I was going to post this in the “Figures” section but I thought you guys might know the best. I’m working on an F-89C and Would like to have the pilots in the cockpit. However what would be the proper color(s) for a 1950s/1960s era Scorpion pilot? I’m sort of assuming it’s your standard O.D. flight suit but I wanted to make sure first. Can anyone help me on this matter? If it helps any, I’m making the jet in the livery of the Idaho ANG, the one with the black nose and tail and all the stars covering it. This isn’t going to be an Arctic bird with the day-glo orange. I’m not sure if that makes any difference but I thought I’d mention it just in case it did.
That would be the time ADC (Air Defence Command) operated all interceptor units. Most ADC crews wore orange flight suits and OD jackets. The jackets were reversible with orange on the inside and OD on the outside, which could be swaped around. They did not wear G suits as most flights were intercept missions, pulling very few G forces. Some crews wore the OD flight suits, but they really didn’t start making their appearance in ADC until the mid 60’s.
Thank you Berny! I wasn’t sure if the ADC’s role was mainly way up in the northern regions or if they inclluded the Idaho ANG as well. Thank you for the info!
Any unit that operated interceptors fell under ADC. This included active, reserve and guard units. All were subject to deployment to far northern areas to pull alert duty. They could be sent TDY to Alaska or Canada for 60 day rotation. This is why they wore the orange flight suits.
Thanks Berny. I build 99% WW2 U.S. planes. Once I start getting into anything past the 1940s then I’m in a whole new world when it comes to the fine details like that.
Berny, as always, is a dead-on accurate source of knowledge. I just thought I’d add, for those of us who like to build those colorful ADC aircraft of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, at one time or another just about all states on the US border and in coastal states had a USAF, Guard or Reserve unit flying in the air defense mission for the ADC.
Even the Navy had an active duty squadron of F4D-1 Skyrays under the command of the ADC or NORAD (the famous VF-3, with their beautiful insignia blue-with-gold stars paint scheme on the tail and spine of the “Ford.” Berny, did I get this squadron number wrong? It’s the main scheme on the Tamiya 1/48 kit. They were based in California somewhere.)
And though they are rapidly being phased out or replaced with RPV units, “hot-loaded and cocked” jets still sit armed alert 24-7 at Air Force bases and even municipal airports. This includes the southern states that border the Gulf and the southern border as well. Even after non-interceptable ICBMs came into play, the alert birds still waited for hoards of Eil EmpireAfter the Cuban Missile Crisis, the government was not eager to shut down these units. I have two good friends who went into the 111th FIS (sound familiar?)
Essentially, my friends joined the Guard to avoid being drafted because flying interceptors that were never going to be sent over to Vietnam was a lot sexier than going to Canada. Unfortunately for the air-to-ground Guard Units, several of them got called up for Vietnam, and many gave the ultimate sacrifice. This unit, when I left Houston in the '90s, still had a 24-hour alert detachment at their home base, at Langley AFB and at Holloman AFB in New Mexico.
BTW, my draft dodging friends? They both retired in recent years full colonels with more than 30 years of service as “Alert Bums” for the Air National Guard. Also, sorry for going so far OT.
Eric, you never said what scale. But I have a pilot & 2 ground crew w/ ladder from a 1/48 F102 I will never use. Heres a photo. Let me know if you or anyone else is interested…
It was VF(AW)-3 that operated the Ford. It was an embarrassment to the USAF, that the Navy had an aircraft that would outclimb any thing in the Air Force inventory, pulling ADC alert.
Thanks for the offer! It would be great to have that pilot and crewman with the ladder if you’re willing to part with it! I’ll send you my address in a private message.
And thanks to all for the interesting notes and insight. It was a lot harder than I thought to find color references of either Scorpions or their pilots.
ERIC, SORRY TO SAY THE LADDER IS SPOKAN FOR. BUT i`LL BE HAPPY TO SEND THE FIGURES TO YOU. i HAVE YOUR ADD. GIVE ME SOME TIME, BY THE WEEKEND MAYBE. OK?
No sweat! I’m justh appy for the figures. I wasn’t sure if the ladder was included. No rush on mailing them. I’m also waiting on some decals for the plane so I’m sort of in a “holding pattern” as it were.
Speaking of the F-89, have y’all seen/read the “Battle of Glendale” post that goes around about AF F-89’s trying to shoot down an F-6f drone and losing? Navy folk enjoy the tale immensely.
