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Early in WWII, American aircraft researchers were confronted with the problem of "shock
waves" building up at the frontal surfaces of aircraft particularly wing and tail surfaces when
the aircraft was flown at high speeds. These shock waves could and did cause complete
destruction of some aircraft, notably several Lockheed P-38 "Lightnings". The North
American P-86 Sabre was the first American aircraft to take advantage of flight research data
seized from the German Luftwaffe at the end of the war.
Utilizing data gleaned from Luftwaffe experiments, the wings and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers of the Sabre were swept back at an angle of 35 degrees in order to delay the onset of shock waves, thus allowing higher speeds.
What would become a spectacular career as a combat aircraft began on May 14, 1945 when the US Army Air Corps ordered three copies of the North American model NA-140 experimental aircraft. The XP-86 was first flown at Muroc Dry Lake, California on October 1, 1947. It was equipped with a 4,000 pound thrust J-35-C-3 jet engine built by Chevrolet. The highest speed was attained at 14,000 feet where it clocked 618.33 miles per hour. It had a ceiling of around 41,300 feet and its initial climb rate was 4,000 fpm. This was fantastic performance when compared to any prop-driven plane the US had produced up to the end of the war. Even North American's own prop-driven P-51 paled by comparison. Test pilots were ecstatic over the Sabre, with comments such as "...rock-steady gun platform." and "...so easy to fly you can almost control it with your thoughts".
The third production F-86A-1 (by this time the "P" for "Pursuit" had been superseded by "F" for "Fighter") equipped with a new J47-GE-13 engine of 5,200 pounds thrust, set a world’s speed record of 670.98 mph on September 1, 1948. The Sabre was armed with six .50-caliber M-3 machine guns in the nose, just aft of the jet intake. Target acquisition was aided by a new radar assisted gunsight. It required the pilot hold the cross hairs on his target for just one second. From then till the target was obliterated, the pilot was free of the complicated problem of adjusting for the target's range during the heat of combat.
The Korean War began in June 1950 and F-86 fighters were shipped to Korea to re-equip the 51st FIW. The Sabres were quite successful against the Russian Built MiG 15. The first American Sabre ace was Captain James J. Jabara flying an F-86 for the 334th FIS, 4th FIW. F-86s arrived in Korea in ever increasing numbers. By the end of the war the Sabre’s air superiority was unquestioned. 58 F-86a were lost and 379 MiGs were destroyed.
The F-86 had many variants, including those built by Canadair (CL-13). U.S. production ended in 1956 and the USAF phased out the F-86 in 1959. Many retired F-86 s served with the Air National Guard and foreign air forces bought them in large numbers.
This F-86A-1, S/N 47-615, was manufactured by North American Aviation in Inglewood, California, and delivered to the United States Air Force on 15 October 1948. It was immediately assigned to the 3345th Technical Training Group, Air Training Command, at Chanute AFB for use as a ground instructional airframe. In October 1951 it was transfered to the 3345th Technical Training Wing at Chanute. It was dropped from the active USAF inventory in July 1956 and transfered to museum status. It was placed on a display pedestal on the north edge of Rantoul in 1967.
Specifications:
Wing Span: 37 ft 1 in
Length: 37 ft 6 in
Height: 14 ft 9 in
Weight Empty: 10,495 lb
Max. T.O. Weight: 17,806 lb
Max. Speed: 679 mph at sea level
Normal Cruise: 527 mph
Service Ceiling: 48,000 ft
Range: 785 miles
Engine: J47-GE-13 5,2200 lb st
Fuel: 435 gal. internal 2 x 120 gal drop tanks
Weapons: 2 x 0.50 machine guns 2 x 1000 lb bombs or 16 x 5 in rockets
This aircraft is on loan to Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum from the National Museum of the United States Airforce. |
