The Friday Flyby - February 2016

A U.S. Air Force Convair F-102A-75-CO Delta Dagger (s/n 56-1350) intercepting a Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 Bear bomber. (Source)

F-106A Delta Dart from California ANG fires an AIR-2 Genie. (Source)

So it struck me, while thinking about what I should post, that I hadn't done a Friday Flyby in a while. Haven't done one at all in this here new year of 2016. So, I figured it was about time. When I was a kid (a long, long, long time ago) the F-102 was considered to be quite a "cool" aircraft. At any rate, it looked pretty damn cool with those delta wings, that pointy nose, and that rakish looking cockpit. I actually saw one fly over once. A rare treat in rural Vermont.

The F-106 came along later, still cool looking, at least to me. My first room mate in tech school all the way back in 1975 was actually going to school to maintain the weapon systems on the F-106. I was an F-4 Phantom weapons control systems guy, we got along great, neither of us knew squat at that point in our careers. Didn't even know enough to make fun of each other's aircraft choices. All his possible assignments were in the States, working the F-4 I could go lots of places. All over the world even! Not that I did. But I did get to Japan and Korea when I worked Phantoms. Not sure where the roomie went, probably some northern tier Air Defense Command base. Brrrrr...

A cross-section drawing of Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. (Marcin Zieliński derivative work: Mikhail Ryazanov - Source)

Two USAF Convair F-102A Delta Dagger interceptors of the 509th Fighter Interceptor Squadron over Vietnam in November 1966. Originally deployed to escort bombers over North Vietnam and defend South Vietnamese airspace against possible North Vietnamese bombers, they provided close air support for allied ground forces in South Vietnam. 14 F-102s would be lost during the war, 1 in air to air combat. (Source)

Units flying the Delta Dagger - (Data from Wikipedia)
Air Defense Command / Aerospace Defense Command

• 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Suffolk County AFB (1956–1959)
• 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Suffolk County AFB (1956–1960)
• 11th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Duluth AFB (1956–1960)
• 18th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Wurtsmith AFB (1957–1960)
• 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Griffiss AFB (1957–1959)
• 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Wurtsmith AFB (1956–1957); transferred to Alaska Air Command
• 37th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Ethan Allen AFB (1957–1960)
• 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Niagara Falls AFB (1958–1960)
• 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Langley AFB (1957–1960)
• 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Naval Station Keflavik (1962–1973)
• 59th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Goose Bay AFB(1960–1966)
• 61st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Truax Field (1957–1960)
• 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – McChord AFB (1957–1960), Paine Field (1960–1966)
• 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Selfridge AFB (1958–1960)
• 76th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Westover AFB (1961–1963)
• 82d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Travis AFB (1957–1966)
• 86th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Youngstown AFB (1957–1960)
• 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Lockbourne AFB (1958–1960)
• 95th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Andrews AFB (1958–1959)
• 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – McChord AFB (1957–1958)
• 318th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – McChord AFB (1957–1960)
• 323d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Truax Field (1956–1957), Harmon AFB (1957–1960)
• 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Truax Field (1957–1966)
• 326th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Richards-Gebaur AFB (1957–1967)
• 327th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – George AFB (1956–1958), Thule AB (1958–1960)
• 329th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – George AFB (1958–1960)
• 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Webb AFB (1960–1963)
• 332nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – McGuire AFB (1957–1959), England AFB (1959–1960), Thule AB (1960–1965)
• 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Kincheloe AFB (1957–1960)
• 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Castle AFB (1958–1960)
• 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Portland AFB (1958–1966)
• 482nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Seymour Johnson AFB (1956–1965)
• 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Geiger Field (1957–1959)

Alaskan Air Command

• 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Elmendorf AFB (1958–1970)
• 31st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Elmendorf AFB (1957–1958)

United States Air Forces in Europe

• 32d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Soesterberg AB (1960–1969)
• 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Zaragosa AB (1960–1964)
• 496th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Hahn AB (1960–1970)
• 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Torrejon AB (1960–1963)
• 525th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Bitburg AB (1959–1969)
• 526th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Ramstein AB (1960–1970)

Pacific Air Forces

• 4th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Misawa AB (1957–1965)
• 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Naha AB (1959–1965)
• 40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Yokota AB (1957–1965)
• 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Clark AB (1966–1969)
• 68th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Itazuke AB (1957–1965)
• 82d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Naha AB (1966–1971)
• 509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Clark AB (1959–1970)

Air National Guard

• 102d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, NY ANG – Suffolk County ANGB (1972–1975)
• 111th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, TX ANG – Ellington Field (1960–1975)
• 116th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, WA ANG – Geiger Field (1965–1969)
• 118th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, CT ANG – Bradley ANGB (1966–1971)
• 122nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, LA ANG – NAS New Orleans (1960–1971)
• 123d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, OR ANG – Portland ANGB (1966–1971)
• 132nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, ME ANG – Bangor ANGB (1969–1970)
• 134th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, VT ANG – Burlington ANGB (1965–1975)
• 146th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, PA ANG – Pittsburgh AP (1961–1975)
• 151st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, TN ANG – McGhee-Tyson ANGB (1963–1964)
• 152d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, AZ ANG – Tucson ANGB (1966–1969)
• 157th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, SC ANG MacEntire ANGB (1963–1975)
• 159th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, FL ANG – Imeson Field (1960–1968), Jacksonville ANGB 1968–1974
• 175th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, SD ANG – Sioux Falls AFB (1960–1970)
• 176th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, WI ANG – Truax Field (1966–1974)
• 178th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, ND ANG – Hector Field (1966–1969)
• 179th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, MN ANG – Duluth ANGB (1966–1971)
• 182nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, TX ANG – Kelly AFB (1960–1969)
• 186th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, MT ANG – Great Falls ANGB (1966–1972)
• 190th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, ID ANG – Gowen Field (1964–1975)
• 194th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, CA ANG – Fresno ANGB (1964–1974)
• 196th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, CA ANG – Ontario IAP (1965–1975)
• 199th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, HI ANG – Hickam AFB (1960–1977)

Note that the 134th was out of Burlington, Vermont, no doubt they owned the bird I saw when I was a kid.

F-102A in the Cold War Gallery of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (Source)

I'm thinking that I need to get my butt out to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio. I mean, I was in the Air Force, why haven't I visited the National Museum of the Air Force yet? It's on my places to go, things to visit list. (Yes, yes, when I get out there, I'll let the locals know. Y'all can buy me a Guinness and I'll tell you tales of brave Ulysses, er, I mean my days in the Air Force...)

Now as far as I can recall, the only F-106 I've ever seen is out at the airport in Fresno, California. And that only from the road as we were going to and fro from the airport, flying in to see The WSO and her tribe, or flying back out again. One of these days I'll convince the clan to pay a visit to that little museum. They have an F-4 as well! (A P-51 Mustang as well, I think, yeah, I'm pretty sure.)

One of the last two F-106s in active service, seen here in 1990 as a safety chase aircraft in the B-1B aircraft production acceptance flight test program. (Source)

A Soviet Tu-95 is intercepted by a F-106A off Cape Cod in 1982. (Source)

Units flying the Delta Dart - (Data from Wikipedia)

Air Defense Command / Aerospace Defense Command-cum-Tactical Air Command

• 2nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Wurtsmith AFB (1971–1972)
• 5th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Minot AFB (1960–1985)
• 11th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Duluth AFB (1960–1968)
• 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Loring AFB (1959–1971)
• 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Langley AFB (1960–1982)
• 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Griffiss AFB (1968–1987)
• 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Richards-Gebaur AFB (1960–1971)
• 83rd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Loring AFB (1971–1972)
• 84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Hamilton AFB (1968–1973); Castle AFB (1973–1981)
• 87th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Duluth AFB (1968–1971); K.I. Sawyer AFB (1971–1985)
• 94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Selfridge AFB (1960–1971)
• 95th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Andrews AFB (1959–1973)
• 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron – McChord AFB (1960–1983)
• 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Bunker Hill AFB (1960–1963) / Grissom AFB (1971–1972)
• 329th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – George AFB (1960–1967)
• 437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Oxnard AFB (1968–1968)
• 438th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Kincheloe AFB (1960–1968)
• 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Castle AFB (1959–1968)
• 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Oxnard AFB (1968–1974)
• 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Geiger Field (1959–1968)
• 539th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – McGuire AFB (1959–1967)

Air National Guard

• 101st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, MA ANG – Otis ANGB (1972–1988)
• 119th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, NJ ANG – Atlantic City ANGB (1972–1988)
• 159th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, FL ANG – Jacksonville ANGB (1974–1987)
• 171st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, MI ANG – Selfridge ANGB (1972–1978)
• 186th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, MT ANG – Great Falls ANGB (1972–1987)
• 194th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, CA ANG – Fresno ANGB (1974–1984)

Okay, so those F-106 bases weren't all way up north.

An F-102 (foreground) and an F-106 side by side at Warner Robins AFB. (Source - this guy has a lot of nice pics!)

Cool jets. FRaVMotC Dave's Daily Day Dream used to fly the F-102, he has some good tales at his place. Give him a read, perhaps we can ask him (real nice like) if he's going to finish his tale of the Nguyễn brothers. I know I want to hear how that turned out.

If Dave has time of course.

Yup, love those Convair Deltas!

Update -

As mentioned by SL in the comments, here's that F-106 out at Fresno, same bird as above! (Note the tail number, 90146.) Pretty cool I think.

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