Every conflict has its quintessential fighter: in World War II it was the P-51 Mustang. The F-4 Phantom symbolizes the Vietnam conflict and in Desert Storm it was the F-15 Eagle, arguably…. Well, there’s no argument about the iconic fighter of the mid-50’s Korean War—it’s unquestionably the North American F-86 Sabre.

On this episode, retired U.S. Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Jim “Skinny” McLennan, who piloted many aircraft over a 30-year career from the F-84 to the F-100 and later the A-10, joins us to discuss his favorite: the F-86. Skinny expertly covers our usual ‘aircraft series’ topics while Mr. Paul Wood, last week’s intermission guest and founder of the Warbird Heritage Foundation, returns as guest co-host to help us better understand the Sabre.

Listener questions addressed include fighters escorting rescue helicopters, the 2008 PBS Carrier series, the apparent demise of toy fighter planes for kids, the various titles for Naval Flight Officers, and more. Read about the F-100 that inadvertently shot down a B-52 in 1961 here.

Bumper music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell. This episode was produced by our friends at The Muscle Car Place Podcast Network.

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