North American F-100 Super Sabre

this resulted in further delays. The initial YF-100A prototype, serial 52-5754, was completed on April 24, 1953. It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney XJ57-P-7 non-afterburning turbojet (the series production model would have an afterburner) providing 8500lb-ft of thrust. The aircraft was then transported to Edwards Air Force Base in preparation for ight testing. Its rst ight, with Second World War ace turned North American test pilot George S ‘Wheaties’ Welch at the

F-100C-20-NA SUPER SABRE (54-1878) 

36th Tactical Fighter Wing, 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (USAFE) ‘Wolfhounds’, late 1958. The squadron was operating out of Soesterberg AB in Holland. 54-1878 would be sent to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) on March 14, 1974, but later become a part of the Turkish AF. The aircraft would remain in service until well into the 80s.

controls, took place on May 25, 1953. Despite the lack of an afterburner, Welch managed to break the sound barrier in level ight at 30,000ft during the 55-minute ight. He did it again during a second ight 20 minutes later on the same day. The aircraft could go supersonic with ease above 30,000ft and could even approach the sound barrier at low level.

The same aircraft hit Mach 1.44 on July 6, 1953, during a dive from 51,000ft, and shortly thereafter the USAF

F-100D-65-NA SUPER SABRE (56-3000) 

20th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1958. The CO aircraft of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing is among the most well-known F-100s ever to y. The aircraft, known as ‘Triple Zilch’, is sporting the trim colours of the squadrons that comprised the wing: the 55th, 77th and 79th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, as well as the squadron patches. The aircraft sported this paint scheme in the late 50s while the wing was operating out of RAF Wethers eld and RAF Woodbridge. 56-3000 is today on display at the home base of the Texas ANG: Lackland AFB. However, it wears the colours of the Texas ANG rather than those of Triple Zilch.

requested ghter-bomber capability for the F-100, prompting North American to add bomb rack attachment points to the new drop-tank capable wing design it was already working on.

The second prototype, serial 52-5755, ew for the rst time on October 14, 1953, with Welch again at the controls. Five days later an event was arranged to showcase the aircraft for the press. Welch stunned the assembled journalists by making a high-speed pass just feet from the ground which reportedly shattered the windows of the Palmdale airport administration building.

A week later the rst production model F-100A, serial 52-5756, made its ight debut. Another Second World War veteran, Colonel Frank Kendall ‘Pete’ Everest, set a new world air speed record of 755.149mph in the aircraft that same day – breaking the previous record of 752.9mph set 26 days earlier by the US Navy’s James B Verdin ying a Douglas F4D Skyray.

North American triumphantly declared that it had constructed the world’s rst operational supersonic ghter, but the design still had numerous aws which needed to be addressed. Poor visibility over the nose made take-offs and landings dif cult, it was a handful at low speeds, longitudinal stability was lacking at high speeds and climb rate was far less than desired. Rudder utter was also a problem early on but this was corrected with the aid of hydraulic dampers.

The rst operational unit to receive the F-100A was the 479th Fighter Day Wing of Tactical Air Command, based at George Air Force Base. Deliveries commenced in late November 1953 and North American made further changes to the design even as aircraft were rolling off the production line. The 104th F-100A received cockpit modi cations and from the 168th example the F-100A was powered by the Pratt & Whitney J57-P-39 with 16,000lb-ft of thrust. The last of 203 examples was constructed in April 1955.