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The World's only airworthy F-86A Sabre
48-178
(G-SABR)
The Sabre supports the old saying "What looks
right flies right'. The F-86 was the first operational allied swept
wing jet and is also reputedly the first aeroplane to break the
sound barrier in early October 1947 shortly before Captain Charles
'Chuck' Yeager's official sonic boom with the Bell X-I.
The Sabre was a development of a straight wing
project which was dramatically modified to incorporate swept flying
surfaces based on research findings that came out of Germany at the
end of World War II.
As well as the jet engine and the swept wings and tail other
innovations included a highly ergonomic cockpit with outstanding
visibility and powered controls. The first Sabre production run was
the' A' model, one of which scored the first swept wing victory over
a MiG-15 in Korea. It can be distinguished from later F-86 variants
by the slimmer tail section and V windshield. The' A: model has
power assisted primary controls rather than the fully powered
controls of the later versions.
Most of the 10,000 F-86s built were engined with
J-47 axial flow General Electric's famous engine of which over
37,000 units were made across the full range of versions. (Every
B-47 had 6 of them).
The world air speed record was unofficially broken
by Major Richard L. Johnson flying the fourth production F-86 in
front of 80,000 spectators at the Cleveland Air Races on 8th
September 1948 and he went on to capture it officially at Muroc at
670 mph. Many pilots considered it the best handling fighter of its
time and among these were pilots of the RAF which took delivery of
431 Canadian built Sabres in 1952-53 to plug the gap until the
Hawker Hunter came into RAF service. The Sabre's effectiveness in
the air is confirmed by a kill/loss ratio of over 10-1 in the air
war over Korea.
This particular F-86A USAF 48-178 a dash 5
upgraded to dash 7 flies in markings with the distinctive
recognition bands used by the USAF early in the Korean War. It was
rescued from a reclamation centre and restored in the early 1970s by
former Mustang pilot Ben Hall of Seattle. Ben put 10,000 hours work
into it and describes it as one of the great loves of his life. He
maintained and flew it for 13 years. It was acquired by Golden Apple
in 1990 and further work was carried out on it by Fort Wayne Air
Service of Indiana. In 1991 it was nominated for the Rolls-Royce/Warbirds
Worldwide award for best jet restoration and voted the winner. It is
operated by Golden Apple Operations Ltd in association with the
The Aircraft Restoration Company
by whom it has recently
been refurbished.
Cockpit Pictures
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Technical Data
Engine: General Electric J-47
Span: 37ft 1in
Length: 37ft 6in
Height: 14ft 9in
Empty Weight: 10,854lbs
Max Take-off Weight: 15,800lbs
Max Speed: 679mph at sea level
Cruising Speed: 533mph
Time to 40,000ft: 10.4 mins
Service Ceiling: 48,000ft
Range: 660miles
Operational Requirements
Fuel Type: Jet A-I AVTUR
Capacities: Internal 363 Imp gallons - external
two 100 gallon drop tanks.
Filling Sequence: As indicated on filler covers.
Engine Oil: Aero Shell Turbine Oil 2.
Hydraulic Fluid: OM15 or U.S. Spec Mil-H-5606 -
2 x hydraulic accumulators to be charged with
nitrogen to 1200psi.
Electrical: 28 V DC required to output 1600 Amps
surge, 600 Amps continuous.
Fire Cover: Advisable for engine start and shut
down.
Flying Control Lock: Internal.
Ejection Seat: When parked one safety pin in
each arm rest and one pin in each of the two
initiators (behind seat back).
Runway: Normal minimum 6000ft lSA conditions.
Winter Maintenance (04) Activity
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Landing Gear after Overhaul -
Winter (05)
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