The French Connection – Part III …
Continuing on from the French Connection Part II (see link below), these final two aircraft were both ex-French Air Force that were provided by or funded by the United States Government and were flown to RAF Sculthorpe for disposal. As before the museum was able to obtain these aircraft on long term loan.
Lockheed T33 and Dassault Mystere IV
Using the experience learnt from removing the Super Sabre, a team and equipment was assembled and these went to RAF Sculthorpe in November 1978 to disassemble both aircraft and bring them to the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton. Some of the team stayed again at the Vicarage and the caravan was again allowed to park on the lawn, but because of storms during the night, this was abandoned for the comforts of the vicarage. The team had to work in gale force winds, but both aircraft were much simpler to work on, especially the Mystere where the wings were detached from each side of the fuselage. The aircraft were then transported to Flixton and re-assembled without any major problems.
After they had been delivered we had to paint both the T-33 and the F-100. A condition of the loan was that they were to be displayed in USAF colours, not the French Air Force colours that they were in when we collected them. The Mystere was allowed to remain in French colours as it was never used by the USAF.
Again, like the F-100, the T-33 and the Mystere are still on display on the front meadow by the museum entrance.
The F-100 is displayed as part of the Skyblazers team that the United States Air Force (USAF) operated in Europe. Most USAF units had a T-33 aircraft for continuation training during the 1950s and 1960s, our aircraft is in those colours. The Mystere is marked as part of Escadre de Chasse 2 of the French Air Force.
The aircraft remain the property of the USAF, and each year we have to send a report on their status to the National Museum of the USAF at Dayton Ohio. This includes having to take a photograph of each aeroplane, copy to CD and post it to them. The aircraft comes with strict regulations concerning what we can, and can not, do with them. For instance, access to the cockpit is strictly forbidden.
The years have obviously taken a toll on the aircraft, they have been standing outside at the museum for 42 years now, at Sculthorpe for a couple of years before that. Plus in the case of the F-100 and T-33 for several years at Chateaudun Air Base in France before that. That said, their condition is quite good and we hope that they will welcome visitors for many years yet.
Postscript
All the administrative arrangements for removing the aircraft went well thanks to the work of Master Sgt. Michael Weirs, who was appointed USAF liaison officer at Sculthorpe for the operation. At Christmas 1978, the museum learnt that he was ending his tour of duty and returning to America. On hearing this, the museum organised a collection among the other five museums that had acquired the aircraft and purchased him an inscribed tankard as a token of thanks for his help. This was presented to him at the museum’s end of year gathering at the Flixton Buck.
