Subject: Number Eighty-Six in the Series--North American F-86 Sabre (2 of 22)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 6 Aug 93 16:26:58 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The P-86A was the first production version of the Sabre.  The most 
important difference between the P-68A and the three XP-86 prototypes 
was the introduction of the 5200 lb.st. General Electric J47 in place 
of the 4000 lb.st. J35.  The two engines had a similar size, the J47 
differing from the J35 primarily in having an twelfth compressor 
stage.  Consequently, the F-86A was outwardly quite similar to the 
XP-86, with external changes being very slight.  The pitot tube was 
moved from the upper vertical fin to the starboard wingtip.  The 
front-opening speed brakes on the sides of the rear fuselage of the 
XP-86 were replaced by rear-opening brakes, and the underside speed 
brake of the XP-86 was deleted.  The F-86A did differ from the XP-86 
in being equipped with armament--six 0.50-inch machine guns in the 
nose, three on each side of the pilot's cockpit.  

The first production block consisted of 33 P-86A-1-NAs, ordered on 
October 16, 1947.  These were known as NA-151 on North American 
company records.  Serials were 47-605 through 47-637.  The first 
production P-86A-1-NA (serial number 47-605) flew for the first time 
on May 20, 1948.  It was also the first aircraft to use the General 
Electric J47-GE-1 turbojet.  The first and second production machines 
were accepted by the USAF on May 28, 1948, although they both remained 
at Inglewood on bailment to North American for production development 
work.  Aircraft no.  47-605 was not actually sent to an Air Force base 
until April 29, 1950.  It remained at WPAFB until May of 1952, when it 
was retired to storage at the Griffiss Air Depot.  

In June of 1948, the P-86 was redesignated F-86.  

The F-86A-1-NA fighters could be recognized by their curved 
windshields and the flush-fitting electrically-operated gun muzzle 
doors that maintained the smooth surface of the nose.  These muzzle 
doors opened automatically when the trigger was pressed to fire the 
guns, and closed automatically after each burst.  

The F-86A-1-NA's empty weight was up to 10,077 pounds as compared to 
the prototype's 9730 pounds, but the higher thrust of the J-47 engine 
increased the speed to 673 mph at sea level, which made the F-86A-1-NA 
almost 75 mph faster than the XP-86.  The initial climb rate was 
almost TWICE that of the XP-86.  The F-86A was one hot ship! 

In the summer of 1948, the world's air speed record was 650.796 mph, 
set by the Navy's Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak research aircraft on 
August 25, 1947.  Like the record-setting Lockheed P-80R before it, 
the Skystreak was a "one-off" souped-up aircraft specialized for high 
speed.  The USAF thought that now would be a good time to show off its 
new fighter by using a stock, fully-equipped production model of the 
F-86 to break the world's air speed record.  

To get the maximum impact, the Air Force decided to make the attempt 
on the speed record in the full glare of publicity, before a crowd of 
80,000 spectators at the 1948 National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio.  
The fourth production F-86A-1-NA (47-608) was selected to make the 
record attempt, and Major Robert L. Johnson was to be the pilot.  
According to Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) rules, a 3km 
(1.86 mile) course had to be covered twice in each direction (to 
compensate for wind) in one continuous flight.  At that time, the 
record runs had to be made at extremely low altitudes (below 165 feet) 
to enable precise timing with cameras to be made.  

On September 5, 1948, Major Johnson was ready to go and flew his 
F-86A-1-NA serial number 47-708 on six low-level passes over the 
course in front of the crowd at Cleveland.  Unfortunately, timing 
difficulties prevented three of these runs from being clocked 
accurately.  In addition, interference caused by other aircraft 
wandering into the F-86A's flight pattern at the wrong time prevented 
some of the other runs from being made at maximum speed.  Even though 
the average of the three runs that were timed was 669.480 mph, the 
record was not recognized as being official by the FAI.  

Further attempts to set an official record at Cleveland were 
frustrated by bad weather and by excessively turbulent air.  Major 
Johnson then decided to move his record-setting effort out to Muroc 
Dry Lake, where the weather was more predictable and the air less 
turbulent.  On September 15, 1948, Major Johnson finally officially 
set a record of 670.981 mph by flying F-86A-1-NA 47-611 four times 
over a 1.86-mile course at altitudes between 75 and 125 feet.  

The J-47-GE-1 engine of the early F-86As was followed by a few 
J47-GE-3s, and in December the J47-GE-7 became available.  

By March of 1949 the last F-86A-1-NA (47-637) had been delivered.  
Most of the 33 F-86A-1-NAs built were used for various tests and 
evaluations, and none actually entered squadron service.  

The first production block to enter squadron service was actually the 
second production batch, 188 of which were ordered on February 23, 
1949.  They were assigned the designation of F-86A-5-NA by the USAF, 
but continued to be carried as NA-151 on company records.  Serials 
were 48-129 to 48-316.  These were powered by the J47-GE-7 jet engine.  
Deliveries began in March of 1949 and were completed in September of 
1949.  

The F-86A-5-NA had a V-shaped armored windscreen which replaced the 
curved windscreen of the F-86A-1-NA.  The A-5 dispensed with the gun 
doors of the A-1 in the interest of maintenance simplicity.  A 
jettisonable cockpit canopy was introduced.  The A-5 introduced 
underwing pylons capable of carrying a variety of bombs (500 and 
1000-pounders) or underwing fuel tanks of up to 206 gallons in 
capacity.  A heating system was provided for the gun compartments, and 
stainless steel oil tanks and lines were provided for better fire 
resistance.  

In May of 1949, beginning with the 100th F-86A aircraft, an improved 
canopy defrosting system was installed and a special coating was 
applied to the nose intake duct to prevent rain erosion.  Earlier 
airframes were retrofitted to include these changes.  

The 116th F-86A was provided with a new wing slat mechanism which 
eliminated the lock and provided a fully automatic operation.  

A contract for 333 additional F-86As was received on May 29, 1948, and 
the final contract was approved on February 23, 1949.  These aircraft 
were assigned a new designation of NA-161 on North American company 
records, but continued to be designated F-86A-5-NA in USAF records.  
Their serials were 49-1007 to 49-1229.  These were powered by the 
General Electric J47-GE-13 engine of 5200 pounds of static thrust.  
The cockpit wiring was simplified.  Deliveries commenced in October of 
1949 and were completed by December of 1950.  The 282nd F-86A aircraft 
had a redesigned wing trailing edge with shorter chord aileron and 
greater elevator boost.  Deliveries commenced October 1949 and ended 
in December 1950.  

The first USAF combat organization to receive the F-86A was the First 
Fighter Group based at March AFB in California, with the famous "Hat 
in the Ring" 94th Squadron being the first to take delivery when they 
traded in their F-80s for the F-86A-5-NA during February of 1949.  The 
27th and 71st Squadrons were equipped with F-86A-5-NAs next, and by 
the end of May of 1949 the group had 83 Sabres on strength.  This 
group was charged with the aerial defense of the Los Angeles area, 
which, coincidentally, is where the North American Aviation factory 
was located.  Next came the the 4th Fighter Group based at Langley 
AFB, charged with the defense of Washington, D.C, and then the 81st 
Fighter Group, based at Kirtland AFT and charged with the defense of 
the nuclear bomb facilities at Alamogordo, New Mexico.  

In February of 1949, there was a contest held by the First Fighter 
Group to choose a name for their new fighter.  The name *Sabre* was 
selected, and was made official on March 4, 1949.  

The first Sabres that went to Reserve units were assigned to the 116th 
Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Air National Guard, which received 
its first F-86As on December 22, 1950.  

Some consideration given to replacing the J47 engine with the improved 
J35-A-17 used in the F-84E.  This engine was fitted in the first 
XP-86.  Flight tests between November 28, 1949 and March 1951 
indicated that the performance remained much the same as that of the 
F-86A-1-NA but with a slightly better range.  The improvement was not 
considered significant enough to warrant changing production models.  

The first 530 F-86As had the Mark 18 optical lead computing gunsight, 
quite similar to that used in the latter parts of World War 2.  When 
the pilot identified his target, he set the span scale selector lever 
to correspond to the wingspan of the enemy aircraft he was chasing.  
He then aimed his fighter so that the target appeared within a circle 
of six diamond images on the reflector.  Next, he rotated the range 
control unit until the diameter of the circle was the same as the size 
of the target.  When the target was properly framed, the sight 
automatically computed the required lead and the guns could be fired.  

The more complex A-1CM radar ranging sight came later.  The A-1CM 
sight was coupled with an AN/APG-30 radar scanner installed in the 
upper lip of the nose intake underneath a dark-colored dielectric 
covering.  This radar had a sweep range from 150 to 3000 yards.  It 
automatically locked onto and tracked the target.  The sight image 
determined by the A-1-CM was projected onto the armored glass of the 
windscreen, and the illumination of a radar target indicator light on 
the sight indicated time to track target continuously for one second 
before firing.  This system relieved the pilot of the cumbersome task 
of having to manually adjust the optical sight in order to determine 
the range to the target.  This system could be used for rocket or bomb 
aiming as well as for guns.  

The new radar ranging gunsight was installed at the factory on the 
last 24 F-86A-5s built, and was retrofitted to earlier A-5s that were 
modified in the field.  Older F-86A-5-NAs when modified with an A-1CM 
sight and an AN/APG-5C radar were redesignated F-86A-6-NA.  More 
common was the F-86A-7-NA when the A-1CM and AN/APG-30 radar were 
fitted to earlier A-5s.  

The F-86A carred a AN/ARC-3 VHF radio, an AN/ARN-6 radio compass, and 
an AN/APX-6 IFF radar identification set.  The IFF set was equipped 
with a destructor which was automatically activated by impact during a 
crash or which could be manually activated by the pilot in an 
emergency.  This was intended to prevent the codes in device from 
being compromised by capture.  

Internal fuel capacity of the F-86A was 435 gallons, carried in four 
self-sealing tanks.  Two of the tanks were in the lower part of the 
fuselage, one of them being wrapped around the intake duct just ahead 
of the engine and the other being wrapped around the engine itself.  
The other two fuel tanks were in the wing roots.  Usually the F-86A 
carried two 120-gallon drop tanks, although 206.5 gallon tanks could 
be fitted for ferry purposes.  

Ground attack weapons could be installed in place of the jettisonable 
underwing fuel tanks.  Choices include a pair of 100, 500 or 
1000-pound bombs, 750-pound napalm tanks, or 500 pound fragmentation 
clusters.  Alternatively, eight removable zero-rail rocket launchers 
could be installed.  These mounted sixteen 5-inch rockets.  When 
external armament was fitted in place of the drop tanks, combat radius 
was reduced from 330 to 50 miles, which was not a very useful 
distance.  

The following Wings were issued with the F-86A: 

  1st Fighter Interceptor Wing (27th, 75st and 94th Squadrons) 
  4th Fighter Interceptor Wing (334th, 225th, 336th Squadrons) 
  33rd Fighter Interceptor Wing (58th, 59th and 60th Squadrons) 
  56th Fighter Interceptor Wing (61st, 62nd, 63rd Squadrons) 
  81st Fighter Interceptor Wing (78th, 89st, 92nd Squadron) 

The F-86A was replaced in active USAF service by the F-86E beginning 
in the autumn of 1951.  As F-86As left active USAF service, they were 
refurbished, reconditioned and transferred to Air National Guard units 
in the United States.  The first ANG units to get the F-86A were the 
198th Squadron in Puerto Rico, the 115th and 195th Squadrons at Van 
Nuys, California, the 196th at Ontario, and the 197th at Phoenix, 
Arizona.  

Specification of F-86A-5-NA: 

One General Electric J47-GE-13 with a maximum sea level static thrust 
of 5200 pounds.  Dimensions were wingspan 37.12 feet, length 37.54 
feet, height 14.74 feet, and wing area 287.9 square feet.  weights 
were 10,093 pounds empty, 14,108 pounds takeoff, 13,791 pounds combat.  
Maximum speed was 679 mph at sea level, 601 mph at 35,000 feet.  
Initial climb rate was 7470 feet per minute at sea level.  An altitude 
of 40,000 feet could be reached in 10.4 minutes.  Service ceiling was 
48,000 feet.  The ground run at sea level was 2430 feet, and a 50-foot 
obstacle could be cleared in 3660 feet.  

Serials of the F-86A: 

47-605/637 	North American P-86A-1-NA Sabre 
48-129/316 	North American F-86A-5-NA Sabre 
49-1007/1339 	North American F-86A-5-NA Sabre 

Next: The F-86A in Korea.

Sources:
 
  F-86 Sabre in Action, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.

  The North American Sabre, Ray Wagner, MacDonald, 1963.

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

  The World Guide to Combat Planes, William Green, MacDonald, 1966.

  Flash of the Sabre, Jack Dean, Wings Vol 22, No 5, 1992.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033