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Aircraft Type |
Sabre F.4 |
Engine |
General Electric J-47-GE-13 |
Maximum Thrust |
2,359 Kg 5,200lb |
Internal Fuel |
1,646 ltrs 362 Imp Gal |
Clean Take-off Weight |
6,622 kg 14,600 lb |
Max Speed (at 13,720m/45,000ft) |
897 km/hr 484 knots |
Rate of Climb (at 13,720m/45,000ft) |
1.27 m/sec 250 ft/min |
Service Ceiling |
12,200 m 40,000 ft |
Time to 13,720 m/45,000 ft |
22 min |
Take-off Run to 15 m/50 ft |
1,006 m 3,300 ft |
Notes: |
Ron Gray tells this interesting story about the difference between the RAF's F.4 and the RCAF Sabre 6. "The RCAF were blessed with that hotter A/C with the Orenda engine putting out 7,000lbs. We 'intercepted' a visit by RCAF and the RAF's Mk 4 did not get much higher than the Vampire (45,000 with Norman Giffin on a battle flight and we were wallowing between compressibility and stall). The F86 Mk.4 - I've had one up to 47,000 but that was a struggle. The RCAF Mk 6's called "Look up guys, we're at 52." Brian Thornton adds: "The RAF version of the Sabre was the F-86 E (US designation) or Mk 4 (Canadian /UK designation) built under licence by Canadair in Montreal, Canada under the US Mutual Defence Aid Programme and remained under American ownership throughout their service with the RAF. Some 430 aircraft were built for the RAF and were ferried across the Atlantic to the UK under Operation "Bechers Brook" between December 1952 and May 1953. The flights were undertaken by RAF pilots of No: 1 Overseas Ferry Unit usually in groups of 30 aircraft and covered the 3100 mile to the first UK landfall at RAF Kinloss staging through Goose Bay, Labrador, Greenland and Iceland. The aircraft were then flown to No: 5 Maintenance Unit (MU) at RAF Kemble where they were camouflaged before being delivered to units: 370 of them went to RAF Germany and 60 to RAF Fighter Command. When the Hunter replaced them,they were returned through RAF MUs to the USAF in 1956." |
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