The Collings Foundation has a new war horse in the stable, and gave an old war horse a ride in her.
The Collings Foundation’s F-100F Super Sabre from INVERSION on Vimeo.
Col. Day had 5000 hours in his log book, and 4500 of them in fighters before he volunteered for combt duty in Vietnam. He stood up the first “Fast FAC” squadron to fly high risk forward air control missions, and was shot down on his 65th sortie up north. Badly injured in the ejection, he nevertheless managed to evade his captors and cross the DMZ back in to South Vietnam, becoming the only American POW to escape from North Vietnam. Recaptured by Viet Kong just miles from a US base, Col. Day spent five years and seven months as a guest of the Hanoi regime, who broke his body but not his spirit.
He is the only person ever to have been awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross.
I hope you enjoyed the flight, colonel. And a tip o’ the tam to the Collings Foundation for setting it up.
Ah, the sound of the mighty Pratt & Whitney J-57! From the days when real jets were flown by real men and powered by straight axial-flow turbojets; no faux-propellers (a.k.a. “turbofans”) or other gimmicks.
On a more serious note, it saddens me deeply that due to the profound myopia of a few nasty-tempered, pencil-necked paper-pushers, we will most likely never be able to honor future crews by letting them once again man up an A-3, A-6, TA-7, a F-14 or even a legacy FA-18D.
The F-14 indeed. All were destroyed. A-7, don’t think any of them left, but might be some at AMARC, A-6, no doubt all canibilised for spares to the EA-6 fleet, A-3, probably long ago melted down.
Saddest of all, all of them would do better at the mission of bombing primitive tribes in Afghanistan than the current crop of “superfighters” that are too fragile to risk low level because a single pistol bullet can destroy their electronics…
Man,
I life north of KEFD, and saw this very flight. We are accustomed to seeing some the foundation’s other aircraft in the area, i.e. the A-4, but a few weeks ago, I saw this F100 (initially I thought it to be a F105) flying the pattern around the field. Sure was nice. Now I know the story and the moment behind the aircraft.
Thanks Lex, very enjoyable.
Great American. Thanks to the Collings Foundation for honoring him.
VX- you have any Hun time in your logbook?
Nada–all F-4C & D Model and O-1/O-2 time. Closest I ever got was when I spent the summer of ’56 at Foster AFB, Victoria, TX where my cousin was Wing Commander of the AFs 1st F-100C-equipped Wing. (He won the Bendix Air Race in ’55 in a 100C)and at RAF Woodbridge where we shared the runway w. a 100D-equipped 20thTFS flexed down from their parent Wing at RAF Weathersfield near Cambridge. (The 401stTFW at Torrejon in Spain was also so equipped in USAFE. We picked up their rotating nuke-alert mission at Incirlik in Turkey w. our UK-based F-4s when they stood down to re-equip w. F-16s)
Good news for A-6 drivers. Chino Planes of Fame has an A-6 in its stable, and there was an F-14 hanging around waiting to be worked on. Two out of five, unless something has changed…
We who pay attention to such things wince whenever we see old military iron used for targets or other destructive demises. Yeah, we know why, but to think of all of the B-17s, B-24s, P-51s, F4U that were melted down, let alone the aircraft of the enemy (if you can put aside that we had to win the war first, and THEN pine after private ownership…)
Glad to watch the Colonel get a chance to ride his old war horse!
You know… they really need a BUFF….
D Model in camo…
Camo? Bah. They need it in the silver scheme of SAC’s glory days, with the big tail.
Indeed!
I gained a new respect and appreciation for Col. Bud Day after reading American Patriot. His goal to return with honor is what sustained him during all those years of torture and confinement.The Air Force Cross was actually awarded for his leadership in the Hoa Lo “Hanoi Hilton”. Most people don’t know that his Medal of Honor was for escaping and evading and he is at present the most decorated living serviceman with 70 awards. I was very pleased that the Collings Foundation took the initiative to honor a great man this way and also the famous Misty flights. (Nice footage with his son at the end).
Flying these warbirds isn’t cheap: The Collings Foundation F-4 Phantom program is $12,500, while the is $7,800. No word yet on the price of the Hun-a piece of history.
To Colonel Day: We can only echo the words inscribed on the back of the wrist watch you received in 1973: “Our Humble Thanks.”
+1. What a warrior’s chest of ribbons. Always said if I win the lotto I’d do something like this – give warrior vets one last ride in ____________ .
I have attended a few ACA reunions where Col Day was present. A damn fine officer. I worked F-100 armament systems maint at Phan Rang AB, RVN for 9 months in 1969 and F-100 maint debrief for 3 months. Debriefed a few Misty FACs. That afterburner on take-off was very familiar, especially at dusk and after dark. Worked the F-4 also at Ubon and Udorn as load crew chief and maint control. Nostalgic sights and sounds.
Did you know any of the Dustys at Ubon?
Not that I recall.
Thanks Lex (and Col. Day). I needed that.
Colonel Day is one of my BIGGEST heroes.
[...] H/T-Lex [...]
Magnificent story. Colonel Day is now 86, and a Marine Corps veteran of World War II, which preceded his USAF heroics. He is a national hero.
Got to confess Lex, I got something in my eyes watching that. Thanks!
Stud.
Linked back from here.
A special post, Lex. Thanks.
You could see his eyes light and his back straighten a bit when he recognized what they had painted the plane as. That was great!
Thanks, Lex!
Dang! I can’t see the video, but I catch yer drift from what you wrote. When I was at Ga. Tech there was a Naval Officer among those doing NROTC whose hands didn’t work right because of the extra-tight handcuffs they had on him when he was captive in North Viet-Nam. God I hate cops.
P.s. The nature of the cop is to want to dominate people, and get over on them, and humiliate them, knowing that he can get away with such outrages with his sovereign immunity, and all.
One of the local pigs decided to pick on me when I was riding my bike to the ATM just before midnight Tuesday. He was the ususal skin-headed thug we have for cops around here after dark. Apparently I did enough submissive throat-baring behavior for him to let me go.
Seems to me, he was acting like a predator, picking on a lone weak person. I do believe that that is what cops generally do.
P.s. Why, yes, communist prison guards do seem to resemble American policemen very much, why did you ask?
@justthisguy- I’m reading this thread via iPhone so I can’t see if you are responding to someone’s post or just randomly spitting hate for an entire occupation of professionals. Then I went to your blog and saw the hatred and despise for whole races and religions and realized that you are a small, hate filled man and not worthy of my time.
I’ll save the others on the playground the time and effort and share the first thing I read on *your* blog “F*#@ the Jewrab”.
You are a sad, sad man.
I just went over there and read the same thing. Methinks you need to get some context there Chunk. You’re being silly about a post that was meant to be silly.
Not sure what is silly about his anti-police, anti-semitic rants that have no relation whatsoever to the original post, one that honors a great American.
Chuck…not to worry…JTG uses his alleged Asperger’s Disorder as a club/excuse/reason to engage in these types of rants…much like an idiot uncle babbling in his chowder at a holiday dinner…its best to ignore him. Best
Witnessed many an airstrike by F-100s. Preferred them over the F4s, preferred A1s and A37s over everything. All are stunning to watch in flight.
Read Bud Day’s book. Highly recommended.
Just received an email (I sent him this link)from a golf buddy who flew F-100Ds in Nam. He just returned from the Super Sabre Society get together in Vegas last week and had the chance to chat with Col. Day about his flight in the Hun. Said the Col. was tickled pink.
Get yer tails out to March AFB in Riverside CA. someday-
there’s an F-14 out there, tho they took the engines out a few years ago- and a B-52, and F-4′s, and a B-29, and my father’s favorite, the SNB…
…and a A-26, and a B-25, and I believe a F-105, and…
http://www.marchfield.org/
…and an SR-71… and…
http://www.marchfield.org/f14a.htm
…and March is cool ‘cuz they let you walk around by yourself at your own pace if you want-