|
The F-86/ Mark 6 Sabre Canadian
The classic F86 Canadian Sabre jet fighter aircraft first flew in prototype form in October 1947. It might have been the first jet to break the sound barrier in a dive.
When the Korean peninsula troubles began in 1950 the North American, Inc. produced USAF Sabre jet was to become the major air superiority fighter to dominant the skies. In this conflict the F86 was pitted largely against the excellent Russian Mig 15 single engine jet. The Mig 15 was a tough adversary, both fast and with a heavy cannon in the nose. Sabres however managed to dominate the aircraft with a reported 11:1 victory ratio.
The aircraft on display is a Canadian, Inc. Canadian/ Mark 6 Sabre under license from the United States.
The MiG 21
The MiG 21 was the most built jet ever. Fast, small, agile dependable and above all simple, it could be turned out in prodigious numbers, and was. It has flown in more wars than any other airplane in the world. An estimated 10,000 (some sources state as much as 13,000 copies) of them have been produced by the Soviet Union, it's allies and China.
First introduced in service with the Soviet Air Force in 1959, it continued front line service for more than 30 years. The MiG-21 proved itself over and over as a formidable dogfighter against the heavier American fighters which was another reason for the success of the MiG-21. It has a maximum speed 2.1 MACH or 1,385 mph. Its easy maintenance, rough field capabilities, and safe flight characteristic made it the one of the most successful jet fighter aircraft of all times. The MiG 21 on display is identical to the plane General Stafford flew in Area 51 during the height of the cold war.
T-38 Talon
The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a variety of roles because of its design, economy of operations, ease of maintenance, high performance and exceptional safety record.
The T-38 has slightly swept wings, a streamlined fuselage and tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel. Two independent hydraulic systems power the ailerons, rudder and other flight control surfaces.The T-38 requires a short distance runway to take off and can climb from sea level to nearly 30,000 feet in one minute.
Test pilots and flight test engineers are trained in T-38s at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. As a captain, General Stafford was the USAF Test Pilot School Program manager who wrote the flight and academic curriculum for the T-38 curriculum.
On February 19, 1962, General Walter Daniel(from Oklahoma) in the T-38A set four climb records at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
SR-71 Blackbird
The SR-71 project began in February of 1963. On December 22, 1964 the first flight of the SR-71 took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The Predecessor was the A-12.
This jet holds a crew of 2. The wing span is 55 ft and 7inches. On July 28, 1976 it broke the world record in its class for absolute speed and absolute altitude. It reached a maximum speed of 3.2 Mach or 2,200 mph at 80,000 ft. Also, has a climb rate 11,890 ft/min. The SR- 71 remained the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career.
In the 1970's the aircraft had its first retirement.It was reactivated in 1993. It was retired again and for the final time in 1998.
Pictured is a 1:6 scale model located in the lobby of the museum.
F16B Fighter Jet
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. In an air combat role, the F-16's maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceeded that of all potential threat fighter aircraft. With a full load of internal fuel, the F-16 can withstand up to nine G's!
The cockpit and its bubble canopy give the pilot unobstructed forward and upward vision, and greatly improved vision over the side and to the rear. The seat-back angle was expanded from the usual 13 degrees to 30 degrees, increasing pilot comfort and gravity force tolerance. The pilot has excellent flight control of the F-16 through its "fly-by-wire" system. Electrical wires relay commands, replacing the usual cables and linkage controls. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the F-16 has been a major component of the combat forces committed to the Global War on Terrorism flying thousands of sorties in support of operations Noble Eagle (Homeland Defense), Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom.
Back to Exhibit Page
|