c/n 454
s/n BuAero 55-5082
This rare Sabre rolled in on a flat-bed truck 16 November 1997, transferred from NAS China Lake. In the photo at the bottom, taken 3 January 1998, the nose gear was being attached, and the following week the wings and main gear went on, then the tail section was added at the end of March. Since then was a slow process of repairing damaged areas and locating original parts, and by March 1999 it was fully restored and in its rightful place on our ramp.
Originally a RF-86F, this is one of 18 modified by Mitsubishi in Japan for a then top-secret "Haymaker" reconnaissance program which envisioned penetration of "denied airspace" by the USAF in late-1950s Korea — the bulges beneath the canopy contained the electronic photo-surveillance packages using K-17 and K-22 cameras in an under-fuselage installation. Combat armament consisted of six .50 machine guns in the nose, which were removed when the camera packages were installed. There is only one RF-86F in flying condition worldwide, reportedly still in service to some lesser extent with the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Manufactured by North American Aviation Company, Inglewood CA.
* According to F-86 historian Duncan Curtis, this s/n belongs to the rear half — ours is a composite of two -86s — and the front half's s/n is 52-4758 [ex-JASDF 52-7401], the first F-86F delivered to Japan. Click here to see pictures that Curtis sent of our RF-86F "401" during service in Japan, before and after installation of the cameras (note fake "guns" painted on in the bottom photo).
| Powerplant: | 5,970 lb J47-GE-27 |
| Wingspan: | 37' 1 " |
| Length: | 37' 6 " |
| Height: | 14' 8 " |
| Wing area: | 288 sf |
| Empty weight: | 10,950 lbs |
| Gross weight: | 17,000 lbs |
| Maximum speed: | 690 mph |
| Cruising speed: | 525 mph |
| Landing speed: | 120 mph |
| Ceiling: | 48,300 ft |
| Range: | 1,270 statute miles |
| Status: | Static Display |
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