F-84 in WV

[wendovertom]

Excellent! I was wondering if someone had the $$ and will power to buy it. But cleaned up and painted it looks great! I see the RV is still there. . . . . and trying to figure out why the scoreboard is important to this display?

Tom P.

[quemerford]

51-1349 doesn't have a particularly long or varied career, serving as a test or test support aircraft throughout its life:

Project ARD-3F-56
Available 28Feb53; accepted 28Feb53
6510th Air Base Wg, Edwards 08Apr53 (test; test support from 01Aug54)
Ogden Air Materiel Area, Hill AFB 21Feb55 (depot maint)
6511th Test Gp El Centro (test support) 06May55 (later Air Force Test Center El Centro)
Donated museum Class 26 El Centro 09Dec57

[Saabmeister]

Excellent! I was wondering if someone had the $$ and will power to buy it. But cleaned up and painted it looks great! I see the RV is still there. . . . . and trying to figure out why the scoreboard is important to this display?

Tom P.

Here's an article about the plane and the scoreboard:

https://observer-reporter.com/publicati ... 95d0f.html

[Saabmeister]

Excellent! I was wondering if someone had the $$ and will power to buy it. But cleaned up and painted it looks great! I see the RV is still there. . . . . and trying to figure out why the scoreboard is important to this display?

Tom P.

Here's an article about the plane and the scoreboard:

https://observer-reporter.com/publicati ... 95d0f.html

[Chris Brame]

...and the jet’s history was being tracked down by Lt. Col. John M Arellanes, commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at West Virginia University. Lt. Col. Arellanes has been up to look at the jet, but the serial number has yet to be found inside the cockpit. Still, the chances are good that Carley’s old F-84 is the 35th one of its kind in the United States, delighting motorists in West Virginia, the 35th state.

Wonder if it was actually verified as 51-1349? Still trying to figure out how it could have gotten from El Centro, CA to Morgantown, WV...

[Andy Marden]

It was definitely 113__ - this was visible under the fading paint for many years.

[marine air]

We used to have two of them in Nashville. One was at Tennessee State University and had a modified tail for being dropped by a B-36. It has moved on to a museum somewhere. Then there was an RF-84F at Berry Field(BNA) . The Guard tried to give or sale it to my dad when he had his P-51 and he didn't have any interest. That was right before the Air Force clamped down on any aircraft being sold or dispersed. It was put on a pylon in front of the 118th AW. The front gate was moved and so now it isn't possible to see or photograph it. It sat on the corner of the ANG ramp for years. It's engine was preserved in a cannister in the maintenance hangar. Engine and airframe were said to have about 200 hours since new.
The Department of Defense prohibited any more combat aircraft from moving to civilian hands which led to the unfortunate influx of Migs and other foreign aircraft coming into the country for civilian use. I know o fa third F-84F that was missed and is in the "boondocks" . Found it accidentally when flying with a student thirty years ago and confirmed it' still there last year. It seems the F-84F and T-33 were the bird of choice for parks, schools and displays in the late 1950's and early sixties.

[marine air]

We used to have two of them in Nashville. One was at Tennessee State University and had a modified tail for being dropped by a B-36. It has moved on to a museum somewhere. Then there was an RF-84F at Berry Field(BNA) . The Guard tried to give or sale it to my dad when he had his P-51 and he didn't have any interest. That was right before the Air Force clamped down on any aircraft being sold or dispersed. It was put on a pylon in front of the 118th AW. The front gate was moved and so now it isn't possible to see or photograph it. It sat on the corner of the ANG ramp for years. It's engine was preserved in a cannister in the maintenance hangar. Engine and airframe were said to have about 200 hours since new.
The Department of Defense prohibited any more combat aircraft from moving to civilian hands which led to the unfortunate influx of Migs and other foreign aircraft coming into the country for civilian use. I know o fa third F-84F that was missed and is in the "boondocks" . Found it accidentally when flying with a student thirty years ago and confirmed it' still there last year. It seems the F-84F and T-33 were the bird of choice for parks, schools and displays in the late 1950's and early sixties.

[JohnB]

It seems the F-84F and T-33 were the bird of choice for parks, schools and displays in the late 1950's and early sixties.

You're correct.
I remember a book from 20 years ago showing all the display T-33s.
There are probably 200-300.
A friend, (ex-USAF and a military vehicle collector so he keeps his eyes and ears open for neat stuff), recently found a very nice one in a small town in North Dakaota, he thought he had heard of them all, so it was a bit of a surprise..
It was well displayed and even had a 1st AF (I had to
look that up), decal on the tail.

I bet there are more F-84Fs out there than straight wing '84s and '86s combined.

And as previously mentioned, A lot of '84Fs and '33s ended up in small UK air museums. When they were retired from NATO nations, (along with French F-100s and U.S. paid for Mysteres) they reverted to U.S. control, so they were given away.

[lucky52]

There is an F-84 on a pole at the VFW Hall right across the street from Ellington Field in Houston that has been wasting away there for a long time.