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Author Topic: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86  (Read 684 times)

Offline mthrockmor

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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
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Offline Alpha81

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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.
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Offline Midway

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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
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Offline Arlo

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2013, 08:23:58 AM »
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Offline mthrockmor

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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
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Offline zack1234

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2013, 10:59:53 AM »
Fantastic :)
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Offline DubiousKB

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

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Offline morfiend

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2013, 12:28:45 PM »
 :salute
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Offline bortas1

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2013, 12:32:19 PM »
 :salute
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Offline eddiie

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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:
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Offline BaDkaRmA158Th

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2013, 05:21:53 PM »
 :salute :rock
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Offline WWhiskey

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2013, 06:10:14 PM »
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Offline MarineUS

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Re: Air Force mechanic who stole an F-86
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2013, 06:14:36 PM »
 :pray :salute
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Offline pipz

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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.
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Offline deSelys

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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.
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