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On the flightline at Goose Bay some of the
fighters and crews were always on 'alert'. We were ready to
'scramble' 24 hrs. a day. After an alarm went off we had to be in
the air within 2 minutes.
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The crews on alert were assigned their
aircraft. The oxygen mask was hooked up and the parachute was put in
place right away. When the alarm sounded, all you had to do was run
to your fighter, jump into the cockpit, start the engine, buckle in
and slap the mask on your face, while holding your breath. (A clear
sheet of ice would otherwise form and stick to your skin.) After the
engine 'lit' off, you did the check list from memory, got clearance
to take off - we really only advised the tower that we were coming
out - and as we taxied on the runway, the throttle went to 100%, the
afterburner roared to life and we were off and running, some times
in less than two minutes.
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Once in the air, ground radar would give us a heading to a
target. At night and/or in bad weather, the radar observer behind
the pilot would take over as soon as he picked up the target on his
scope. The pilot would then fly his fighter to the target with the
help from his R/O, until he was close enough to take over "visually"
and complete the
"intercept".
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Landing in Formation. (Photo: 2/Lt. F.J. Adam, pilot, 59th
FIS.)
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| The Lockheed F-94b
"Starfire" was the first jet all-weather night fighter interceptor.
- It was developed from the Lockheed TF-80c. The number
built/converted: 355 - SPECIFICATIONS: Span: 38 ft. 9 in. - Length:
40 ft. 1 in. - Height: 12 ft. 2 in. - Weight: 15,330 lbs. max. -
Armament: Four .50 caliber machine guns - Engines: 6,000 lbs. thrust
with the afterburner. - PERFORMANCE Data from USAF Museum Archives
posted on the INTERNET: Maximum Speed: 630 mph - Cruising Speed: 520
mph - Range: 930 miles - Service ceiling: 42,750 ft. -
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