F-86 Everywhere
Posted by DasBoot83@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 11 comments
Hello!
After a trip through Indiana this week I have a question regarding the F-86 Sabre.
I saw one on display in a small town and it jogged my memory, as I've seen about 3 or 4 other ones on display around small towns in the Midwest (ND and MN mainly as I live in the area).
I haven't been able to find any discussion of this online so I figured I'd pose the question here: why is the F-86 the dominant display plane in these small towns?
Thanks for humoring me!
Big-Professional-187@reddit
ANAF and USAF veterans clubs had dibs on them before recycling an museums gobbled them up. They weren't exactly up to standard by the time they retired for sales or trainers. They did cause a societal problem with the pilots themselves and speed limits and traffic laws had to be adjusted accordingly.
Western-Knightrider@reddit
It is also a very good looking and not too large an aircraft.
Misophonic4000@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_North_American_F-86_Sabres :)
VayVay42@reddit
In addition to what others have said, I also think they started becoming surplus at a time when those types of small patriotic civic projects got a lot of traction.
Terrible_Log3966@reddit
Also, it was very iconic due to it's role in the Korean war
Potential_Wish4943@reddit
It was like the primary US jet for 10+ years and farmed out to allied nations who couldnt afford a super saber or delta dart for years after that. The last ones didnt leave service until the 1980s.
FreshTap6141@reddit
they had an F86 on top of Pikes Peak when I was a kid. 1960 ish
penthar-mul@reddit
The simple answer is there were a lot made, so there were a lot to give away to parks, VFW posts, etc. I also seem to see F-84s and F-105s in similar settings more frequently than other types.
DasBoot83@reddit (OP)
I figured it was along the lines of there just being a ton in storage, thanks for comfirming!
Luchin212@reddit
It’s a jet from before jets became tremendously expensive. Of course it was more expensive than a corsair or a mustang, but it’s not like an F-35.
TheSmashy@reddit
They're also really awesome.