Steve Stone

Sabre Wrath Steve Stone

As I neared Sinuiju at 35,000 feet, I could see the snow-covered Manchuria to my right. I pulled the stick back and pushed the throttle fully forward, my Sabre gained some height, before I pushed the stick hard over to perform a quick roll to the left, followed by a gut wrenching loop, over the MiG-15, desperately trying to escape my attack, but I had him in my sights. Thanks in large measure to its adjustable horizontal stabilizer, the F-86 flight controls were vastly superior to those on the MiG-15, usually giving us the edge in dogfights. I hit the fire button on the short, stubby stick with a trigger mechanism to fire the 80 calibre machine guns, and let off a burst of fire which ripped through the tail section of the Mig. This caused flames to shoot out of the tail section along with thick black smoke. The Mig stayed level for a short while before starting to go nose down - into a shallow dive before the dive got steeper and steeper and losing sight of the MiG below the clouds. The MiG-15s arrival in Korea, compelled the U. S. Air Force to begin deploying the new F-86 Sabre to Korea. Arriving on scene, the Sabre restored the balance to the air war. In comparison, the F-86 could out dive and out turn the MiG-15, but was inferior in rate of climb, ceiling, and acceleration.