Fri, Feb 18, 2011
ALL eyes craned skyward as the sound the F-86 became audible...
and the only person enjoying it more had to be the guy on the
stick... Captain Dale “Snort” Snodgrass.
The North American Aviation F-86 Sabre was one of this nation's
best known and much favored transonic jet fighters. Best known for
its astounding ability to take down MiG 15s in the Korean war, the
bird developed an almost mythical rep among the pilots who flew
it. The bird had a great run... starting in the late 1940s
and still active nearly a decade later, the Sabre pulled duty as a
front-line jet fighter until the last active front line birds were
put out to pasture by the Bolivian Air Force in 1994.
Some 7800 aircraft were produced between 1949 and 1956, serving
the US, Japan and Italy, although versions of the bird were also
produced in both Canada and Australia to the tune of another 1815
airframes.
Captain Dale “Snort” Snodgrass is a 26-year veteran
of the United States Navy and one of the first of two Navy flight
school graduates to be awarded an F-14 Tomcat; he was the first
non-fleet experienced pilot to carrier qualify in the F-14, both
day and night, and with 4,800 hours in the aircraft, is the highest
time F-14 pilot.
During his Navy career, he flew 12 operational Fighter
Squadron/Wings tours including Command of Fighter Squadron 33
during Desert Storm for which he led 34 missions. For his
service, he earned both the Bronze Star and three Navy Commendation
Medals for Valor. In addition, Captain Snodgrass has over 22 years
of air show experience including a dozen years as a USAF Heritage
Flight pilot.
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