The Ghost F100F 56-3837 manufactured by North American Aviation in late 1957. The Ghost came from ATC to the 481 TFS 27 TFW Cannon AFB New Mexico in early 1960 where she became mine as I was her new crew chief. The Ghost and I had our ups and downs but after awhile The Ghost became part of me as they say, I worked my tail end off to make her the best F100F in the squadron. The Ghost made several trips across the Atlantic always leading the pack as she became the Squadron Commanders aircraft. One trip was to Turkey to pull Victor Alert after Powers was shot down by the Russians. Another was across the North Atlantic to England and back. The Ghost went on to fly Falcon 62 Air Force Cadets at George AFB Calif, flew during the Berlin crisis, Cuban crisis, Viet Nam and also as a Misty Fac, and the Indiana Air National Guard. The Ghost was then placed in storage at Davis Monthan in late 1979, later The Ghost was converted to a QF100F Drone was rejected and returned to DM Feb 1991. Some how The Ghost survived the drone program to once again be placed in long term storage.
In 1997 I found The Ghost sitting in the desert worn and dirty but not forgotten as I remembered what a great aircraft The Ghost was in her prime. Now she sit's in the desert as a silent reminder of times past as she was over 40 years old now and no body wanted and old F100F long past her time. Me I wanted her back in prestine condition not as a soda can and so I embarked on a long campaign of letter writing and e-mailing every museum in the USA with no results but sorry we do not want and old F100F. I continued my campaign of letter writing and was really getting down hearted as nobody would offer there help and no one wanted The Ghost.
Finally, desperate I tried one more thing by writing the USAF locator service and contacted one of her pilots from the Viet Nam era who was a former MISTY FAC. After much correspondence I found some help, on June 2001 I was notified that the Ghost would be dismantled and taken to Wright Patterson AFB Ohio to be restored and put on display.
The Ghost is now at Wright Patterson as of June 2002 being restored for display. She will be the only F100F totally restored to orginial Viet Nam era with the correct after burner, 335 drop tanks and IFR boom.
Out of 339 F100F THE GHOST is one of the few that has been saved and restored for display. There are 3 F100F still at DM 56-3880, 56-3861, 56-3832.
There is also 6 flyable F100F 56-3842, 56-3844, 56-3948, 56-3916, 56-3971, 56-3996, all owned by civilians. |
