F-106 DELTA DART

I was a MA-1 technician from 1967 through 1970. I cross trained at Lowery from 99125. First assignment was 11th in Duluth. On TDY to Tyndall for live fire, the Pueblo was captured by N Korea.  I had to TDY to Eielson to staff their alert cells. Upon return to Duluth I was assigned to Selfridge 94th FIS. We made the tour in Korea, I drew support duty on Okinawa where I worked at Naha and Kadina. On return I was assigned to development at Tyndall. The M6A1 cannon and clear canopy were projects along with testing of "sight direction" for armament and flight control with proximity sensors on the pilot helmet and the cockpit.

Favorite moments:

After an ORI at Duluth Gen Bingham ordered a full squadron fly-by on Saturday AM. The formation made a low level pass over Minot and returned. One Six had no UHF and was landing in formation between two others. We watched from the flight line as a Beechcraft attempted take-off during the landing sequence. The center Six lit the burner and rolled to the right catching both wing men. Two more burners lit and all three struggled for altitude and landed safely.

After a scramble at Eielson the Sixes shot touch-and-goes three miles distant. Retracting the gear they went to AB and pulled up approaching the alert cells. Damn near blew me off my feet.

Training for Korea at Selfridge a Six flamed out on final approach. The pilot punched-out but the seat strap did not spit him out. Pilot and seat landed in a swamp and submerged. The safety crew found the parachute still attached and pulled the pilot out. He survived on mask air.

Third shift at Naha I was trouble shooting in the nav compartment over the left wing during hot test in the run pit. The crew chief intercom'd that he was going to burner. I did not get it until the bang and the wing thrust under my feet as the cables stretched.

Tyndall, early evening, a school bird had a failure to deploy the right main gear for landing. They foamed the runway and he came in balancing on the left main gear until the nose dropped snapping off the nose gear. The aircraft was flying again in about sixty days.