The North American F-86L Sabre Dog

Overview

I am in the process of adding new profiles to my F-86D/L CD-ROM, and in the process I am updating the earlier illustrations. Look for a new version of the CD to be out sometime soon.

F-86L-56-NA, 53-650
56th FIS

This 56th FIS Sabre Dog was flown by Lt. Col. H. S. Askelson, the squadron C.O., while based out of Wright Patterson AFB. The tail is painted in a yellow and black checkerboard, while the 56th FIS emblem is carried on the nose. The pilot's name is in black on a yellow streamer on the canopy frame. Below the windscreen is an Air Defense Command pennant in blue and white. This plane has a somewhat odd placement of the buzz number, being in front of the star and bar instead of behind it.

F-86L-55-NA, 53-0726,
120th FIS, Colorado ANG

When it comes to gaudy Air Guard Sabre Dogs, the Colorado ANG ones probably were the most colorful. In addition to the already bright dayglo orange panels on the nose, rear fuselage and wings, this plane also has red chevrons on the fuselage and tail, and red stripes around the fuselage, all outlined in yellow. There is a thin outline around the letters and numbers that go over the chevrons. This is definitely a plane that would be hard not to see, either on the ground or in the air. Other aircraft in the unit had different colors of chevrons for different flights.

F-86L-55-NA, 53-0637,
108th FIS, Illinois ANG

This example shows to good effect the standard markings found on 108th FIS F-86Ls. Dayglo orange panels are in the usual places and the squadron markings are found on the tail. These consist of a blue band with the unit emblem centered on it. The radome on this example is unpainted fiberglass. The stenciling on this plane wasn't painted on, rather it was applied in the form of stickers, which resulted in the squares of silver around them on the dayglo areas. The flight color of yellow is on the tail and on the drop tanks, with the aircraft number duplicated on the tanks as well.

F-86L-55-NA, 53-0573
125th FIS, Oklahoma ANG

This F-86L of the 125th FIS carries the unit emblem on the tail (a beaver with a coat, tophat, and walking stick, holding three aces). The standard dayglo bands are present, as is the OKLA AIR GUARD on the fuselage sides. Other unit-specific markings consist of a red and white striped rudder and a red band on the tail with a white silhouette of the state of Oklahoma. The belly of this F-86L has been painted in aircraft gray.

F-86L-35-NA, 51-8491
185th FIS, Oklahoma ANG

The markings found on this F-86L are fairly simple, with the usual OKLA ANG surrounding the fuselage star and bar. The serial on the tail is in a rather unusual size, being much smaller than normal. This is due to the position and size of the orange chevron outlined in black on the tail. The anti-glare panel of this plane is black, and the radome is unpainted fiberglass.

F-86L-60-NA, 53-4023
146th FIS, Pennsylvania ANG

The F-86D/L sure lends itself well to sharkmouths, so it's surprising that there weren't more of them out there. The most famous are likely the 498th "Geiger Tigers", but at least one ANG plane carried a set of teeth. This 146th FIS bird has its sharkmouth extending back past the windscreen, and an eye finishes off the 'face'. The former U.S. AIR FORCE on the fuselage has been stripped off, leaving a hint of its location, and the PA ANG was applied around the star and bar. The 146th FIS emblem adorns the tail and consists of a Keystone Cop running with his billy club extended. The belly of the plane is painted in aircraft gray.