Udvar-Hazy, The Jets

Well we did find one aircraft there that I really don't care to fly--the ME-163 Komet.

Basically a rocket with wings, it took off, climbed almost vertically and raced around until it's fuel was gone--about fifteen minutes--and then it glided back to land in it's skid, having jettisoned the wheels on take-off.

It was supposed to be one hell of a ride, but the Komets had a disturbing tendency to explode on landing if any of it's fuel was left in the tanks. Thanks, but I'll pass on this one.

Then we spotted this MiG-21, and Old AFSarge starts in: "Oh, there's one of the big-tailed MiGs...I think that one was made in 1963...on a Thursday...after lunch." Did I mention that he knows his airplanes?

And then there's this way-cool F-4 Phantom, one of McDonnell-Douglas' finest creations. Do you think that this one didn't evoke a few stories from Sarge?

Rear view of the Phantom. Maybe he'll post the story he told me about those dive brakes on his site.

Old adversaries, now neighbors. Russian-designed Mig-15 (left) and North American F-86 Sabre (right). Many of these birds used to tangle over the Yalu River between Korea and China.

This F-86A actually saw combat in the skies over Korea. Chuck Yeager once said that it was the sweetest-handling jet he ever flew. I only regret that I'll have to take his word for it unless I hit the lottery and suddenly find myself able to afford one. But if I ever do hit that lottery...

The MiG, Actually a Chinese-built F-2. Hey, thanks Britain for selling the Russians those Rolls-Royce jet engines after World War Two. They couldn't have had this plane without that technology.

Grumman A-6E Intruder, the first true all-weather attack plane. Navy Intruders flying off of carriers caused much pain for the Vietnamese communists...and at least one mediocre movie.

This Vought F-8 Crusader logged 400 combat hours in SE Asia and 7,475.2 total flying hours, the most of any Crusader. The F-8 was the first fighter to break 1,000mph in level flight. This one is shown with it's emergency generator deployed out the right side. Ideally, this generator would provide enough power to get the plane home if it's main electrical system went out.

OK, crank up the Top Gun music. This Grumman F-14D actually killed a real MiG over Libya in 1989.

The museum's North American F-100 Super Sabre looks airworthy and combat-ready to me....and it's awfully close to the door.

And then we have my favorite jet--the Republic F-105D Thunderchief, or "Thud", as it was renamed nby it's crews.

This single-seat D model flew missions in SE Asia out of Tahkli before it finished it's flying with the District of Columbia Air Guard.

This aircraft was originally designed to deliver tactical nuclear weapons to targets in Europe. It found it's fame as a low-level conventional attack bomber in Vietnam, however. This aircraft and it's crews brought the fight right to Hanoi and ultimately brought the Vietnamese to the bargaining table to end the war, but it did so at a cost: 350 were lost there out of 610 built.

Want some good books on the Thud? Try When Thunder Rolled by Ed Rasimus, Going Downtown by Jack Broughton, and Tahkli Tales by Billy Sparks. All three of these air warriors flew the Thud over North Vietnam and wrote about their experiences, and sadly, all three have since "Gone West".

An old fat guy contemplates the Thud, wondering what it would be like to actually fly it and sighing because he knows that he'll never get the chance to find out--the world will never see (or hear) another F-105 take flight.

Cool shirt at least, eh?