5th FIS F-106 gun pack query

[Ralph]

Hallo all,

Bit of an obscure question but did the 5th FIS F-106s flying out of Minot ever  have the 'six shooter' gunpack fitted? Would appreciate any guidance. They didn't phase their Sixes out until 1985, so I am guessing so, but would value any comment from those in the know!

Regards, R

[Wez]

Ralph, take a look at this thread from a few years back, hopefully you can find something in the links embedded in the replies to my question.

[NorthBayKid]

www.f-106deltadart.com has photos of every F-106 built, and extensive lists of unit assignments, etc.  That should answer your question.

[Billy54]

@NorthBayKid Thank you for that web site, I have two of the Hasegawa kits and one of the Meng (all 1/72 scale) which are slowly making their way to the top of the to-do list. And i thought I thought today would be the day that I would be able to get a few decent hours in on my current project.  

[gingerbob]

Thanks from me, too.  I had a friend (now deceased) who flew P-47s in 9th AF.  I knew that his son had been killed in an F-106 accident (I was 8 when it happened, though I don't remember being aware at the time).  Anyway, the website just inspired me to have another try, and I was able to find the accident report, etc.  A bit morbid, perhaps, but a personal connection of sorts.

 

p.s. I was just poking around looking at markings, etc and saw that the famous "Cornfield Bomber", after repair, went to his unit.  As it turns out, it was the replacement for the one lost in the crash.

Edited February 3, 2020 by gingerbob

[72modeler]

Yep- she was quite a celebrity! F-106A-100-CO, 58-0987; she is proudly on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Mike

 

https://airwingmedia.com/news/2015/the-f-106-cornfield-bomber/

 

The link below shows her after the incident and later on display at the AFM. You can clearly see in the one photo where she impacted the ground, and as the heat from the exhaust melted the ice and snow, she scooted forward; this process being repeated until the engine died from fuel exhaustion!

 

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196408/convair-f-106a-delta-dart/

Edited February 3, 2020 by 72modeler
added link

[sinistervampire319]

Back when I was active in the local air museum here in town. The neighbor if you will was a Mr. Bob Archibald who at the time owned Dragonfly Aviation a flight school. We became good friends over the years. He flew RF-101's in Vietnam. He unfortunately passed away in 2013 from Cancer.
I really do miss him as he was loaded with history. 
His claim to fame was that he's the one who headed the development of Project Six Shooter. 
Here is the gun section of the website.
https://www.f-106deltadart.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/443

 

Six Shooter test airplane F-106A #58-795 in Lou Drendel painting.

 

In his RF-101C Vietnam.

 

In front of his RF-101C

 

Look at the handlebars on that stache!

 

ADC Commander Gen. Agan and Major Archibald inspect first installation of 20mm Vulcan cannon in F-106 "Sixshooter". This was same era when they added the gun to the F-4E, in fact this same gun came from the MacDonnell Factory floor at St Louis.

 

In the F-106A

 

His credentials for the project.

 

 

[72modeler]

Thank you so much for sharing his story with the rest of us- one of the very best things about this website is the sharing of the history of the aircraft and the stories of the men and women that flew and maintained them; it's the only way we as modelers can carry the history forward for the next generation. What a steely-eyed 101 driver; you are right- that 'stache was not very aerodynamic but awesome! I'm betting a tribute model might well come as a result of your post. Going to have to remember to do those black rubber seals around the canopy!

Mike

 

One of my friends was an RAF group captain- flew everything from Mosquitoes to Lightnings; your post reminded me of him, as the stories he would tell were incredible- sadly, he passed away at age 94, but was still as sharp as a tack and never lost his wry sense of humor.