I certainly miss Airpower and Wings. They were the best magazines for military aircraft. I still have copies from the early 70's, purchased when I was a child.

@MalachiWhite-tw7hl

8 ай бұрын

They were also TV series, which is how I enjoyed them.

My father was the 1st Sgt. for the 25th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Naha AFB from 1957-1960. In later years my father told me the squadron commander had the vertical stabs painted in the "checker tail" pattern. Hence the name "Checker Tail" Fighter Squadron. I was 6yrs old at the time we were stationed there.

One of my fondest memories was ditching high school and taking a bus to Lindbergh Field to watch the factory-fresh F-106's blast off, all in chartruese primer.

Until I started building scale models i never realized the size differences in the Century series planes. The F-100 and F-104 are pretty small when compared to the 101,102,106 and 105. Great video, thanks for doing these.

@BMF6889

8 ай бұрын

My dad flew B-17's in WW II, was shot down over Germany and spent 2 years as a POW. He remained in the Air Force flying the B-47 and B-52. He died unexpected on active duty in 1971 at only 51 years old. Many years later I had the opportunity to get a flight in a B-17. I was stunned at how small it was and how difficult to make your way in it while in flight. I have to say that the bombardier had a spectacular view. The B-17 was the "909". Unfortunately it crashed a couple of years ago trying to make an emergency landing killing the crew and half or more of the passengers. It was quite an experience to hear, see, and feel what my dad did in WW II.

@MScotty90

8 ай бұрын

@@BMF6889yeah, it’s pretty shocking to see a B17 next to modern aircraft at an air show. I think it’s only around 10 feet longer than an F15

Growing up in the 50s and 60s I got a chance to see a lot of these on the ground at airshows. Really appreciated all the information passed along.

As a kid and then nerdy teen living outside the US, anytime I saw the Wings or Airpower magazines on newstands I pestered my parents to buy one for me, since it made my English better, if possible they'd buy one for me. I now got to go out and look for some of those issues to see if it has your name on it Mr. Machat :) I also dabbed in building scale models in this time, I LOVED the F-106 from then and continue to love it the most out of all the century series. I should have one of those models around some where, I hope I can find it and give it a space in my cluttered office next to a Lego TIE Fighter, or a F1 car model.

Editor-in-chief of those publications is impressive. I dig it with toast. My dad was USAF from 1971 to 1991, so the bulk of my juvenile years was spent living on US Airforce bases, these included Nellis AFB, NV, Travis AFB, CA, Scott AFB, IL and Incirlik Military Air Base in Turkey. I now live just outside of March ARB (formerly AFB and prior to that "March Field" under the US Army Airforce.) To keep things short, I just want to give a couple of relative FYIs about two of these bases, (for those who don't already know.) First, as "Mitchel Field" was named for the former NY mayor who lost his life during training for the Army Air Service, Scott AFB in Illinois is named for Corporal Frank S. Scott, the first enlisted man killed in a military airplane crash. And second, March ARB, when it was still designated as "March Field" prior to and during WWII, was where the very first P-38 Lightning took off from on its maiden test flight, setting the airspeed record (at the time) from Southern California to New York State. Unfortunately, because of weather and communications issues during the flight, the first P-38 Lightning ended up crashing once it reached New York.

Wings/Airpower magazines were my favorites when I was growing up. I loved reading about aviation history, and enjoyed the amazing photos. I collected many issues over the years, and still have a lot of them today.

When my Dad served with VMF-451 at MCAS El Toro they were designated an interceptor group with the F-8U2, if I remember correctly. He also flew the FJ-4 (F-86) and F-9F-8.

Another great video Mike. Love the 106.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Many thanks Max!

An awesome video Mike! Just want to add the contributions to North American air defence by the Royal Canadian Air Force. At its post-war height in the 1950's, The RCAF deployed 12 squadrons of CF-101 Canuck interceptors across Canada, backed up by 5 squadrons of CL-13 Sabres and the Royal Canadian Navy's contingent of two squadrons of Banshees, as part of NORAD. The USAF also had a few squadrons deployed in Canada as well, such as in Goose Bay, Newfoundland. Following the cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow, the RCAF acquired 4 squadrons of F-101 Voodoos, called the CF-101 as you mentioned. The BOMARC missile was used as well for a short time, and withdrawn in the early 1970's.

As a kid growing up in the 60s i remember all those aircraft flying over the house into Van Nuys airport. Wings, Airpower and The Pacific Flyer were my source for aviation news back in the 70s & 80s.

Man you are the best. Packed with details, actual pictures, superb narration. Your love for aviation is obvious and deep. Consistently superb aviation documentaries!!!!!! Many thanks for many, many enjoyable hours 😎

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

Another "One thing they had in common." They all were great model kits including the kit box art..... Thanks to Mike for keeping Aviation History alive. Off to work for me.

@lancerevell5979

8 ай бұрын

I've built many of the venerable 1/72 Hasegawa F-102 and F-106A models, and a few by Meng and Trumpeter. The Meng kits are the best, and include the 20mm Vulcan gun pod for the F-106. Trumpeter's kit is very nice too. Trumpeter also makes the two-seat F-106B. 😊

Beautiful planes. I grew up close to Paine Field AFB. I regularly saw F-102 then F-106, Starlifters, flying boxcars and Husky helicopters. And then they had an air fair every year with all the different models. It's all gone now. I miss it so much.

The 106 definitely was gorgeous. As was the scale model I built of it.

Thanks for another great episode, Mike. I've never before seen a single seat cockpit with no less than 4 horizontal airspeed indicators, yet that F-104 cockpit has them!

I grew up in the heyday of the Century series aircraft, as an Air Force Brat whose dad was an MA-1 tech on the F-106 until he retired in 1972. I still miss the sound of that J-79 on full afterburner on takeoff and the gorgeous lines of the Six. You mentioned the F-111 as not a Century series bird. I was an avionics tech on the F-111D from 1976-1980 and I still have a lot of love for that big bird, too. My dad passed in 2022 but I am so grateful that he imbued in me his own love of airplanes that carries on to this day.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Wonderful comment, thanks!

October 18, 2023 I just discovered included on Amazon Prime Video is the Steve Canyon series 1958 with a lot of century series Jet footage. As well as lots of other 50s Air Force film.

I was traveling at the time, but I missed this video. Yesterday my friend and I did a live stream ranking the 'sexiest USAF fighters of the 1950s."

Hello Mike. I thoroughly enjoyed this video and recall as a young boy an RC-121 that sat on a hard stand in front of some hangars at what was once called Wright Field a few years before the merging of Wright Field in Dayton Ohio and Patterson Field in Fairborn Ohio. You may recall that early testing was performed on the YB-17 at Wright Field where it suffered a crash on take off due to the failure of the flight crew to unlock the flight controls before takeoff. Hmm 🤔 I wonder if they used before take check lists? PS. A very sincere thank you for the labor of love that you and your daughter put in producing these videos. Absolutely love them. Blue skies and tailwinds sir. 👍🛫🛬🛩️

Brilliant. The F-106 was a dream airplane as a child. Ironic that I entered my military career as a Navy helicopter pilot - lol.

@lancerevell5979

8 ай бұрын

Hehe.... I did my first hitch in the USAF as an avionics tech. Switched to the Navy for my second hitch, as an Electronic Tech on UHF radios and crypto gear. Each had it's ups and downs.

Nothing finer than NMF on the 1950s jets. Another great video and the photos are amazing. Great work.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Many thanks John, and we both definitely share the love of this great era!

The Air Guard base at Ellington AFB in the 1960’s flew the -101 in ADC. As a student pilot we had to stay out of their climb corridor or get run over. I was cut out of the pattern at Baytown by one flying low on my first solo flight! Was a bit more than exciting for a first solo. Loved the looks of that plane though. Always wanted to fly one but never got the chance.

For anyone that may be interested there is a two seat TF-102A "Tub" on display at the museum Grissom Air Museum near Kokomo Indiana.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info!

Convair on a roll - well said ! Awesome equipment - 1950s vintage , wow

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Good stuff Mike - an excellent presentation that covers many of my personal favorites. And your timing is perfect - I had the pleasure of seeing a CF-101B, a CF-104D, a CT-133 (T-33), a Canadair Sabre, _and_ a RCAF BOMARC on display in Edmonton, Alberta last weekend. Most Canadians are unaware that Canada's continental ADC role was primarily nuclear until 1984 (CF-101), as was it's NATO European strike role until 1972 (CF-104). Good times, good times...

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Very cool!

Fantastic job done with the century series of intercepters, were the coolest looking 😎👍🤠

My aircraft maintenance course was taught at the BOMARC base in North Bay Ontario. The college bought the property from the Canadian government for $1 after it closed down. I remember the piston engine classroom used the be the warhead workshop.

That was fantastic, thank you.

Beautiful pictures that bring me back to my childhood year. I remember having an 8th-grade book cover with a few of these jets displayed on the front and back. Very nostalgic photos. Thank you for your hard work.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

5 ай бұрын

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

I'm always amazed by the quality of the photos you present in your videos, and these were epic! Growing up in the UK and visiting various air shows, I'd seen a few of the planes you showed, notably the F-104 flown by various European NATO countries, but I always wanted to see an F-101 Voodoo, so I was really pleased to finally see one at the wonderful National Air Force Museum of Canada at Trenton, Ontario, in 2017. Such a great looking plane from that golden era. Superb videos Mike, keep them coming!

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

When I visited Pima in 2001 with my then-11-year-old son I was the child running amongst the Century series USAF fighters and interceptors while he tried to hide from his dad. I've got to get a modern-day photo of the Van Nuys Airport shot. I really never knew that Lockheed manufactured planes there, but rather thought it was (and it's more than likely true) used as a staging airfield for outbound Lightnings during the war. I'm also aware of the WW2-era industrial buildings throughout the Van Nuys area that were former component manufacturers. Thanks for the info!

They were all great airplanes but my heart ❤ is with the F-106, the F-15 ,and the iconic SR-71 but my problem is trying to be objective with all these wonderful airplanes..! Thanks for sharing this very interesting video 👍👍👍

Excellent presentation, the rate of progress in the 1950s was awesome, especially when all the drawings were done by hand, and a lot of the engineering calculations needed slide-rules/log tables. (Digital computers were just starting to be available, there are some interesting tales in old ‘Datamation’ magazines in a series about working as an engineer in the Zeppelin Foundry, a thinly disguised Boeing). One more hypothetical hat always sounded interesting was the North American Retaliator, the RA-5C with a third J-79 in the centre bomb tunnel, and a sort of F-107 intake on the spine. The picture I’ve seen show AIM-54 carried so presumably there would have been considerable rework of the nose to squeeze the ASG-9 in. Do you have any more information about this project?

Mike, great video. I noticed that an article in one of the two magazines you depicted was about Itazuke Air Base in Japan, which was our home--my father's assignment--for 2½ years in the early '60s. Itazuke was a USAAF (then USAF) post-World War II, Korean War and Cold War base, whose primary mission was air defense of Japan and first line Western Pacific defense for our assets/forces and allies during the Cold War. An F-82 Twin Mustang from a squadron at our base scored the first combat downing of a Russian aircraft during Korea. Prior to and during Korea, most of the jets were the straight wing variety depicted in the video - F-80s, F-94, etc, , as well as early swept wing types. Most of the wartime F-86s were up the road an hour at Ashiya, though some flew out of "our" base. By the late '50s, most of the 86's were ceded to Japan for their own air defense forces. More proximate to our time there we had a squadron of F-102s, which during our tenure actually were called into duty several times (air raid "drills" in our school were quite real) to escort snooping Russian MiGs out of Japan's airspace. I remember seeing one clearly enough for the red star. The base's main tactical mission was performed by a squadron of F-100s, replaced halfway through our stay with F-105s, the latter which not long after after our leaving ultimately ended up in Thailand in support of the Vietnam action. We also had a squadron of T-33s, and a few of the cargo and transport types including a C-121 Constellation or two. Our tour was right in the heart of the Cold War - Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy, etc,...heavy times for the world to be sure, but also heady times for a youngster seeing, hearing (and smelling!) these great planes taking off, landing and flying overhead daily.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Great comment, thanks!

Another amazing video. Thank you very much! That cover art on AirPower of the XF-108 is absolutely stunning!

13 years and a world of difference in the speed is an astonishing feat.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

6 ай бұрын

Agreed!

Great episode Mike! In the original King Kong story I believe the fighters that kill Kong flew out from Mitchell field. Though the images from the movie were aircraft from L.A. area. I remember parking my car on the old runways back in the early 80s when going to class at Nassau community college. All paved over and lost to history.

Left out the F-4C and F-4E Phantoms phlown by the 57th FIS at Keflavik. I was there and wore the ADC Patch.

The only two fighter's I got to see when I join the US Air Force back in 1979 was the T-33 up in Alaska ( AAC ). And the F-106 out at George AFB, California. I Like the video. Love cold war history and being part of it. Got to see the end of the cold war before I retired from the USAF.. Thanks again.👍

Very informative video on jet fighters of the Air Defense Command. I wasn't aware that F-86Ds later carried Sidewinder missiles. At a community park in Brookfield, IL (Chicago suburb) there's a former Illinois Air National Guard F-86D or F-86L that's displayed on a pylon. Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful photos ! Love’em - So cool …. Thank you sir !

Mike, this is another great episode. Would you consider making a video that focuses on Army Aviation & rotary wing aircraft? There’s so much love for the USAF and Navy in your episodes. Please spread some to the Army Aviation world :)

Spectacular quality photographs Mike! I saw some of the last F-106 operations, 186th FIS, MT ANG, while on layover at Klamath Falls, OR in 1986. In the mid 1960s, age 10, I was completely taken with the “missile with a man in it.” Great presentation!

A very interesting video. I saw an F-101 take off from our local airport and needless to say I was really impressed.

Excellent work. Thank you Mike! I loves me some shiney airplanes...

What a era in which to be an Air Force pilot!

Nice work, Mike. Any show that has the 104 and 106 (and the YF-12!) in it makes my little day! Thnku, and it’s always pretty neat seeing your photos from years ago.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

Great job Mike--thanks!

One of my uncles flew both the F-102 and the F-106 for ADC. He retired as a Lt Col in the 1970's.

Great vid, loved the pics and history lesson.

Thanks for another good one Mr. Machat! A very interesting survey of these early jets!

Incredible presentation Mike. The USAF Interceptors are one of my favorite aircraft types. Amazing photographs too. Although I served in Tactical Air Command , Air Defense Command holds a special place in my heart. The reason is these ultra cool interceptors and their capabilities. I love them all, especially the F-106 Delta Dart. Great work as always.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

We definitely share the love for USAF aircraft of this era, thanks Glenn!

Great content as usual, Mike!

fantastic photos , thanks

My second assignment in the USAF was to the old det 2 552 AEW&CW at Homestead, we had 4 Ec121s, and at same time two f106s were on alert duty

Great video, Mike...👍

Some of the coolest..straight to to point all encompassing narrative if listened to ...nice

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

2 ай бұрын

Appreciate the great comment and thanks for watching!

Always enjoyable. Thanks, Mike!

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

As a member of ADC in the 70's & 80's, those planes bring back a lot of memories! Aerospace control and warning systems operator, otherwise known as a scope dope! Lol Many thanks for this video!! It's something that I can show my grandkids w/o revealing anything classified!

GREAT stuff (as always). One of my favorite episodes so far, though impossible to pick just one or three faves, your work is ALWAYS entertaining and informative. Thanks for all this great material!

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Appreciate the comment, thanks!

The photo of the F-86D with the tail number 3619 looks like it was taken at Selfridge AFB, MI. My father was stationed there from 1959-1963 and worked the F-86D, F-102 and F-106 as a jet engine mechanic and a crew chief (F-106).

Great video on the planes of ADC....all those silver planes...those were great days. Thanks for the post.

Never seen an airplane that more resembles its namesake than the Scorpion. From the high, raised tail to those big dangerous "claws," all this needed was a full-body scorpion painting on the top.

Great video as always. Very historical.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Another stellar presentation !

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Many thanks!

Great presentation Mike!!! Beautiful photos of great planes! I really like the 'differences' notations you pointed out between the F-102's and the F-106's... Until now, I did not realize that the F-106 still holds the single engine speed record...

Great video

The 50’s was a fabulous time to be an aeronautical engineer!

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Agreed 100%!

Another great fascinating subject Mike! What I want to know is what the exact function/purposes were of “Interceptors” vs “Fighters” vs “Attack” vs “Ground Attack”? Some planes, like the F-104, look like they’d make terrible fighters.

@lancerevell5979

8 ай бұрын

Interceptors are "one trick ponies", thoroughbreds which are optimised for the intercept mission. "Fighters" are multimission planes. Nowadays, multimission has taken precedence, which has added a lot of weight and complexity to planes like the F-15 and F-16. There was a shortlived program to try making the F-106 into a dogfighter, using the 20mm "Sixshooter" gun pod and Sidewinder missiles on the underwing pylons. The Six could actually outmaneuver the F-4 Phantom in mock dogfights, but in the end the F-106 was replaced by F-15s.

@johnosbourn4312

8 ай бұрын

Interceptors are fighters designed for Air Defense of the Homeland, Ground Attack fighters, are now known as Strike Fighters, and are designed for attacking ground targets, and air to air combat, and the F-104 wasn't a terrible fighter, it was a good aircraft in air combat, but as an interceptor, it was too short legged, and only optimized for daytime, clear weather, short duration missions, plus, the A model only had either two Sidewinders, and extra fuel, or two Sidewinders, and the Vulcan gun.

Mike another wonderful video. I loved the ADC F-14. I thought after seeing that, maybe you would mention the F-110 Spectre. Maybe in the "as if" category but also in the "marketing rebranding" category. Not sure where to put that story. Once again good stuff!

@wkelly3053

8 ай бұрын

Don’t get started on the “F-110”, or pretty soon the title ‘ Century Series’ will be used with it again. Just a friendly request.

@edwardgrabot798

8 ай бұрын

@@wkelly3053 Aw man love the (roman numeral C) series. That's a neat chunk of aviation history. I did comply with you wishes to not say the name of that which is unspoken.

very cool video.

Also, the RIO, was the naval term fir the backseater, for the air force, in the early days of the Cold War, called their backseater; Radar Operators, later on, they became WSO's, or Weapon Systems Officers.

Now the name Scorpion makes sense. 😂 Regards from Brazil.

That first pic of the 104 has covers over the inlets. Top secret at the time.

I remember these well.

The '104 also is known as either the "Hooter"; according to the Dutch air force, or the "Zipper", from the short time it was flying combat missions in the Vietnam War, as an escort for the BIG EYE Connie's, or flying strike missions.

Excellent pics and thanks my friend.....l just Sub'ed to your channel..... Shoe🇺🇸

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Many thanks and great to have you aboard!

@steveshoemaker6347

8 ай бұрын

@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782🇺🇸

I built an F-106 model. 106: best looking fighter, maybe that’s why they called it the Cadillac. B-58: best looking vertical stab ever built (B-47 a close second). Convair was indeed on a roll. F-104: coolest looking, but not best looking see above. Just my opinions. In my youth I built all the models, these were amazing aircraft.

A minor caption correction to an otherwise great episode: Otis AFB, MA is Massachusetts. Maryland would be MD.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

A 'Senior Moment' while narrating - Otis AFB is indeed in Massachusetts.

@garyyoung4074

8 ай бұрын

​@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782was going to say the same thing Mike. On 9/11 I believe the jet scrambled to NYC came from Otis. The curves on the bottom of the 101B was always a favorite of mine. So many nice looking jets during this time!!!

250 F-106s built? No, try 340 -- 277 A models and 63 Bs. The Six was designed with the "area rule", which you can see in the "Coke bottle" lines in the intakes from an overhead view. However, it also worked in the vertical plane, too. The 2-seat B model (inadvertently) exhibited a bit of the area rule in the vertical, noted when the plane would set it's speed from refueling. The tanker would extend its boom and tell the Six to open it's refueling door -- whereupon the B model would INCREASE in speed, slightly. It would have to throttle back because, thanks to the area rule working in the vertical, the opening of the refueling door made the Six even MORE aerodynamic. The single-engine speed record of 1525 mph was actually achieved with the BACK UP aircraft, as the "hot trimmed" unit scheduled for the run crapped out.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Great information, thanks. In reviewing my records, I should have said "250 operational F-106A models," as the first 17 airframes were considered pre-production prototypes under the Cook-Craigie Plan, the 17th of which had the first Case 29 wing. Thanks for watching!

Thanks, these are the planes I grew up with in Socal. Pops worked for Douglas, then McDac to Boeing. I remember getting buzzed by F104s and a B58 while camping at China Lake. PT MUGU airshow, constant AF, Navy and Marine overflights, sonic booms and duck and cover at school. Call me nostalgic, but I miss those days.

That 106B is 😍😍😍

❤❤😊that's after the second world war all those jets airplanes. Love the U.S. Air Force amazing wonderful. Love jets.

I like the shark face on those jets very nice.

As always you come out with something I've never seen before. I'm specifically interested in the F-14 proposal for the USAF. It looks as if there is a conformal fuel tank that engulfs the AIM-54 launchers. What do you know of this pregnant looking Tomcat? As always, you have presented an amazing episode!👍

ADC established the same day as SAC and TAC by General Carl Spaatz

The F-14 IMI, and it's competitor, the dedicated interceptor version of the F-15, the proposed F-15Y, and the very extensive changes ADC wanted to make to the F-15 are covered in "The Aerospace Defense Command and Antibomber Defence 1946-1972".

That F-106 sure does look like an Avro Arrow.

@smark1180

2 ай бұрын

No, it doesn't. It look like an F-102.

@djsabourin101

2 ай бұрын

I didn't know how technical that comment would get. It looks very similar to an Avro Arrow and an F-102.

@smark1180

2 ай бұрын

@@djsabourin101 No, it doesn't. The Arrow had high-mounted wings whereas the F-106 had low-mounted wings.

And the earlier models of these used radar and avionics built with vacuum tube technology.

The aircraft @2:38 labeled as an F-86D is in fact an F-86K as attested by the cannon.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Good catch, thanks!

Looking 5 FIS pictures, got any? I worked on both the 6 and the 15 there. Bubble chaser.

MA is Massachusetts. MD is Maryland. Easy confusion.

Mike, was Kelly Johnson involved with the F-104?

@orangelion03

8 ай бұрын

Yes.

You forgot the F-4. My stepdad flew the F-101 and F-4 for the 147th FIG, TXANG

The first a jet aircraft to achieve supersonic speed in level flight was the F-100.

@celebratingaviationwithmik9782

8 ай бұрын

Yes, the F-100 was the first "pure-jet" aircraft to fly at supersonic speed in level flight, but the XF-91 flew level at Mach 1 using jet with rocket assist one year earlier. Thanks for watching!

If you were with the 5th fighter intercepter squadron, that was based at minot, at that time, was it not?

The F-104. The first Mach 2 interceptor. Pensacola to Miami in 18 minutes…..

@mcahill135

8 ай бұрын

I lived at Mitchell Field from 1974 to 1976. Hofstra University and the Nassau Community College both reside there.

#ModelBoxtopCameo!