Warbird Information Exchange

Wo
I believe there was a dual control F-86 built up at Chino in the 1980's. No idea what became of it.

Curious, the first b&w pix shows a clean nose while the color pix shows a single gun port.

Frank Sanders was modifying a CAC built Sabre and installing a back seat at Chino. I don't recall if it was going to be dual controls though. It did mean no ejection seats would be installed although most civil warbird jets had deactivated seats at the time. He was killed in the Red Knight T-33 in NM when it broke up in flight and I remember his son Dennis saying that there was no way it would fly without a hot seat. I don't know what became of that project. He also had tons of spare parts as well.
Rich

A94-954 CA27-54 Mk.32 Recieved 1 AD 30/01/57 with installed Avon engine no.CAC 112. To 78 Wing 14/02/56. Served with 3 Sqn. at Butterworth. To 77 Sqn. 25/10/67. To GAF Avalon 03/10/69. Also noted in 2 OCU markings.(see image below) To 3 AD 16/02/70. To 5 OTU 21/07/70. Into storage at Williamtown 25/06/71. On 06/08/71 it was advised the fuselage section of -954 was to be used for heat radiation tests at Darwin, NT. HQ Williamtown advised this airframe written off 13/10/71. Later acquired by Guido Zuccoli . Exported to USA in 1989. In partnership with Dennis Saunders of Saunders Aviation it was offered for sale as a potential Warbird. There was apparently little interest in it, as seems the case with most of the Avon Sabres currently in the USA. (Perhaps a case of "not built here" syndrome). Moved on to Planes of Fame at Chino who displayed it at their Fighter Jets Museum hangar painted as USAF 51-2747/FU-747. "Honest John" (For those interested in the story behind this paint scheme it represents an F-86E Sabre that was flown in the Korean War by Col. Walker (Bud) Mahurin, the World War 2 Ace. He commanded the 4th Fighter Group before being shot down, in another Sabre, on 13/05/52 and becoming a POW.)
After Guido's untimely death Lynette Zucolli decided to bring the Sabre back home. It was shipped to Toowoomba, Qld. 07/99. May be fitted with a different rear section as the original is reported to have been fitted to -923 during its restoration that saw it go to a museum in Praque. This may be the rear of -356 thus offering a possible explanation to the mix up of identities. This is under investigation
Currently displayed at Toowoomba Airport still in the USAF scheme. Lynette intends to present the aircraft in a Royal Malaysian Airforce scheme. She would like to know of the exact shade of green used. The surviving examples have suffered pigment change and now look a khaki/brown colour, as some of our images show.