The Ultimate Supersonic Interceptor - F-106 Delta Dart
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The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the main all-weather interceptor jet of the United States Air Force for almost 20 years. Designed from scratch as the so-called [QUOTE] "Ultimate Interceptor," pilots would reportedly fight each other to fly it. It had one mission, and it had to be fast. With a sleek body and missiles tucked in an internal weapons bay, it could reach speeds over 1,500 miles-per-hour to intercept the Soviet Union's long-range bombers.
And, as one bizarre incident would show... it could sometimes fly and land on its own.
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Imagine a plane with computers so advances that it pretends to be out of control just to get rid of its pilot
Early days of Skynet
Open the pod bay doors HAL please.
Ben A, This, 'get rid of the pilot & land itself' , might have been what gave Stanley Kubrick the idea of 'Hal' in the movie '2001-a space odyssey'...
“Hey there human pilot, looks like we’re gonna dieeeee. I don’t know, you better bail out”. Deuces
Ejecto seato, cuz!
After Gary ejected from "The Corn Field Bomber." His wing man said on the radio "Hey Gary, you better get back in that thing."
Probably the funniest guy at home.
I wonder if they let him fly it again?
@@terryboyer1342 he did fly it again.
Following its misadventure, the "Cornfield Bomber" was repaired and returned to service, operating with the 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, the final Air Force unit to operate the F-106. Faust flew the aircraft again in 1979 while training at Tyndall Air Force Base.
source: Wikipedia
@@leonedralev3776 Thanks! Musta felt weird. Now I wonder if the Squadron Commander told him to "land IN the aircraft this time." lol
Forgot about that cornfield landing... Saw him give an interview sitting in front of it at the museum. A B-17 also did similar in WWII after crew bailed out - Amazing!
Thing of beauty landed itself like a paper airplane.
and it was built like one!
🙋🏻♂️
Not my paper airplanes mine land upside or nose first
I find it interesting to note that the space shuttle can land on autopilot theoretically.
We're you a flier of this plane?
I was 17 in 1977, taking flying lessons. I remember sitting on the 29 runway in a Cessna 152, at Great Falls Int, Great Falls, Montana. Had weather, cleared for take off, going through my checklist... and 3 Montana ANG F106s rolled up on the ramp, waiting for me to roll... between that and having my dad in the control tower (atc) I felt a great need to get into the air and out of their way... they are bigger than you'd think... and me in my little flying lawnmower... lol...
I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, MT, 1965-'69. I was a missile maintainer, but we had a "tenant" ADC outfit that had F-106's. It was the 94th FIS. Something else to see the Hat-in-the-Ring insignia on the sides of the -6's!
Great Falls was awesome. I was there 74-76 my mom married an AF vietnam vet retiree. I was an AF brat to begin (my real father) with and loved military birds in general. Imo, the 106 was underrated. It was a beloved event to watch the air traffic. I looked forward to the French fries and a shake father son times we enjoyed runway watching. Interesting that you were taking flying lessons, I had 2 friends that were involved in the Civil Air Patrol. I was much younger, around 11.
"Sheriff, there's one of them pointy Air Force planes a sittin' in my pasture with the engine running. Should I go shut it off ?" " Ma says the noise is scarin' the chickens".
I'd be tempted to take it for a spin myself. There's a 99% chance I'd either die or fail to take off, but I'd still give it a try
HAHAHAHA!!!
😂🤣
@@arthas640 I feel like that should be the ‘normal’ reaction. If you wouldn’t at least try, you’re no friend of mine
Arthas, what about the landing bit?
The Cornfield Bomber is special in my heart. My father was the 1st Canadian to fly the “6” at Griffiss AFB out of Rome NY. He was lucky enough to be flying the Cornfield Bomber, tail #80787 for the 2 years we were stationed there. He said it was slightly faster than the others but required more rudder to fly straight the faster it went. It was an airplane that always made him smile. The fastest Canadian for a few years!
My grandpa was dart pilot. He was in the spitten kittens squadron. He's an incredible pilot. He wore his helmet and flight suit for Halloween this year
I grew up on Gansevoort ave, right down the street from the Woodhaven gate to Griffiss. I remember the Darts breaking the sound barrier during my early childhood. Eventually enough complaints about busted out windows near the flight path caused that to stop. Good times. I loved those jets.
@@jonbonson75 John, that was what we all jokingly called the sound of freedom “advertised”! Years ago my family lived in the flight path of the C-5 galaxy’s out of Ramstein AFB. Proof that you can sleep through anything…but a sonic boom! What years was that? You may have heard the fastest Canadian
@@Username-jb2vs I think all the guys that got to fly the 106 were incredible pilots! It was an awesome plane. Your grandfather is a lucky man to have flown such a special bird!
@@donelphick7022 I agree and thank you for the kind words. After my grandfather left the military he became one of the first 100 pilots at South West airlines. He retired and hung his wings up a few years back.
SO that one pilot re-established a basic rule of aviation.
"A good landing is one you walk away from. A great landing is one where you can fly the plane again."
He ejected AND did a great landing.
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
He also has a great story to tell at the officer's club.
I was at Malmstrom when this happened.......was the talk of the base for a long time
This quotation could have come from Elon Musk ;-)
He landed Rice-- just not at the same time with his aircraft.
In tech school there was a Delta Dart on static display outside the chow hall. Every day after lunch I'd sit there admiring it before marching back to class.
Some plane, some school 😁
Was this at Sheppard?
@@sloppyjoe400 Yup. 😃
@Ultra CNC Dang, you beat me to it. 🙂
@Ultra CNC Electrical Environmental Control Systems (E&E). Got stationed at Whiteman to work on the B2 back in the late 90s.
Convair did a great job on this airframe in an era of tremendous emerging sciences and increasing danger envelopes.
My father thanks you....he was an engineer at Convair for over 3 decades, and I'm pretty sure he worked on the 6.
@GbbJunkie Yeah...I WISH I'd thought to ask Dad if he ever met Lippisch. By the time I thought of it, his Alzheimer's had set in too badly.
He was a pretty junior engineer at the time, tho. Lippisch probably would've been dealing with sr engineers and project managers.
Very similar to the Dassault Mirage 3. I have read that many Avro Canada engineers came to help Convair when the Arrow program was dismantled.
@@laurentien00 I know a lot of the Avro people found jobs related to the US space industry. Never heard about them helping Convair....their own delta program was well underway all bu itself.
@@samsignorelli This is the information that we obtain by watching the movie made by CBC about the wonderful Arrow.
I flew the F-15 and fought against F-106s during DACT. It could rapidly extend out of a fight at mid level altitudes! It was built to intercept the Soviets and could get off the ground in a very short time on an Air Defense Scramble. The units that flew these aircraft kept them in beautiful condition. Had buddies who flew them in Montana and at McChord and they loved them. For what the 6 was designed for, it was superb! I first saw them at Tyndall when I was a kid. The ADC pilots wore orange flight suits and I always wanted one but they would not trade a green bag for one!
If I find an abandoned airplane on my property, it's my airplane.
@Stealth96 STILL giving it the ol' college try!
There’s a huge difference between “old aircraft sitting in a barn on the property” and “armed interceptor that just crash landed on the property”.
I don’t think you’ll win the lawsuit, but you’re welcome to try...
You're better off taking the hush money.
Oh I would love watching you fight that one with the AFOSI.
It could be your own version of "Airwolf"
This is still a beautiful fighter, even after six decades.
It is a design that not only LOOKS good, but IS good, even after all these decades!
@@Grubnar
RE: "It is a design that not only LOOKS good, but IS good, even after all these decades!"
Kelly Johnson, the famous engineer who founded Lockheed's "Skunk Works," had a saying: "If it looks good, it'll fly good."
@@spaceman081447 How goes the old saying? Form follows function.
@@Grubnar
RE: "Form follows function."
Exactly!
A very good looking plane. That delta wing and wasp waist, it looks supersonic parked on the tarmac
Timeless airframe
I feel like I should be screaming “Slow down!!” At it
Nearest looking jet to a French Mirage lll..
@@265justy Totally different class. The Six was truly unique.
@@lancerevell5979 yes it was..Not saying it was not. Petty they never gave it a cannon and Sidewinders.
Pilot: "This is a lost cause, better bail!"
F-106: "Don't tell me how to fly."
I was a crew chief on this very aircraft in the Montana Air National Guard in '77-78. It had a peculiar characteristic that when the aircraft brakes were applied somewhere near the front landing gear a "tin can" noise could be heard. Much like pushing on the lid of a jelly jar to make a noise. Harmless, but quite unique. These fighters were super fast and relatively easy to work on. They carried 14,700 lbs of fuel (including that in the wing tanks)or about 2200 gallons. They were wet frame aircraft with fuel carried in the wings, fuselage and wing tanks. They took off in full afterburner on the J75 engine. If the jet stayed in full burner, it ran out of fuel in 19 minutes!!! Afterburners really gulp the fuel. By contrast, this jet, with a full fuel load, could fly from Gore Hill Air National Guard base in Great Falls, Montana to Tyndall Air Force base in the Florida panhandle without refueling. (using it's most economical throttle setting). Our unit, the 120th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Montana Air National Guard, kicked the regular Air Force's butts on many occasions during the Air Force's William Tell competitions. Some of our pilots had lots of experience and flew for the airlines and also some had flown in Viet Nam (in the F102 Delta Dagger). A really great aircraft!!!
i just seen that jet yesterday at the National Museum of the US Air Force and the
Memphis Belle
I am lucky enough to live around 2 hours away from there
I'd love to visit the U.S. one day and go to that museum.
We have 1 (not running) sitting at McEntire JNGB. It was one of the originals used on the base.
That’s on my bucket list can’t wait.
My favorite museum. I like it even more than the Smithsonian. Even being huge it seems more inviting.
In my school in Romania there was a large mural in the playground of a 106 trying to bomb our school, scared kids running for cover, high above were some Migs coming to our rescue. I still shudder when I think about the 106 and the sleepless nights it gave me when I was a small boy. I never knew it was an interceptor until now, apparently neither did the artist of the mural.
I worked on the instrument systems of the "6" at tyndall afb, Panama city Florida from 1 977 to 1981. Best job I ever had.
Hey Vaughn , I was at Tyndall 74- 76. Jet engine shop .
MA-1shop 73-76
I was stationed at Tyndall 1970 to 77 on my return from nam. I first crewed F106B tail #538 for over a year. Then I got the luckiest brake of my career and became a tow systems operator assigned to the 475th Test Sq, flying in the 101 Voodoo. My best duty assignment of my 20 yr career. Redd and Tim I’m sure we probably met or at least knew each other in passing. Tim not sure if you worked in the shop or line but if you worked the line on day shift I’m sure we’ve met cause I had you all out on my bird, tweaking or R&R boxes, approx 65% of the launches. Redd I knew a lot of the 106 engine techs (maybe not by name but by recognition) from the many engine runs I did both on the line or when I had to taxi one to the trim pad.
Small world huh!
Tyndall was a nice base then. 82TATS watercraft branch. Orange and white boats at Dupont bridge.
MA-1 Mock-Up at Griffiss.
5:23 Seeing cars of the same vintage as these jets always puts into perspective how insane the technology must have been for the time.
Indeed. Cold war paranoia budgets and a multitude of competing contractors spurred aviation technical innovation like nothing else. Most aviation records were set in the sixties, and remain unbroken.
@@intercommerce *That we know of
My first car was a 1955 Dodge..still the best car I have ever owned!
@@intercommerce plus reverse-engineering Roswell probably helped😅
1:57 That jet is from my unit! The 125th Fighter Wing in Jacksonville FL! So cool!
God, I love the Delta Dart it's such a beautiful jet
Nice to hear of another person who is able to just stand back and ALSO appreciate just the shear elegance of some of these planes. You think wilbur and orville knew what they started?
It is quite an attractive aircraft.
I used to live under the southern approach pattern for McClellan AFB and as a kid saw ore than a few coming in or taking off. My first model plane built my self was Revelle F-106 model.
@@theeddorian I also built a model F-106 as a kid! It was one of the most favorite things I ever did in life!
For years I lived about an hour drive from the the USAF museum and used to try to visit at least a couple of times a year. A weekday in the winter was the best time, sometimes I about had the place to myself. I appreciate all aircraft, but there are certain aircraft that are simply works of art, and the Six was one of those aircraft. I would stand and look at it (the Cornfield Bomber) from all angles and see new details each time. She was/is such a beautiful design.
5:22 It blows my mind that there were automated jets at a time in history when people were still driving around old cars and trucks like in that video. Military technology back then was so advanced for its time.
While stationed at McGuire AFB, NJ 1988-1991, we would get 106 visitors from the 177th NJANG at Atlantic City. We knew when a 106 took off. The bang from the afterburner lighting off was unmistakeable. Went down to Tyndall in 1992 and didn’t even have to look to tell when a QF-106 took off😁. Once you have heard that afterburner bang, ya kinda never forget it. The F-106 was definitely ahead of its time. Could have performed its mission just fine had it come to WWIII.
I can remember seeing the F-106 at airshows and was impressed by its size and sleek outlines. Made to find and shoot down incoming attack aircraft. Beautiful aircraft.
I was in Airforce 61 to 65, tech school at Lowery AFB for a year. Had the pleasure of working on this for 3 years in Minot, ND.
The electronic service building had 3 mockups in for testing black boxes.
One winter only about 0° outside, the building air conditioning went out and had to open all the doors with fans in the doors, only one window could not open.
Shut down 2 of the mockups, the 3rd one keep the building warm, till the AC was repaired. All those vacuum tubes produced a lot of heat.
Not only could it land itself but apparently it could "...fire the enemies' weapons..." presumably at said enemies and not at itself. Mind boggling technology I must say...
I caught that too, figured he mis-spoke! Great series.
F-22 “woah I have an internal weapon bay” F-106 “first time?”
Era un aereo inguidabile in pratica era solo il primo stadio do un missile.
Oltre agli Usa nessuno lo ha adottato nella propria flotta.
Lo hanno portato in Vietname, ma non sapevano che farsene perche' non poteva effettuare nessun tipo di missione.
Un fallimento totale.
Ha finito la sua carriera come bersaglio teleguidato
per lo sviluppo di missili terra aria.
La peggior storia dell' aviazione Usa
E ancor peggio, aveva sostituito un aereo molto simile il Delta Dagger, che aveva la pessima caratteristica di vibbrare tanto da disintegrsrsi nei voli supersonici.
Una storia da brividi
Lo.chiamavano la tegola volante!
No, since the Avro Arrow had internal bays.
I was thinking the same thing when I heard that. The internal weapons bay was an invention of the 1950s. It's built for speed.
Laugh in ww2 bomber
f-102 had internal bays and preceded the 106.
My Sunday School teacher flew these. One of my favorite aircraft among dozens.
President Bush flew these
Actually he flew the F-102, though very similar.
www.456fis.org/PRESIDENT_BUSH_&_THE_F-102.htm
@@MagnumOpusSRT ahh I don't know a lot about these planes
Sunday school?
@@theverminator8048 Sunday Church school.
I think this channel/group of channels has the most consistent quality content on TH-cam. Always a joy to watch
They get a lot wrong.
Then you;ll like ' Fort 9 ' its about motorcycles ...
Farmer says,,,"finders keepers."
US Air force: ok
1976-1980 Tyndall AFB MA-1 mechanic. Absolutely gorgeous plane!! Good times!!
I was there in the same years, working avionics! July 1976 - January 1980. Did my second hitch in the Navy. USAF wanted me to do another four years at Tyndall, but I wanted to travel. Navy sent me all over the world.
I was there for a little over seven years and left in 77. I first crewed the 106 for a year then became a Tow Systems Operator in the 101 Voodoo. Flew in 3 William Tell competitions towing targets and towed targets for the six gun program ( list not all inclusive). Tyndall was my favorite assignment hands down.
I flew the Dart in the 80s. Gorgeous airplane and sweet to fly. AIM-4s sucked, but we did get a gun mod in the early 80s, but seldom used; weapons bay doors had to be replaced and M60 hung from rocket rack. Ejection seat was a killer...literally. Replaced again in the late 70s (very early 80s maybe?) with the awesome Martin-Baker. It was dated when I flew it, but I loved it anyway.
I had the privilege of working the “6” as a SAGE ground operator.The data- link system was fantastic. The pilot just followed the “bugs “.
Amazing, the plane is 60 years old! You must have been a young'n then...
MA-1 tech here. Worked in the Mock-Up at Griffiss.
I was SAGE in Duluth, MN. 1970. We had a SQ. of them there. Fast! Beautiful and deadly.
Interesting
Imagine if the farmer had just towed it into his barn and kept it as a souvenir!
Put a little green man in the cockpit and call the media!
Hey boys! Look what I've got, let's have a beer with this occasion 🍻
Jet?? What Jet?
Just imagine the farmer's young son. Decided to remove its engine to put in his hot rod.
I used to work on the engines for these. At McCord AFB south of Seattle. Early 80s. Our unit was the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. They were replaced with F 15's. When the F106's took off and kicked on the afterburner, it made a loud boom noise. We got a lot of complaints about the noise from the locals.
My grandparents lived nearby in Lakewood, and I remember seeing those same planes fly over, and I remember the booms. My young self loved it! 💥❤
I was stationed at the AF base in Duluth, Minnesota for three years in the 1960s. We had a squadron of 24 F106As and one B model. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, our base was on full alert (at Defcon 4, one step below war). All the 106As were equipped with drop tanks and were armed with nuclear missiles. The alert hangar doors were always open. The 106B was lost on a Sunday when the fan quit at well above 10,000 feet. At 10,000, the canopy was blown and the passenger Colonel in the back seat punched out. Unfortunately, the front seat ejection mechanism failed. The Captain pilot attempted to belly the plane onto US 2 in northern Wisconsin, east of Superior. The ship bounced once, then made matchsticks of a nearby house. The pilot had undone his harness before he touched down. His body was found in the woods about 2 weeks later by a local hunter. The plane hit the highway directly behind the VW bug one of my AF buddies was driving west while returning from a weekend trip. He would never talk about the incident.
I used to work on F106's at McClellan AFB in California as a flight line foreman. When they brought the "cornfield" plane in on a flatbed trailer I thought something looked odd about the aircraft. It had obviously sustained a belly landing, but the canopy and seat were gone. From the burn marks it appeared the seat had fired. I first thought it was a ground ejection seat issue. Then we heard the story about the cornfield landing. Now it is part of the F-106 lore. For an aircraft designed in the 1950's it had a very sophisticated flight control system. We even did a modification to install a gun in the weapons bay where the aft two missile launchers were. It only held around 600 rounds of 20mm ammo. Good for one or two bursts. I guess they wanted to give the pilot a fighting chance in close air combat.
I love the way some of the old planes looked. I especially like these old "Delta Wings"..
The 106 continues to be a fave. However, I was stationed in Iceland shortly after the 102's had been replaced by F-4s. The pilots I talked to missed the older birds.
When I was in the Air Force, one of the "old men" (civilians working in my shop) was talking about the F-106, that was from his time. The way he described it was pure awesome:
"The planes sat in those "crash barns" you see still right off the runway. The pilots on Alert lived in the building like a fireman, living their duty always in flight suits in that apartment. When the alert alarms blared, he slid down a fireman pole and slapped the button for the doors, and the counter weights slammed the front and back doors of its individual hangar up and open. The pilot hopped in the seat, and while strapping in fired his "cart start" (rocket 'cartridge' exhaust jet turbine starter) and the jet was instantly up to running speed (with a LOT of noise and smoke). He then released the brakes, lurched forward, made a slight left turn immediately onto the runway, and shoved the throttle forward, engaged the throttle lock, and just left it there. Solid hair on fire afterburners the entire flight. Gone in under 2 minutes was his drill. He then flew Mach 2+ the entire flight out to the intercept target the ground radars vectored him onto, and (would have- if ever real alert) fired the Genie rockets when the indicator light turned on. After releasing, turned around and got the hell out of there, again, still and always full afterburner. Because those Genie rockets were air to air nukes. Only time he ever pulled the throttle back was when it was time to land."
So, wow it may have been a different era (the 'bomber interceptor out at sea ASAP' job doesn't exist anymore, darnit), but wow that still sounds amazing, even to this day. While not a super cruise.. it effectively was a supersonic flight model- as it routinely flew mach2+ the entire flight- far faster than modern planes of even today. I add this to my list of "they just dont make it today like our grandparents did"
Yep, it was eerie walking through the abandoned alert facilities we had on base. It was like a time capsule when we had to do a security walk through one night.
@Lane
RE: "they just dont make it today like our grandparents did"
Well, one reason is that each aircraft costs so much more than back then.
F-22 Raptor - $125 million.
F-106 Delta Dart - $4.2 million in 1960; $39.8 million in 2022.
The Eclipse Project used two, not six, F-106s that we got from the USAF Air Targets Command at Eglin AFB in Florida. Only one was modified for the tow test, which was the brainchild of Don Anctil, a TRW Ballistic Missiles Division retiree who volunteered to work for me at Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. Don had actually done the canopy structural design on the Six Shooter at Convair, before coming to TRW. Mark P. ("Forger") Stucky was the test pilot for Eclipse. He had heard rumors of the project, and applied for a job at NASA in hopes of being the pilot - which he ultimately was. Now he's with Virgin Galactic. Nicest guy I've ever met, and an amazing pilot. The "Cornfield Bomber" has another connection to my sphere. Jim Van Laak was Deputy Associate Administrator at FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation when I hired on there as Chief Engineer. He had been in the Air National Guard flying F-106s. When he learned of the F-106 that had landed itself, he made sure to get himself assigned to that aircraft - I mean, who wouldn't?! For more on the Eclipse Project: www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/pdf/88791main_Eclipse.pdf
What on Earth was there to dislike about my post?
I saw the Delta Dart F106 in 1976 at the Bagotville areal show . It was simply FANTASTIC. I was 7 years old at the time and its a sight that I have never forgotten. The sound of that engine! The energy and the speed made for an unforgettable experience!
F-106, as of today, is STILL the *worlds fastest single-engine jet*
Stealth is now the priority
Grew up in Rome NY. We had Griffiss AFB. B-52's and F-106's then. 49th FIS was there. Remember always seeing 2 Sixes flying in close formation hauling ass through the Boonville Gorge, North of the base. Later when I was in CAP in HS, we worked the open house. I was blown away by how small the cockpit was. But always loved the 49th bald eagle paintjob on the tail at 6:29. Great plane.
Surprised he didn't mention that the same pilot who was in the "Cornfield Bomber" actually ended up flying the exact same aircraft again 9 years later
Really? That's cool
Verified. [I didn't really believe it] He flew the plane again in 1979, flying with the 49's out of Tyndall Air Force base in Panama City, FL. The Dart was beautifully restored and today is on display at the USAF National Museum near Dayton, Ohio.
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Gary Foust later added that he thought he should have been known as the 'Wheatfield Fighter'as that was the crop, and the Dart was not a bomber.
That's because it wasn't mentioned on the wikipedia page
Among the most beautiful airplanes that have ever flown.
In 1981 I was at Griffiss AFB in NY for KC-135A training and they had a Squadron of F-106's I loved to watch take off and land. If I remember right I believe I also watched a F-102 also...
I crew one of these at our local Air Museum. Worked on them for 5 years. I feel lucky to have the chance to spend time with it. She's still a beauty. s/n 590086 formerly 87th FIS aircraft.
Absolutely positively the most beautiful aircraft the USAF ever flew. I always loved watching the Montana Air Guard 6’s fly over especially if they exposed their sleek bellies.
This is so cool. After getting out of the Air Force my Dad was part of a Convair engineering test team working on the F-106 ejection system.
The F-106 has a special place in my heart as it’s the first airplane I worked on in the usaf. I will always remember when I first saw it!!!
You never forget your first. :)
The lightning strike tests were part of Project Roughrider. A high altitude thunderstorm penetration research program. While serving on active duty I had the opportunity to view on aircraft footage of one of the missions. The cockpit camera was mounted on the top of the instrument panel and was aimed back toward the pilot. A strike on the pitot tube travelled up the fuselage onto the center of the windscreen and canopy above the pilots head, before finally discharging off the vertical tail. The footage was incredible.
"The lord sent me a new jet powered Tractor"
🤣
Plowing the fields in record time :D
The F-102 was modified so extensively that it was given a new designation; the F-106.
That is the OPPOSITE being "designed from scratch"
I grew up in the Hampton Roads area of VA. One evening we thought WW III had started when a Navy Crusader Fighter collided with an F106 over the Chesapeake bay between Hampton and Norfolk. The pilot of the F106 ejected and the falling jet stabilized and made a large arc and crashed into a neighborhood in Hampton... we watched a small explosion in the sky and what looked like a falling star... then a large explosion on the ground as 5 or 6 houses were destroyed, but thankful no one was hurt... the pilots splashed down in the bay and were picked up safely. Sirens wailed as every fire truck around responded... pretty scary to us young kids, but most of us were military brats, so we just ran home and sought the comfort of our parents, who were just as shocked as we were... a day or two later we drove through the area and saw the damage... wow.
Thank you, Dick Stultz, LtCol, USAF, (Ret) for showing me around this marvelous aircraft. I loved it. I almost got a ride, and a possible shot at mach 2, but higher authorities refused to give me that chance. And so, I'll hold the treasure of memories watching you put it through its paces. Again, thank you Dick for showing around this beautiful weapon.
Too bad you didn't get the ride. Not many people have flown mach 2.
@@crankychris2 ...aside from passengers who flew on Concorde, of course. 😉
Well Sheriff, it's my damn corn field so now that's my damn aeroplane...
I love getting notifications from dark skies!!
Me too!
I'm impressed that in the 50s they were able to make an interceptor that wasn't just fast but agile as well. Thing looks like an earlier version of fighters that would only start coming out in the 70s when they remembered a fighter's most important ability was to turn quickly, and it was an interceptor of all things.
When I was TDY to Edwards AFB from Norton AFB around 1982. I remember those F-106's from NASA buzzing around. And two flew in to the Norton AFB open house and air show in 1983 from the Cal ANG. Awesome fighter. Good video.
I arrived at Griffiss AFB in mid 85....the 49th FIS was the last active unit to fly the 106 and was based there (it's also the livery on the Cornfield Bomber, so I'd guess that was the unit it ended its flying career with).
ejector seat "Good Enough" , code for : We can't make this work,no problem we aren't flying it .
Riding the pneumatic ejection seat similator was fun, and no danger.
Beautiful lines on this one. Always loved the F-106
It looks like the a4
I remember one guy saying that if thecornfield bomber was any less damaged he would have simply flown it out of there
My friend flew 106s. He said it would run circles around the f4.
That’s the sort of lore that makes a lump in my throat still, and damn proud to be American... A big help these days when it’s hard to find a reason anywhere close to this story. Those men and their planes had hearts, souls and balls bigger than most of us will ever know!!! Godspeed..
Great video on a favorite plane! Here's a passable reference on the history of Delta wings existing well before World War II. Keep up the great work!
I really love the way your videos lay out information on aircraft in such a wonderfully concise manner.
In the late 1970s, I was assigned to the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Langley AFB, Hampton Rhodes, Virginia. We flew the -6 there. It was a great airplane. I was in the Simulator department, and we had all the pilots come through for recurrent training when they weren't flying.
The one thing that this video did not mention was that at some point the Air 2A Genie rocket was removed from service and and a rotary cannon was fitted to the airframe. The bay doors for the missile bay were modified so the barrel that was firing was at the bottom and able to shoot out of the modified bay doors, and there was also an ejection port for the spent brass from the weapon.
@Galileo7of9 did you mean Project Six Shooter?
Earlier, I was incorrect in saying that the spent brass was ejected overboard, it was not, but rather stored onboard.
Furthermore, the cannon was a General Electric M61A1 rotary cannon in 20mmm.
Watch the video on this modification here: th-cam.com/video/9sD7cOpBgJQ/w-d-xo.html
@Galileo7of9 then I am unfamiliar with Project Sharp Shooter. I believe that the Air Force went with Protect Six Shooter since all four AIM-4 missiles were retained.
@Galileo7of9 I think the -6 was a great airplane, especially for the time she was built. I wonder if the design would be resurrected today if the Air Force wanted to build another dedicated interceptor. However, in this age of multi-mission aircraft, I don't believe they would do something like that. However, fitted with a F119 engine with thrust vectoring, like the F22, better use of composites to reduce the RCS, and better design to reduce the RCS, it could be an interesting aircraft.
I mean, look at the B-58. Another great aircraft from Convair! Convair was on the ball in those days.
Still one of my favorite AC of all time. The distinctive coke bottle shape, a consequence of understanding what became known as the area rule, lends a graceful, almost womanly shape to it. I only ever saw them in operation once while on TDY at Griffiss Air Force Base in upstate NY in the early 80's. They seemed to have a unique way of using afterburner in the Six as they would begin the takeoff roll at full military and only after that would they light the burner producing a muffled boom as it did so. What a beauty.
They had a “hard light” afterburner, which I was told was different from the newer “soft light” as in the F-4 or F-16. Fuel was dumped into the AB area and it lit off from heat coming from the hot section turbine.
At Tyndall AFB, we could tell the difference between the Six taking off vs. the F-101 Voodoo - A single "BOOM!" vs. a double "boom-boom".
@@jonpetersen1401 -- The heat from the hot section exiting the turbines MAY have been enough to light the afterburner, but, as I recall, most burners use ignitors with flame holders to ensure things are and stay lit. The hard light of the Six was certainly distinctive but probably not desirable from a maintainability standpoint so it makes sense that newer engines would move to soft light.
@6:01 that jersey tail looks familiar, the Devils were the last to fly the dart until 1988 and we have that sister jet as our gate guard! (72523, also a 2 seater)
The last 106 I ever saw was when I had to deliver some parts to Patrick AFB in Florida in 1985. The beauty was parked on the tarmac next to a C-141, which was also a cool plane in it's own right.
Brings back memories! First off, the F-102 was an unmitigated disaster, primarily because it was only barely supersonic, so couldn't meet its mission parameters. The "6's," on the other hand were fast, maneuverable, and, indeed, with the internal weapons stores, quite stealthy! Lovely vid! I enjoyed it immensely!
I was A hydraulic mech. on them at McCord AFB in 71-72 loved them
My friend and I were both jet engine mechanics for the f-106 at McChord AFB around the same time. The 318th FIS home of the "GREEN DRAGONS"! Was my favorite plane to work on.
My sister had a Dodge Dart. I think it was supersonic too. It sure could fly!
340?
@@jimbosc Slant Six, aka The Six
Must of had a J79 in it
@@TS-ef2gv 225 c.u?
Thank you for bringing so many of these wonderful planes back to life!
Love watching these.... keep up the good work.......you should do the avro arrow .....love to see some Canadian av stuff
Great airplane. One of the best. Also love the lines on the two-seater. Saw a couple that I knew personally, end up destroyed off the Gulf at Tyndall as Q drones. Though instructive and necessary, it's a sad fate for any airplane, especially a fighter/interceptor. I guess it's better than the boneyard. But, at least there, you can still see them.
I encourage anyone who likes military aviation to go to the USAF Museum at Wright-patterson AFB. Plan a FULL day. They don't just have an F-106, they have the Cornfield Bomber, they don't just have an F-4, they have one of Robin Old's F-4's. That's what makes it special.
I worked on these birds as an MA-1 radar tech from 1976 to 1980 at KI Sawyer AFB in Gwinn Michigan. A great plane. The Genie Air-2a nuke has our 87th FIS sticker on it! Best FIS ever, the Red Bulls...Hook em! Static display of a 6 is at Marquette airport with a great museum there.
49th Mock Up.
The commentary says " designed from scratch " which is not true, it was a modification, an improvement of its predecessor the F 102 Delta Dart
Delta Dagger?
I have a fond memory of watching the -106's blast off from Lindbergh Field here in San Diego, after being rolled out from the Convair factory across the street. They were painted in chartreuse-colored primer, no markings at all.
One of the most beautiful aircraft ever built! It looks like it is doing Mach 2 just sitting on the ground. One of my favorite aircraft to model!
The lawn dart
I always thought that about F-16’s.
Super sonic lawn dart.
That was one of the many nicknames of the f104, not the f106
I've always thought of that name for the f5e tiger II, maybe that's just because there are some displayed like lawn darts at the base where my dad used to work but this thing doesn't look pointy enough for that.
@@NewfieOn2Wheels F5E and F are Tiger II, before that, they are called Freedom Fighter
Thank you for this one, this is my favorite fighter jet of all time. It was the best pure interceptor ever made
Nah, English Electric Lightning would be that...
@@RO8s No, the Lightning was good at setting time to climb records and impressing small boys. As far as the actual job at hand there were better aircraft.
@@sidefx996 The Lightning impressed everyone who ever flew it.
@@RO8s I'm sure it did. Incredible aircraft. But to say it was overall "better" at it's mission/job than the F-106 is highly debatable and it's going to lose in more categories than it wins. This isn't Top Gear, fighters don't need to drag race and the F-106 was certainly no slouch (unlike the Lightning it set the FAI world speed record in 1959). The Lightning's armament was weak and it's range was horrendous. Throw the SU-15 into the mix and we could be here awhile...
@@sidefx996 Neither could catch the U2, though, could they? Lightning did, both times it tried, with 5,000 feet to spare. It was the only aircraft that ever did. You can argue "horses for courses", but remember, we're a lot closer to the threat than you are. The Lightning had to get off the ground and intercept AT ONCE. Press the GO button, three minutes to contact... :))
I worked on a few of these at Depot maintenance. The avionics were far ahead of its time, an amazing jet to say the least!
In the 1980’s my Dad and I would fish at Indian River in the Florida panhandle. Tyndall and Elgin AFB’s would send F-15, F-16, and F-106 fighters out over the gulf for dissimilar air combat maneuver training. You could hear the roar of the F-100 engines in the Eagle and Falcon roar loudly. The J75 in F-106 just hummed. The Six was beautiful to watch.
The fact that the cornfield bomber didn't kill anyone goes to show how absolutely empty Montana is.
absolutely empty - the name of my resume!
No. Montana is filling up fast. We must reduce world population to 500 million. Says the insane extreme left extermination squad.
@@geoh7777 Basing that argument on available "space"? Hmm...
Everything is so overemphasized and dramatic - it drove me nuts when I first found this channel. The content itself is so good, and I've really come to appreciate your niche style, and effort to distinguish yourself. Keep it up!
I take it that's sarcasm? I'd say the presenter is of the Don Rumsfeld school of understatement mixed with an appropriate quiet menace 😁
This channel is growing on me too, myself and one other friend we're the first civilians to see the stealth fighter in flight...in the world. A friend of ours was working weapon systems on the new F117A out at groom lake (area 51) in secret for 18 months but couldn't tell us for obvious reasons, he sneaked us on to nellis AFB at 9:00a to watch them land, the DOD would be going public with the plane at 1:00P that day, but we were the only ones to see it in flight. The experience gave me a life long love for fighter and attack aircraft and the people who fly AND fix them.
@@jimdavis8391 Mild simplification, is closer to the truth! He really nails it, and I do love it. It's a strange spookiness, and unique to TH-cam aviation stuff.
@MaxLibertas personally I kind of like his hurried style. Alot of similar hosts drone on. I loved the history channel and military channel back in the day (back when they lived up to their namesakes) but some of those hosts were like listening to a college lecture and there are some TH-cam channels that do the same, like they're being paid by the hour. Sometimes you see the polar opposite where the host is too sensationalist and needs some ritalin and a mild tranquilizer but this channel/host kind of strikes a happy medium for me. He talks quickly, but precisely and takes short breaks between chunks of info.
Watch at .75 speed
Excellent classic Convair design, my second favorite combat jet behind the F-4.
Loved the video.
I'm glad that you did an episode on my favorite jet!
I live about an hour from Wright Patterson in Dayton, OH and I highly recommend ya'll go and see the F-106 "cornfield bomber" because its there in all its glory!
My hometown.
great place to visit.
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 I'm in Marysville.
I've been there twice. I really want to go back. It's a bucket list destination for anyone into airplanes.
#2 on my bucket list and has been ever since grand opening of the place.
We'll soon be seeing Avro Arrowheads taking issue with the video title.
Interesting point!
@@dmc8418 no disrespect but didn't the F-106 fly a year before the Arrow's first flight?
I guess D M C deleted their post.
@@joethetrucker6834 What did that Canadian say?
@@a-10thunderboltii24 he implied that the engineers responsible for the Arrow went to work designing the F 106 after their plane was cancelled.
Canada's Avro Arrow was a contemporaneous version of the F-106 with equivalent performance specs.
Actually, It probably exceeded the F106.
Take in Mind, I am NOT sure How Credible this rumor is, but I heard one that An ATC operator in Malton/Pearson had radar clocked the Arrow Mk1 Prototype Reaching Mach 2.3 numbers in an unspoken test.
If true, It would have gone considerably faster than that with the orendas fitted. (I'm aware that the F106 Reached Mach 2.41 btw, CF-105 wasn't even fully built to military production goals when its preliminary flight results were recorded.)
Above 50,000 feet it could turn Tighter than Most Modern Day Fighters because of its Low Wing Loading. I guess when you are moving really fast up in thin air with a lifting body styled plane you can Haul it really well because down low is not much of a place for an interceptor to be when maneuvering, to be fair it may sound bullshit but the math seems to speak for itself because its gotta account for something when making a good performing plane because of the correlation between Drag and Lift.
Instantaneous 6G @ +50,000 Feet.
F104: 4G @ 40,000Ft
F22 using the same Wing Loading Math for turning: 5G @50,000 Ft give or take.
Pretty impressive that the old rig could have pulled off something like that. If only the limits of the planes were explored.
@@user-bg4cy9rx4w The Arrow was designed for that high ceiling giving it the coveted look down that is a key to air superiority, albeit the concept was interceptor more than fighter.
@@user-bg4cy9rx4w more gs is not equal to tighter turns
Thanks for your channel, I listen and watch while working.
Used to love when these would scramble out of GAFB NY and break the sound bearer to intercept Bears...
That must've been so cool. I got to see them a few times both at the McGuire AFB airshow and down the shore flying out of Atlantic City.
If you saw them in the early 70s, you would have seen My father, Captain Elphick flying 80787 “cornfield bomber”. The 1st Canadian to fly the “6”.
@@donelphick7022 Very cool! You must be very proud of him.
What if America adopted the F-16XL and called it the Delta Dirk?
The j35 draken is also cool and quite simalar.
Someone would've designed the invariably subsequent Delta Diggler.
..Dirk Pitt, of NUMA ??
the delta burke
@@senorpepper3405 Oh hey, Burke is my name! Guess I'm a plane, now
I was part of the project team that turned the F-106 into the QF-106. It was one Hell of an airplane.
My Dad worked at Edwards AFB when the F-106 was built and when they broke the world's speed records. Dad was head of parts there and in Spokane, Wa when we were transferred with the Atlas missle program.
"The program would run into additional delays and trouble"
Seems like military planes can't get away from that...
You got spend that money......
or any consumer product
It also had the same problem as the F-22 with production being drastically cut from 1,000 to just over 200 I think
Yes but when all the bugs were worked out of it it was a great flying aircraft and it is beautiful.
P-51
P-80
A-4
A-7
F-15
F-16
All of those aircraft had pretty much problem-free developments.
Don't forget to change the playback speed to 80% for all "Dark Skies" docs.
Is english not your first language?
@Guy Incognito You obviously have superhuman abilities Guy! Congratulations! However, most of us normal people prefer steady, clear and understandable.
@Guy Incognito I just want you to know that I am in awe of your hyperactive speed listening ability. You are a true super hero!