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Post by dude on Feb 21, 2012 10:57:20 GMT 9
Got back this eve from a four day jaunt down to Hampton/Newport News and Langley AFB. For all you ex-48th FIS personnel I've got some disturbing news (at least to me). THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT THE 48TH FIS OR EVEN AN F-106 WAS EVER THERE. It started badly when we entered the LaSalle gate and the first jet on a stick that greeted us was an F-4E. To my knowledge and recollection this plane was never assigned to Langley...but of course it belonged to TAC/ACC. As we drove in further we came next to a B-52. Langley never had those either...but they belonged to TAC/ACC. Finally, we came to the circle with 5 birds on sticks in the median; F-16, F-80, F-15 and T-33...but no Six. At this point I'm thinking, "They kept the @#$@ T-Bird, but couldn't find a place for a Six???" From there we drove slowly up flightline drive. Couldn't see any 22's. They were all in their little barns. Went past the F-15 sim building and started looking for the old 48th area. As best I could tell there was nothing left; no hangar, no ops building, no job control, no missile shop, no avionics building...nothing. The only thing remaining that looked like it may have belonged to us was the alert barns on the other side of the runway. I guess that's the price you pay for being a tennant from one command based at the HQ of another command. :thumbsdown
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Post by steve201 (deceased) on Feb 21, 2012 12:21:29 GMT 9
I think the only F106B model available now is at the air and space museum in hampton ....it's the one langley research did on lightning strikes...
Steve
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Post by Mark O on Feb 21, 2012 12:37:49 GMT 9
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Post by dude on Feb 22, 2012 0:31:16 GMT 9
Yep seen the B-model down in the museum. They would take it up, let lightening hit it and call it science. Doesn't even look like a production bird. If I recall, it wasn't painted except in front of the windscreen and tail number. Just polished aluminum. Picture above looks to me more like a Deuce than a Six. It just burned me that Langley would turn their back on a plane that was as much a part of their heritage as any other. But then again those F-15 troops in First Fighter were always a bit jealous of the 48th, especially the avionics troops. :tailed-devil
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Post by dude on Feb 22, 2012 0:32:54 GMT 9
Correction. Looked at the picture again. It's a Six. :
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Post by Mark O on Feb 22, 2012 12:25:33 GMT 9
Correction. Looked at the picture again. It's a Six. No problem at all sir! That was my "artsy" photo of the F-106B (57-2533) at Kelly. I visit her every time I make a trip to San Antonio! Erv put up some of my photos on his page some time ago. convairf106deltadart.homestead.com/kellydisplaypage.htmlWhen I took the photo that I posted above, it was while I was taking pics of the F-15A they also have on display at Kelly. I looked back, saw that view of the Six, and just had to take the photo! It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! Mark
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Post by dude on Feb 22, 2012 23:32:30 GMT 9
Correction. Looked at the picture again. It's a Six. No problem at all sir! That was my "artsy" photo of the F-106B (57-2533) at Kelly. I visit her every time I make a trip to San Antonio! Erv put up some of my photos on his page some time ago. convairf106deltadart.homestead.com/kellydisplaypage.htmlWhen I took the photo that I posted above, it was while I was taking pics of the F-15A they also have on display at Kelly. I looked back, saw that view of the Six, and just had to take the photo! It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! Mark Nice! May be just my bias, but I think that delta wing makes for an awesome display. :thumbsup
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bobdavis
F-106 Qualified
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Posts: 53
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Joined: December 2009
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Post by bobdavis on Feb 28, 2012 2:09:58 GMT 9
Dude, interesting report on Langley, thanks. My wife and I made a long drive from Texas up that way last year in September. We ran short on time and did not get a chance to visit Langley. We did however, spend the night in Norfolk on the way up to Nazareth, PA. We ran up to Hampton and went to Buckroe Beach, where she and I met 37 years ago. We hardly recognized it. Used to be an amusement park there, and you could "cruise the strip". Now it is all blocked off. The old cottages torn down, etc. The times they are a changin.
At one time a few years back there was a website specifically for the 48th. They had some reunions etc.
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Post by dude on Mar 1, 2012 1:06:42 GMT 9
Dude, interesting report on Langley, thanks. My wife and I made a long drive from Texas up that way last year in September. We ran short on time and did not get a chance to visit Langley. We did however, spend the night in Norfolk on the way up to Nazareth, PA. We ran up to Hampton and went to Buckroe Beach, where she and I met 37 years ago. We hardly recognized it. Used to be an amusement park there, and you could "cruise the strip". Now it is all blocked off. The old cottages torn down, etc. The times they are a changin. At one time a few years back there was a website specifically for the 48th. They had some reunions etc. Woa Bob..you so ain't gonna believe this. We also drove down to Buckroe Beach because it was where the wife and I first met...37 years ago. (Was it something in the water?) Even found the two old houses on Kensington and Oakcrest that I lived in down there. That part hasn't changed at all. Finally, we went past the bowling alley where we hung out on our first date...and she reminded me that I wouldn't share my coke with her. Bought her own instead (big spender). 37 years and she remembers that? FYI. Last 48ther I met face-to-face was about 7 or 8 years ago down at Langley. Do you remember the Chief of Maintenance's secretary named Walda?
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bobdavis
F-106 Qualified
Currently: Offline
Posts: 53
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Joined: December 2009
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Post by bobdavis on Mar 2, 2012 8:19:48 GMT 9
We ran up to Hampton and went to Buckroe Beach, where she and I met 37 years ago. We hardly recognized it. Used to be an amusement park there, and you could "cruise the strip". Now it is all blocked off. The old cottages torn down, etc. The times they are a changin. Woa Bob..you so ain't gonna believe this. We also drove down to Buckroe Beach because it was where the wife and I first met...37 years ago. (Was it something in the water?) Even found the two old houses on Kensington and Oakcrest that I lived in down there. That part hasn't changed at all. Finally, we went past the bowling alley where we hung out on our first date...and she reminded me that I wouldn't share my coke with her. Bought her own instead (big spender). 37 years and she remembers that? FYI. Last 48ther I met face-to-face was about 7 or 8 years ago down at Langley. Do you remember the Chief of Maintenance's secretary named Walda? No kidding! That is quite a coincidence! We got married in September of 74. I took her back home to Moscow, Pa where my folks lived and then to Jermyn where my uncle was a Methodist minister. He married us, it was a small wedding. But seems to have worked since we are still married to this day. I remember the bowling alley, and there was a small sub shop there called Annas I think that made the best Italian subs I have ever had. Well, Jersey Mikes here in Dallas comes close. I remember the pretty blonde that was Col. Mathis's secretary and someone told me a story about her before here, it may have been you? I worked for a few months in Maintenance Control. Do you recall when one of the Engine shop guys had a few too many one night and fired off a few .22 rounds in the hangar? I remember his name. haha
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Post by dude on Mar 3, 2012 12:15:26 GMT 9
Woa Bob..you so ain't gonna believe this. We also drove down to Buckroe Beach because it was where the wife and I first met...37 years ago. (Was it something in the water?) Even found the two old houses on Kensington and Oakcrest that I lived in down there. That part hasn't changed at all. Finally, we went past the bowling alley where we hung out on our first date...and she reminded me that I wouldn't share my coke with her. Bought her own instead (big spender). 37 years and she remembers that? FYI. Last 48ther I met face-to-face was about 7 or 8 years ago down at Langley. Do you remember the Chief of Maintenance's secretary named Walda? No kidding! That is quite a coincidence! We got married in September of 74. I took her back home to Moscow, Pa where my folks lived and then to Jermyn where my uncle was a Methodist minister. He married us, it was a small wedding. But seems to have worked since we are still married to this day. I remember the bowling alley, and there was a small sub shop there called Annas I think that made the best Italian subs I have ever had. Well, Jersey Mikes here in Dallas comes close. I remember the pretty blonde that was Col. Mathis's secretary and someone told me a story about her before here, it may have been you? I worked for a few months in Maintenance Control. Do you recall when one of the Engine shop guys had a few too many one night and fired off a few .22 rounds in the hangar? I remember his name. haha We did the deed in Mar 75 right there with a JP in Newport News. I won her over on a big night out at the Blue Hawaii in the Mercury Mall (I think that was the name). Anyway one flaming volcano and she was mine. :clap Roger that on Annas. When the squadron disbanded the secretary went over to TAC and eventually became a Contracting Officer. She had all the training contracts for ACC when she retired about 5 years ago. That's the last I saw of her. I first got to the squadron in fall of '73 and was put on the MA-1 FDT swing shift. Worked that about a year and went and asked to be taken off the shift (no night life). So they put me in Maintenance Control on mid shift where I stayed for almost two years. That's where I came to appreciate the one-way mirror on the door that enabled you to look across the hall and admire you know who sitting at her desk. Can't say I remember the 22 incident, but wouldn't doubt it.
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bobdavis
F-106 Qualified
Currently: Offline
Posts: 53
Location:
Joined: December 2009
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Post by bobdavis on Mar 3, 2012 13:15:02 GMT 9
I first got to the squadron in fall of '73 and was put on the MA-1 FDT swing shift. Worked that about a year and went and asked to be taken off the shift (no night life). So they put me in Maintenance Control on mid shift where I stayed for almost two years. That's where I came to appreciate the one-way mirror on the door that enabled you to look across the hall and admire you know who sitting at her desk. Can't say I remember the 22 incident, but wouldn't doubt it. We must have talked at some time there. I was in the Electric Shop, got there in late May of 73. Msgt. Chester Wells was the shop chief at the time. After a year I worked "graves" for a few months. Used to get off work in the morning, grab some breakfast at the chow hall and head out to the beach. Then back to the barracks for some sleep, and then to the chow hall at night before work at midnight. I didn't like graves, it was hard to adapt then on the weekends. After a few years, I ended up in Maintenance control for a few months. At the time Gene Karsay and Bob Sorrentino were in there. I worked with them. Those two were some quick witted fun guys to work with. Sorrentino could have done stand up comedy. John Kilian too. (think it was john, we called him Kilian). I preferred the flight line actually. I finally got orders to Tyndall in the fall of 78. There was a good friend of mine named Harry Schwarzkopf from Florida that ended up working in maintenance control too. Wonder where he ended up? So many memories.....getting late.
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Post by dude on Mar 5, 2012 5:34:19 GMT 9
I first got to the squadron in fall of '73 and was put on the MA-1 FDT swing shift. Worked that about a year and went and asked to be taken off the shift (no night life). So they put me in Maintenance Control on mid shift where I stayed for almost two years. That's where I came to appreciate the one-way mirror on the door that enabled you to look across the hall and admire you know who sitting at her desk. Can't say I remember the 22 incident, but wouldn't doubt it. We must have talked at some time there. I was in the Electric Shop, got there in late May of 73. Msgt. Chester Wells was the shop chief at the time. After a year I worked "graves" for a few months. Used to get off work in the morning, grab some breakfast at the chow hall and head out to the beach. Then back to the barracks for some sleep, and then to the chow hall at night before work at midnight. I didn't like graves, it was hard to adapt then on the weekends. After a few years, I ended up in Maintenance control for a few months. At the time Gene Karsay and Bob Sorrentino were in there. I worked with them. Those two were some quick witted fun guys to work with. Sorrentino could have done stand up comedy. John Kilian too. (think it was john, we called him Kilian). I preferred the flight line actually. I finally got orders to Tyndall in the fall of 78. There was a good friend of mine named Harry Schwarzkopf from Florida that ended up working in maintenance control too. Wonder where he ended up? So many memories.....getting late. No doubt we crossed paths somewhere. I worked with Karsay and remember Killian. Karsay stayed in the area when he retired, but cancer got him not long after. I was in MC during the change over from Windrath to Gomez and then Burns. Remember that cluster? At that time I was the only one in the squadron that had been through the new MC school at Chanute. So on the ORI retake the MC NCOIC (Reddington) pulled me back off leave to work the dayshift. It literally took an act of Congress to get me back on the line and dayshift where I wanted to be (long story) working MA-1 Red Ball. Was down at Tyndal with the squadron in '78 as the avionics crewchief for 122. Two of my close friends in MA-1 went on to work at the Johnson Space Center; one in simulators and the other in facility engineering. I went to work for a defense contractor in Baltimore.
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