F-106 Delta Dart

Back in the 80's I worked on a project building a hush-house at Minot AFB. I guess it must have been about 1982-3 timeframe.

Immediately adjacent to the hush-house site was an active Alert hangar for interceptors. The aircraft in the hangar at the time were F-106 Delta Darts. Seemed like about once every couple days the F-106's would come screaming out of these hangars and roar off down the runway. It was pretty interesting (and unnerving) to watch...the first few times...but it did get old after a while. I think they had F-15's based at Minot the same time, but I don't know if they were used for interceptors there. I remember thinking about how odd it was they were still using such old aircraft as the 106 at the time. Especially when they had what seemed like more capable aircraft like the F-15.

Lately I've been doing some research on the F-106 Delta Dart and its history. I now understand why they stayed in service as long as they did. I wish I would have known at the time what a storied and capable interceptor aircraft it was. I would have appreciated it a lot more when they blasted out of that alert hangar and thundered off into the distance (shattering everyone's eardrums and knocking all of our instruments out of level). What an amazing aircraft.

I don't know if it still holds, but for many years the F-106 held the speed record for single engine jet aircraft.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

An amazing story about what must have been an amazing plane.

That bit about it landing itself put me in mind of some other similar tales though these are from the age of prop planes and much earlier.

One of the things I found very interesting was the pilots got the aircraft airborne, and then automated systems vectored the interceptor all the way to its target, then brought it back to base where the pilot resumed control and landed it.

By today's standards that's probably not too amazing, but when you consider the year this aircraft was initially put into service it's pretty astounding.

I’ve always been fascinated with our Cold War era aircraft. Big, ugly and beautiful. Now it’s cookie cutter variants of F-18’s, and F-16’s and the JSF which to me might as well be a drone jet.

The Whale and Thunderchief, ugly as heck but also neat.

I like the end of the video, the Cornfield Bomber!

a reply to: 38181

I had a model of an F4 phantom, and an SR-71, both were my favorites for a long time.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I always loved the F-106.
I grew up near Selfridge ANGB here in Michigan and the F-106 flew out of there in the early to mid 70s.
Saw and heard many F-106 full afterburner takeoffs at all hours of the day and night.

a reply to: 38181

I’ve always been fascinated with our Cold War era aircraft.

I've always been fascinated with Cold War...everything. It was such a unique time of spy vs. spy, shadow boxing of nations, strange machines and places and so many other things. In fact, to me it's kind of the essence of a forum like ATS.

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: 38181

I had a model of an F4 phantom, and an SR-71, both were my favorites for a long time.

Did you have a model of a Vigilante?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

As a little kid I remember the F-106 flying over my house practically everyday. I'd wave to the pilots and they'd wave back, sometimes tipping their wings.

a reply to: pteridine

It was a "J" model Phantom. Vietnam era. I was able to work with some folks that worked on them in the AF. I love hearing stories about the planes that impressed me. I was told the SR-71 leaked like a sieve when on the ground. Knowing how we policed leaks on the C-130, hearing that was a tad bit unnerving, but they claimed that once it was moving at it's proffered speed, it tightened right up.

ETA:
I did have a die cast meatal f-4 with wings that folded, so it may have been of that group, but I didn't know anything about them until I just looked that up now. Carrier based planes are amazing on top of being bad ass. margin for error is to tight on that, accidents are somewhat normal, whereas, we didn't see anything bad very often. I was working on Green Ramp when an F-16 clipped another plane and crashed into a loaded 141. That was the worst I have ever seen. (Pope AFB)

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

All the Century series were great aircraft. Thanks for sharing the video.

I remember seeing the Cornfield Bomber in the early 90s at Dayton.

originally posted by: pteridine

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: 38181

I had a model of an F4 phantom, and an SR-71, both were my favorites for a long time.

Did you have a model of a Vigilante?

1985 I assisted with an engine change on a R/A-5C Vigilante. One made an emergency landing at NAS Jacksonville. The Navy was in the process of phasing them out.

a reply to: JIMC5499
It was a beautiful plane and a low level screamer. I think you could cut yourself on the leading edge. One problem it had with the bomb going out the tail, aside from many jokes, was that at speed the bomb would tend to follow the plane which necessitated a bombing technique to prevent such.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Awesome plane. Actually knew the man who set that record. Was an incredible guy. Flew in ww2, Korea, and Vietnam.

Had an incredible story about meeting a Russian pilot he was in a dog fight with for 20 minutes until they both ran out fuel. Was telling the story to this seemingly random Russian at a mig alley reunion. The Russian starts smiling and says that was me. Both men said the other was the best the ever flew against.

originally posted by: JIMC5499

originally posted by: pteridine

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: 38181

I had a model of an F4 phantom, and an SR-71, both were my favorites for a long time.

Did you have a model of a Vigilante?

1985 I assisted with an engine change on a R/A-5C Vigilante. One made an emergency landing at NAS Jacksonville. The Navy was in the process of phasing them out.

Wasnt there a rumour the Vigilante morphed into a Top Secret platform?

originally posted by: JIMC5499

originally posted by: pteridine

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: 38181

I had a model of an F4 phantom, and an SR-71, both were my favorites for a long time.

Did you have a model of a Vigilante?

1985 I assisted with an engine change on a R/A-5C Vigilante. One made an emergency landing at NAS Jacksonville. The Navy was in the process of phasing them out.

I’m not sure if I’d like to be the backseater on that beast, especially landing on a carrier. The back seat window is a small square porthole. Talk about claustrophobic.