I had the pleasure of flying eighteen out of my 20 years of active duty in the military. I also had the fun of flying seventeen different models of aircraft. Included in these were:
T-34B; T-28 B, C, also the A and F in civilian life; T2-A, B; TF-9J; AF-9; TA-4F; A7A, B, E, TA7C; QF-4B, F-4J, F-4S, F-100F, QF-86F.
The A7E is the aircraft I have flown the most, and all my combat time was in this very capable aircraft. See the subsection on the Summer of ’72.
TF-9J Cougar over Beeville, Texas
The TF-9J Cougar, was my advanced training command aircraft. Often referred to as the Grumman lead sled, was built very strong, but not overpowered. While capable of supersonic (straight down) it was a modestly performing aircraft. I learned tactics (dogfighting) in this aircraft, as well as initial skills in bombing, low level nav, and another trip to the boat for carrier quals. There was also an AF-9, a single seat version that we flew in advanced training command in Beeville, Texas.
The last aircraft I flew in the military was the QF-86F, Sabre. This particular shot ended on as the cover on Aeroplane Monthly, a British magazine. That is my brother, Mike, in the P-51, and myself and wingman Mo Jones flying on his wing.
The ‘Q’ stands for drone operating capability. We flew both the F-86 and F-4 Phantom both manned and by remote control. While the newer and ostensibly faster F-18 and F-14, pictured here had higher top speed, the Phantom was quite a drag racer, originally designed as an interceptor to counter Russian bombers. When challenged by the F-14 drivers next door concerning speed, our comment was ” you might fly faster than us, but by the time you catch us you will be out of gas.”
The blue and white paint job on the F-86 is that of the Blue Impulse, the Japanese Defense Force’s flight demonstration team. See the addition subheading to find out more about the QF-86F.