From the looks of the F-86 pictured in the article, the have their work cut out for them..
Quote:
Monroe - A contingent of Marines from Stewart Air National Guard Base descended on Airplane Park in overcast weather last weekend to begin rehabilitating the park’s namesake, the vintage Korean War era, F86L SabreJet.
With the possibility of inclement weather, the village board contacted team leader, Staff Sgt. Claude Gillman, suggesting a possible delay.
Gillman’s answer: “Snow doesn’t matter; we’ll come anyway. We’re Marines.”
Gillman estimates the work will take approximate 100 man hours and - if commercially performed - would cost “at least a half a million dollars.” Prior to his Stewart assignment, he served multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.To begin the task, the six Marines were joined by Trustee Wayne Chan, DPW Superintendant Brian T. Smith and mechanic Jesse Hedges, who assisted with a portable generator and welding equipment. The dilapidated and graffiti-scrawled war plane has been a landmark at Crane Park for many years.
The Marine’s plan is to grind off the graffiti, repair the sheet-metal skin, close all panels, install a new canopy, new tires and nose cone and paint the entire aircraft. Gillman and his men volunteered for the job.
A resident of Monroe, Gillman and his crew are members of the regular Marine Corps stationed at Stewart with Squadron VMGR 452 assigned to work on KC 130 aircraft.
According to the F86’s SabreJet’s manufacturer, Boeing, the F86 was the first swept-wing airplane in the U.S. fighter inventory and was used extensively in the Korean War against the Russian made MIG fighters. First deployed in 1951, more than 6000 aircraft were manufactured before production ended in 1956
Found it here:
http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2009 ... news/6.txt
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