F-100 static display
By Sam Atkins
Published in News on March 3, 2004 1:59 PM
People driving down Wright Brothers Avenue on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will notice another piece of history soaring above.
An F-100 Super Sabre static display was unveiled Tuesday in the base's Heritage Park.
The F-100 model was flown at Seymour Johnson for three years, from 1957 to 1960, and used primarily for training missions. In June 1959, the 4th Fighter Wing began the transition from the F-100 to the F-105, and the 333rd Tactical Fighter Squadron was the last squadron in the wing to possess the jet.
News-Argus/Sam Atkins
An unveiling ceremony was held Tuesday at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base's Heritage Park for this new F-100 display.
This particular aircraft was given to the base on loan from the Air Force Museum and arrived in 2002. It came from Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas, where it was on display since 1979.
After its arrival, it went through a six-week restoration process before it could go up. The restoration was completed by Flightline Services Inc., Staff Sgt. Katrina Kisamore and Airman 1st Class Randolph Brown from fabrication flight structures and civil engineering.
The process began with stripping it down to bare metal so all the body work could be done. This included filling dents and replacing the sheet metal that had been damaged from corrosion. It was then covered with self-etching and high build primer, sanded again, sealed with epoxy sealer and sanded a final time.
All of the markings were then painted on. The aircraft's tail has blue, green, red and yellow markings that symbolize the four fighter squadrons on base.
The F-100 is across from the F-4C Phantom II and beside the base theater. The base also has a static display of an F-103 Thunderchief and an F-15E. It will have an F-86 display in the future and a heritage fountain in the park, said Brig. Gen. Rick Rosborg, 4th Fighter Wing commander.
Rosborg said the F-100 display shows that the wing's heritage is important and that the wing is committed to Goldsboro and Wayne County.
He said aviation has accelerated in the last 50 years, and it started with the F-100, which brought the Air Force into the "supersonic age."