« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86  (Read 687 times)

Offline mthrockmor

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2649
Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« on: June 04, 2013, 08:05:21 AM »
Do you remember reading or hearing about this story? It was the 1950's and a young Air Force mechanic who wanted to go to flight school was taxiing an F-86 took off and went for a joy ride.

That gentleman was my wife's uncle Reynolds. He passed away in his sleep two nights ago at the age of 74. I will post his obituary later. He had an absolutely miniature part of the legacy of US military aviation: the mechanic who went joyriding in a Sabre.

 :salute

Boo
Logged
No poor dumb bastard wins a war by dying for his country, he wins by making the other poor, dumb, bastard die for his.
George "Blood n Guts" Patton

Offline Alpha81

  • Zinc Member
  • *
  • Posts: 94
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2013, 08:09:43 AM »
Sorry for your loss, you have peaked my interest as I hadn't heard of this before.
Logged
"it's a fire mister, and every fire is dangerous"

Offline Midway

  • Persona Non Grata
  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4579
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2013, 08:20:00 AM »
Quote from: mthrockmor on June 04, 2013, 08:05:21 AM
Do you remember reading or hearing about this story? It was the 1950's and a young Air Force mechanic who wanted to go to flight school was taxiing an F-86 took off and went for a joy ride.

That gentleman was my wife's uncle Reynolds. He passed away in his sleep two nights ago at the age of 74. I will post his obituary later. He had an absolutely miniature part of the legacy of US military aviation: the mechanic who went joyriding in a Sabre.

 :salute

Boo

Hope he did eventually make it to flight school or fulfilled whatever dreams he had for his life.  At least he served which many of us, including me, did not do, unfortunately.  I'd be interested in an old newspaper article or interview about the joy ride.  :salute
Logged


    PARADISE ON EARTH  ------->  http://www.youtube.com/v/g_D4RhfCY2M&autoplay=1&hd=1&fs=1   <-------  PARADISE ON EARTH :)


Offline Arlo

  • Radioactive Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 24759
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2013, 08:23:58 AM »
Logged

Offline mthrockmor

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2649
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2013, 08:30:14 AM »
That's him.

I don't want to speak ill of the dead but Uncle Al, Reynolds had a bit of a ride in life as well as that plane. At one point he ran into troubles and the easy way out was to "borrow" the name and credit of my wife's father, Jim Reynolds. For most of his adult life he went by "Jim Reynolds" which is the name I was introduced to him as. He will always be Uncle Reynolds but his birth and legal name were something else.

He insists that he simply got going to fast and it was safer to give it a little more speed, circle the field and land. He told me that just last year.

RIP

Boo
Logged
No poor dumb bastard wins a war by dying for his country, he wins by making the other poor, dumb, bastard die for his.
George "Blood n Guts" Patton

Offline zack1234

  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 13213
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2013, 10:59:53 AM »
Fantastic :)
Logged
There are no pies stored in this plane overnight

                          
The GFC
Pipz lived in the Wilderness near Ontario

Offline DubiousKB

  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1614
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2013, 12:12:08 PM »
Very cool...   :cheers:

Logged
56th Fighter Group -  Jug Life

Offline morfiend

  • AH Training Corps
  • Plutonium Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 10443
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2013, 12:28:45 PM »
 :salute
Logged

Offline bortas1

  • Silver Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1227
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2013, 12:32:19 PM »
 :salute
Logged

Offline eddiie

  • Zinc Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2013, 12:40:08 PM »
sorry for your loss  :salute sounds like he must've had some exciting minutes in the air  :joystick:
Logged

Offline BaDkaRmA158Th

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2542
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2013, 05:21:53 PM »
 :salute :rock
Logged
~383Rd RTC/CH BW/AG~
BaDfaRmA

My signature says "Our commitment to diplomacy will never inhibit our willingness to kick a$s."

Offline WWhiskey

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3122
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2013, 06:10:14 PM »
Logged
Flying since tour 71.

Offline MarineUS

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2679
      • Imperial Legion
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2013, 06:14:36 PM »
 :pray :salute
Logged
Quote from: hitech on January 25, 2012, 04:01:23 PM
Like, ya know, when that thing that makes you move, it has pistons and things, When your thingamajigy is providing power, you do not hear other peoples thingamajig when they are providing power.

HiTech

Offline pipz

  • Platinum Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4899
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #13 on: June 04, 2013, 06:32:57 PM »
Sorry to hear this bad news Boo. My condolences.
Logged
Silence tells me secretly everything.
                                                                     
Montreal! Free the Pitt Bulls!!!!!

Offline deSelys

  • Gold Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2512
Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2013, 02:40:38 AM »
Nice story!

The same event happened in the RAF with a BAC Lightning. Here is the story, told by the 'culprit' himself: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=676440



Boo, my condolences to your loss.
Logged
Current ID: Romanov

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye

'I AM DID NOTHING WRONG' - Famous last forum words by legoman
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »