F-105s at San Antonio, Lackland AFB

[sstearns2]

I think greenemeyer's F-104 still holds the low level record, about 988 mph. The F-4 came close.

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wRB.htm

Scott

 

[Spooky 2]

Anybody know which one was the fastest (not counting the A-11/SR-71)? How about fastest at low level? Thud, Starfighter, Hustler, Aardvark...?

I do believe that the F105 holds that distinction. I have friend that said when you were down at real low level and hauling ass the vapors would start moving aft to forward around the canopy and at times would block your vision for a nano scond. This was in Vietnam and of course the humidity was extreme. This same fellow spent five + years as a POW as a result of being shot down in his F105.

On a similar note, The flying Heritage Museum in Washington has two F105 Wild Weasles in storage that could concieveably be put back into airworthy condition a some future date.

 

[Spooky 2]

I think greenemeyer's F-104 still holds the low level record, about 988 mph. The F-4 came close.

http://www.916-starfighter.de/Large/Stars/wRB.htm

Scott

Perhaps true but I don't think you could call Greenameyers F104 even close to an operational aircraft. Fast...yes, stock..no!

 

[414Flyer]

Anybody know which one was the fastest (not counting the A-11/SR-71)? How about fastest at low level? Thud, Starfighter, Hustler, Aardvark...?

Based on some speeds a Vark friend of mine did at low level over Oman, I am going to say the F-111.

USAF, RAF and Omani used to do some ridiculously low flying out there.

 

[tomgoodman]

Fast, far, and with a payload

Not bad for an old design---

In late 1960, the USAF decided to publicize the capabilities of its new B-58s by capturing a series of aviation records. The first of these was a project known as Quick Step I in which 59-2442 of the 43rd BW set three new speed-with-payload records (0, 1000 and 2000 kilogram payloads) by flying at a speed of 1061 mph over a closed circuit 2000-kilometer course on January 12, 1961. On the same flight, the crew also set a 1000-kilometer record by flying at an average speed of 1200.19 mph. The closed circuit and 2000-kg records still stand.
On January 14, 59-2441 set three international speed-with payloads by flying at a speed of 1284.73 mph over a 1000-km closed circuit. The crew of 59-2441 (Lt. Col. Harold Confer, Lt. Col. Richard Weir, and Major Howard Bialas) were awarded the 1961 Thompson Trophy for this feat.
On May 10, 1961, 59-2451 crewed by Major Elmer Murphy, Major Eugene Moses and Lt. David Dickerson, flew a 1073-kilometer closed course at an average speed of 1302.07 mph, taking 30 minutes and 43 seconds to complete the course. This won the Bleriot Trophy, which had been established back in 1930 by the famous French aviator M. Louis Bleriot to be awarded permanently to any aircraft flying for at least a half-hour at an average speed of 2000 km/hr (1242.74 mph).
On May 26, 1961, 59-2451, crewed by Maj. William Payne, Capt. William Polhemus, and Capt. Raymond Wagener, while enroute to the 1961 Paris Air Show, set a New York-to-Paris speed record, covering the 3626.46 mile route in 3 hours 19 minutes 58 seconds (an average speed of 1089.36 mph. The flight also set a Washington DC to Paris (3833.4 miles) speed record of 3 hours 39 minutes 48 seconds (average speed of 1048.68 mph). The crew was later awarded the prestigious Mackay and Harmon Trophies for this flight. Sadly, the return flight crew, consisting of Maj. Elmer Murphy, Major Eugene Moses, and Lt. David Dickerson (the same crew who had won the Bleriot Trophy two weeks earlier) were killed when 59-2451 crashed on June 3 following departure from Le Bourget Field.
Further records were set on March 5, 1962, when 59-2458 crewed by Capt. Robert Sowers, Capt. Robert Macdonald, and Capt John Walton set a trascontinental speed record by flying nonstop from Los Angeles to New York and back again. The first leg (Los Angeles to New York) was completed in 2 hours 0 minutes 56.8 seconds at an average speed of 1214.71 mph. The return leg was completed in 2 hours 15 minutes 48.6 seconds, at an average speed of 1081.77 mph. This return flight was particularly notable, because it was the first transcontinental flight in history that moved across the country at at a speed faster than the rotational speed of the earth.
On September 18, 1962, 59-2456, with a crew consisting of Major Fitzhugh Fulton, Captain W. R. Payne, and civilian flight test engineer C. R. Haines was used to set two more records. During a zoom climb over Edwards AFB, the aircraft reached an altitude of 85,360.84 feet while carrying a payload of 5000 kg, winning the crew the 1962 Harmon trophy. This broke two previous Soviet-held records. On October 16, 1962, 61-2059 crewed by Major Sidney Kubesch, Major John Barrett and Captain Gerard Williamson, flew supersonically from Tokyo to London, spending five hours at supersonic speed. The flight set five world absolute records.

Sources:

1. American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner, Doubleday, 1982.
2. Post World War II Bombers, Marcelle Size Knaack, Office of Air Force History, 1988.
3. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
4. Convair B-58 Hustler: The World's First Supersonic Bomber, Jay Miller, Aerofax, 1997.

 

[414Flyer]

B-58s hold the ignamonious record of crashing twice at Paris Air Shows.

 

[pkober]

I do believe that the F105 holds that distinction. I have friend that said when you were down at real low level and hauling ass the vapors would start moving aft to forward around the canopy and at times would block your vision for a nano scond. This was in Vietnam and of course the humidity was extreme. This same fellow spent five + years as a POW as a result of being shot down in his F105.

On a similar note, The flying Heritage Museum in Washington has two F105 Wild Weasles in storage that could concieveably be put back into airworthy condition a some future date.

He wasn't Larry Guirreno (sp) was he? I am currently reading his book. All those guys are true heroes. It put's McCain in a class by himself that neither of the two Dems can match. Sorry for the politics.

 

[Mud Eagle]

Here are some photos I took of the F-105s in 2005. They were being used at the SP school to teach flightline security.

Since then, several of them have been shipped off to other locations, with at least one of them ending up in front of a VFW post.

 

[Spooky 2]

He wasn't Larry Guirreno (sp) was he? I am currently reading his book. All those guys are true heroes. It put's McCain in a class by himself that neither of the two Dems can match. Sorry for the politics.

No it was Bob Stirm. A photo of Bob getting off the C141 at Travis won a Pulitzer Prize that year. The photo shows his daughter leaping into his arms with obvious glee at the return of here father. You can Google it fairly easy I suspect.

 

[jbDC9]

Here are some photos I took of the F-105s in 2005. They were being used at the SP school to teach flightline security.

Since then, several of them have been shipped off to other locations, with at least one of them ending up in front of a VFW post.

Cool pics Mud; so I guess the caption on the A.net pic was correct regarding security training... just seemed like a strange use for a Thud lineup.