Nellis preview

[Victor Archer]

Oops I ment review.
I was flipping through some old slides and ran accross these.
There not the greatest but pretty interesting any way.

[rpzo]

Re: Nellis preview

Victor,

What's the story on those two shots? Got any more? A quick search on the web shows that they only flew the Thud for 6 shows in 1964 before reverting back to the F-100.

Rick

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Nellis preview

Victor,

What's the story on those two shots? Got any more? A quick search on the web shows that they only flew the Thud for 6 shows in 1964 before reverting back to the F-100.

Rick

No kidding Victor! That is extremely cool stuff you have there! I had to just about turn my head upside down before I realized that the second shot had an upright airplane B4 I could tell what to heck it was!

I did not even know that the T-Birds ever flew Thuds, even for six shows! In '64, I was 13 years old... I think, by then, I was getting past building model airplanes and being really interested in things that flew fast and made a lot of noise and had become much more fascinated with chasing and kissing girls.... *sigh* a "hobby" that led me astray from aviation and into music, sex, drugs and rockandroll until I was old enough to realize what to heck I'd missed out on!



But I digress.... tell us more about the history of these photos? Did you take them? Victor, if so, I did not realize you were old enough!!

Neat Neat Neat stuff!!

Wayne

[burningman]

Re: Nellis preview

Cool pics!......Have those slides been recolored in any way? Just wondering. I finally broke down and registered, I just felt so dirty lurking about all the time!

[Randy Haskin]

Re: Nellis preview

Those shots look like winter training up at Indian Springs to me...

[Air Race Addict]

Where did THUD perform in 64?

You know, I swear I saw the Thunderbirds fly the Thud when I was a kid. My Dad was a SAC pilot at the time, I would have been 9 that summer. I distinctly remember seeing them in the F-100's over Fort Peck Reservoir and at Glasgow AFB in NE Montana in those "formative years". I remember them in the Phantoms, never saw them in the Talon. Does anyone know how to find out where they flew that summer? My Dad may have slides in his archives that I could dig through.
Bill

[speeddemon]

Re: Nellis preview

Yeah....you could ask me, Bill. :-) I've got a list at home.

They only flew six shows. One of them was at McChord. In fact, I think the McChord show was the last one they did. The accident was at 'arrival' for the next one.

The Thud was a pretty awesome looking bird in the T-birds scheme. Nothing can touch them in the Phantoms, though. (You didn't miss a thing in the Talons).

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

Oops I ment review.
I was flipping through some old slides and ran accross these.
There not the greatest but pretty interesting any way.

Note the dirty tail! Cool. Also the angle of attack is the same whether inverted or upright. Interesting.

"Hey baby, wanna see my dirty roll?"

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

Here's a link to some info on the T-bird F-105 crash.

http://1000aircraftphotos.com/PRPhotos/RepublicF-105-2.htm

[Ron101502]

Re: Nellis preview

Remember these were the original "B" models, very few of which were built and none of which saw combat (they wound up in guard units but I can't remember where, maybe DC or Dover or Hill). You can tell from the shorter nose than the D, F, and G models had. And they were never modded with the "Thunderstick II" mod which added a fairing down the spine of the airplane from the canopy to the vertical fin. The B model also had conventional round guages rather than the vertical tape instruments the other models (along with the F-106, F-111, C-141 and C-5 had).

Never got to fly the Thud but got to train with them in hunter-killer teams when I flew the F-4. It couldn't turn, climb, or go very high, but it was SO much faster (down low) than the hard wing F-4E and F-4D, I'm talking over 100 knots faster, and according to my old flight commander who had flown them an absolute cadillac of an airplane if you like to go low, fast, be very comfortable in the big cockpit, and be so stable you can trim it up hands off and it's like "flying your house from the front porch" (direct quote). OF course the LONG takeoff roll, the final approach speed (for the G model) of 208 knots, and a tailhook only good to about 80 knots presented huge challenges, as did air refueling at 320 knots where they had to have their flaps out to keep from stalling.

Ron Henning

[georgiacub]

Re: Nellis preview

"B" model Thuds were in the New Jersey Guard.

I've got over 1200 hours in the "D" and "F" model Thuds. I have a little more than that in F-4D/Es.

I agree the Thud didn't turn well, but I've surprised a couple of Phantom Drivers with a clean Thud, with the use of flaps (both leading and trailing edge).

The faster it went the better it felt.

[kennsmithf2g]

Re: Nellis preview

Hi,

Is the Thunderbird display still at the deactivated Chanute Air Force Base? I thought that the display of all the planes that they flew from the Skyblazers days thru the Talon was quite impressive. It would be a shame if they broke up that collection. They deserved to stay together. I remember I was there right before Dessert Shield and thought that it was also rather pecular that they were painting B-52s in an Air Force Base with supposed inactive at the time runways. They were being repainted from the green scheme to a dessert brown scheme. The rest of the collection was quite impressive too. For some reason they also had a Blue Angel A4 there.

TTFN....Kenn

[Curt]

Re: Nellis preview

Chanute Air Force Base Now that brings back memories, i was there in 79-80 for tech school, boy that place could be a cold rat hole in the winter! but if you were into corn, You got it baby!!

[kennsmithf2g]

Re: Nellis preview

More Thunderbirds

[Peashooter]

Re: Nellis preview

Thanks to you vets for completing the picture of the Thud vs. Phantom discussion. And for your service to our great country!

208 kts on final?!!! I'd like to flight plan my cruise that fast...