The pilot stories keep coming in to Bobski after the reunion. Some good stuff here - Pat P.
From Jack MonahanYou may have already seen this, but if not, I thought you might enjoy it. It reminds one of how simplistic and primitive early fighters were. This is very interesting. It's a video of our flight tests of a MIG-15 in the early 1950's. One of the test pilots is Chuck Yeager.
imageevent.com/okbueno/mopic;jsessionid=zsrmy8br84.eagle_s?p=70&n=1&m=-1&c=10&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=2Reply from Bruce GordonVery interesting movie -- it had some details that I didn't know. I knew the MIG-15 was unstable in a high-Mach dive, but the movie is specific in saying that it is uncontrollable over Mach .94. The F-106 combat-ready cruise (when we expected to be jumped at any time) was .95, which did not consume much more fuel than our long range cruise of .93. The MIG-15 could operate at 55,000 feet, while the F-86 could only get to 51,000 feet. The F-106 was seldom flown above 50,000 feet because of the safety requirement for a pressure suit above 50,000 feet (in case of depressurization). One of our F-106 pilots commented at our Dayton reunion that he flew at 68,000 feet to attack the Bomarc, and I think our service ceiling was 71,000 feet.
I did not know that the MIG had a relatively slow roll rate, due to small ailerons. We could roll very rapidly in the F-106.
I did not know that the MIG had poor defrosters, so the canopy would ice up. I remember flying early T-33's at high altitude, and frosting up the canopy was a problem. If the MIG canopy frosted up, they couldn't see attacking fighters - a serious problem.
I did know some things about the two 23-mm cannons and the one 37mm cannon. These compared to the six .50 caliber machine guns on the F-86. While the big bullets of the MIG were nasty if you got hit, the cannons had a slow rate of fire and some of our planes could fly through the bullet stream without getting hit. The six .50 calibers, though, put out a huge stream of bullets. The big bullets of the MIG also had a low muzzle velocity, so the MIG would have to pull extra lead over its target during a turning fight. The .50 cal bullets had a much higher muzzle velocity, so they had a straighter trajectory and the F-86 didn't have to pull as much lead over its target. Getting lead over your target is critical to hitting it!
No, I never flew against the MIG-15. However, I did get a chance to fly against the F-84F, a Korean-War aircraft with swept wings which was similar to the MIG at low altitudes. One afternoon about 1967 I was going in to land at Hulman Field, Indiana. My wing man was a hot-rock pilot who later flew with the Thunderbirds. We were down at about 15,000 feet, descending, when suddenly two F-84F Thunderjets crossed our path, very close, coming from 2 o'clock and crossing to 10 o'clock. They turned to parallel our course. I looked over at my wing man, and he was itching for a fight! Unplanned combat maneuvering was against regulations, but we lit afterburners and broke into them.
I pulled up and rolled over to the left, as the lead F-84F turned hard into me. In less than one turn I was close on his tail, tracking him with simulated guns. I came out of afterburner and tracked him easily - he could not out turn me. He was probably low on fuel, as I was, so he headed for the field and I followed to the field about 1,000 feet behind him, landing after him. My wing man appeared shortly after, following the #2 F-84F.
I discovered from that brief combat that the F-106 could out turn and out fly the F-84F even at low altitude. It was easy. At high altitude, the F-106 would have been even more superior.
While the MIG turns very well at low altitude, and can fly high, its slow rate of roll, lack of an afterburner, and poor transonic performance makes me sure that the F-106 could eat the MIG at any altitude!
Bruce Gordon=
T. Curtis repliedI had a F106 to72,000 feet, but did not stay there very long. The MA1 fire control system was certified to 65,000' -
T. Curtis
Bobski repliedWow, 72,00 ft! The reason the MA-1 was certified only to 65,000 ft. is because the radar waveguide pressurization system pumps could only handle 32PSI at that altitude.
Bobski
Jack Krause repliedJumped a couple of Navy F Js? (Navy version of the F-86) over N.J. in 1961 or 2. Smugly climbed to 51,000 to look back at my conquest. However, there they were on my tail. Staggering, but there. Never underestimate the power of the enemy.
Jack Krause
Bruce Gordon repliedJack -- tell us more about the F-106 against the Navy F J !
Bruce Gordon sings the finaleThere was a Korean War song that I remember:
The prettiest plane (the prettiest plane)
Out on the line (out on the line)
The MIG-15 (the MIG-15)
Flies mighty fine. (flies mighty fine)
When we go out (when we go out)
And fly at noon (and fly at noon)
The MIG-15's (the MIG-15's)
Jump off the Moon! (repeat)
That song shows how the MIGs were usually above the F-86's.
Another song from the Korean War:
Crusin' down the Yalu, 620 per
I called my Flight Commander,
Oh won't you save me, Sir?
My guns are out of bullets
My tanks are out of gas
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!
I've got six MIGs on I disagree!
(chorus)
Sing Hallelujah! Sing Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the grass
Save a fighter pilot's ass
Throw a nickel on the grass
and you'll be saved...
There were many other verses...
Bruce
