This is a series of photos from Joe Slyvia of a 5th FIS Minot bird, 59-0006, being loaded on a railroad flatcar. We do not know the story on this but I can tell it is in the early 60s, due to the buzz numbers still being on the fuselage and no infra-red receiver bump in front of the canopy. I'm assuming it is being shipped off to Sacramento ALC for some reason but can't detect from the photos what the damage is. If anyone can tell me why all this effort is going on, please contact me. This aircraft did serve out its career at Minot and was shot down as a drone at Tyndall on 09 Sept 91.
At Kincheloe AFB, MI, we also had one of these cranes that we called "Big Bertha", but ours disappeared in the mid 60s when the Vietnam War got going strong.
Since posting these photos, I've been informed there is a good possibility that these photos could have been taken at McClellan during the unloading operation. Maybe someone will recognize the background and help me out on this set of photos. Erv...05 Nov 00.
This aircraft, F-106B S/N 57-2509, was involved in a landing incident on 01 July 72 at Hamilton AFB, CA. (Click here for Doug Barbier's version. Click here for Philip Viener's version. Click here for Steve Stephens version.) It is shown here after it slid from the runway and through a maintenance area just missing several objects and buildings. With the help of Sacramento ALC, it was repaired at Hamilton. The left wing was replaced after the left main landing gear had punched through the wing.
After last serving with the Florida ANG at Jacksonville, FL, 57-2509 later became a drone but caught fire during its first NULLO pre-flight checks on 07 Oct 97 at Tyndall AFB and was written off at that time as being unflyable and was one of the last seven QF-106s to remain at Tyndall after the QF-106 drone program ended.
11 Nov 00 Update; Doug Barbier checked his F-106 data cards and has 59-0006 being assigned to the 5th FIS on 19 Mar 60 and back to SAMA (Sacramento) on 26 Sept 63, with a penciled in note about 'heat damage' as the cause of depot rebuild. It returned to the 5th FIS on 21 Nov 64.
Left & right QF photos by Johan Ragay at Tyndall, during William Tell, Oct 96
F-106A 59-0010 had several close calls while serving at 5th FIS, Minot AFB, ND. Above photos show the damage after a mid-air with 57-0236 on 17 Sept 79. Both aircraft recovered and both were repaired by Sacramento ALC. After a new nose was put on at Minot by a Sacramento team, 010 was FCF'd and flown to McClellan AFB for completion of the nose rework and was subsequently reassigned to Minot. I'm told that 57-0236 was reassigned to the 87th FIS, KI Sawyer AFB, MI, after repair at Sacramento ALC.
In correspondence with former Minot crew chief Rich Davis and his correspondence with some of his Minot crew chief predecessors (Scott Miller), we've learned that 010 is a very lucky bird in that it apparently had survived a previous "dead-stick" landing and another incident involving a locked brake during landing that put it in the mud between the runway and taxiway. There was talk of writing it off then (75 or 76).
Anyway, 59-0010 served out its career at Minot, survived the QF-106 drone program, and was selected to be involved in the Eclipse Program along with sister ship F-106A 59-0130. It is now sitting in the sun at Davis-Monthan, having arrived there on 30 April 98 to become one of the last six sixes to fly. Hopefully, it will earn a berth in a museum someday.
