For the 1966-68 seasons, the USAF “Thunderbirds” aerobatic team discarded their tail numbers, which were replaced by “ONE”, “TWO”, “THREE” etc, painted on the rear fuselage of their F-100d Super Sabres. They made a UK tour in 1967, taking in the Paris Air Show and the Armed Forces Days at Bentwaters and Lakenheath in May 1967. Does anyone have the real serials of these aircraft? I have been through all the ‘Hun Gurus’ in the States, who haven’t a clue, so thought I would throw this open and maybe someone got close up to the aircraft at a show and checked them out?
This very same dilemma lives to this day, as the ‘Team Numbers’ on the intakes of the F-16s are stickers and can be swapped between aircraft to ensure they have a full compliment of #1 to #6 in the display. I found this out to my horror at Fairford when the team came over for RIAT 2006. A ground-crew friend had got the serials from inside the nose wheels and matched them up with the team numbers. On the day, one of the F-16Cs went u/s, so they peeled off the Team Number and stuck it on the side of an F-16D. Have these guys no respect for us spotters?:o Furthermore, how can they tell one aircraft from the other, when it comes to maintenance?
By: Mondariz - 29th January 2009 at 14:20
Yes, it does look like a “new” tail pipe.
By: AMB - 29th January 2009 at 13:44
56-3093 flew as number ONE.
Here in a slightly schizophrenic moment.
I have just received a message from my long-standing friend and author Dave Menard, who I regard as my #1 Hun Guru. He has seen this photo before and advises this just goes to show how we can be fooled, as 56-3093 was ONLY fitted with #ONE Thunderbird’s tail pipe and was never in the team!
Thanks for your additional list Montariz, but that doesn’t solve the ONE, TWO, THREE matching problem, as I suspect some of those were swapped around during the three seasons they wore this style of ‘serial’.
By: Mondariz - 29th January 2009 at 08:27
Seems you got the whole lot now. I found this list of Thunderbirds serials, but not all would have been active in Europe 1967.
F-100D :1964 – 1968
55- 3506
55-3507
55-3520
55-3560
55-3561
55-3582
55-3606
55-3708
55-3737
55-3754
55-3776
55-3779
55-3791
Here is 55-3560 Illegally Parked somewhere (it is not numbered, so it might have been dismissed before 1967)
By: AMB - 29th January 2009 at 08:13
Many thanks Mondariz, that’s really helpful and to see that shot of the Ex-TBird F-100D in camo still showing its ‘ONE’ marking is amazing.
I have since had a report from someone who managed to match the serials up when the team came to the UK in 1967 and are reported as :
2 F-100D 53737
3 F-100D 53507
4 F-100D 53506
5 F-100D 53754
6 F-100D 53715
9 F-100F 63927
Two additional aircraft noted at Ramstein on 21 May 1967 were:
1 F-100D 53593
8 F-100D 52933
…but we are still missing a serial for F-100D ‘SEVEN’?
By: Mondariz - 29th January 2009 at 07:36
Further research show that 56-3844 did not fly with the Thunderbirds (although the article I originally got the information from, states that it was repainted as Thunderbird NINE – I took this to mean, that it had been painted as NINE before).
Its an ex-RDAF TF-100F.
It has also been revealed that 55-3520 flew as number SIX not number FIVE at Laughlin AFB.
So now we have:
SIX = 55-3520
ONE = 56-3093
TWO = 55-3737
55-3754 did fly with Thunderbirds from 1964 to 1968, but it could not have been SIX all the time.
55-3715 also flew with Thunderbirds in the 60’s.
By: Mondariz - 28th January 2009 at 17:55
56-3844 flew the airshows with the Thunderbirds. She is now painted as NINE, nut I’m not 100% she also flew as NINE – although its very likely.
By: Mondariz - 28th January 2009 at 17:52
56-3093 flew as number ONE.
Here in a slightly schizophrenic moment.
By: J Boyle - 28th January 2009 at 17:49
The Pilot Captain Merrill A. McPeak ejected safely.
He later went onto become the USAF Chief of Staff…and was very unpopular.
A real jerk, in many people’s eyes. He came across to many with an attitude of if you weren’t a pilot, and preferably a fighter pilot, you were a drain on the system, that you were totally unimportant and it would be best if you went away and shot yourself.
Now a lot of pilot generals feel that way, but the best ones can at least hide their feelings.😀
Last seen wearing a pony tail and advising Obama on defense matters.
By: Mondariz - 28th January 2009 at 17:36
In the 1967 season aircraft FIVE was 55-3520. This aircraft disintegrated during a show at Laughlin AFB in Texas on October 21. The Pilot Captain Merrill A. McPeak ejected safely.
By: Mondariz - 28th January 2009 at 17:16
The one on display at United States Air Force Museum (Wright-Patterson AFB), should be SIX from the years you write about its SN is 55-3754.
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January 28, 2009 at 4:07 pm