f105b

New Jersey Air National Guard.

F-105B-15-RE, s/n 57-5793 (msn B30). Rolled out at Farmingdale, NY 15 February 1959. Delivered to USAF 27 May 1959. Assigned 335th TFS, 4th TFW 28 May 1959. One of two F-105Bs used in Category II air-to-air gunnery tests at Eglin AFB, FL. During testing, the M61 gun had to be replaced three times due to numerous malfunctions. Unreliable gun installation also required frequent gun bore-sighting. Joined unit at Seymour Johnson AFB, NC 26 March 1960. Went back to Eglin AFB for F-105B Category II follow-up testing 11 April 1960. Returned to 335th TFS at Seymour Johnson AFB 2 November 1960. Assigned 4520th Air Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds), Nellis AFB, NV April 1963. Became Number 4 slot ship and received stainless steel tail to withstand heat from leader’s exhaust. Service with Thunderbirds terminated May 1964 after only six performances. Assigned 4520th Combat Crew Training Wing, Nellis AFB, NV 3 June 1965. Assigned 141st TFS, 108th TFG (NJ ANG), McGuire AFB, NJ 1 March 1966. WFU January 1981 with 3,573 flight hours. Ferried to USAF Museum, Wright Field, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 4 July 1981. Transfered to Yankee Air Force Museum, Detroit Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, MI 12 June 1996. Put on display but sadly destroyed in a hangar fire 9 October 2004.

Lin Hendrix in the cockpit of an early production F-105B Thunderchief (JF-105B-1-RE), USAF Ser. No. 54-105 (54-0105).

This is Republic YF-105B-1-RE Thunderchief 54-0102 "FH-102", the third of four pre-production F-105Bs in flight. Powered by P&W's YJ75-P-3 turbojet rated for 23,500# in AB, the a/c incorporated Richard Whitcomb's area-ruled fuselage and was able to reach Mach 2.15 in testing. 102 is now awaiting restoration @ the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, AL.