Warbird Information Exchange

Here are two links to the New England Air Museum's F4D's.

http://www.neam.org/inventory/airprofile.asp?ID=37

http://www.neam.org/inventory/airprofile.asp?ID=38

One complete, one tornado damaged.
The complete one was found at Dahlgren, VA to replace the tornado damaged aircraft.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Why does the Pax River example have a taller nose gear than the others pictured?

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

I think the reason for the longer nose gear is that the PAX River people probably put a landing gear oleo strut cuff on the compression cylinder. If you look closely at the photo, the sliding part of the landing gear that is normally shiny, chrome silver, is grey. They may have put this on to make the aircraft more presentable.

Many aircraft on display in museums suffer from landing gear shock absorbers bottoming out due to leaks. No one is going to fix them because they aren't going to fly, but it makes the aircraft displayed look squat and not how it should have when operational.
More musuems should use the gear cuffs to help keep the aircraft in "ship-shape" condition.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

The shot of the Test Pilot School/TPS F-6A at Pax River brought back memories of when I saw it fly during NAS Pax River Air Expo air shows in 1966 and 1967.

These were the last flying Skyrays I believe and I think they were retired from service sometime in the 1967-1969 time frame (not exactly sure of the dates).

I believe the Naval Air Reserve retired the last of their F-6A's around the 1965 or 66 time frame and if I am not mistaken the last active duty operational Skyrays were retired by the Marines in the 1963 to 64 time frame when they were replaced by F-4B Phantom II's.

It would be great to see one restored to flying status (what a fantastic contemporary period companion it would be to the "MiG Fury's" FJ-4B Fury) but I know it's not too likely.

Jim C.

Back in 1986 or 87 i saw a Skyray on a junk pile at a salvage yard in Memphis. The next year it was gone and i was told it went back east. Does anyone know of this aircraft?

There is an F-6 "NASA 708" at the Ontario, OR airport.

Saludos,


Tulio

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Why take the best part of life out of your life, when you can have life with the best part of your life in your life?

I am one of them 'futbol' people.

Will the previous owner has pics of this double cabin sample

GOOD MORNING, WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Press "1" for English.
Press "2" to disconnect until you have learned to speak English.

Sooooo, how am I going to know to press 1 or 2, if I do not speak English????

That's one I haven't seen listed. Any idea who owns it. From the aerial on google it looks like there are a few jets on the field.

Bill.

So it looks like the count is at ten and 1/2 "Skyrays" still in existence.
Pretty small number for such a cool looking aircraft!
Thanks everyone!
Does anybody have a ground photo of the one in Oregon?
Jerry

_________________
"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Not a Skyray at Ontario, its another F5D Skylancer.

So back to 9.5 Skyrays.

Bill

Oh, Crap!
I thought we were lucky enough to hit an almost perfect "10"!!!
I'll take 9!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Bill K,
are you sure that was a Skyray yoyu saw in Memphis? I was at NAS Memphis in 1981, 1982 and again through there in 1986 and there were a bunch of FJ-Fury's and lots of A-4 A's and B's in the school and junkyard at NAS Memphis. Never heard about the Skyray, although at NAS Memphis they had an F-11F and an RA-5 on poles, two Skyraider props outside one of the Marine HMMS Squadrons and the very early model A-4's in the training schools. They had a static flightline where we ran up some of the early model birds W/the J-65's. I looked evrything over pretty close and never saw any Skyrays.
A friend of mine named Paul Hunt was scowering the junkyards in Memphis looking for a rumored P-51 but all he ever came across was the FJ's. There was a small junkyard on the north end of the base that had the fuselage of an EA-1E Skyraider, and some FJ Furies and A-7's and F-8's. There was also a B model F-4 used to train students how to swap engines, etc.
Are you sure it wasn't an early Skyhawk?

Marine Air,

It was not my post that mentions the Skyray at Memphis, its Versatile's above mine.

When I passed through Memphis in 98 I saw the gate guards and an A-4 Skyhawk with the wings folded.

Bill.

Uh, Bill,... you saw an A-4 with folded wings ?

Must have been the "Air Force" version!!!
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Yup, I was waiting for the comments on that one,



My research indicates it was one of two modified for travel as part of recruiting.

Anyone know the s/n?

Bill.