GOLDEN FAIEWELL

摘要

Golden Apple Operations Ltd announced in June that its lovely Sabre had been sold to a new owner in the USA and that its flying from Duxford had ceased. F-86A 48-178 is a very distinctive machine: it is both the only flying F-86A and the oldest airworthy jet in the world. For the last 22 years it has been a very popular participant on the European airshow circuit and will be sadly missed. As the first operational iteration of the F-86, 48-178 is somewhat unrefined and underpowered compared to later variants with more potent engines and hydraulically-boosted flying controls. The A-model is the only variant that can be flown manually should an hydraulic failure occur; it was the purest and lightest of the series. Powered by a General Electric J47-13 turbojet rated at 5,200lb (23.13kN), this simple axial-flow design with far fewer moving parts than 1940s' piston engines earned a reputation for being very reliable. The F-86A was armed with six 0.50in calibre M-3 machine guns mounted in the nose.