Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-86>HA4303

General Background

The North American F-86 Sabre was manufactured from 1949 – 1956 and was America's first swept-wing fighter. As well as being built in the U.S. variants were built in Canada and Australia bringing the total of all variants manufactured to 9,860 units. During the Korean War the Sabre arrived to take on the other swept-wing aircraft of the conflict, the MiG-15 Fagot. The Americans claim they shot down 792 MiGs while only losing 78 Sabres, a 10:1 victory ratio which is greatly disputed.

The Aircraft

In 1959 Canada would celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the 50th (Golden) anniversary of powered flight in Canada. So the aerobatic team the "Golden Hawks" was formed and equipped with the Canadair Sabre Mk. 5. The Golden Hawks created several maneuvers still used today. The team flew the Mk. 5 Sabre until 1961 when they switched to the Mk. 6. Because of political financial reasons the Golden Hawks were disbanded on February 7, 1964 and had performed 317 shows.

Specifications :

Dimensions Mk. 5 and Mk. 6
Dimensions
Length:	37 ft 6 in (11.43 m)
Wingspan:	37 ft 1.5 in (13.32 m)
Height:	14 ft 9 in (4.49 m)
Powerplant:
Mk. 5:
Empty:	10,662 lbs (4,836 kg)
Maximum:	17,581 lbs (7,975 kg)
Mk. 6:
Empty:	10,638 lbs (4,825 kg)
Maximum:	17,560 lbs (7,965 kg)
Performance:
Cruise Speed Mk. 5 and Mk. 6:	552 mph (888 km/h)
Maximum Speed:
Mk. 5:	696 mph (1,120 km/h)
Mk. 6:	698 mph (1,123 km/h)
Range:
Mk. 5:	1,220 miles (1,933 km)
Mk. 6:	1,486 mile (2,391 km)
Ceiling:
Mk. 5:	50,700 ft (15,453 m)
Mk. 6:	54,100 ft (16,490 m)