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Aviation Art Prints  Countries US Squadron Index 386th Bomb Squadron to 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing  51st Fighter Interceptor Wing |
51st Fighter Interceptor Wing
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| 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing Aviation Art Prints, Paintings and Drawings Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Hunting Party by Robert Watts. Mig Alley! That chilling destination synonymous with the dawn of the jet ages first large-scale air battles; deadly contests fought at unprecedented speeds in an aerial battleground in the thin air high above a hostile faraway land. Quick to react to the Communist invasion of South Korea, American fighter pilots, many already World War II Aces, were more than able to meet the North Korean challenge flying their trusty P-51 Mustangs, and two new jets, the F-80 Shooting Star and the F9F Panther. All that changed one bright November day: a patrol of P-51s were pounced upon by shiny new swept wing fighters bearing the Red Star of the Chinese Air Force, and as the flight of Russian-built MiG-15s hurtled past at near supersonic speed, it became evident that America would have to move its new F-86 Sabre into the front line. When the two new planes finally met in combat over Korea, so alike was their configuration and performance, it was difficult to tell them apart. The MiGs high rate of climb and service ceiling gave it an advantage, but the manoeuvrability and rock-steady response of the F-86 was an edge in a dogfight. The real difference was the pilots! Fighting with the disadvantage of having to fly 200 miles to the battle zone, the skill and courage of the F-86 pilots has become legend. With speeds often nudging the sound barrier, and performing combat manoeuvres at 600 m.p.h. imposing crushing G-forces, the F-86 pilots ran up a spectacular kill ratio of 8:1 against the MiGs. In Robert Watts powerful painting, the frosty morning air is shattered by a hunting party of F-86 Sabres of the U.S. 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, as they blast off the runway at Kimpo airfield, South Korea. Led by Gabby Gabreski, they are headed north to the Yalu River, and Mig Alley. |
Slashed by a Sabre by Stan Stokes. The time is early 1951, the place is Korea. The chequered-tailed Sabre, piloted by Francis Gabreski of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, has just scored a hit on a North Korean Mig-15. Gabreski attained 6.5 victories in Mig Alley, bcoming the 8th jet ace. Gabreski had over 25 aerial victories in WW II flying the P-47 before becoming a prisoner of war. At the onset of the Korean conflict the bulk of the U.S. Air Force consisted of technically obsolete WW II vintage aircraft. Early in the Korean conflict the U.S. military successfully utilized these piston driven aircraft, against the small and ineffective North Korean Air Force. However, in November of 1950, things changed dramatically with the first appearance of Mig-15 fighters flown by both North Korean and Chinese pilots. The F-86 was the most important air combat fighter flown by the American Air Force during the Korean Conflict, and the first swept-wing military jet produced in the United States. The first prototype flew in 1947 and its design was influenced by German research data captured near the end of World War II. The Sabre was powered by a General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet engine and was capable of speeds of 690 MPH at sea level. The F-86 had an operational ceiling of 50,000 feet, and was armed with six machine guns. The Sabre could carry 2000 pounds of bombs or externally mounted fuel tanks to increase its range beyond the 785 miles obtained without external tanks. The Mig-15 was produced by Mikoyan-Gurevich and became the F-86s main adversary in Korea. The Mig-15, known as the Fagot, carried superior armament consisting of one 37mm and two 20mm cannons. It was also slightly faster at altitude and more maneuverable than its American adversary, despite its tendency to snap-roll into an uncontrollable spin during high-speed turns. A later variant, the Mig-17 utilized a 45 degree swept wing to eliminate this nasty tendency. Sabre Jets and Mig-15s tangled over Korea on countless occasions with dogfights reminiscent of high speed versions of the battles waged a decade earlier between British Spitfires and German Bf-109s in the skies of Britain. With pilots of superior skill and experience the Sabre Jets performed well in these encounters, and during the conflict 792 Mig-15s were destroyed, with a kill ratio of over ten-to-one in favor of the USAF and USN. |
Sabre's Edge - Tribute to Edwin L 'Ed' Heller by Ivan Berryman. Already an ace in WWII, Ed Heller was again to find himself involved in aerial combat during the conflict in Korea, now flying the mighty F-86 Sabre with the 25th FIS, 51st FIW against the potent MiG15. Moving to 16th FIS as Squadron Commander, he was to claim 3.5 victories over MiGs before being shot down himself in January 1953. His release from captivity by the Chinese did not occur until two years after the war ended but, upon repatriation, he returned to the air flying F-100s during the Cuban Missile Crisis, finally retiring in 1967. He is depicted here in Hell-er Bust X, claiming a MiG 15. |
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