Planes of Fame Hangar Talk – Featuring F-86F Sabre Flying Demo

On Saturday, January 8, 2022, Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California is once again combining a Hangar Talk session with a Flying Demo, this time to create a special event featuring the organization’s North American F-86F Sabre 52-5012.

The Hangar Talk session will focus upon the Korean War (1950-1953) and cover the following topics:

1. 1. A brief history of the Korean peninsula and its partition into two nations.
   2. North Korea’s invasion of South Korea during late June, 1950 and the subsequent arrival of United Nations forces (led by the United States) to repel that aggression. The presentation will follow the conflict from its beginning through to the bitter struggle of 1950/51 and the ensuing stalemate which resulted in 1952/53.
   3. A close look at the role which aviation played in the conflict – including the transition from WWII-era piston-engined aircraft to the next generation of military jets. The lecture will explore the various ways in which aircraft were employed, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground support, interdiction, as well as rescue and recovery.
   4. Discussion will also feature some of the more heroic deeds which occurred during the war, including a look at Thomas Hudner and Jesse Brown’s story (which will soon feature in the major motion picture Devotion).
   5. A summary of the conflict and its impact upon US society and policy.

F-86F 52-5012 rolled out of North American Aviation’s manufacturing plant in Inglewood, California during November, 1953. The Sabre’s first assignment was with the U.S. Air Force’s 3595th Pilot Training Wing then stationed in southern Nevada at Nellis Air Force Base, the only location then instructing pilots to fly and fight in the F-86. In November, 1960 the U.S. government sold 52-5012 to the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force) along with 27 additional Sabres. The aircraft gained the side number C-127 in Argentina, flying with Grupo 1 de Cazabombardero for the next twenty-six years before its retirement in 1986.

The F-86 found new life as a warbird in the United States when Rick Sharpe imported her in 1989. Well known warbird pilot/operator, Tom Friedkin, acquired the Sabre during the following year. Nearly a decade later, the historic jet joined the Planes of Fame collection; she now takes part in air shows and Heritage Flights on a regular basis.

For more information and/or to purchase the tickets for the event, please visit www.planesoffame.org