F-107A: The Ultimate Sabre

rocket.aero, ©2005

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The F-107A is definitely a distinctive aircraft, with its sharply tapered nose and large air intake positioned above the cockpit. Designed as a follow-on to the F-100, which in turn was a follow-on to the venerable F-86 Sabre, there is no doubt that this aircraft was indeed the ultimate Sabre. This latest title from rocket.aero covers the fascinating life of this aircraft, from its inception through the comprehensive testing period and up to its ultimate fate, that being the boneyard.

The DVD is packed with period photos, NASA movies, and other visual treats. While the running time is listed at about 70 minutes, plan on spending much more than that viewing this material, as the photos themselves could take hours to go through. For the modeler, this is an excellent resource, as it shows the various F-107 aircraft at various stages of the research program. The movie section includes some fascinating material such as weapons release testing. While this DVD is not perhaps as comprehensive as rocket.aero's outstanding DVD on the Mercury program's Little Joe rockets, it is nonetheless a quality product that is worthy of attention.

My sincere thanks to rocket.aero for the review copy. Check out their website for ordering information, and to take a peek at what they've got coming up. They're planning on some truly fascinating subjects in their future releases!