You are in the F-86
Sabre section. of
the Jet Fighter Model Airplane Department. in
the Yellow
Airplane store.
Korean War, F-86
Sabre Military Jet Fighter Books, History Reference Books and Just Good Korean
War Stories.
The
F-86 Sabre was built by North American
Aviation and was the premiere military jet fighter in the Korean War.
The F-86 Sabre is 40' 3" long, 15' high and has a wingspan of 39' 1-1/2".
The F-86 has an empty weight of 13,822 lbs and a gross weight of 18,484
lbs. The F-86 used one General Electric J47-GE-33 jet engine producing
5550 lbs of thrust. This aircraft did not have afterburner.
The Max range of the F86 Sabre was 750 miles, it has a max speed of 693 mph and
a max climb rate of 12,200 fpm (Feet Per Minute).
There are many versions of this plane, these
specs cover only one version.
On June 27, 1950, U.S. President Truman
ordered the Air Force and Navy into the Korean conflict following a call
from the U.N. Security Council for member nations to help South Korea
repel an invasion from the North. The F-86 Sabre was the top aircraft
of this war. The eventual modification of the Saber into the F-86D
Sabre Dog created one of the first all weather jet fighters.
Thompson. Made up of new pilots
right out of jet training and older combat veterans of World War II, the 4th
Fighter Group - which included 24 of the U.S.' 40 Korean War aces - wrote, and
re-wrote, the textbooks on jet warfare. Here, you'll meet those spectacular
pilots, learn about the MiG tactics they encountered, and read firsthand
accounts of how those tactics were defeated. 96 pages, 86 B&W & color
photographs, 33 color profiles, 7¼"x 9¾", softcover.
#0015401
North American F-86 Sabre
Hardbound Military Aircraft Book. North American F-86 Sabre, Curtis. This remarkable jet
aircraft was the most widely produced post-WWII American fighter, and it served
with distinction as both a fighter and attack aircraft in Korea and in a number
of other skirmishes around the globe. Illustrated with more than 200 photos,
this history fully charts the design, development, and service histories of all
Sabre variants. 200 pgs., 8½"x 11", hdbd.
#0005404
Price: $52.95
Flight
Handbook for F-86 Reprint of the official flight book
given to F-86D pilots, from May 1956. Includes all the instructions,
performance data, drawings, charts, and diagrams - 300 pgs. of information
in all! 8½"x 11", sfbd.
....#0003716 $24.95
Part 1: Design/Structure/Testing Wagner.
The all-weather bomber/interceptor has always been
over-shadowed by the Korean War vintage F-86A/E/F series of day fighters.
Although unglamorous in comparison, the "Dog" was responsible for several world
speed records. This volume covers design, testing and structures. 180
photos with technical drawings and cutaways. 97 pgs., 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0001821
North American Sabre Dog Part Two. Curtis.
Specifically covering the Air Force's use of this variant, this volume
presents the full operational history and performance statistics. You'll
also read of the history of each squadron flying the Sabre Dog and see their
patches and aircraft markings. Heavily illustrated with air-to-air and
ground views, this is a valuable addition to Volume One (item #1821). 112
pgs., 228 B&W photos, 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0020102
North American Sabre Dog 3
Softbound Aircraft Book.
Curtis. This latest volume in the
Sabre Dog series explores the F-86s of the U.S. Air
National Guard as well as those in foreign service around the world.
You'll get complete operational statistics, histories and unit insignia, and see
Sabres in air-to-air photos, formation flight, ground operations and even
wrecks. 81 pgs., 282 B&W photos, 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0020103
Warbird Tech Vol. 3
Softbound Military Aircraft Book.
Hughes & Dranem. Details the history of this
early jet fighter, with especially interesting section on the
development of its swept-wing design and the "trick"
that the U.S. learned from the German Me-262 to make the swept wing work!
Book covers development, Korean air combat, photo-recon, armament
configurations and more. 100 pgs., 130 photos, exploded views, cutaways, and
four-pages of color photos. 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0002693
Bowman. The Sabre was arguably the best of
the early jet fighters to enter service soon after WWII, and it earned its
combat spurs during the Korean War, going head-to-head with Soviet MiGs.
This chronological history presents its prototypes, operational history,
engineers, aces, variants, technical specifications, weapons, production
figures, model kit information and more. 96 pgs., B&W photos, 16 pages of
color photos and profiles, 7½"x 9¾", sfbd.
#0019105
Price: $14.95
F-86 Sabre in Action Larry Davis.
A concise yet thorough history of this famed 1950s jet
fighter. A truly great platform, the F-86 evolved into an all-weather
interceptor, an atomic-capable fighter-bomber, a carrier-based naval plane, a
trainer, and much more. Documented here are the XP-86 through the "L" variants,
with photos, drawings and clear text highlighting the plane's evolution.
58 pgs., 135 B&W photos, 10 color profiles, dozens of line drawings, 3-views and
more. 11"x 8¼", softcover.
#0004014
Dorr, Lake & Thompson.
The conflict in Korea saw F-86 Sabres of the USAF take on MiG-15s of North
Korea and China. Sound training and skillful leadership soon enabled Sabre
pilots to dominate the dogfights. In all, 39 F-86 pilots became aces,
and a number of these are profiled in this volume, as are notable pilots
from the Navy, Marine Corps and, for the first time, MiG-15 aces. 96 pages,
90 photographs, 3-views, and 58 color profiles. 7¼"x 9¾", softcover.
#0001691
Price: $20.95
Sabres Over MiG Alley
Hardbound Military History Book. The F-86 and the Battle for
Air Superiority in Korea, Werrell. Combining hardware and personnel, design
and operations, this book focuses on one clear American victory of the
Korean War: the jet fighter battle between the F-86 and the MiG-15. You'll
learn how, despite being outnumbered, the USAF won air superiority in Korea
with an aircraft that was initially inferior to its opponent; find out why
numerous Air Force pilots violated restrictions and destroyed MiGs over
China; and much more. 304 pages, 32 B&W photographs, 6"x 9",
hardcover.
#0022523
Naval Fighters Vol. 58
Softbound Military Jet Fighter Book.
Curtis. Remotely
controlled aircraft drones were proposed in 1901, but later used mostly by
the military. In the 1970s, obsolete F-86s were converted into drones and
used in missile testing. Here are spectacular photos of these tests at Point
Mugu, China Lake, and White Sands Missile Range, as well as data on
individual drones and mission profiles. Includes kit review. 81 pgs., 225
photos, line drawings and more, 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0006158
Thompson. The 4th
Fighter Interceptor Wing (FIW) was sent to Korea in December 1950 expressly
to face the threat posed by the all-new MiG-15 fighter that had made its
combat debut the previous month. It remained the sole Sabre wing in-theater
for a full year, its pilots tangling with Russian-flown jets over the Yalu
River in "MiG Alley," on a near-daily basis. Through sheer skill and
superior machinery, the 4th FIW prevailed, and the skies over North Korea
remained firmly in U.N. control. This book includes numerous photos
of aces and their aircraft, as well as extensive first-hand accounts, a
double-page cutaway drawing and a listing of all 25 pilots who "made ace"
while flying with the 4th FW. 128 pgs., 109 color photos, detailed cut-away
drawing, 8¼"x 9¾", sfbd.
#0006217
Thompson. Covers the full history of this
classic aircraft in combat. Includes the best color photography available,
sourced from one of the largest private collections of color images of
military aircraft. Also includes scale drawings and cutaways of all major
variants. 128 pages, 130 color photographs, 8¼"x 9¾", softcover.
#0002870
Price: $19.95
Heritage Flight
Hardbound Book America's Air Force Celebrates 100 Years of
Aviation. Hildebrandt. Assembled by the USAF to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of powered flight, this unique demonstration team pairs military
pilots in the latest aircraft with civilian pilots in classic warbirds for
breathtaking formation flight. Outstanding air-to-air photography captures
F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles and A-10 Warthogs in concert with a C-130, B-25,
F-86 and others. 178 pgs., 185 color photos, 12"x 9¼", hdbd.
#0006839
Price: $49.95
F-86 Sabre Walk Around
Softbound Book Davis. The F-86 Sabre was the western world's
premier fighter aircraft during the early 1950s. Over 800 MiG pilots in
Korea discovered firsthand about the superiority of the F-86. But the real
story begins during the waning years of WWII, when the Luftwaffe's Me 262
dooms the future of propeller-driven aircraft. Here is a wonderful
photographic record of that story, from development beginning in 1945
through service in the 1950s. 79 pgs., 180 color and B&W photos, 15 color
profiles, color artwork, 3-views and more. 11"x 8¼", sfbd.
#0005125
Thompson. In this new volume, you'll learn
how famous 51st Fighter Wing pilots such as McConnell, Fischer, Overton and
Gabreski achieved aerial supremacy over Korea despite being heavily
outnumbered by MiG-15s; read the aces' personal accounts of their MiG
"kills;" review the new "E" model Sabres that helped them get the job done;
and more. 96 pages, 45 color and 45 B&W photographs, 33 color profiles and
33 nose art illustrations, and more. 7¼"x 9¾", softcover.
#0015398
Price: $20.95
North American F-86H Sabre "Hog"
Softbound Military Aircraft Book. Berlin. The only book ever dedicated to
the F-86H, this volume takes you through the development
and service of this little-known variant, which was initially designed to be a
fighter-bomber version of the classic Sabre day fighter. And though the plane
was overshadowed by the new F-100, the F-86H did serve for many years with the
Air National Guard. 145 pages., hundreds of B&W photos and engineering
drawings, 8½"x 11", softcover.
#0020108
Price: $29.95
Gods of Tin The Flying Years.
Hardbound Airplane Book
Salter. With writings from the journal he kept while flying 100 combat
missions in an F-86 over Korea, excerpts from his novels The Hunters and
Cassada, and selections from his memoir Burning the Days, this collection
from award-winning author James Salter records the day-to-day,
mission-to-mission life of a young fighter. It is "…a remarkable document by
any standard." 192 pages, B&W photographs, 5½"x 7", hardcover.
#0010125
Attack and Interceptor Jets
Softbound Book 300 of the World's Greatest Aircraft. Sharpe. The
first faltering steps into military jet technology were made nearly 75 years
ago, and the progress has been remarkable. You'll see the Me 262, English
Electric Lightning, Lockheed SR-71; F-86 Sabre, Suhkoi Su-27 "Flanker," and
F-15 Eagle, each detailed in text, illustrated by a color profile and
accompanied by complete specs. 320 pgs., 300 color profiles, 4¾"x 6¼", sfbd.
#0036006
Price: $12.95
Latin American Airwars and Aircraft 1912-1969
Hardbound Book Hagedorn. The aircraft were
colorful and their crews were often courageous - but virtually unknown
beyond the South American continent. Based on fifteen years of research,
this book traces the use of aircraft in Latin America from the frail Wright
Model Bs, through World War II-era bombers and fighters, to jet fighters
such as the F-86 in border skirmishes, revolutions and full-scale warfare,
including the final aerial engagements between piston-engine fighters.
192 pages, 400 B&W photographs and color illustrations, 9"x 12", hardcover.
#0011220
Price: $59.95
North American Aircraft Volume 1
Softbound Book Avery. This first volume in the North American
Aviation series covers the company's aircraft from its obscure beginnings in
1928 through the F-86 Sabre and its derivatives. 204 pages, 348 B&W and 27
color photographs, 3-views and more. 11"x 8½", softcover.
#0001768
Check For Sale Price
The Life Story of the
World's Highest Scoring Ace
Jager. With 352 aerial victories and ten years in a Soviet prison, Erich
Hartmann survived uprisings, hunger strikes, and forced labor. His will to
do his duty was remarkable - after being released, he was still mentally and
physically fit enough to fly F-86 jet
fighters in the post-World War II German Air
Force. This photo album presents the different stages of his life - a man
who wished to become a doctor, but whose fate it was to become and remain a
soldier. 296 pages, 560 photographs, 8½"x 11", hardcover.
#0003325
Price: $59.95
MiG Alley Larry Davis.
Softbound Book
This pictorial review of the Korean air war shows them all: F-51 Mustangs and
F4U Corsairs, the new jets like the F-80, F-84, F-86 and T-33, even the attack
aircraft and bombers such as the B-26 and B-29 are here. If you want to see the
aircraft of Korea, this is the book for you! Includes 140 B&W photos, 36 color
profiles, maps, squadron markings and more. 80 pgs., 8½"x 11", sfbd.
#0004073
Price: $12.95
Crimson Sky
Softbound Book The Air Battle for Korea John Bruning. Examines in
detail twenty of the most interesting aerial actions of the Korean War,
including the first air rescue of a downed pilot, the
Battle of Carlson's Canyon, and spectacular MiG Alley sorties flown by
F-86 aces. More than exciting accounts of military missions, this is about the
people who flew them, about their experiences and their emotions as they
performed dangerous duty a half-century ago. 224 pgs., 30 photos, 6"x 9¼", sfbd.
#0005438
Price: $18.95
Series 10 Orenda Turbojet Blueprint
Military Engine Blueprint Drawing. Created by professionals who have painstakingly
recreated and modified vintage drawings, this is a real blueprint of the
1950s jet engine fitted into many late-model (particularly Canadian) F-86
Sabres. 42"x 30".
#0070701
Price: $24.95
History Study Notes for the
F-86 Sabre Korean War Jet Fighter
Col. Francis Gabreski is shown here bagging one of the 6½
MiGs that he added to his total of 24 confirmed victories in Europe during
WWII.
The frosty morning air is shattered by a hunting party of F-86 Sabres
of the U.S. 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, led by
Gabby Gabreski, as they
blast off the runway at Kimpo airfield, South Korea.
This
is a highly detailed plastic kit of the F-86 variant with lengthened "6-3"
swept-wings that saw extensive use during the Korean War against the MIG-15.
North American F-86F Sabre, "Beautious Butch,"
flown by America's top scoring Korean War ace,
Captain Joseph M. McConnell, Jr.,
39th FIS, K-13, May 1953.
Korean War aces Major General Federick C. Blesse,
Brigadier General Robinson Risner, Colonel Harold E. Fischer and Colonel Ralph
S. Parr.
Sabre Dog series explores the F-86s of the U.S.
Air National Guard as well as those in foreign service around the world.
Canadair Sabre flown by the German Luftwaffe in
1954
Canadair Sabre flown by
352-victory ace Col. Erich Hartmann
of JG 71 Richthofen, West German Air Force,
during the Cold War 1961
markings including Hartmann's trademark spreading black tulip nose art,
On July 19th, 1953, after his flight of four
F-86s was set upon by 16 MiGs, John Glenn pursued and "flamed" a MiG to score
the second of his three Korean War kills.
the Battle of Carlson's Canyon,
The Life Story of the World's Highest Scoring Ace
Jager. With 352 aerial victories and ten years in a Soviet prison,
Erich
Hartmann survived uprisings, hunger strikes, and forced labor. His will to do
his duty was remarkable - after being released, he was still mentally and
physically fit enough to fly F-86 jet fighters in
the post-World War II German Air Force. This photo album presents the different
stages of his life - a man who wished to become a doctor, but whose fate it was
to become and remain a soldier.
USAF pilot
Lt. Joseph M. McConnell Jr.'s Sabre, "Beautious
Butch II," as he flew it for the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron/51st
Fighter-Interceptor Wing.
The CL-13 (F-86) flown by "Ace of Aces"
Col.
Erich Hartmann leads the first all-jet fighter wing - JG 71 Richthofen, whose
aircraft all sport the spreading black tulip nose art that was Hartmann's
personal emblem throughout World War II - of the West German Air Force on a 1961
mission.
America's Air Force Celebrates 100 Years of Aviation. Hildebrandt.
Assembled by the USAF to celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, this
unique demonstration team pairs military pilots in the latest aircraft with
civilian pilots in classic Warbirds for breathtaking formation flight.
Outstanding air-to-air photography captures F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles and A-10
Warthogs in concert with a C-130, B-25, F-86 and others.
Wearing what were perhaps the largest shark's
teeth markings of the Korean War, this F-86F was flown by
Joseph Fields of the
4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing in 1953.
1950s jet fighter. A truly great platform, the
F-86 evolved into an all-weather interceptor, an atomic-capable fighter-bomber,
a carrier-based naval plane, a trainer, and much more. Documented here are the
XP-86 through the "L" variants.
"Beautious Butch," the F-86 flown by America's
top scoring Korean War ace, Captain Joseph M. McConnell.
The 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was
the first to be based in Europe with F-86s.
The F-86D Sabre Dog, the military all-weather,
radar-equipped variant of the U.S. Air Force's early Cold War frontline jet
fighter.
Angel Face and the Babes flown by
USAF pilot Col.
Royal Baker - who achieved ace status during the Korean War - of the 336th FIS,
4th FIW
F-86E flown by
U.S. Air Force Ace Capt. Clifford Jolley,
who served with the 335th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 4th
Fighter-Interceptor Wing in Korea.
Mitch's Squitch, the F-86 piloted by 51st
Fighter-Interceptor Wing commander Col. John Mitchell, who shot down four MiGs
over Korea but who gained even more fame as the leader of the World War II
mission that shot down Admiral Yamamoto.
The 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing (FIW) was sent
to Korea in December 1950 expressly to face the threat posed by the all-new
MiG-15 fighter that had made its combat debut the previous month. It remained
the sole Sabre wing in-theater for a full year, its pilots tangling with
Russian-flown jets over the Yalu River in "MiG Alley," on a near-daily basis.
Through sheer skill and superior machinery, the 4th FIW prevailed, and the skies
over North Korea remained firmly in U.N. control
John Glenn's Sabre, "MiG Mad Marine.
This beautifully restored F-86 Sabre, one of the
most pristine Korean-era warbirds flying, is painted with the markings of
USMC (then) Maj. John Glenn, Jr.
of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing and
flown by pilot Mike Keenum.
Col.
Walker M. "Bud" Mahurin, who added 3½ kills to his World War II tally of
21 while flying in the Korean War. Mahurin's Honest John markings
from the spring of 1952, when he was Commander of the 4th Fighter Wing;
Featuring the special 1956 "gunnery meet"
markings of a Sabre from the 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing based at
Alexandria AFB, Louisiana,
Painted in the colorful 1956 livery of the
Skyblazers, a USAF demonstration team that performed in Europe from the late
1940s through the late 1950s
The Huff, the F-86 flown by 51st
Fighter-Interceptor Wing pilot Lt. James
Thompson, who chose the colorful paint scheme after downing a MiG-15 with
a dragon painted on its side
Skyblazers poster features the F-86 that the USAF
demonstration team flew in Europe in 1955-56.
Col. Ralph Parr, who earned more than 60
decorations flying over 1,100 hours of combat in World War II, Korea and
Vietnam, this limited edition,
The
conflict in Korea saw F-86 Sabres of the USAF take on MiG-15s of North Korea and
China. Sound training and skillful leadership soon enabled Sabre pilots to
dominate the dogfights. In all, 39 F-86 pilots became aces.
The F-86 Sabre was the western world's premier
fighter aircraft during the early 1950s. Over 800 MiG pilots in Korea discovered
firsthand about the superiority of the F-86. But the real story begins during
the waning years of WWII, when the Luftwaffe's Me 262 dooms the future of
propeller-driven aircraft.
The aircraft were colorful and their crews were
often courageous - but virtually unknown beyond the South American continent.
Based on fifteen years of research, this book traces the use of aircraft in
Latin America from the frail Wright Model Bs, through World War II-era bombers
and fighters, to jet fighters such as the F-86 in border skirmishes, revolutions
and full-scale warfare, including the final aerial engagements between
piston-engine fighters.
Development of
its swept-wing design and the "trick" that the U.S. learned from the German
Me-262 to make the swept wing work!
The F-86H, through the development and
service of this little-known variant, which was initially designed to be a
fighter-bomber version of the classic Sabre day fighter. And though the plane
was overshadowed by the new F-100, the F-86H did serve for many years with the
Air National Guard
Remotely controlled
aircraft drones were proposed in 1901, but later used mostly by the military. In
the 1970s, obsolete F-86s were converted into drones and used in missile
testing. Here are spectacular photos of these tests at Point Mugu, China Lake,
and White Sands Missile Range.
The
F-86 and the Battle for Air Superiority in Korea, Werrell. Combining hardware
and personnel, design and operations, this book focuses on one clear American
victory of the Korean War: the jet fighter battle between the F-86 and the
MiG-15. You'll learn how, despite being outnumbered, the USAF won air
superiority in Korea with an aircraft that was initially inferior to its
opponent; find out why numerous Air Force pilots violated restrictions and
destroyed MiGs over China.
The
all-weather bomber/interceptor has always been over-shadowed by the Korean War
vintage F-86A/E/F series of day fighters. Although unglamorous in comparison,
the "Dog" was responsible for several world speed records
The
North American F-86
"Sabre," like its predecessor, the
P-51D Mustang, was fortuitous in its developmental history, and is one of
those aircraft for which it can be said that had it not existed, history would
be written differently today. The Sabre would definitely be among the Top Ten of
the most significant fighter aircraft in history.
Fortunately for the United States, the Nazis were stupid enough
to chase Edgar Schmued from Germany in 1938 with their policies. The immediate
result two years later was the
P-51 Mustang, which
resulted from a design he had been toying with while working at Messerschmitt -
his Mustang was more responsible than any other Allied fighter for the aerial
destruction of Nazidom; the further result was that Schmued had no difficulty
reading the captured German technical papers which discussed the advantage of
the swept wing for jet powered aircraft as a way of delaying the onset of
compressibility and therefore increasing speed; he had also been in attendance
at the Volta Conference in 1935, and had left with a copy of Buseman's paper on
the theoretical superiority of swept wings in high speed flight. The result was
the Sabre.
Unofficially, the Sabre was
the first supersonic aircraft, achieving a speed just in excess of Mach 1 in a
dive two weeks before Chuck Yeager "broke the sound barrier" in the
Bell X-1. The two
aircraft in many ways were intertwined, because it was the research performed by
the Bell X-1 that led to the creation of the "all flying tail," which greatly
eased an aircraft's penetration of the sonic barrier; the Sabre was the first
operational aircraft to which this was fitted. As a result, the Sabre was
faster, and more importantly more controllable at those high speeds, than its
Russian opponent, the MiG-15.
The Sabre was first ordered by
the Air Force on August 30, 1944. At that time the design had a strong
similarity to what would emerge from Republic's design department as the
F-84 Thunderjet. Fortunately,
in August 1945 Lee Atwood and Ray Rice
were willing to listen to Schmued's
descriptions of the German papers before they were officially translated. Armed
with this information, Atwood went to the Air Force and got a year's delay on
the delivery date of the XP-86, time enough to add in the swept wings. It was
likely the most useful and important delay in aviation history. Had this not
happened - had the F-86 come out of the shop looking like a slimmed down version
of its naval counterpart, the FJ-1 Fury - the results of the aerial battles over
Korea a few years later would have been very different indeed.
The F-86A Sabre had only been
operational for a year when it went to war. The appearance of the MiG-15 over
the Yalu River in North Korea in early November 1950 sent shivers through the
Air Force - the unknown Russian jet was superior to everything in the inventory
other than the possible likelihood of the Sabre. Within a month, the 4th Fighter
Interceptor Wing - the descendant of the Eagle Squadrons and the 4th Fighter
Group of World War II fame - was flying combat missions out of Suwon, Korea. For
the next year, a force of Sabres that was never greater than 35-40 operational
aircraft held off a Communist air command of several hundred jet fighters. The
F-86A was followed a year later by the F-86E with the "all flying tail," and a
bit less than a year after that by the F-86F which had an updated engine and an
extended wing leading edge without slats, for upgraded high speed performance.
It is alleged that the Sabre
achieved a kill ratio of 12.5:1 against the
MiG-15 Faggot . This has since been
lowered to around 4.5:1 in the light of access to Soviet records after the end
of the Cold War. In fact, the MiG-15 was generally superior to the F-86 above
about 38,000 feet and could top out at 50,000 feet, which was superior to the
Sabre's operational ceiling; the MiG-15 was always at least the Sabre's equal in
climb and turn radius. What won the war for the Sabres was the edge provided by
the greater skill and experience of its pilots, many of who were aces of the
WW2, and all of whom were better-trained than their Communist opponents.
The first official USAF Sabre
"ace" was Captain (later MAJ) James J. Jabara, who achieved his 5th and 6th
kills May 20, 1951. In the spring of 1953, Jabara became the only ace to fly a
second tour, returning to the 334th FIS of the 4th FIW in late April 1953. The
Sabres were "turned loose" on the enemy in May, 1953, at which time an "ace
race" began between Jabara, his fellow 334th pilot CAPT Manuel "Pete" Fernandez,
and CAPT Joseph McConnell from the 39th FIS, 51st FIW. The race began in May
with Fernandez in the lead, followed by Jabara and McConnell who jockeyed back
and forth. In the end, it was McConnell by a nose to become the UN Ace of Aces
with 16 kills, followed by Jabara with 15 and Fernandez with 14.5.
Several exchange pilots from
the USN, USMC, RAF and RCAF flew with the 39th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of
the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, the second unit to be equipped with the Sabre
in Korea (this increase in fighter power was only achieved by a threat from the
Commander of the 4th FIW, Colonel Harrison
Thyng, to resign his commission and go home to make public the real facts of
the air war in the summer of 1952, when there were fewer than 30 operational Sabres in the Korean theatre). It has been alleged that the USAF maneuvered the
assignments to keep these exchange pilots from achieving 5 kills, since the Air
Force wanted to keep "acedom" in its own ranks. Only one of these pilots, MAJ
John F. Bolt, USMC, broke the rule to achieve 6 kills.
The second leading Marine
pilot was MAJ John Glenn, a pilot who would become well-known in the immediate
post-Korean period for a series of speed records, and would become even better
known at the end of the decade as the first American to orbit the earth as an
astronaut in the Mercury program. Glenn had three kills, which justified his
airplane's big gaudy name, "MiG-Mad Marine."
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