The F-86 Sabre Jet Fighter

Of all the aircraft I worked on while in the Air Force my favorite was the F-86 Sabre Jet. It was an easy aircraft to work on, and the Canadair Sabre 6, the RCAF version of the F-86, was extremely rugged, requiring less maintenance than most aircraft of its type. In over three years while based in France, I never heard a derogatory word about the F-86 from any of our squadron pilots when they returned from their scrambles.

The 1950s were a decade of dynamic activity within the Royal Canadian Air Force, a time when it served a role of deterrence in the "Cold War". During the last half of this decade, RCAF day fighter squadrons were equipped with the Canadair Mark 6 Sabre, considered by many as the supreme fighter of its time. Over 1800 Sabres were built in Canada, culminating with the superb Mk. 6. Its Canadian designed and built Orenda 14 powerplant, provided the agile airframe with speed, climbing ability and a ceiling superior to all previous Sabre variants. It was with these machines that the RCAF Air Division grew in confidence and capability to become, arguably, the premier fighter force in Europe at that time.

The North American F-86 Sabre was a subsonic combat aircraft developed for the US Air Force in the late 1940s and was one of the most-produced western jet fighters. It was manufactured as both a fighter-interceptor and fighter-bomber. Several variants were introduced over its production life, with improvements and different armaments implemented at the request of the USAF. For example, engine power was increased considerably from the 5200lbf of the F-86A to the 10,000lbf of the F-86F. These were the premier air combat fighters during the Korean War.

Another version of the Sabre was the F-86H, the fighter-bomber that could carry up to 2000lbs of bombs including an external fuel-type tank that could carry napalm. All versions were fitted with six Browning M3 .50 caliber machine guns in the nose, although some later versions of the F-86H were fitted with four 20mm cannon. These guns were harmonized to converge at 1000ft in front of the aircraft, usually firing one tracer for every five live rounds.

Canadair designated their versions of the Sabre numerically, through to the Sabre 6 which was the aircraft flown in Europe. It was fitted with a short-span 6'-3" wing which featured slats on the leading edge to counteract the poor low-speed handling characteristics of the swept wing design. It carried two drop tanks (jettisonable fuel tanks) outboard of the main wheel wells. But it was the Orenda power plants that distinguished it from all other versions.

The Orenda jet engine was named after a god of the Iroquois and a total of 3838 of these engines were built, 1723 of which became the power plant of the Canadair-built Sabre Jet. Developed by a small group of about forty young Canadian engineers, the Orenda was one of the most successful jet engines ever built. Built by Avro Canada, with the demise of that company, the engine division survived and became Orenda Engines Ltd. in 1956.

A final note on the F-86. While Chuck Yeager is widely known for being the first to break the sound barrier, in 1953, Jackie Cochran flew an F-86 Sabre past Mach 1 becoming the first woman to break the sound barrier.

Michael Russell

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