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F-86L Sabre       No. 51-3004 USAF

The F-86L Sabre is an all-weather variant of the original F-86A, which gained fame in the skies over Korea in the early 1950s. The radar-equipped F-86L is substantially different from earlier Sabres. The F-86 began development in March 1959, with the first flight occurring on December 22nd that same year. Eventually 2,504 airframes were built.

The Sabre on display was manufactured by North American Aviation at Inglewood, California, was accepted by the USAF on February 27, 1953 and continued in service until about March 1962. The aircraft was assigned to Air Training Command units at Tyndall AFB, Florida and Perrin AFB, texas. This airframe was returned to the manufacturer where it was modified to F-86L specifications. The colors and markings are for the 37th FIS/14th FIW at Ethan Allen AFB, Vermont.