Warbird Information Exchange

F-102s out of Da Nang, SVN on a CAP mission in Nov 1967

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Don't touch my junk!!

How long did they last? Didn't Bush's unit crash half of their inventory, and everybody was afraid to fly them? I think that's why he quit and got into something else.

The Deuce was not really that difficult to fly in comparison with other jets of its era. I understand that Bush was considered a competent pilot and tried to get assigned to Vietnam but by then they stopped using the 102 and since there was going to be draw down of pilots he wasn't selected for conversion to other types.

BTW in their only encoutner it was Migs 1, F-102s 0.

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"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

There's afellow here in Salem that was on the first 102 deployment.
He said there were never any aerial encounters. He said they was no real role for the 102 in VN.

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Don't touch my junk!!

The 102 was really a, "Shoot down the bombers interceptor" design wasn't it?

Tom P.

The F-102 Delta Dagger was an interesting aircraft and definitely one of the more obscure USAF aircraft that served in SE Asia.

It was relatively successful serving about a 20 year career from 1956 to 1976 with most of those years with the Air National Guard. I think the last time I saw one in the air was in September 1974 during a short stopover in Honolulu on my way back to the U.S. after a tour in Thailand. The Hawaii Air National Guard was still flying them at the time.

The F-102 Drones were still used up until about 1986.

I did notice the "Wikapedia" reference to 1 F-102 being lost in an air to air incident during its period of Vietnam service. If this is actually the case, I wonder if anyone can supply any details.

Joe Baugher's site list the F-102A loss as 56-1166 shot down by MiG-21/Atoll Feb 3, 1968

HTH! Mark

The 147th lost a couple of jets during Bush's time with the unit. NOT half their inventory.

These guys were sitting hot alert at EFD, with dets at Holloman and New Orleans. The were part of ADC, flying intercepts over the Gulf.

They transitioned to the 101 in 1974, Bush was not scheduled for the transition which led to the whole Alabama Air Guard debacle during the 2004 election. He did ask to be one of the Viet Nam 102 guys but didn't have enough time in the jet at that time to qualify for the program.

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto