 Back to 336th/K-14 Archives Back to Misc. USAF Archives Back to F-100 page Today, this particular F-100 is likely the sole surviving figher from its original squadron. See below. |
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Caption on original photo reads "WJS (William J. Starr) in F-100D, ready to start engines, CAFB (Cannon Air Force Base), New Mexico, 1958." (386th FBS, later redisignated/absorbed into, the 522nd Tactical Fighter Squadron) However, I do not think this is dad seated in the jet. Dad often handed his camera to other pilots to snap photos of him in various aircraft. However, in this case I think dad took the photo of a friend seated in that jet, and in a very rare mistake miss-remembered it exactly 20 years later (when he wrote the above note). The evidence is pretty simple: dad was 6 foot 2, and his head protruded above the head rest on the F-100 (see other photos of him further down this page). That's clearly not the case here. There are also more photos below of 141 in its heyday down the page. Aircraft identification North American F-100D, 56-3141. This was not was dad's assigned jet. But in his nearly 6 years with the squadron, he likely flew it a time or two. Some or most this jet survived both the Vietnam war and retirement as a target drone. Read below.
Above: F-100D number 56-3141*, in 2010, Chino, California. (*in 1979 it would have been assigned its nose drone number, likely 291 above unless this nose is from a different QF-100 drone fuselage) Her original 1950's squadron (522nd) was considered the top F-100 squadron at one time (see below Top Gun trophy photo), deploying to Germany during the Berlin crisis of 1961, and also alerted during th Cuban missle crisis. USAF crew chief Marvin Atchison, who served in this squadron remembers jet 141 and my father. Below is Marvin's photo of this same F-100 taken about a year or two after the above photo. The full tail number is visible in his photo.
As to the integrity and authenticity of the airframe today: Early web references, mainly by aviation photographers, noted this display jet was a composite of 56-3141 and F-100 number 56-2992. But in 2010 the original (post-drone recovery) owners, located at the Evergreen Maintenence facility (pictured below), told me at least they never mixed the two aircraft together, and merely traded the better of the two (141) to the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino for two light civilian aircraft. In 1993 Jim Newton photographed of #141 at Marana Airizona's Evergreen commercial aircraft maintenence center. See below photos, courtesy www.JimNewtonPhotography.net . He also took photos of the other F-100 at Marana.
Note that both airframes have damaged noses-- the top panels are both crinkled upwards indicating very hard nosed-in landings after their last drone flights. The top panel of 63141 has since been repaired or replaced (Mr. Maloney, founder of the museum, did mention this repair was made by a museum volunteer) either a repair, or new fabrication or salvage from another F-100.
The F-100D that is likely the 56-2992 (on left) was traded several times and is currently stored at a the Carolinas Aviation Museum, in Charlotte N.C. And this webiste shows it in restoration mode there: http://supersabre.com/subweb/FuselagePart04.htm
The day he took these photos Jim Newton identified the F-100 on the left as 56-2992, and that it's drone designation #188 is a match for that F-100. He read the serial number that day on the data panel. That ID can just be made out (below images) below the cockpit in the below close up images.
The serial is on the second line.
The tail of 63141 as it appears today.
This green part looks like a portion some other salvaged F-100.
F-100D 56-3141, April 2010, Chino, CA Above: One less elevator! According to one note I found online, the damage to the tail was caused by a "AIM-120 AMRAAM" fired at it by a F-15 on February 22nd 1988. The consistency of the damage pattern suggest this tail section is largely an original tail/aft section. Mr. Maloney, curator of Planes of Fame Museum, also said they once considered putting another aft section on it from a less damaged F-100, but in the end they preferred to showcase the original tail damage incurred by the air to air missle strike. On the same day I spoke with Mr. Maloney, (during the Chino air
show 2010) another museum volunteer told me that most visitors
see the tail damage and assume this jet was used as a ground target,
and that no jet could fly like that. But he assured me that it
was an aerial hit that blew away a horizontal stabilizer, and
that the plane flew another 45 minutes after the missle strike
to land via remote control.
Wing flaps-- one thing that set the D models apart from the C models, I believe. And those big, finned pods on the wings are aux fuel tanks, and not likely original. As technology evolved, and wear and tear took its toll, certain components would be replaced and exchanged over the years, like tanks, instruments, ejection seats, and even the engine itself.
This shiny tail portion is consistent with all F-100s I've seen -- they did not seem to paint this area because it probably would just burn off when the after burner was lit.
This looks like a wheel chock from 992 got mixed into the trade, although I suspect maybe even a landing gear component may have found its way here. One of the original owners told me 141 broke something on its landing gear on its last landing.
F-100D number (5)63141 during in-flight refueling maneuvers, undated photo from my dad's archives, circa late 1950s near Cannon AFB, New Mexico. Again, red markings indicate my father's squadron's colors; either during its original designation as 386th Fighter Bomber Squadron (312th Fighter Bomber Wing) or later 522nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (27th Tactical Fighter Wing). Photo by or of Lt. William J. Starr, USAF. This photo was not likely taken on same flight/day as top of page photo; note lackof wing tanks in this photo, and presence of such in photo at top of page.
William Starr seated in F-100 56-3140, circa late 1950s, Cannon AFB, New Mexico. Dad was 74.5" tall. (6.2"). Note his head height above the seat rest, also note in below photo, a confirmed photo of him in his F-100 number 56-3150 in 1957.
William J. Starr flying F-100 56-3150, in 1957.
The 1993 Arizona facility photos shows this name plate missing. This one is either a replacement, or it was just removed for a while during transport. I wonder how many pilots had their name stenciled over through the years on these old birds? The last one looks like "Bo" Tadner. Mr. Maloney at the Chino Museum said he understood this bird served two tours in Vietnam. Records from amarcexperience.com show that 56-3141's last days on active duty were with the Michigan Air National Guard. It was retired to the Davis-Monthan "boneyard" in 1979, then turned into a target drone, otherwise known as a "Full Scale Aerial Target" (FSAT). Coincidentally one week before my 2010 wedding, Crew Chief Marvin alerted me to its existence at Chino. Click here to read about the F-100 drone story. (off site reading from Joe Baugher's website) |
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