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Post by Mark O on Feb 21, 2024 7:35:54 GMT 9
As I am always on the lookout for photos of the F-106 -- mostly ones I have never seen before, and happen to save them when I find them -- I thought I would start a thread of those photos. Of course, anyone is welcome to post here! The rarer the photo, the better. I try to find if the photo(s) have been posted to the main site first, but if I have a better, clearer, or perhaps from a different angle/side, those are okay too. Kind of like those photos I recently posted from the 5th, 318th and 329th, but now we can just throw them into this thread. I may not get a photo up everyday, but I'll get started with this one I have never seen before.
56-0452. Photo taken 13 November 1957 at Edwards AFB being lifted after blowing the right main on landing. Note this is very early in the test program as it still has all the original design features (intakes, weapon bay doors, fenced wings, etc.) and still had the "FC" buzz code from the "F-102B" designation, yet it has "F-106" bigger than life painted on the nose! All-in-all a VERY great photo! Enjoy the start of the new thread! Mark O
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Post by Mark O on Feb 22, 2024 4:51:05 GMT 9
Very few aircraft ever spend their entire life in one squadron, and here we see 56-0453 at Langley AFB on 3 May 1976 in the process of losing it's ADWC markings, and in-progress of getting 48th FIS colors. This move was actually a loan to the 48th. Of course the history of 453 -- like all the Sixes -- can be found on the main page. I just like this photo! Can anyone ID that piece of AGE equipment in the foreground?! (No, not the B-4 stand!)
Enjoy! Mark O
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Post by pat perry on Feb 22, 2024 9:33:41 GMT 9
Very few aircraft ever spend their entire life in one squadron, and here we see 56-0453 at Langley AFB on 3 May 1976 in the process of losing it's ADWC markings, and in-progress of getting 48th FIS colors. This move was actually a loan to the 48th. Of course the history of 453 -- like all the Sixes -- can be found on the main page. I just like this photo! Can anyone ID that piece of AGE equipment in the foreground?! (No, not the B-4 stand!)
Enjoy! Mark O
Mark O, can you send me a higher resolution of that photo? It's only 16KB and gets very jaggy when enlarged. Thanks, Pat P. |
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Post by Mark O on Feb 23, 2024 3:46:02 GMT 9
Now here is one I have not seen before either. No, not just 58-0776 painted as "The Freedom Bird", but notice the intake cover. Someone got a bit creative it looks like! I show August, 1976 as the date, but no info in my notes on where this was taken. (Probably McChord with the drip tanks -- only a Six base would have those -- and the trees in the background?)
Enjoy! Mark O
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Post by Diamondback on Feb 23, 2024 8:48:50 GMT 9
Now here is one I have not seen before either. No, not just 58-0776 painted as "The Freedom Bird", but notice the intake cover. Someone got a bit creative it looks like! I show August, 1976 as the date, but no info in my notes on where this was taken. (Probably McChord with the drip tanks -- only a Six base would have those -- and the trees in the background?)
Enjoy! Mark O
I'm gonna guess an airshow, going by the lineup alongside. Were Paine or Boeing Field doing airshows then, or did that only start in the '80s? |
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Post by Mark O on Feb 24, 2024 5:35:13 GMT 9
"Weezer"?
Sure would love to know the story on that name given to 57-0230 of the 11th FIS in this photo taken at Duluth IAP. No date on this pic, however there is a 0- prefix on the tail number, so that has to place it 1967, or after. Notice the early, external tanks. According to the main page on the fuel system, "...these external wing tanks were 230-gallon tanks, at least that's what they were always referred to, although they were actually 227 gallon. They were limited to about Mach 1.25, but still referred to as sub-sonic tanks." The 360-gallon, supersonic tanks were fielded beginning in June, 1967. Enjoy! Mark O
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Post by LBer1568 on Feb 24, 2024 23:06:25 GMT 9
Mark, Is that a National Guard decal on tail? I know we moved to 360 gal wing tanks starting in 1967 give or take a year or so. I think Otis got the Six in early 1972 also.
How many variants of the six were there? I know we had an XF-106, And A and B models. But we also had TDY Cargo status. Yes the CF-106. I remember seeing 539th birds flying back from cross country to Bermuda and after Customs checked the bird, we carefully opened Radar compartment and we recovered many bottles of booze...Tax free. Cross country only required basic Comm/Nav. So we could remove a lot of Black boxes and a fifth fit nicely into empty slots. I can also remember seeing bay doors opened very Slowly (Yes you could manually slow open them) and all kinds of cargo was secured along with Travel rack. The MB-1 rack had a baggage capability. It also carried...a motorcycle and a surf board. There was probably a lot more at other times/places.
Lorin
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Post by Diamondback on Feb 24, 2024 23:13:02 GMT 9
Mark, Is that a National Guard decal on tail? I know we moved to 360 gal wing tanks starting in 1967 give or take a year or so. I think Otis got the Six in early 1972 also. How many variants of the six were there? I know we had an XF-106, And A and B models. But we also had TDY Cargo status. Yes the CF-106. I remember seeing 539th birds flying back from cross country to Bermuda and after Customs checked the bird, we carefully opened Radar compartment and we recovered many bottles of booze...Tax free. Cross country only required basic Comm/Nav. So we could remove a lot of Black boxes and a fifth fit nicely into empty slots. I can also remember seeing bay doors opened very Slowly (Yes you could manually slow open them) and all kinds of cargo was secured along with Travel rack. The MB-1 rack had a baggage capability. It also carried...a motorcycle and a surf board. There was probably a lot more at other times/places. Lorin Sounds almost like a story Jim Hooppaw told me at the B-52 golden-anniversary party... shipped his sportscar home in the bomb bay of his B-47 at the end of a UK tour. One can only wonder what other kinds of "creative cargoes and management thereof" are among the Untold Stories of USAF History... |
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Post by pat perry on Feb 25, 2024 3:10:44 GMT 9
"Weezer"?
Sure would love to know the story on that name given to 57-0230 of the 11th FIS in this photo taken at Duluth IAP. No date on this pic, however there is a 0- prefix on the tail number, so that has to place it 1967, or after. Notice the early, external tanks. According to the main page on the fuel system, "...these external wing tanks were 230-gallon tanks, at least that's what they were always referred to, although they were actually 227 gallon. They were limited to about Mach 1.25, but still referred to as sub-sonic tanks." The 360-gallon, supersonic tanks were fielded beginning in June, 1967. Enjoy! Mark O
www.f-106deltadart.com/db/acft/acft_view.php?editid1=322
Here's the link to the 11th FIS Red Bulls: www.f-106deltadart.com/11fis.htm
Mark O, you are correct about the addition of a "0" before the tail number for each generation of age of the aircraft since build date. I remember that was a TCTO (Time Compliance Tech Order) that we received when I was a Corrosion Control Specialist (painter) at the 456th FIS at Castle AFB in 1967. I thought it was a process that would be reversed in a few years (and it was). Castle was a B-52 Bomber and KC-135 Tanker training base. And the 456th FIS was an ADC guest with 5- and 15-minute alert birds until we were transferred to Oxnard AFB in 1968 (and I transferred to Okinawa, Vietnam, and Thailand in 1968). Can you imagine how may "0"s would have to be added to the BUFFs and KC-135 Tankers to indicate their lifetime in 10-year increments since build date?
I don't know what "Weezer" meant. It could be the nickname for the aircraft, pilot, or crew chief.
Thanks,
Pat P.
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Post by Mark O on Feb 25, 2024 3:12:01 GMT 9
Mark, Is that a National Guard decal on tail? No. 11th FIS unit insignia. The ANG did not get the Six until 1972. Montana was the first. f-106deltadart.com/11fis.htmMark O |
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Bullhunter
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318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
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Post by Bullhunter on Feb 26, 2024 8:39:28 GMT 9
 Freedom Flight for 1776 |
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Post by pat perry on Feb 26, 2024 10:49:00 GMT 9
Mark, Is that a National Guard decal on tail? I know we moved to 360 gal wing tanks starting in 1967 give or take a year or so. I think Otis got the Six in early 1972 also. How many variants of the six were there? I know we had an XF-106, And A and B models. But we also had TDY Cargo status. Yes the CF-106. I remember seeing 539th birds flying back from cross country to Bermuda and after Customs checked the bird, we carefully opened Radar compartment and we recovered many bottles of booze...Tax free. Cross country only required basic Comm/Nav. So we could remove a lot of Black boxes and a fifth fit nicely into empty slots. I can also remember seeing bay doors opened very Slowly (Yes you could manually slow open them) and all kinds of cargo was secured along with Travel rack. The MB-1 rack had a baggage capability. It also carried...a motorcycle and a surf board. There was probably a lot more at other times/places. Lorin
I caught a KC=135 hop to Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana on my way back to Memphis, TN with final flight of the C-124 USAF Reserve squadron at Memphis (I knew most of them having grown up in Memphis and we were all Drag Racers).
As soon as the Customs Agents left the KC-135, out came the crew members with speed handles unscrewing the floor plates and unloading many bottles of liquor as they taxied out to fly to Bunker Hill.
There was plenty of room in the F-106 Missile Bay for "cargo" that pilots wanted to take from point A to point B. I often thought that Pilots might make good aircraft crew chiefs or load master's when it came to hauling stuff, they needed at their next stop.
Thanks,
Pat P.
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Post by Mark O on Feb 27, 2024 3:54:35 GMT 9
There's that crane again! Well, actually the story is about the first B-model - 57-2507. Here she is being recovered after blowing the right main on 1 October 1959 during a taxi test to gather information on a nose shimmy. Obviously there was a fire, and you can see some of the damage to the aft fuselage in this shot. Looks like it took off about half of the outer gear door as well. Obviously she was repaired, and ultimately was never converted from test-to-tactical, but spending her days with NASA. Enjoy! Mark O (BTW, under the lineage page for 57-2507 it says the left main blew, but we can see it was clearly the right.)  |
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Post by pat perry on Feb 27, 2024 8:03:01 GMT 9
Now here is one I have not seen before either. No, not just 58-0776 painted as "The Freedom Bird", but notice the intake cover. Someone got a bit creative it looks like! I show August, 1976 as the date, but no info in my notes on where this was taken. (Probably McChord with the drip tanks -- only a Six base would have those -- and the trees in the background?)
Enjoy! Mark O
I'm gonna guess an airshow, going by the lineup alongside. Were Paine or Boeing Field doing airshows then, or did that only start in the '80s?
Click Here
Pat P. |
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Bullhunter
Global Moderator
318th FIS Jet Shop 1975-78
Currently: Offline
Posts: 7,445
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Joined: May 2005
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Post by Bullhunter on Feb 27, 2024 9:42:05 GMT 9
I'm gonna guess an airshow, going by the lineup alongside. Were Paine or Boeing Field doing airshows then, or did that only start in the '80s?
Click Here
Pat P. |
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Post by Mark O on Feb 29, 2024 9:34:20 GMT 9
Here's a pretty good shot of 59-0091 taken at McChord AFB on 10 February 1972 in the original tail markings of the 87th FIS (which is actually the last tail markings of the 11th FIS.) This must have been just before they went to the stylized version of the Red Bull on the tail as later that year it's what the 87th wore at WT 72, of which 091 participated! Enjoy! Mark O
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Post by Mark O on Mar 1, 2024 3:39:08 GMT 9
Now this is interesting. I opened a video of what I thought was going to be F-102s firing AIMs, but it opened with some video of 58-0778 in flight from the ADWC carrying an AGM-76A anti-radiation missile under the right wing. The AGM-76A never went into production, and you can read about it in this link. It's interesting because most of us have seen the photos of 58-0795 carrying the AGM-78 ARM, but I had to go back in the photo section to find pics of 778, and sure enough there are two photos of her carrying the AGM-76. This one is different however, as the stills show a plain, white missile, and this one has some portions painted red.
To the best of my knowledge the ADWC only carried those missile in captive tests, and never fired them. At least no one has come forward and said they did. In any event, it has always been curious why an air-to-air interceptor would carry anti-radiation missiles to begin with.
The first part of the video is pretty cool, and we get to see some of the other aircraft on the ground at Tyndall. The rest of the video shows a Duece, and a Tub firing some AIM-4s at Firebee drones. No narration except at the beginning where the person that posted it asks for comments. I've added a cropped, screen-grab from the video, and be sure to go to the photo section on the main pages and look up 58-0778.
Enjoy! Mark O  |
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Post by Diamondback on Mar 1, 2024 8:34:59 GMT 9
Now this is interesting. I opened a video of what I thought was going to be F-102s firing AIMs, but it opened with some video of 58-0778 in flight from the ADWC carrying an AGM-76A anti-radiation missile under the right wing. The AGM-76A never went into production, and you can read about it in this link.
To the best of my knowledge the ADWC only carried those missile in captive tests, and never fired them. At least no one has come forward and said they did. In any event, it has always been curious why an air-to-air interceptor would carry anti-radiation missiles to begin with.
Enjoy! Mark O Seems to me an ARM would be the seeker of choice if you needed to kill an AWACS, like say if you expected to have some Mainstays along for the ride playing "lookout" for the Bears and Backfires. STARM would have a nice big punch taking one out too, if it connected. |
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Post by Mark O on Mar 1, 2024 11:07:51 GMT 9
Seems to me an ARM would be the seeker of choice if you needed to kill an AWACS, like say if you expected to have some Mainstays along for the ride playing "lookout" for the Bears and Backfires. STARM would have a nice big punch taking one out too, if it connected. Uh, no. AGM-**x = Air Ground Missile. |
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Post by Diamondback on Mar 1, 2024 11:13:53 GMT 9
Seems to me an ARM would be the seeker of choice if you needed to kill an AWACS, like say if you expected to have some Mainstays along for the ride playing "lookout" for the Bears and Backfires. STARM would have a nice big punch taking one out too, if it connected. Uh, no. AGM-**x = Air Ground Missile. I know what they're DESIGNED to be, but it seems to me that a radar-homer wouldn't care what source it lock on to. Remember, the STARM airframe is basically an SM-1 SAM kill-vehicle with a new seeker and an aircraft-carry kit (and they DID have an AAM version, the AIM-97 Seekbat), and similarly the AGM-122 SideARM was a straight repurpose of stocks of a radr-homer Sidewinder variant found unsuitable for dogfight use. (SideARM = Sidewinder Anti-Radar Missile.) Have a Sentry or Mainstay out with the radar up, and to anything with a radar-homing seeker it looks like the Fourth of July. Whether the missile body and motor can get the seeker where it wants to take things is a different, and open, question. |
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