papanovember
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Post by papanovember on Aug 5, 2012 7:25:00 GMT 9
As I was born in 1962, my earliest memories of "fighter" jets in Fresno were the old F-102's. That memory, however is VERY faint. The memories etched in my mind from my childhood were of the sleek F-106's that flew in and out of Fresno 3X a day for as long as I can remember. My friend Brian and I just absolutely loved those old birds. I remember even buying a Radio Shack scanner just to listen to the pilots talk on the radio. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the pilots transmitted on UHF - while my receiver only received VHF. Nonetheless, I could listen to the tower side of all the calls. Oh yeah, I still recall the "Janis 7 departure, hondo or kite transition" to the warning area 285 off the coast of California. How I remember all this nearly 30 years later just goes to show how etched in my memory all of this is. I also recall riding my bike out to the airport one slazy winter morning with my dad. As we were peering through the fence at the ANG base (yes - you could do that back then) a gentleman in a flight suit approached us from inside the base. He asked what we were doing - and then proceeded to ask us if we'd like to come on base for a short tour. I think we were on the other side of that fence within seconds. Captain Jim McNabb (I think his name was) was the kind officer who graciously took the time to show us the 106's, the T-33's, and even a B-57 from Vermont that was in town. We saw the flight planning room. I remember being excited to finally see where "Hondo" and "Kite" actually were on a map. Good times and great childhood memories. So - if we have any retired 144th wing folks on here - here's a big shout out to you all. The 106's came and went - along with the F-4's, and soon the F-16's (to be replaced with F-15's). But to this day, everytime I see a pair of F-16's launch from the ANG base - I still expect to see that triangular shape of the F-106's. Thanks again to all of you!!!!!
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Jim Scanlon (deceased)
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FORUM CHAPLAIN
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Post by Jim Scanlon (deceased) on Aug 5, 2012 8:13:13 GMT 9
:2thumbsup
Thank you papanovember, for sharing some of your childhood memories of the Six with us.
After seeing my first F-80s in 1946, I still look up when I hear a jet.
I was looking up before then, as I grew up with the legends of Lindy, Post, and Corrigan, then the WW2 pilots. So, when I heard a plane, I looked up, and 70 or more years later, I still do.
Thanks for the memories.
Jim Too
:god_bless_usa
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Post by shadowgunner on Aug 5, 2012 8:27:21 GMT 9
My dad was career AF. While he was stationed at Hamilton AFB in the late fifties, I used to walk to elementary school. Many mornings I was treated to a pair of F-104's taking off and going vertical, followed by a double boom. 20+ years later I was stationed at the same Hamilton AFB, enjoying "my F-106's" launching and heading out, without the sonic booms however. Used to love the sunset scrambles, when we launched the 2 alert birds. :clap
:fire_missle_ani
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Post by Jim on Aug 5, 2012 8:57:24 GMT 9
Neat story and a treasure of a memory... Welcome into our hangar and onto our flight line.... The Old Sarge
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MOW
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Post by MOW on Aug 5, 2012 10:53:21 GMT 9
Great stories papanovember :salute thanks for sharing your memories.
The 144th took over our 318th Det 1 Castle Alert duties for several months during the Six-Eagle transition. I was one of the two Alert Crew Chiefs 0n duty on 30 Dec 1983 last day of the F-106 Alert duty at Det-1 Castle AFB, CA. SSgt Larry Mogavero [Mo] and I launched out the last 2 F-106's to sit alert there on that day, 2 144th jets which went back home to Fresno.
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Post by Gene on Aug 5, 2012 10:58:56 GMT 9
i grew up with f 86's and voodoo's at charleston in the '50's into 61... iv got a 444 FIS patch laying around somewhere... hickam afb in the early 60's... C 124's and WB 50's... and finally in 64 i was at mcchord... the dart was king... in '74 i started working at mcchord and watched the "6" until the early 80's when the eagle took over...
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Aug 5, 2012 13:05:43 GMT 9
The photo is my daughter in the fall of 1982 at McChord AFB, WA. She and a F-106 pilot exchanged waves. My first view of F-106's was in the 1960's on a drive from Syracuse, NY to our farms in PA. Some where miles south of Syracuse on I-81 I saw a flight of four F-106's fly over. My Dad missed them as he was driving. During my 24 year USAF career I worked on the F-106's while assigned to the 318th FIS at McChord. I took an assignment to West Germany in 1978 and returned to McChord in 1982 was assigned to MAC. I still got to see the F-106's fly until the F-15's replaced them. Attachments:
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Post by LBer1568 on Aug 5, 2012 23:03:28 GMT 9
Bullhunter, what shop were you assigned to in 62MAW at McChord? I was there from August 1980 - Jun 1983 and was assigned to 62 AMS as and Deputy branch Chief for both C-130 and C-141 Sims and Chief of the C-130 Flight Simulators. We had an older Analog C-130 and transitioned to a new digital sim with visual. I was Liason for Wright Patt Flight Sim SPO and with Army Corps for building new facility to house new C-130. I loved it up there.
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Aug 6, 2012 2:45:28 GMT 9
LBer, When I arrived at McChord in late 1982 I was assigned to the C-130 Engine Shop. When the C-130 Sq was deactivated I went to Maintenance Supervision. retired in August 1995.
My Daughter completed Basic & tech school in 1999 and assigned to McChord working jet engines on the C-17.
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Post by Mark O on Aug 7, 2012 13:57:01 GMT 9
I've posted this photo of me sitting in the cockpit of 56-0466 a few times, but this seems to be an appropriate thread to show it again. This was in late, 1982. (Gary & Lorin? How did we miss each other?!) I was out of high school -- still in the Civil Air Patrol -- and waiting to leave for US Army basic training. I went out to visit a buddy of mine that lived just south of Olympia, WA, and we went out to McChord one day. Of course we wore our CAP uniforms with the intention of visiting the 318th. Well, it worked out pretty good! We got to ride out onto the flight line, we watched a launch, and eventually went into one of the hangers and got to see this aircraft, and got a tour! What a thrill!! Ya see, I was a Washington state "east-sider", and didn't get many opportunities to get out to McChord. Oh, I made plenty of trips to Fairchild AFB just outside of Spokane, but our family could only afford to send one of me or my two brothers (all in CAP) to McChord for the state CAP encampment, and I let my younger brother go. When I finally got my chance I took advantage of it!! Anyway, even for an 18-year old kid, this was super cool!! The best trip I ever made to a base at the time. MUCH better than the tours I got to take of BUFFs, and KC-135s at Fairchild. ( "KC-135s??!! Those are boring!!" Little did I know in 1980, 1981, 1982 that I would be turning wrenches, get engine run certified, doing IPIs, and be a flying crew chief on them some 20 years or so later!!) So, this is a Six fan forever, and a real '135 guy 30 years ago... P.S. Oh yea, I know a bit about Herks too. Never would have figured I'd eventually fly combat in those when that photo was taken!!
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Aug 7, 2012 15:16:24 GMT 9
Mark, in 1982 I came back from Sembach AB, Germany and the USAF put me in MAC. Wouldn't let me go back to ADC. That is how we missed each other.
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Post by LBer1568 on Aug 8, 2012 2:34:41 GMT 9
Mark, You should have taken a tour of the Flight Simulators. I was also in MAC, but visited friends in 318th often. It was a fond memory looking over F-106's while i was at mcChord. I interfaced with MA-1 shop a few times, but mostly went to Simulator. I never saw any of the folks who were with me in 1968 at Osan when I was assigned to 318th. But wait that was from 1968 til 1980-83 so I guess many had departed, retired etc. The nice thing about being on C-130 was we actually got to go fly with our Simulator Instructors and see real time what they did. Of all my assignments I think McChord was our favorite. So many things to do and see. Even with the wet climate. But having been at RAF Upper Heyford for 6 years, then Spandahlem for 2 years prior to McChord, the weather didn't phase us.
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jimstarling
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Post by jimstarling on Aug 17, 2012 5:15:27 GMT 9
As I was born in 1962, my earliest memories of "fighter" jets in Fresno were the old F-102's. That memory, however is VERY faint. The memories etched in my mind from my childhood were of the sleek F-106's that flew in and out of Fresno 3X a day for as long as I can remember. ..... Good times and great childhood memories. So - if we have any retired 144th wing folks on here - here's a big shout out to you all. The 106's came and went - along with the F-4's, and soon the F-16's (to be replaced with F-15's). But to this day, everytime I see a pair of F-16's launch from the ANG base - I still expect to see that triangular shape of the F-106's. Thanks again to all of you!!!!! I lived right by the airport on Sierra Vista and I remember F-86D's taking off almost every evening. My first air show. First time seeing a Mustang. First time seeing the Blue Angels. Then it was F-102's. And then we moved. I got back to Fresno a couple of times and saw the Delta Darts in that great Calif. flag scheme (best fighter colors ever on my favorite fighter). Too bad they dropped it. I wonder why the 194th did away with it? You're right, papanovember. good times.
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papanovember
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Post by papanovember on Sept 27, 2012 12:44:00 GMT 9
If anyone is interested - I just found some of my old notes I jotted down when I was a wee teenager. The Castle AFB F-106 callsign used was AH - Alfa Hotel. This was the callsign used during the 80's, anyway.
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Post by Diamondback on Sept 27, 2012 15:17:19 GMT 9
A handful of dim memories of seeing 318th Sixes on the ramp and flying in the very early '80s (I was 2 or 3) when hitting the Commissary and BX with my grandparents here. They're distant, and fuzzy, but when you consider that there's a catastrophic nervous breakdown with severe amnesia in between and closer to then than now, the fact that anything survived at all says something.
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Post by LBer1568 on Sept 27, 2012 23:43:03 GMT 9
I grew up in farming community SE of Columbus OH. A lot of my early days with AF were with my Uncle. He flew ADC in mid fifties (F94/F102/F101) until 67 when he deployed to Vietnam as RC-101 pilot. Then back to ADC flying B57 targets. As far as seeing Airplanes on regular basis it would have been the B47's from Lockbourne AFB as well as their KC97/KC135. But my early AF days on MA-1 (63-71)would have been early days for many of our friends here on F-106 site.
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camara
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Post by camara on Mar 22, 2020 5:54:59 GMT 9
As I was born in 1962, my earliest memories of "fighter" jets in Fresno were the old F-102's. That memory, however is VERY faint. The memories etched in my mind from my childhood were of the sleek F-106's that flew in and out of Fresno 3X a day for as long as I can remember. My friend Brian and I just absolutely loved those old birds. I remember even buying a Radio Shack scanner just to listen to the pilots talk on the radio. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the pilots transmitted on UHF - while my receiver only received VHF. Nonetheless, I could listen to the tower side of all the calls. Oh yeah, I still recall the "Janis 7 departure, hondo or kite transition" to the warning area 285 off the coast of California. How I remember all this nearly 30 years later just goes to show how etched in my memory all of this is. I also recall riding my bike out to the airport one slazy winter morning with my dad. As we were peering through the fence at the ANG base (yes - you could do that back then) a gentleman in a flight suit approached us from inside the base. He asked what we were doing - and then proceeded to ask us if we'd like to come on base for a short tour. I think we were on the other side of that fence within seconds. Captain Jim McNabb (I think his name was) was the kind officer who graciously took the time to show us the 106's, the T-33's, and even a B-57 from Vermont that was in town. We saw the flight planning room. I remember being excited to finally see where "Hondo" and "Kite" actually were on a map. Good times and great childhood memories. So - if we have any retired 144th wing folks on here - here's a big shout out to you all. The 106's came and went - along with the F-4's, and soon the F-16's (to be replaced with F-15's). But to this day, everytime I see a pair of F-16's launch from the ANG base - I still expect to see that triangular shape of the F-106's. Thanks again to all of you!!!!! Wow, I was like 8 when my dad was in the 48th FIS stationed at Langley, I too have fond memories on and off base, swiming at the base pool, crabbing off the seawall behind the base hospital fishing off the pier behind the NCO club, fishing the lake behind the grammer school in Capeheart housing area where we lived off base in the woods, playing in the woods,the old civil was cemetary, the general store and candy store on the old farm road owned by an old black couple, who were fantastic people....i loved the 106‘s And the 102’s before that and the 86’s before that..the airshows and the christmas parties where santa would fly in on a 106 with his bag of toys for all us kids..and the beer games of softball my dad played in...the blackhand team I think, drank my 1st beer under the bleachers at a game ..wow memories, loved growing up in the AF
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