Air Classics - Where History Flies! - August 2022

52 AIR CLASSICS/August 2022

brush. There is a common impression

that folks that fit into these categories

don’t generally seem interested in

Warbirds and I will second that motion!

While flying with the airline, I found

an incredible number of pilots that had

no interest in either general aviation or

military aviation. If a corporate jet was

seen on the taxiway,

it was a ‘Learjet.’

If a light

plane was

seen, it

was

C-123 52-4986 Retired

1986, Hill AFB

C-124 52-4974 Retired

1986, preserved IV

Brigada Aerea

C-125 52-4978 Retired

1986, Coleman Warbird

Museum N188RL

C-127 52-4986 Retired

1986, sold Western

Wings NX30CW, N4TF,

N186AM

ENTER DOUG MATTHEWS

Former Naval Aviator

Doug Matthews is no stranger to

the pages of Air Classics magazine.

Operating Classics Fighters of America

out of Titusville, Florida, Doug is well-

known for his flight demonstrations in

the Vought Corsair, North American

Mustang, and North American Sabre. In

many ways, Doug is the ultimate aviation

enthusiast.

“I often get asked the question on

why I am interested in older aircraft,”

said Doug. “I suppose by default I get

classified into a group of ‘ex-military

aviators’ or ‘ex-airline pilots’ and thus

get painted with the same broad

McConnell flew at least

three Sabres to score his 16

victories. He is discussing

a mission with Capt. Harold

Fischer in front of F-86F-15-NA

51-12971.

Doug (left) and a fellow Navy pilot during the

Vietnam War.

OFF TO ARGENTINA

During this time period, there was
a large demand by friendly air forces
for F-86Fs. The F model had been
built in large numbers and there were
vast quantities of spare parts. One of
the wealthier Latin American nations,
Argentina had been building up its
military during the late 1950s and early
1960s. Part of this modernization saw the
acquisition of 28 North American F-86F
Sabres that had been withdrawn from
storage and inspected and repaired as
necessary at Davis-Monthan AFB.
One of the aircraft was 52-5116,
which became C-119 in Argentine
Air Force service. The F-86F gave the
Argentinians a very potent weapon,
especially since the country was
acquiring a wide variety of other military
aircraft from the USA, Britain, and
France. The Sabres served with several
front-line squadrons, including aerobatic
teams, before being relegated to training
duties.
By the time of the 1982 Falklands/
Malvinas War, just eleven Sabres
remained operational and they were as
follows:

C-102 52-4479 Crashed 25 August

1983

C-104 52-5146 Monument in

Buenos Aires

C-109 52-4959 Retired 1986, sold

1989 Coleman Warbird Museum

N105BH, N86FR

C-111 52-4962 Retired 1986,

aviation maintenance school

C-119 52-5116 Retired 1986,

sold Warbirds Unlimited N7006J,

N3145T, N186SR

C-120 52-4963 Crashed 19 June

1986

C-122 52-4973 Retired 1986, to

Museum Nacional de

Aeronautica

F-86F-1-NA 51-2910 Beautious

Butch II flown by Capt. McConnell.