|
This aircraft went to serve with the 39th
Fighter Intercept Squadron, 51st Fighter Intercept Wing. And that meant Korea,
and the war. This aircraft also had the distinction of being fitted onsite with one of the
30 hard 6-3 wings sent from the plant. Name on the canopy was that of Lt. James Thompson,
who shot down two MiG-15s, on 18 May and 16 June 1953. This wings were fitted to aircraft
flown by particularly aggressive pilots, and put the Sabre on equal terms with the MiG-15
in high altitude maneuvering. Eventually all F models received this wing. F-25 onwards at
the plant, earlier models by retrofit. Most F-30 and F-35 models suffered a latter change
in wing, from the hard 6-3 to the slatted 6-3 with tip extensions, such as introduced in
the Japanese F-40s. |
