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For educational purposes
In 1953, supersonic flight came of age when the U.S. Air Force received its fleet of F-100 Super Sabres.
After four years of development, the F-100 ushered in a new era, breaking both the subsonic and the supersonic world speed records.
In 1953, supersonic flight came of age when the U.S. Air Force received its fleet of F-100 Super Sabres.
After four years of development, the F-100 ushered in a new era, breaking both the subsonic and the supersonic world speed records.
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00:05Advances in aviation history give way to legendary aircraft that become the most powerful and innovative weapons of our time.
00:15Each airframe is unique with limitless capabilities.
00:20But one thing remains the same.
00:25Underneath the surface, they are all simply great planes.
00:39In 1953, supersonic flight comes of age when the US Air Force gets a fleet of F-100 Super Sabres,
00:47the first production run of a supersonic fighter.
00:49Before that, only experimental test planes could break the sound barrier.
00:54I'm Paul Max Moga.
00:56We're here at the Hampton Air Power Park in Hampton, Virginia.
00:59Join me as we learn the remarkable story of the F-100 Super Sabre.
01:13After four years of development, the F-100 ushers in a new era, breaking both the subsonic and supersonic world
01:22speed records.
01:24With supersonic flight, the F-100 marks the dividing line between first and second generation fighters.
01:30The coincidental 100 designation leads the Air Force to call these first supersonic types the Century Series fighters.
01:38The new Century Series fighters represent an enormous commitment to technology.
01:44Their development and construction involves advances in aviation theory and practice, aerodynamics, materials, methods of machining and construction, engines, avionics,
01:56navigation, and fuels.
01:59Tactics in arms undergo a similar change with developments in missiles and nuclear weaponry.
02:18The Sabre
02:19Jack, I tell you, I can't think of anybody better to spend a little time talking about the Hun with.
02:24Well, there's not much I'd rather talk about more.
02:27Jack Daub has spent more time in the Sabre than just about anyone.
02:33give me a little history about how much time you have in her and how long you flew her for
02:38I had about somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 hours in the airplane I flew it from 66 to
02:50about 77 well we've lost him in 72 but I was in the unit that had the last time a
02:56little bit of
02:56time in Vietnam too huh yeah I flew three tours there in the airplane and knock on wood it brought
03:02me home every time the Super Sabre's design springs from a long line of successful development projects
03:09at the North American company by the late 1950s North American prides itself on having built the
03:23Mustang and the Sabre two of the greatest fighters of World War two in Korea the company's first fighter
03:41the classic p-51 Mustang establishes the company's reputation for combat aircraft in the European and
03:51Pacific theaters mustangs play a significant role as escort and attack aircraft they stand as one of
03:58the last and greatest propeller driven fighters at the end of the war mustangs served during the
04:08development of early limited jets many flying the Korean conflict carrying a huge workload in ground
04:20attack North American builds over 16,000 p-51 this massive successful first fighter project funds their
04:29next series of design studies in the late 1940s North America steps into the jet age with the FJ-1
04:37for the Navy
04:38and the F-86 Sabre for the US Air Force the Air Force's Sabre is the most successful of the
04:46two with its swept wings and
04:48unique tail design the F-86 goes into service in Korea in December 1950 the US Air Force has run
05:08into problems with the MiG-15s which outperformed the other American jets in a closely matched contest the
05:28Sabre establishes combat superiority over the Russian plane
05:39meanwhile the Sabre's designers move on to their new challenge the sound barrier early experiments and
05:46extending the current Sabre's capabilities are limited so the designers start from scratch to develop a
05:51totally new and much larger aircraft
05:56in January 1951 after reviewing North American's new design the US Air Force gives the go-ahead to
06:03develop it as a supersonic day fighter designated the F-100 they start with a production prototype or Y plane
06:15production begins on the 1st of November 1951
06:29did the Han have the same engine throughout its history or did it did it get upgraded it it it
06:35was
06:35upgraded periodically they had the J-57 on here which is the same engine by the way that it takes
06:41eight
06:41of to get a B-52 airborne nice but we originally had a burner that was afterburner that was somewhat
06:49unreliable and later I flew the airplane and at the end of its life some really smart guys in the
06:55Air National Guard converted the afterburner from the Hun they equipped it with an F-102 burner which
07:01never failed it was the most reliable burner I've ever used but the airplane is pretty much this is
07:08the way it came out of the factory and they didn't do a whole lot to it initially designed as
07:13an air
07:13superiority fighter the new F-100 expands its role as a ground-attack fighter-bomber the wing is
07:20redesigned to carry up to 6,000 pounds of stores on six pylons this enables a versatile weapon mix and
07:31ensures the plane can pack a heavy punch the shock of the Korean conflict hardens America's resolve to
07:39prepare for future conflicts the whole approach to weaponry gets reassessed machine guns give way to
07:48more powerful weapons the F-100 houses four powerful 20 millimeter cannons in its nose with unguided bombs
07:58soon to be replaced by missiles some F-100Ds are built to accommodate tactical air-to-surface missiles the
08:06pilot can guide this weapon with a cockpit toggle but that makes it impractical in combat
08:26what can you tell me about the development of the plane what would mean the Hun so special when it
08:31first came out the F-100 a had a much smaller vertical tail than this one does with a smaller
08:38rudder and that we had a lot of problems with the airplane stability problems yeah loss of control
08:44problems at low speed this airplane has a very pronounced adverse yaw tendency which is too
08:50technically explained to the audience but it it just does things you don't want it to do so they put
08:56a
08:56bigger tail on it and call it the F-100 C the most lethal is when the tail gets shortened
09:03creating role coupling problems
09:08after six major accidents two of them fatal the F-100s are grounded
09:19the F-100 super saver is known as the Hun due to its F-100 designation after design flaws in
09:30the F-100 a cost the lives of two pilots the North American company revisits the original design and returns
09:37the tail to its original length and extends the wings to fix the roll coupling problems
09:43the changes the changes are retrofitted to existing planes and incorporated into new ones as production continues
09:51tests of the retro design are positive so more tests are ordered
10:07the F-100 has a limited range of under 600 miles so it's given in-flight refueling capability either by
10:14tanker or on the buddy system from another plane it makes the plane capable of extended deployment and long range
10:21strikes all the modifications and retrofits to the F-100
10:26F-100 A's are complete by the spring of 1955 the B designation concentrates on going Mach 2
10:35an upgraded F-100 C is already being tested but the Sabre's high-speed design involves a trade-off it
10:44handles poorly at low airspeed
10:52here the pilot realizes he's undershooting his landing point and attempts to pull up
10:58he opens his throttle too fast and induces compressor stalling in the engine
11:03and then in a series of overcorrections he compounds his problems until the plane sinks below a controllable speed and
11:11tragedy follows
11:28the problem stems from the plane's intended purpose which is to go fast
11:35characteristics essential to fast flight become liabilities at low speed the F-100 gets sluggish unresponsive and
11:42stalls at around 150 knots the pilot's forward view is seriously impeded and the touchy throttle in the slowed down
11:52jets complicates landing
11:55the problem is partly solved through the use of leading edge slats that automatically deploy at low speed
12:26this airplane we could fly final at about 140-50 knots
12:31it's 150 probably the usual
12:33just automatic based on airspeed kind of like the F-86 they just clank down and blow back up
12:38yeah they just clank down and blow back up
12:39when you take off of course they retract due to the air flow
12:44but once you learn to fly this thing it's a little different because in the pattern it's a rudder airplane
12:49you're sitting there holding the stick as rock steady as you can and you're flying the airplane smoothly with the
12:54rudders
12:55once you get the hang of it I thought this thing was an absolute sweetheart to land
13:00I'm an old light plane pilot before and still
13:02and I would actually come in it's the same way I'd land one of my
13:06Satabrias or decathlons you just you kind of get it down to the sweet spot
13:10you hold it off hold it off swap attitude flare speed
13:13you could roll this thing on you didn't know you were on the ground
13:18even stationary F-100s look fast thanks to its innovations
13:23fully pivoting horizontal tail surfaces sit as low as possible on the flattened belly of the fuselage
13:30it seems to me Jack that the belly is pretty flat
13:33yeah
13:34were there a reason for that do you know or
13:37it's almost like a lifting body
13:39it's again supersonic stuff they were trying to do
13:41this is the first airplane that they really tried to wrench all the aerodynamics out of
13:46so they made this thing as clean as they could
13:48and it's
13:50this thing as it sits now
13:52when you see this thing in the air with the wheels up
13:54it's among the prettiest fighters ever
13:57it's just a gorgeous air
13:58you're not biased on that one are you?
14:00no not at all
14:00but I agree with you
14:01I agree with you 100%
14:04instead of outboard flaps the plane employs a system of leading edge slats
14:09most of the pilots who fly the Super Sabres like the plane
14:14its fans include the famed Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team
14:18who fly the F-100 longer than any other type
14:22when issued replacement F-105D Thunder Chiefs
14:26they test them and then return to their Super Sabres
14:35the Hun broke the world speed record in 1953 by flying an average speed of 755 miles per hour
14:44over a 9 mile course
14:45the aircraft never went above 100 feet
14:49after only 6 shows with the F-105D Thunder Chief
14:53the US Air Force Thunderbirds switch back to the F-100 Super Sabres
14:58the Thunderbirds fly variations of the F-100C model from 1956 until 1969
15:05putting it through rigorous paces
15:09okay Thunderbirds let's do a loop
15:12play the deck
15:14nose coming up
15:16okay in with the pole
15:22right on in
15:30hopping the loop now use it off
15:32let it close the loop
15:43the Thunderbirds close a crucial chapter to the F-100 story after crash analysis at one of their shows identifies
15:50fatigue in the wings
15:54it's suspected that this undiagnosed problem might have caused several Vietnam losses
16:01the End of the Cypher
16:20to reduce the high accident rate of the F-100
16:22a two-seat version, the F-100F
16:25to reduce the high accident rate of the F-100
16:29a two-seat version, the F-100F
16:29with the aircraft. Still, accidents claim more than a quarter of the F models.
16:49The F-100, the first of a new breed of aircraft, requires a new and
16:54comprehensive kind of training with no shortcuts.
17:06In combat against Japan Zero and North Korean and Chinese MiG-15s, the United
17:12States learns that a high degree of pilot proficiency and tactical
17:16discipline can overcome a technical disadvantage. The Zeros and MiGs, those
17:23superior aircraft to many of those flying against them, fall short against better
17:27trained pilots. This is the goal of the Sentry Series fighters and their crews.
17:38Korea teaches that strategy campaigns to destroy an opponent's means of war
17:42production are useless if your opponent relies on outside suppliers. In limited
17:49war, aerial warfare means maintaining air superiority and aiding the ground forces
17:55through interdiction of supplies and supportive battlefront strikes.
18:04The F-100 evolves into a tactical fighter bomber. There are faster interceptors and more expensive Mach 2 long-range
18:12strike aircraft,
18:13but the Super Sabre and its variations become a proven battlefield support weapon, and they hold the role.
18:24203 of the Interceptor A models are built.
18:28The C model, a fighter bomber, sees 476 units.
18:34The fully dedicated attack version, the F-100D, sees 12,074 built.
18:42The combination of high speed and considerable bulk makes these planes difficult to stop on landing,
18:48requiring long runways.
18:50On a hot day in Vietnam, you know, we had 9,000 to 10,000-foot runways.
18:55I was going to say, you've got to chew up a little bit of runway to get airborne with that.
18:58You know, I've talked to guys over there, you'd be thundering down the runway, you know,
19:01you get 150, 160, and you reach over, you know, for the tailhook button, you know, just in case things
19:07stop.
19:07Hold on.
19:09The F-100B project redefines the aircraft as a tactical strike platform.
19:16The F-100's limited speed, around Mach 1.25, immediately prompts its development as an interceptor to operate at Mach
19:252.
19:27It begins to resemble a tactical fighter bomber, including a recess in the hull to stow nuclear weapons.
19:34This stowage system is rediscovered 30 years later and is given a name, Conformal Storage.
19:41In managing the airflow to enable the bombs to safely eject from this recess, the engine intake shifts to the
19:47top of the fuselage.
19:50Tactical consideration totally dominates the F-100B as it did the other models.
19:56On the 11th of June, 1954, the U.S. Air Force approves the design.
20:03A month later, they redesignate the aircraft, renaming the F-100B the F-107A.
20:20The radical new design has little in common with the Hun.
20:26The fuselage is 50% longer than the 100s.
20:45The F-107A's innovations include an all-movable vertical tail surface and variable air intake ducts.
20:52The built-in equipment includes chaff dispensers, radar beacons, maneuverable autopilot, and computerized stability augmentation, a precursor to today's avionics
21:03packages.
21:07The first F-107A takes flight on the 10th of September, 1956, at Edwards Air Force Base.
21:21In 1955, the F-100C traveled 822 miles per hour at 40,000 feet to set the first supersonic speed
21:31record at high altitude.
21:33In September, 1956, the newly designated F-107A rises from the ashes of the F-100B Super Sabre and takes
21:41flight.
21:42The test series moves forward, and despite some glitches, North American feels increasingly confident of sales,
21:50especially since the 107's competitor, the Republic F-105, encounters problems in development.
21:57North American is hoping to win a lucrative U.S. Air Force contract over the Republic F-105.
22:15The new F-107 airframe is referred to as the Super Super Sabre.
22:21They worry that when the F-107 wins the contract, construction will go to Republic to keep their factory running.
22:30So the North American designers have already turned their energy to the next step, a Mach 3 fighter.
22:39When the Air Force makes its decision, it chooses the F-105.
22:44Though they have a contract for 33 F-107s, only the three test aircraft are ever built.
23:03It's thought that the F-105 wins because of its internal bomb bay, though this feature never gets much practical
23:09use.
23:11The F-107 is left with the bitter consolation of being one of the best planes to not win a
23:17U.S. Air Force contract.
23:24The F-108 Rapier, billed as the next generation of aircraft, is an interceptor they develop under a U.S.
23:31Air Force contract.
23:34Capable of operating at Mach 3 and 70,000 feet, the Rapier is designed to launch a missile 1,000
23:41miles from its base and be back on the ground in half an hour.
23:45The aim is to destroy incoming missiles or bombers far out to sea.
23:51This technology doesn't come cheap, and after viewing the mock-up in January 1959, the U.S. Air Force cancels
23:59the program.
24:00After only three illustrious generations, North American's fighter construction ends.
24:05But there is no shortage of orders on the F-100s.
24:09During the peace of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the design goes through major technological advancements.
24:17The F-100D model, which introduces integrated refueling gear, comes with an astounding array of non-nuclear stores.
24:25Now, Jack, with the Hun being a single-engine, afterburning, not excessively large aircraft, I would assume that fuel was
24:34most of the time at a premium, which means you had to air refuel.
24:38And that monstrosity right there looks like a refueling probe to me.
24:44There's an interesting story behind the Hun and its refueling.
24:47When it first came out, the probe was a little bitty short hole sticking straight out from where it emanates
24:55now.
24:57It was really tough. If you look at the cockpit, it was really hard to see that thing going in
25:01there unless it was short.
25:03And we refueled on a big basket, you know. Had to go up and actually stick the probe into the
25:09basket.
25:09Probe and drove.
25:09Yeah, none of this easy stuff like you guys did. Where the boomer does all the work.
25:14Copy shot.
25:16So, at one point, they put a longer probe on it. And then when the D came out, they put
25:21that cobra-like bend in the probe, which doesn't look like much, but if you look at the cockpit, the
25:28pilot could then, with that thing sitting up here, you could get up, you could, out of the corner of
25:32your eye, actually see the probe go in the basket and hook up.
25:35Yeah.
25:35And once we got hooked up, we just flew off of the KC-135 or KB-50 or whatever it
25:40was.
25:40How much internal fuel did you guys have when you were clean?
25:45Well, that's a good question. I think it was about 7,600 pounds.
25:48And then you had external tanks as well.
25:50Yeah, we had two big drop tanks. On a ferry flight across the ocean, we might have four tanks.
25:56And we could transfer gas, I think it was 1,500 pounds a minute. So, you could take on, you
26:02know, four or five minutes on the tanker and you could fill it up.
26:04So, I mean, unique design, but at the end of the day, they did what they had to do to
26:09help you guys out.
26:10Exactly.
26:11I mean, we all know that when you got to get to the tanker, you got to get to the
26:15tanker.
26:15Oh, absolutely. The last trip I had, we went from the U.S. to England and we had eight refuelings,
26:24which, that's not bad.
26:26We had to stay with enough, stay up on the fuel so we could divert if we had to.
26:33I've also gotten over there when the weather went for Stuncken all over the continent and you end up going
26:39to Spain and then to Italy and you might be 14 refuelings.
26:42So, the airplane, the big problem with the airplane was running out of oil rather than gas.
26:48Yeah.
26:49But it was a comfortable airplane on over the water flights.
26:53Over 75 weapons, bomb racks, ECM pods, rocket launchers, mines, flares and attachments are compatible with the plane.
27:02The D includes landing flaps, greater wing area, a taller tail and other external changes.
27:10Over the years, the C and D models appear with different cockpit layouts and other modifications, including 148 D models
27:19equipped for zero length launch.
27:24This one's obviously a single seater. It doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of room for a second seat,
27:29so they would have to, did they gut anything out besides two guns?
27:33Well, they took the top two guns out and the snout is a little longer and they got, of course,
27:39they added just enough room to put another seat up there.
27:42We pretty much had the same capability as the D with the exception of the two guns.
27:47Both seats were ejection seats, obviously.
27:53And we had, of course, a hot mic intercom.
27:56Single, single bubble canopy?
27:58Right. The canopy was a clamshell jobby that came up and it's a, it's just a marvelous airplane.
28:07An extensive program to standardize the Huns begins in 1962 and ends in 1965.
28:16At last, Tactical Air Command has what it needs, a fleet of advanced F-100s ready for use.
28:24The F-100 goes to war on the 9th of June, 1964 in Laos.
28:35Eight pilots flying F-100s attack a Patat Laos stronghold in a reprisal raid following an attack on a Navy
28:42reconnaissance plane.
28:44From the very first raid, Hun activity gradually escalates.
28:48Then, in March 1965, when the Rolling Thunder operations begin, the escalation explodes and the United States becomes fully entangled
28:58in the conflict.
29:02Vietnam lacks landing fields for jet-powered aircraft, so the U.S. rapidly builds new installations to deploy its advanced
29:09firepower.
29:11These include bases at Bien Hoa, Phan Rang, Phucat, and Thuy Hoa that see a lot of Super Saber activity
29:19during the conflict.
29:22Here, and at other locations in Vietnam, pairs of 10,000-foot runways are built, along with lodging, administration, and
29:30maintenance facilities.
29:32In terms of modern airfields, South Vietnam becomes one of the richest nations on Earth.
29:39At the peak of their deployment, 490 F-100s operate from South Vietnamese bases, with other units stationed in Thailand.
29:49Due to standard rotation of aircraft and units, most of the U.S. Air Force Super Sabers serve in theater
29:56at one time or another.
29:57Even the two-seat trainers arrive on the scene, re-equipped as the first Wild Weasel aircraft to suppress enemy
30:04anti-aircraft activity.
30:07In 1966, the base at Phan Rang receives one of the first deployments of an all-F-100 fighter wing.
30:15It remains a center of Super Saber activity, at one time operating 140 from the field.
30:24By the middle of 1967, four fighter wings operate the Hun in Vietnam, making a valuable contribution to the war
30:32effort.
30:39I'll tell you, the first tour I flew this airplane in combat was with the 90th Squadron, the Paradise, Benoit.
30:46The Iceman, they're up in Alaska.
30:47Yes, we have a little association, we keep track of everybody still.
30:53I flew 287 combat missions in this airplane in 1967 and never ground aborted an airplane.
31:00No kidding. That's a rarity now. You're not going to find that in today's fighters.
31:04Our maintenance guys were so outstanding, they just worked their buns off keeping this thing in the air.
31:10In long-range strikes against North Vietnam, the newer F-105 and F-4 outclassed the Super Saber.
31:17But the F-100 provides the aerial artillery needed by the ground troops.
31:23What speeds did you normally do your work at, you know?
31:27Well, there's two different stories there.
31:30If, when I was down at Benoit doing air-to-ground work, mostly close air support with the grunts,
31:37we would make our deliveries at 450 knots and you'd be tooling around up there, 280 to 320, saving gas.
31:44And then when you started your attack, you'd go down to 400.
31:48And my personal pull-off was about six, six and a half Gs.
31:52That's it?
31:53Jinking a little bit.
31:56Well, you got to remember in the hunt, you know, the book said four Gs, four to five Gs.
32:00Oh, so you're breaking the rules, like always.
32:02Absolutely.
32:03At times, this becomes the Air Force's most important task in the theater.
32:08The F-100s, operating with forward air controllers, deliver their ordinance with devastating effect.
32:15Their mission is simple.
32:17Briefing, take-off, refueling, fly to a set of coordinates, rendezvous with the FAC,
32:24then locating and attacking targets and heading back to base for more ordinance.
32:30They fly these repetitive missions in enormous numbers.
32:34As early as 1969, the four-wing station in South Vietnam fly more combat missions
32:41than the thousands of P-51 Mustangs in World War II combined.
32:56Airfields in South Vietnam become the busiest in the world.
32:59In January 1967, figures for the base at Bien Hoa show 65,000 runway actions.
33:09That's one every 42 seconds over the 31 days, a large amount being F-100s.
33:23During the conflict, each F-100 flies 1.1 missions per day, with an operational readiness of about 95%.
33:34F-100 Super Sabres hold their own against superior aircraft during the Vietnam conflict.
33:41The instant a plane returns to base, the de-arming crews clear the guns and reset the safety pins.
33:49Then a flurry of maintenance, fueling and rearming prepares the fighter for its next sortie.
33:55Routinely, a Hun flies two missions a day, minus time for major repairs.
34:03The 31st Tactical Fighter Wing operates five squadrons of F-100s, giving its base, Tui Hoa,
34:10the highest concentration of Huns in South Vietnam.
34:15In addition to its three regular squadrons, two Air National Guard squadrons are attached.
34:23The National Guard forces deployed to Vietnam proved to be among the most effective units in the theater.
34:31In part because of the age and experience of the pilots, and in part because of the stability of the
34:37unit personnel,
34:38these squatters completely demolish the old flying club image of the Guard,
34:42and reveal it as a valuable reserve.
34:45In fact, when the Guard phases out the F-100s, they replace them with new aircraft, rather than the traditional
34:51US Air Force hand-me-downs.
34:56It is said that one of the top five F-100 squadrons in Vietnam belong to the National Guard.
35:03These include the two Guard units attached to the 31st Wing at Tui Hoa,
35:07the 136th from New York, and the 188th from New Mexico.
35:12In May 1966, work is finished on the Tui Hoa base.
35:17By November, F-100s operate from the Strip.
35:22The supposedly temporary aluminum matting runway stays in use even after a concrete runway is laid beside it in 1967,
35:30reflecting the high level of activity at the base.
35:35The activity at Tui Hoa continues the seemingly endless round of raids and replenishment.
35:41The 31st brings about 110 aircraft, to which the National Guard adds 44.
35:48The men work a minimum of six days a week, day and night, to keep up the rotation of deadly
35:54strikes.
35:55A plane loaded with fuel, ammunition, and stores needs most of the runway in order to take off.
36:03Tui Hoa's runway faces out to sea, with mountains at the other end of the Strip.
36:0825-knot sea breezes blowing across the runway complicate matters even further.
36:14The missions fall into two basic categories, planned strikes and emergencies.
36:22With the speed of the aircraft and the number of bases spread around South Vietnam,
36:26planes can answer a crisis within minutes.
36:30Sometimes men on the ground will call down strikes only 50 yards from their positions,
36:35a tribute to the firing accuracy of the F-100s and their pilots.
36:44Vietnam puts U.S. military hardware to the test, and finds some of it seriously lacking.
36:51For example, the toggle-controlled bullpup missile proves largely ineffective against reinforced targets like bridges,
36:58the kind of targets that could justify their expense.
37:08Some later-generation smart weaponry proves far more effective.
37:14But some of the experiments that make it into production don't live up to expectations.
37:21The Huns rely on basic stores, including the haphazard, tumbling, unfinned napalm canisters,
37:28500 and 750-pound iron bombs of World War II design, and unguided rocket salvos.
37:36In addition, the four cannons, each with 200 rounds, give the Super Sabre its strafing power.
37:43What kind of ordnance do you guys normally have on the Hun?
37:48A wide array, I would assume.
37:50No? Well, the Hun, the strike Huns can carry just about anything.
37:54Most of them on the wings?
37:55Yeah. You have an inboard pylon, a mid-wing pylon, and an outboard pylon.
38:02We normally flew with a drop tank, and in-country we'd fly with napalm and hydraic bombs, say.
38:08And, of course, we had four 20-millimeter cannons up there with the nose.
38:11In the nose?
38:12We love to shoot those 6,000 rounds a minute.
38:15You guys like to brag about your big Gatling gun.
38:18Come on, let's go take a look at these.
38:20We had the same deal going with our antiquated old 20-mic mic.
38:28Jack, there is nothing better on a fighter than a big gun.
38:33And from what I recall, the Hun had more than one of them.
38:37We had four big guns.
38:41We had a total capability of 6,000 rounds a minute.
38:47And we love to shoot the gun.
38:50Who doesn't love to shoot the gun, right?
38:52Fighter pilots live for the gun.
38:54Yes, we do.
38:57By 1970, replacement of the F-100s with F-4s and F-111s begins at a rapid pace.
39:05Many of the airframes have passed 5,000 flying hours and are showing their age.
39:12Already dated when combat begins, the F-100 can't keep up with the opposing MiG's air superiority.
39:18But it seals its reputation in the support it provides to the Army.
39:24It's also the first wild weasel aircraft, proving the validity of the concept.
39:30Later planes fly much the same missions in much the same way.
39:36F-100Fs become the U.S. Air Force's only experiment with the Marines' preference for two-seat forward air control
39:42aircraft.
39:43Unit by unit, the F-100s leave Vietnam.
39:47The last, from the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang, departs in July 1971.
39:54Huns fly more operational sorties than any other type in Vietnam.
39:58A total of 360,283.
40:03Out of 243 planes lost, 198 are lost in combat.
40:08Many from the famed Misty Facts Squadron.
40:12To me, the Misty Facts were probably the most famous group of guys to ever fly the Hun.
40:17Tell me just a little bit about their story.
40:21What's the genesis of the Mistys?
40:24Well, during the Vietnam War, we were doing airstrikes up north, and of course we had a lot of stuff
40:29going on down south, but we had nothing to interdict the truck traffic, boat traffic, and railroad traffic in the
40:36lower panhandles that was headed down south.
40:39It came up Bud Day and Bill Douglas, Misty 02, another great Misty, and Gary Tompkins, guys like that, started
40:48experimenting.
40:49They went up with two Ds and almost had 15 mid-airs.
40:51Finally got in an F, and their idea was to go low and fast.
40:57If you look at something, fly right on past it, and we would call an ABCC airplane, a C-130,
41:03orbiting over Laos, or rather over Thailand.
41:06And they would divert fighters to us, and then we would put the fighters in on the target.
41:11So it kind of revolutionized forward air control, because from what I remember, forward air controllers were low and slow.
41:16Right. And the Mistys took the F-100, and they decided to go low and fast.
41:21That was it exactly. The 01s and 02s, the little propeller fact planes, just couldn't live up north.
41:27The Hun, if you got down low, if you kept your speed up, and speed was life to us.
41:32And we couldn't use the burner too much, and we'd run out of gas.
41:36So what we would do is take off, go up there, drop down on the deck, and leave it in
41:40mill.
41:40And if you've learned to fly smoothly and do the old Misty slide when you want to look at something,
41:45you get it up in 90 degrees of bank and hold top rudder.
41:48Nice and easy.
41:49Just soar past it until a guy in the back seat starts going, uh.
41:55When you heard, uh, you know, you needed to do something else, you know.
41:59But we found a lot of targets.
42:01We had some great kills up there of truck convoys, and within pretty short order, we totally shut down daylight
42:09operations.
42:10You couldn't move anything up there, or we would kill it.
42:14After Vietnam, only the National Guard still uses the Huns.
42:18But with so few low-hour planes left, they phased them out as well.
42:23Huns had flown with the Guard for over 21 years, and several Air National Guard pilots logged more than 5
42:29,000 flying hours in them.
42:31The National Guard flies its last operational sortie on the 10th of November, 1979.
42:38The only flights after that are for ferrying operations.
42:42F-100s also have a long service record in the foreign air forces.
42:47The majority are second-hand.
42:49In 1958, the French become the first foreign country to receive new super savers.
42:56They operate 100 of them, including 15 of the F model and 85 Ds.
43:03They remain in service until 1980.
43:07Denmark operates three squadrons until 1982.
43:12Taiwan receives and operates second-hand A models, which they later upgrade.
43:19Turkey, by far, becomes the largest overseas user of second-hand F-100s.
43:25The Turks reportedly still have super savers in storage.
43:31During its lifetime between 1949 and 1979, innovation came fast and furious.
43:37In speed, the super saver goes from world record holder to middle of the pack, even before its production ends.
43:44It had no fancy avionics, but the pilots grew to love it.
43:48Amongst old Hun drivers, there's little dissent about its word.
43:52At one time, the center of considerable doubt, the super saver retired with a proud reputation.
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