Super Saber's

[Groundpounder]

If you look at the picture below, it looks like this F-100C is still in flying condition. Does the USAF still fly them in some role?

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/786491/M/

 

[bocefus]

Negative, the USAF has not flown these dogs for years. Tracor/Flight Systems has been operating them for some time as test/chase aircraft along with an assortment of F-86-T-33 and the occasional F-4.

 

[Weasel Keeper]

That picture is from Mojave in SoCal. I'm pretty sure most aircraft that are there are still flyable...although not likely for the USAF. I believe they are the same folks who do some of the drone conversions for the F-4s.

There's actually a guy here in FWA who owns a Hun and flies it every once in awhile. Not sure if it's the same guy, but there are also a privately owned F-86, T-38, F-5, and used to be a P-51 but it's gone now.

 

[mzaharis]

One is also being used as the chase aircraft for the Sino-Swearingen SJ-30 flight testing.

http://www.sj30jet.com/news/News%20Releases/2004/nrspeedtest1.jpg

Edit - don't know the exact version - isn't the 2-seater an F-100F?

Another edit - apparently, this is one of Flight System's aircraft.

http://www.sj30jet.com/news/News%20Releases/2004/nrspeedtest2smaller.jpg

 

[bocefus]

Yep, the hun in this photo is a Tracor/Flight systems bird. Note the "N" number on the tail. I would bet that the one in groundpounder's post is a parts bird, you can see that it is parked on the FlightSystems ramp. Rockwell used to lease Chuck Thornton's T-38 to use as a chase plane when doing the initial flight tests of the B-1. It is immaculate!

 

[Nalo Boy]

I think they keep a bunch of old working jets at the test pilot school at edwards. anybody know about that?

 

[bocefus]

No F-100s are operated by the USAF

 

[Ill Mitch]

It is BAE/Flight Systems....Tracor hasn't been around in ages.
They are or already have sold off the F-100's (they were replaced by A-4's for the contract in Germany).

 

[Weasel Keeper]

Going off topic just a bit...

Rockwell used to lease Chuck Thornton's T-38 to use as a chase plane when doing the initial flight tests of the B-1. It is immaculate!

I was stationed at George AFB, CA in the late 80s and would see the "new" B-1 doing touch n go's quite often. Edwards wasn't too far away so they'd use our base at times. Most of the time I saw a sweet old F-106 flying chase with it. It was pretty cool since they were retired from AD for awhile and I hadn't seen them in years.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled discussion...

 

[bocefus]

Staying off topic, you must have seen that after the contractor flight testing was completed and they were turned over to the AF, during that time frame, the -106s were all guard and reserve, I don't believe there has ever been a civil one.

 

[Weasel Keeper]

Rgr that Bocefus, they were almost finished with testing I believe when they were buzzing our base.

 

[Huggyu2]

Edwards does not have a fleet of old aircraft: they entice private owners of unique aircraft to come out to Edwards so that the TPS students can fly the aircraft for their TPS syllabus. Folks bring out Pitts, T-33, L-39, Iskra, MiG's, etc...
BTW Nalo Boy: dump that avatar, and get something decent!

 

[bocefus]

Nalo boy wants to drive my fcuk truck around!