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Hey, Wanna Buy a Cold War Fighter Jet?

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A few of the most versatile fighter jets from the Cold War are up for auction and ready to fly—with some exceptions. Two F-100F Super Sabre fighter jets are being auctioned with current bids right around the cost of a decent used car. A veteran of the Vietnam War, the Super Sabre also carried nuclear bombs and could forgo long rolling jet-powered takeoffs in favor of a quick boost into the air on rockets. (www.popularmechanics.com) Mais...

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charlie02vy
Charlie Roberts 7
If only I were a rich man.......
rlguessco
robin guess 5
I was wondering where those Hun's went to. They had been sitting at KBZN for quite a while. MT had a few cold war birds sitting around including an EC-121T and F-89 at Helena. As well as the MTANG has a F-106 that looked like she was in flyable condition.
hortod1
dj horton 5
Very cool - but shutter to think what it might cost per hour to operate
sparkie624
sparkie624 5
If you have to ask about the cost.... You probably can't afford it... LOL!
cgpd305
Mike Dalton 2
I shudder to think about it.
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 4
Wow. What a memory maker. I worked on Ds and Fs in SEA and I was on mobile training team MTD 727 based out of Luke that taught the Air National Guard transitioning from F-86s to F-100s.

The bird with the most unique pitot boom in history.

Congressmen were raising hell about so much hair spray and condoms being shipped to Vietnam. We used condoms on M-16 barrels and any disconnected electrical connectors and hair spray was used on every set of accessible fuel quantity indicating system connectors, especially the ones under a panel near the fuselage break for engine rollback. Yes, we bought our own – we used a ton of both products. Love/Hate relationship with those old birds. Didn’t know they were still around in flyable condition.
sparkie624
sparkie624 3
Now is your Big Chance... Put on in your Very Own Hangar...
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 1
1800 sq ft house and the yard is so small the guy keeps it cut for 40 bucks a month. And the nearby orange storage place doesn't have a ubit big enough - heh. I'm out of luck. Sure is a funny feeling when I think about those birds as I was with them in such different circumstances. "The pitot-static system must be drained and leak tested after every flight where the aircraft has encountered visible moisture." In other words, a cloud! In SEA we had a 2-man team that did nothing but run P/S drains and leak checks on graveyard shift. Chills thinking about it.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Not on that A/C.... But I have done 1000's of Pitot Static Leak Checks, Instrument and Transponder/RVSM Certifications.
dtgriscom
Daniel Griscom 1
Can you say more about the pitot boom (aside from having to be drained after collision with a cloud) and you used hair spray on fuel quantity connectors?
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 4
Pitot-static probe: Long and heavy with heated stainless steel working end, the boom carried aluminum P/S lines and heater cable. The pitot tip of typical P/S probes comes to a point, but on the F-100 it was a cup, as I remember about 2" across!
The boom, approximately 6 feet long, folded 90 degrees up just ahead of the engine air intake when parked, making the cup a perfect rain collector, so there was a full length canvas sleeve to put over it. (Several crew chiefs burned the cover by leaving the pitot heat switch on, exposing the then vertical cup.)
A short cable at the elbow hooked to keep it vertical; flexible stainless steel lines continued the P/S pressures past the elbow. When horizontal for flight a heavy sleeve slid over the elbow and was locked in place by two large spring loaded pins and that big cup captured all "visible moisture" through which the aircraft flew. Drain fittings were at the base of the boom underneath the engine air intake. Flight through a cloud or any rain (both plentiful in SEA) required a pilot's flown-through-visible-moisture 781 entry followed by a maintenance P/S drain and leak check. Thankfully, the P/S drain blocks and plugs were stainless steel.
Compare all that to ANY fuselage-mounted pitot-static probe!

Hair spray: The F-100 leaked hydraulic fluid and the fuselage leaked rain. Connectors near skin panels got wet when flying through rain and capacitance type fuel quantity coax connectors were particularly susceptible to that moisture because they functioned as part of a balanced capacitance bridge. Generous application of hair spray on a connector pair was at least a temporary fix, especially at a left side panel near the fuselage break.

My apologies to all for lack of brevity - at 75 I no longer have a grip on balance between accuracy and brevity.
dtgriscom
Daniel Griscom 3
Thanks for your lack of brevity; I love hearing about unfamiliar technologies!
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 4
You are welcome. More memories putting that together. Heh. I think the word "technology" was coined AFTER the 100! Below link is a good photo of the boom in the stowed position. You can appreciate the length and why it was a hazard when left down when parked. That thing did NOT move if you ran into it and would leave a nasty gash on your head (experience). Remember, it was sticking out there during G-maneuvers, so it was solid; think of the stress at the base. Of course, getting undisturbed air out front of the intake was the reason it was out there so far. "Technology" had not found a fuselage mount point for that yet. http://www.angelfire.com/dc/jinxx1/Huns/F-100C542091Yanks1.jpg I appreciate your interest -- keep the curiosity alive.

Phan Rang AB 66-67
bobfiegel
bobfiegel 1
... stainless steel FLEX lines ...
sparkie624
sparkie624 4
That certainly something for sale that you do not see every day...
f4fntm
john doe 2
Love that "Zero Length Launch" gimmick - what could possibly go wrong?
Sistema1927
Jerry Minor 2
I went to Elementary school at Lakenheath in the early 1960's, and we saw F-100's every day at recess. Quite a racket.
skylab72
skylab72 2
I could not even afford the hydraulic fluid that beast leaks each week.
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
If I had the cash, and the place to put it, it would be nice to have one.
cgpd305
Mike Dalton 1
I was shuddering about the same thing.
rlguessco
robin guess 1
Looks like they went to 2 different parties.

N417FS the one with damage to the tail and nose gear $31,500
N418FS the one in better condition #64,000

These prices do not include 7.25% or a 16% buyers premium if bidding was via the internet So 417 could have cost $39,189.15 and 418 $79,622.40.

Hopefully we might see one flying at an airshow in the future.
carste10
carste10 1
Join California. Classified as an assault weapon.
carste10
carste10 2
That was supposed to be NOT in California
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Don't you just love Spell Check... LOL... :)
ah6oy
Jim DeTour 1
You are going to wish you had opted for the used car instead when the F-100 goes into the saber dance on landing. In 1991 Mig's would sell for $5,000. Some low burner can time some high can time. Some were cheaper or higher.

The F-100 Saber? Watch a video on the saber dance. It throws you behind the power curve with no way out and that's with high time pro fighter pilots that know about the problem of it just pops in out of the blue when not behind the curve. Needless to say Air Force ejection seats are even better now. I think the problem was that wide wing surface had unpredictable flows on the top of the wing when slow and pitched up a little.
mark47950
mark47950 1
Put it in the back yard -- great fort for the kids.
dsundby
Dan Sundby 0
These look like future beer cans to me....

bobfiegel
bobfiegel 1
Sacrilege! :-)

But you're probably right.
sparkie624
sparkie624 6
Surely not... To me this is History... If I had the funds, I would jump on one...
yr2012
matt jensen 1
got the $$$, but don't know if I could round up enuf a&p mechs to keep it flying.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Go For it.... I am sure you could find Mechanics that would love to put their hands on it... For a Piece of history, many will do it just to say they worked on the plane or a chance to touch history.
skylab72
skylab72 1
I think the A&P issue could be very real. The guys that did it in the USAF are in their 70s & 80s. The manuals have all been thrown out. But even worst than all that, the Hun is all hydraulic, and analog. Think all the electrical issues of ten 60s vintage Italian sports cars, and a hundred times as many hydraulic leaks as an 80s vintage Citrone had pneumatic leaks (only easier to find). My brother worked on a Hun and I did Hueys. I can keep ten Hueys in the air with the effort it takes to do the same for one Hun.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Specializing in Avionics electrical, would probably need a complete rewire, but really not that bad for the right team... Depending on how it was stored will depend on what the Hydraulic system requires... If Pickled correctly, may just need a good flush.
skylab72
skylab72 1
Good point. Similar treatment for the hydraulics, inspect/test all lines, and replacement of any original fittings would make it would be an excellent airshow attention grabber. Just remember to never let it get anywhere near the stall side of the performance envelope below 5K AGL...
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
LOL... Good advice

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