About this episode
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 . Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-fighter-pilot-podcast/donations