grown in this photo, and the conspicuity markings are well defined (including those on the upper wings). That white stripe just aft of the radome is a new wrinkle, and the tip-tank markings have morphed into solid red. Former USAF maintenance types among our readership will note that the bang seats have been pinned and the streamers for those pins have been prominently draped over the cockpit sill---nobody wants to be around a bang seat accident...  Haufler-Homme via Isham

We'll wrap up our coverage of the F-94A with yet another aircraft from the 449th. 49-2531 is in a very simple interpretation of the squadron's markings, although the landing gear doors, both nose and mains, show quite a bit more color than we're used to seeing down there. This airplane, and 2509 at the beginning of this piece, are wearing standard-issue Fletcher tanks. It's a pretty airplane, don't you think?  Dickman via Isham

The F-94A was quickly followed into service by the slightly-more-capable B-model, and an early example of the that sub-species is shown here while on the ground at Thule in the winter of 1952-1953. She belongs to the 318th FIS and is in simple but highly-attractive markings. In theory the Bravo Starfires were in their element in places like Thule, but in reality they were what we might call "somewhat lacking". It really didn't matter; they were what we had at the time.  Dorr via Isham Collection

Thule's a cold and barren place, so a little color doesn't hurt at all. In this case the color is provided by F-94B-B-1-LO from the 59th FIS getting prepped to sit on alert during 1952. The radome appears to be in natural fiberglass and the rest of the airplane is done up like an Easter egg---beauty!  Shipke via Isham

Here's a whole flock of F-94Bs from the 59th in the air near Thule. Those markings just get prettier and prettier, and check out the red gun blast tubes on 50-0875. We can't quite make out that name on the nose---anybody know what it says?  Shipke via Isham 

Scramble! This shark-mouthed F-94B-1-LO is launching out of an un-named but snowbound airfield late in 1953. Note how the conspicuity red on the upper wing of the photo ship cuts in and out around the "USAF" legend.  England via Isham

Most folks are familir with the 68th FIS from their days in the "Deuce", but they flew the Starfire first. 51-5346 was an F-94B-5-LO and is seen in flight in this absolutely gorgeous air-to-air study. Her markings are simple yet effective, and look really good on the airframe. Lockheed has always built lookers...  Toler via Isham

They come in colors. These Starfires from the 68th were photographed in different variations of their squadron livery; our previous example was trimmed in black, while 5365 is in green and 5349 is in yellow. We presume those to be flight colors but are always willing to be educated! Note the yellow outlines to the buzz numbers on 5349. A modeler could keep busy just building this one variant of the F-94, although the only good kit is in 1/72nd. Ain't that always the way!  Fahey via Isham

The F-94B was available for use shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, and wasn't long in getting to the theater. The 4th FIS was operating this colorful F-94B-5-LO (51-5475) under the 6231st ABW out of Naha when photographed in 1952. The airplane was well-used, as indicated by the wear on the radome, but was combat-ready all the same. The 4th finished up its association with FEAF (later PACAF) flying F-102As out of Misawa, but that's a story for another day.  Minert via Isham Collection

The 68th FIS was one of several F-94B squadrons that ended up in The Land of the Morning Calm during that unfortunate conflict. 51-5358, another F-94B-5-LO, was a colorful addition to the fracas when photographed here but ended up in the drink as the result of an in-flight engine fire. Both crewmen were killed in the crash; Korea was a tough little war for all concerned.  Col. AR Hunter via Isham Collection

"Ann", an F-94B-5-LO from the 319th FIS, sits on the PSP preparing for flight sometime in 1953. She's relatively plain as FEAF Starfires go but is carrying a name, probably not an unusual occurance but one that's not been well documented up until now. We can only hope that more personally-marked F-94s will come to light in the future!  Gratch via Isham Collection

You knew it was coming so here she is: F-94B-5-LO 51-5449, the first Air Force jet to claim a night kill in combat. She's not as spectacularly painted as you might expect but the 319th FIS, to which she belonged at the time, wasn't an overly flamboyant unit either. Sure looks a lot like a chubby T-33, doesn't it?  Col. R Merritt via Isham Collection

OK, Gang; here's your modeling test for the day. What was the very first aircraft model kit released by Revell way back in 1954? The picture above is probably a dead giveaway, but if you guessed F-94C you guessed right! 51-5607 is a drop-dead gorgeous example of the breed and is shown here while serving with the 354th FIS. Her paintwork is busy but would be a wonderful excercise for a custom decal manufacturer except for the fact that we don't have a kit to put any sort of stickies on. Why is that?  McCann via Isham

The F-94C was never as widely used as some folks think, but a small number of ADC squadrons used them well into the 50s. 51-13524 was a fairly late F-94C-1-LO and was photographed in pristine condition at an air show in 1956. The aircraft is missing the fiberglass covers on her wing-mounted rocked pods, giving us an excellent view of that particular detail. She was with the 27th FIS at the time.  McDaniel via Isham

There was still an F-94C presence in the USAF in 1957, as demonstrated by these members of the 29th FIS on the ramp at George AFB in March of that year. The Charlie is our favorite F-94 variant and is beautiful in her own way, but her total armament consisted of a load of 2.75-inch FFARs carried in those wing pods and in a bay around the radome. It was probably a Very Good Thing that she never had to fire a shot in anger!
Markraf via Isham Collection

Sometimes You Hold the Line With What You've Got

Way back yonder, back in 1968 or 1969, Mike Bloomfield and Steven Stills collaborated on a live album called Super Sessions. During the course of introducing the band to the audience, Stills commented "here's the truth of this gig" and I've wanted to borrow the phrase ever since. Today, some 42 years later, the time has finally come so, without further ado; here's the truth of this gig:

We don't run a whole lot of WW2 stuff around here, and precious little of anything before that conflict. It's not that we aren't interested in those eras, but rather that our assets are thin once you've gone back a certain number of years. Both ourselves and our friends who are regular contributors to this work in progress have managed to build collections that, for a number of reasons, begin in 1946 and move forward from there and, simply put, that's where most of our emphasis will continue to lie. It's an area of specialty, if you will.

Still, there's something really special about the old iron, and therein lies a tale. One of our readers, Bobby Rocker, has been collecting images from that conflict for most of his life and has amassed quite a collection  as a result. You've seen a few of those photos before in various books and periodicals, since most of them have been obtained from what used to be called Official Sources, but Bobby's been somewhat more tenacious than most in terms of his collecting and has been, as we said before, going at it for quite a while. He wrote us a couple of weeks ago asking why we didn't run hardly anything from The Big One and we told him pretty much what you've just read. At that point he offered to share his collection with us and has been sending in images (which brings us to the part of the day where we encourage the rest of you to do the same; the e-mail address is replicainscale@yahoo.com ) pretty much ever since. There's some remarkable photography there, and we're going to start running some of it every other issue or so, beginning with today's feature on the Bell P-39 in the Southwest Pacific. We're going to concentrate on the Bad Old Early Days today, and show you some images from Milne Bay and Port Moreseby during 1942. Enjoy.

Milne Bay in Southeastern New Guinea was one of the first stops on the long road back. Here's a group of P-39D-1-BEs, probably from the 8th FG, in transit to Port Moresby. Check out the wheel covers on 41-38403 in the right foreground---there's not much color on those airplanes but that AAF corcarde is a nice touch.  B. Rocker Collection

If you've spent any time at all examining photos of P-39s in the Pacific you're familiar with "Sun Setter". You may be somewhat less familiar to the pilot standing on her wing; if that's so, prepare to be schooled. Phillip  Rasmussen was one of a handful of American fighter pilots to get off the ground during the attack at Pearl Harbor. He was flying a P-36 that day, and managed to score a kill against the Japanese on his sortie. A few short months after the attack he was in New Guinea with the 35th FS and was transiting through Milne Bay when this magnificent photograph was taken. Times were tough but those guys were confident.  B. Rocker Collection

Ever seen a P-39 stripped for major repair and overhaul work? This 35th FS/8th FG P-39D is hard down for maintenance, probably at Port Moresby. Things were pretty raggedy in the Pacific during 1942 and there was a lot of improvisation involved in maintaining some of the aircraft there, but this photo shows that the 35th was well-equipped with ground support equipment. This would make a really neat diorama...  B. Rocker Collection

Sometimes things don't go as planned. This Airacobra suffered landing gear failure at Milne Bay, but was quickly repaired and able to resume operations a short time after this photo was taken. Quite a bit as been made of the P-39's alleged unsuitability for combat, but the airplane held the line for both the 8th and 35th FGs until better aircraft became available. She was a tough old bird...  B. Rocker Collection

Sometimes the airplane can't be repaired. P-39D 41-38499 went in hard at Milne Bay, transitioning from a fighter aircraft into source of surplused parts in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you win; sometimes you don't.  B. Rocker Collection

Port Moresby was an improvement over Milne Bay, but not by much. The facility was a scattering of airfields in the general vicinity of the town; this "Iron Dog" was photographed refuelling at 30-Mile Strip. The term "they fought with what they had" certainly applied to early fighter operations in the SW Pacific.  B. Rocker Collection

The 27th Air Depot at Port Moresby did outstanding work trying to keep the 35th in the air. The spinner cap is off the propeller of this Airacobra and the prop is about to be pulled. There's a name on that airplane, but we can't quite read it. Darn the luck!  B. Rocker Collection

We'll end today's photo essay where we began it, at Gurney Field near Milne Bay. Everything looks relatively placid in this photo but the Japanese were never far away, making early air operations a little bit sporty. This photo show the airfield and a handful of neatly-arranged aircraft. It doesn't show the heat, humidity, or the mosquitos. It wasn't an easy war.  B. Rocker Collection

It's One of Our Favorite Airplanes, Ya'll

Which is why we're running another couple of F-4 shots, this time from the NAV. There's no real reason for it except that we like the photos. We hope you do too.

There was a time when the F-4 Phantom was the American fighter, both in its parent Navy and in the Marine Corps and the Air Force as well. These VF-33 F-4Js were captured in flight in 1969, when the type had become the Navy's standard fighter. The birds are clean and the photo was most likely taken in the ZI, but you can't miss the purposefulness of the design.  R. Morgan Collection

This VF-11 F-4B is coming up on the basket during an aerial refueling cycle. This is what you might call a beautiful study of a classic aircraft. We like it.  R. Morgan Collection

The F-4 family ended up being quite literally an airplane for all seasons, but it was designed as an interceptor first and foremost. We don't know exactly when this dramatic photo was taken, but the airplane is an F-4N from Fighting 154 and was aboard the Coral Sea when she was immortalized in this shot. The aircraft is configured for the interception mission and is tensioned and in burner just before launch---you can almost hear the roar of her J-79s and smell the danger on that flight deck. It's not a job...  Lawson Collection via R. Morgan

We've been blessed by having some exceptional photographers contributing their work to this project, as is illustrated by this shot of one of VF-111's F-4Bs. Don Jay photographed her at Cubi Point in 1975, giving posterity an excellent photograph of one of our all-time favorite Phantom markings. D. Jay

We'll end today's look at the Phantom with another bird from Fighting 111. 152293 was photographed in April of 1977, when she was in her prime. The markings on her travel pod are distinctly non-standard! Friddell Collection

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder

Mark Nankivil never ceases to amaze us. He sends in unique images of extremely high quality, and you just never know what you're going to see next. This next set of photos bears that out in spades; a pair of color shots of one of the Marine's unsung heros. Let's take a look:

Boeing/Vertol's CH-46/HH-46 family has proven to be a true workhorse for the Navy and Marine Corps. The early variants provided sterling service in a number of roles during that scrape in SouthEast Asia back in the 60s, and the design is still going strong today. We don't know much about 151912 except that she was assigned to the Marines when this photo was taken, and that she's an absolutely gorgeous example of the HH-46A. She'd be a boring aircraft if all she had on was her specification Engine Grey paint, but that orange really makes her special. We like it!  Nankivil Collection

Everybody smile for the camera! There's a photographer sitting in the door of 151921 as she hovers; she's another HH-46A and is a SAR bird but once again we're at a loss as to the details, although we'd bet you money she was assigned to K-Bay when this was taken. Note the apparent color shift in the grey of her paint; that's an anomaly caused by the lighting. She's actually a twin of 151912 shown above. Gotta love those HH-46s!  Nankivil Collection
Ending the Day With Stuff We Like

And in this case "stuff" is defined as a few more TA-4Js. The Skyhawk has always been a favorite around here and there's more than a little bit of photography to back up that interest, so it falls into the category of The Right Thing to Do.

Let's start out with a "normal" TA-4J in a normal operational environment. The unit was TraWing 2, and this particular "Scooter" was shot from the control tower catwalk at NAS Corpus Christi in May of 1989. Her paint and markings are pretty much the norm for the Navy's advanced trainers during the era; compare them to the TW-2 T-2C Buckeye taxiing just behind her.  Friddell

And another really normal TA-4J from TW-2, this time photographed at Laughlin AFB during the late 1980s. Note the USS Lexington moniker on her fuselage; the "Lex" was used for TraCom's car-quals boat and her name ended up on the sides of the airplanes who utilized her for training. She actually had no air assets permanently assigned once she was transferred to training duties. It's likely that her gas bags recently came from an operational squadron since they're grey instead of the more typical Insignia White.  Friddell

Here's a "Scooter" that's a little bit out of the ordinary. 153496 was a TA-4J that ended up spending a short period of time with VF-171's Key West Det, an adversary unit operating in the south of Florida during the early 1980s. The det had a "normal" TA-4 assigned to them, a hot-rod F-model, that was in for major maintenance for a period of time. They needed a replacement aircraft and received this lesser-performing Juliet for use while their "real" bird was hard down; the squadron didn't much like it but made do with what they'd been given (that overall white paint probably didn't help much since all the rest of 171's aircraft were in some variation of camouflage). The insignia on the vertical stab was taken from the logo of a local bar and was only on this one aircraft, and only for the period she was assigned to VF-171. Every picture tells a story, don't it?  R. Morgan

Here's your final Special "Scooter" Tub for the day. Marty Isham shot VX-4's 153674 while she was on the ground at Andrews during 1975. This airplane was featured on a MicroScale decal sheet Way Back When and makes for an extremely colorful model---that paintwork is an absolute knockout in three dimensional form! Oh, and check out the bobbed gas bag on the centerline; auxilliary tanks mounted on that particular station on the A-4 (any A-4) generally didn't have the aft section of the tank (the pointy part with the fins) fitted; it eliminated the possibility of striking the deck during a cat shot and allowed easier access to the aft hell hole for maintenance. It's a point to watch when you model the "Scooter".  Isham

A Site You Need to Look At

We've been meaning to do this for a while now, and the receipt yesterday of the artwork you see below tells us it's time for you to check out the work of John Mollison. John is, like most of us, a collector of things aeronautical and is also an accomplished artist. He has two different web sites that are linked on our home page; John Mollison and WW2 Fighters, and we strongly recommend that you visit them both. His motto ("I interview old guys and draw their airplanes.") says it all. That said, here's that artwork for your enjoyment today:

See? We told you you'd like it! You might want to drop in and see what else John has been doing; it's definitely worth your while.

The Relief Tube

We must have had a fairly good issue last time, because we don't have to fix anything this time around! We do, however, have a request from a friend who's working on a book. Take a look at this photo:

Frank Emmett, the guy who's working on that 58th FG history, is looking for a better shot of this airplane. To wit:  Pioneer Peggy is one of the colorful P-47D-16-21s of the 310th FS/58th FG. 1st Lt. Herman Guffey of Akron, Ohio was her primary pilot. He was a member of 1st Lt. Jim Driscoll's red flight, hence the red cowl flaps contrasted with the natural metal. Up until November-December 1944 she would have had a squadron identifier on her fuselage sides, just behind the cockpit beginning with the letter "H" and then the a two digit code, e.g., 44 or H44. The serial number is also unknown. What is known is that she survived the war and was flown to Clark AB in October 1945 and was salvaged/scrapped sometime between 1946 and 1949. Being such a colorful and popular nose art subject someone(s) had to have taken a full photo of her. Thus far in all my research and all me interviews I've been unable to turn anything up, other than other nose art shots. If you have any information please send it to Phil at Replica in Scale. Credit for your assistance will be acknowledged in the book. Thanks in advance. That's simple enough---can anybody help?

And that takes us to the end of today's adventure, so be good to your neighbor and we'll meet again soon.
phil

Get Those Guys Off My Boat, Another Jug or Two, Some Guard Mainstays, And a Couple of SEA Phantoms

The Skyhawk Hits the Big Time

Everybody knows the Douglas TA-4J had a lengthy career with the Navy's Training Command, and everybody knows that TraCom had a dedicated aircraft carrier assigned to it. What a lot of folks might not know is that the "Scooter" occasionally bounced off the Big Boats as well. Rick Morgan was on CV-65 USS Enterprise in September of 1987 and took these fascinating images:

Coming aboard. It's easy to forget how tiny the TA-4J really is until you have something nearby to put the size (or lack of it!) into perspective.This "Scooter" from TW-2 is in position for a textbook-perfect three-wire trap and is absolutely dwarfed by Enterprise's deck. There was good reason for that whole "Bantam Bomber" nickname!  Rick Morgan

Sometimes it's tough to find a parking place even when you aren't at the mall. This assemblage of "Scooters" includes aircraft marked for TW-2, TW-3, and VT-7, and at least one of them carries the legend "MARINES" rather than "NAVY" on the port side of the fin. It's interesting to see the way the Insignia Red under the slats is displayed when said slats are deployed. (On the A-4 the slats were aerodynamic and therefore extended when the aircraft was parked, the A-4Fs of the Blue Angels being the exception to the rule, and that exception being A Story for Another Day.)  Note the different styles and colors of the unit designators on the vertical stabs.  Rick Morgan

Taxiing out. Those TraCom birds were used pretty hard and their paintwork could suffer as a result. This TW-2 bird is a fine example; note the overall condition of her paint and, in particular, the badly-worn and faded paintwork under her starboard slat. The "Scooters" shown in this piece display two distinctly different wing-walk treatments as well; check out that photo of the pack that we ran just above this one for a perfect illustration of what we're talking about.  Rick Morgan

It's been fun, but it's time to go home now! 735 is one of at least two VT-7 aircraft that carries the "MARINES" identifier on the port side of the fin; the starboard side still reads "NAVY" on both aircraft. The Navy Reserves used to do it this way, but it's not all that common in TraCom. Note that, in direct comparision to our previous photo, this aircraft is immaculate and quite possibly just out of the NARF. Fly Navy!  Rick Morgan

Hey, That's Not Gabby's Airplane!

Republic's legendary P-47 Thunderbolt achieved fame and glory in both the Pacific theater and in Europe back during The Big One, but the airplane soldiered on for quite a while afterwards in the Guard and, to a far more limited extent, the regular Air Force. Those airplanes were tired and mostly gone by the time of the Korean Unpleasantness so their combat time was limited to the Second World War and a few skirmishes in Latin America, which means most folks aren't familiar with them in their post-War plummage. Today, thanks to the kindness of Jim Sullivan and Dave Menard, we're going to take a look at some of those almost-forgotten D models.

They're late enough to have their "PE" buzz number appended to the lower wings and fuselage, but other than that we don't know a whole lot about this shot except that it was taken in late 1947 and there are a whole bunch of "Jugs" sitting on that patch of PSP.  Jim Sullivan Collection

Virginia had this unusually configured F-47D on strength after the conversion to the "new" national insignia in 1947. That ADF football on the fuselage spine behind the canopy isn't very common on the "Jug" and really sets this one apart.  Jim Sullivan Collection

The year is now 1948, and here's what a whole bunch of 149th FS Virginia ANG P-47Ds look like when they're all running up at once. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that these aircraft are bereft of the fuselage star and bar, not an uncommon thing on Guard birds of the late 1940s.  Jim Sullivan Collection

New York's 136th FS flew the "Jug" post-War; here we see 44-32669 from that unit sitting placidly on the ramp. There were all sorts of ways to display the "NG" identifier on the Thunderbolt. Here's one of the more creative ones.  Peter Bowers via Menard Collection

Very few people think of Rhode Island when they think of fighter aircraft, but their National Guard flew them briefly after the war. 44-32927 sits on the ramp at Providence in this classic shot; note the squadron badge and presentation of the Rhode Island ANG designator. Menard Collection

New England was apparently a hotbed of fighter activity as far as the Guard was concerned, with large numbers of F-47 and F-51 units concentrated there during the late 40s and early 50s. This gorgeous example is from Massachusett's 131st FS. We're guessing her paintwork is red and white over a natural metal airframe with flat black anti-glare panels, and her markings are simple enough that she could be modeled with no requirement for decals beyond national insignia, letters and numbers. Anybody out there looking for a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary subject to build?  Besecker via Menard Collection

If you frequent any of the various modeling periodicals or internet boards, you'll eventually read where somebody or other is lamenting that it was the F-51 that went to Korea rather than the F-47. It's a little-known fact that some National Guard P-47 units were still around at the outbreak of that particular party, and that at least a couple of them were Federalized as a result of the conflict. 44-32894 belongs to either New Jersey's 141st FS or Virginia's 149th, and it's shown here getting ready to get ready to rumble. The Air Force saw things differently, though, and the somewhat limited supply pipeline for the Thunderbolt plus large numbers of F-51Ds and Ks already in the Far East guaranteed that it was to be the Mustang's war.  Menard Collection

Here's a nose shot of 894. We could argue the point that this airplane belongs in your collection of Korean War models since its parent unit was Federalized for that conflict---there's logic there, and it would definitely be a conversation-starter among knowledgeable modelers! Any takers?  Menard Collection

Republic built a whole bunch of Thunderbolts during the course of just a couple of short years, but in the post-War world there just wasn't any room for a piston-engined fighter, no matter how good it was. A few airplanes of the species had survived both conflict and the passage of time and one lived on to be restored by the factory in honor of the type's 20th birthday in 1961. Here's 44-32691 in all her restoration glory, gleaming in the sunshine. She looks proud, doesn't she?  Menard Collection

This isn't our favorite picture of the "Jug", but it defines how a great many of them ended up. A substantial number of the species survived conflict to be scrapped at the end of the war, while some of those that had served in the Pacific were simply bull-dozed into the ocean. A handful survived in Latin American, and a tiny percentage of P-47s are flying today as Warbirds. The airplane deserved a better fate.  Menard Collection

At some point in the very near future we'll take a look at the post-War P-47N, so hang around. We'll make it worth your while!

And While We're Talkin' About the Guard

We've been traveling down the post-War ANG path quite a bit of late, and there's certainly no reason to stop now! We've mostly covered piston-engined fighters so far, but Mark Nankivil has provided us with a couple of photos of Guard birds that aren't fighters. We think you'll like 'em!

When we were in elementary school (that "we" being Third Person Speak for me, in case you hadn't figured it out yet) the TB-25N was a normal part of life; Sheppard AFB was still operating the type as a trainer and it wasn't at all unusual to look up and see one chugging along overhead. That, plus a featured role for the airplane in the movie No Time for Sergeants, pretty much guarantees that it's a favorite around here, which makes this TB-25N of the Missouri ANG a special treat. Oh yeah, and check out the way the ANG markings are presented on this airframe!  Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

Our next-door-neighbor's sons had this enormous yellow T-6G hanging from their ceiling when your editor was a kid at Sheppard in 1957. That makes it yet another personal favorite, and also means that we really like this photo from Mark's collection. The airplane is pretty typical for an ANG T-6; late-model canopies, an ADF football, and lots of yellow paint. Beauty!  Greater St Louis Air and Space Museum via Mark Nankivil

The Bent-Wing Bug Sucker at War

Since we've been riding that F-4 horse of late, it's only appropriate that we run another shot or two of them today. These are from the collection of Chris Williamson and depict aircraft involved in the latter days of the Vietnam conflict.

There's just something about an F-4D with a towel rack on it that makes us want to reach for the old Monogram F-4C/D kit. Here's a fine reason why; this example is undergoing last-minute maintenance at Udorn during the early 1970s. She belonged to the 435th TFS/8th TFW when the photo was taken, and was very likely involved in the early deployment of "smart" munitions to the theater. The photo is probably a little bit faded and those SEA colors were notoriously prone to fading all by themselves without help from anyone's camera, but this shot provides a great illustration of how paint went south in the field. Camouflage pedantics beware!  Williamson Collection

It's good to be home. The airplane is an early F-4E and is from either the 307th or 308th TFS/31st TFW, and appears to be coming off a combat mission. The year is probably 1972, and she's a well-used Phantom. Have we ever mentioned that we like the F-4?  Williamson Collection

We don't know how you might feel about it, but this airplane is carrying a load full of hurt that we'd just as soon avoid. She was with the 13th TFS/432nd TFW when this photo was taken, and is another LORAN-equipped F-4D. A lot of those towel-racked Delta-models had black bellies and spent more than a little time dropping laser-guided munitions, but this bird is configured for an in-country strike. Check out that emblem on the intake splitter!  Williamson Collection

Happy Snaps

A few weeks ago Doug Barbier, former fighter pilot and photographer extraordinaire, sent us a small series of air-to-air F-16 shots for this section of the blog. Here's the final one in that series for your enjoyment today.

You gotta admit it; Doug Barbier knows his way around a camera. This beautifully-marked "Electric Jet" is from Michigan's 191st TFS and was taken shortly before they gave up the fighter business for good. It was a sad day for all concerned but obviously a wonderful photo op. We miss the 191st, though...  Doug Barbier

The Relief Tube

And here we are again, with another batch of corrections, additions, and comments, which is as good a time as any to ask that our readership feel free to write us regarding same. The address is replicainscale@yahoo.com and we answer our mail. We also welcome contributions as long as they fall within the rather obvious parameters we've set for the project, so please consider contributing photography if you're so inclined!

We're going to start off a little differently than we normally do, with a request for help on a project. If you've got any previously-unpublished pictures of the 58th FG in the Pacific during WW2, would you consider scanning them (at a high resolution, please, since they're intended for print publication rather than electronic) and forwarding them to that now-famous replicainscale@yahoo.com address? Friend of Replica and author Frank Emmett is working on a monograph of the unit and could use a few more photos. Full credit will be given for any images used. And now; back to our never-scheduled corrections and comments!

We were talking about FH-1 Phantoms a couple of issues ago, and made mention of those yellow covers on the nose. Tommy Thomason thought about that for a while and offered this thought:   Looking more closely at those yellow "access panels" on the FH-1 color picture, I'm pretty sure that they are yellow zinc-chromate painted vents, added after delivery to resolve some problem like compartment cooling or gun-gas buildup. They would have come from McDonnell, primed but unpainted, and locally installed. Apparently painting them the exterior color was a low priority. Another example of an unpainted fleet modification is attached, the gun-gas vent on the F9F Panther nose.  T

Here's Tommy's photo of the gun gas vent on an F9F to substantiate the thought that those covers are yellow zinc chromate (Mil-P-8585T). Based on this shot we'd tend to agree.  Thomason Collection

Another one of our readers sent in the following comments regarding the TAF-9 photos we ran last issue. The clanger we dropped on that one was large enough to merit instant correction, but here's Rex's comment on the mistake:  Phil, those "TF-9As" would have been either TAF-9Js if they were single seaters or TF-9Js if they were two seaters, both were based on F9F-8 which became F-9J, or F9F-8B which became AF-9J. Hope this helps!   RexTN  Thanks, Rex! (You just never know what we're going to mis-identify next!)

A further note and some insight on that whole TraCom thing from one who was there is provided by former "Stoof" driver Doug Siegfried:  Phillip, the shots of TraCom were over the top. Great shots of the real oldies. By the way - a correction. In the summer of 1971 the Naval Air training Command was reorganized for the first time since late 1945. TraCom disestablished the Basic and Advanced Training commands and coordinated all flight training through eight new training wings under the single base concept. The new TraWings 1 thru 8 were to be at NAS Meridian, Chase, Kingsville, Corpus, Whiting, Pensacola, Saufley and Glynco. The wings at Glynco and Saufley were disestablished when the two bases closed. There were no Tra Wings in 1964. The squadrons belonged to the base and the the Basic and Advanced Training Commands. Great shots all the way around.  Cheers, Doug  Many thanks, Doug!

Our last F-102 installment included a photo of F-102A 56-1334. Marty Isham and Dave Menard both sent unit IDs on that one, and Dave also added some comments regarding the F-84F factory shot we ran:

Hi, Phil. Two more (corrections) for you! That Deuce 61334 is from the 332nd FIS, who was based at beautiful Thule AB Greenland, not Alaska. I was TDY up there during April, May and June of 1958 and know those hangers well! Also, that factory fresh F-84F was 53-6776, not 56, as there were no F-84s built with a higher FY than 1953. That shortened tail number was a result of some moron in HQ USAF deciding that radio call numbers (the official name for tail numbers) should only be four digits. This meant that many a/c got totally SNAFUed numbers for a year or so til sanity returned. I know of one F-86D 210035 that wound up with 2035 as her number. Will try to dig up some shots of this farce to send along. Oh, yes, the Thunderbird F-84Fs got the four digits only scheme. Since they flew that model in late 55 and then into 1956, that will help ID possible dating for future photos perhaps? Great job on the blog, usual. Cheers, dave 

We'll run that shot of 52-10035 in a minute, but first let's hear from Marty about that "Deuce":  Hi Bud...just a bit of a geography lesson, the 332nd was based at Thule AB, not Alaska, from July 60 to Apr 65, last 5 a/c left to Perrin. Hanger space only allowed 12 a/c. 332nd inactivated on 1 July 1965.  Cheers....Marty
Thanks as always, guys! And here's that F-86D that Dave mentioned:

                                                                                   A. Pendleton via Menard
 

                                                                                             Menard Collection

Look closely at these photos, then read Dave's explanation above. Sometimes it's possible to overthink a problem and come up with a truly goofy solution...  Menard Collection

It's not often we get to see where the airplanes we feature ended up, but reader Kevin Kuhn found one of them on display:  It was with some amazement that I opened the first photo in your selection of Texas Voodoos to see F-101B 57-0308, a Voodoo I've become quite familiar with over the past few years. By some weird twist of fate, she's now the gateguard at Wilmington Airpark (ex-Airborne Airpark) in Wilmington, Ohio. As I go to school just south of Cincinnati, and live in Columbus, I've tried to stop and photograph her whenever I'm traveling between the two cities. Her presence is probably a result of the airport's former status as Clinton County Air Force Base, but I'm at a loss as to why, as I don't think it was ever a fighter base, and the only Voodoos in Ohio that I'm aware of were based in my hometown of Columbus, at Rickenbacker AFB. I've attached a pair of photos of the old lady as she appears today; she's looking a bit rough but she's still a proud bird standing her guard post. They're probably not nearly as interesting as the in-service pictures but if you'd like to publish them go right ahead, just credit me as Kevin Kuhn.

I've only seen one other photo of 308 while in service, found here: http://www.airfighters.com/photo/39499/L/USA-Air-Force/McDonnell-F-101B-Voodoo/57-0308/
To be honest I'd never expected to find any photo of her while in service, let alone two. If you happen to come across any photos of F-86H 53-1528 while still in service please let me know, as she's another airframe I've got some connection to. I'm a big fan of your blog-only discovered it recently but the wealth of photographic information contained in it is astounding. Enjoy the photos, and keep up the good work!  Kevin Kuhn  Thanks, Kevin, both for your kind words and for the photos!

She looked a lot better when she was in active service, but at least 308 ended up with a home that didn't include incorporation into a set of cookware. Many thanks to Kevin for providing these photos. (And if any of our readers have a photo of F-86H 53-1528 in their collections, please consider forwarding it to us at replicainscale@yahoo.com . Kevin would enjoy it and we'd like to see it too!)  Both photos by Kevin Kuhn

As a final note, we don't do much with aircraft of the Second World War around here, but we've recently been offered some extremely interesting images that we think you'll all enjoy. We'll begin looking at a few of them next issue but until then, be good to your neighbor. We'll meet again soon.
phil