F-86 moved to new home downtown
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on October 6, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
The 1953 model F-86H fighter jet makes its way down Ash Street toward its destination.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Worldwide Aircraft workers direct the 1953 model F-86H fighter jet into position to be placed downtown behind the Seymour Johnson AFB Wings at the roundabout early today.
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Jessica Martinez, wife of Public Works Director Jose Martinez, and her children Rico, 11, Jackson, 9, Alexis, 6, and Tony, 5, watch in awe as the model F-86H jet is driven past the intersection of Ash Street and Berkeley Boulevard this morning to its home downtown.
Just after 6 this morning, as the rest of Goldsboro was waking up to go to work and school, crews at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base began lifting the city's 1953 model F-86H Sabre Fighter Jet over the base fence at Piedmont Airline Road.
The jet was secured with heavy-duty straps and lifted by the base Crash Recovery Unit and Worldwide Air Craft Recovery from one flatbed truck, behind the base fence, to another flatbed truck waiting just outside the gates.
Before lifting the plane by a crane -- operated by Tech Sergeant Tony Barnett -- the gates were removed from the fence to allow a clear path for the jet.
From start to finish, lifting the jet over the fence took approximately one hour.
After being loaded, the jet began its travel down Piedmont Airline Road at 8:30 a.m., turning onto Oak Forest Road and then traveling west down East Ash Street before arriving at the East Ash Street traffic circle.
Traffic was stopped at all intersections to clear the way for the 40-minute trip downtown.
James Hill, who was stationed at SJAFB from 1984 to 1990 as a security specialist, was sitting outside Krispy Kreme on East Ash Street as the F-86 moved through the intersection of Berkeley Boulevard and East Ash Street.
He said he came to Krispy Kreme this morning without realizing the jet would be moved down the street just 30 yards away. His friend called him and told him as he pulled into the parking lot to get his morning coffee and doughnut.
"It looks a lot better than it did when they brought it down the first time," Hill said.
The F-86 has been restored to a color scheme of silver and gold, which is how it would have been painted in 1956, Senior Master Sgt. Tom Dupree said.
"We replaced probably close to 15 square feet of skin on the outside of the jet," Dupree said.
Dupree said areas on the plane where corrosion was found were also replaced with fresh metal, and both wingtips were replaced.
More than 32,000 manhours of work were put it on the plane by volunteer airmen from the plane's arrival on base in February 2014 to the restoration's completion in May 2015.
The jet also has a new name emblazoned near the cockpit -- Maj. James "Jabby" Jabara.
"He was the Air Force's first all-jet ace, which means he shot down five jet aircraft to become an ace," Dupree said. "He was assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing, and was most likely stationed in Korea. He didn't fly this plane specifically, but he would have flown one similar to it."
Base historian Dr. Roy Heidicker recommended the airmen put the name on the jet to pay tribute to an ace who flew the same model of plane.
After slowly snaking its way down East Ash Street -- escorted by local law enforcement, firemen and the Guardian Brotherhood Motorcycle Club -- more than 60 people flocked to the edges of the traffic circle to witness the 1953 model F-86 being placed downtown.
Parker Strickland, 4, and his brother Cooper, 2, thought aliens had landed.
"I've lived in Goldsboro my entire life, so I thought they should have the chance to see it go up because they'll probably ride by it forever," said Parker's mother, Adrienne Strickland.
Once the jet arrived at the traffic circle, Worldwide Aircraft Recovery, who was responsible for transporting the jet downtown, ran into trouble trying to back the plane in behind the brick, wing-emblazoned Goldsboro sign.
It took them over an hour to safely back the jet into the area behind the traffic circle, having to frequently readjust the plane's positioning to prevent the plane's wings from being damaged.
This also happened when the jet was moved from the Police and Fire Station in February 2014, City Manager Scott Stevens said.
A tree stump was cleared and brush atop the sign was trimmed to make way for the plane's wings to allow it to be safely backed in behind the traffic circle.
"This provided us the opportunity to give back to the community as a show of thanks," Dupree said.
The plane will be put atop its pole this weekend, and the area will be closed to pedestrians.