Discovery Air Canadair Sabre 5

Pilots

Dan Dempsey, Rob Mitchell, Pierre Clement, Rob Fleck, Chris Hadfield

Information

First Flight: 1947

Total Production (All Marks): 9,500+

Wingspan: 37 feet

Engine: Orenda Series 14 Turbojet

Maximum Speed: 606 mph

The history of the North American F-86 Sabre (and its variants like the Canadair Sabre models) is closely tied to the beginnings of the Cold War and famously with the Korean War battles with Russian MiGs. The Sabre, a swept wing, single seat air superiority fighter is long recognized as one of the finest fighter aircraft of all time and the Sabre 5 and Sabre 6 models built by Canadair at their Montreal plant are considered the most capable of all Sabres. Of the more than 9,500 Sabres constructed worldwide, more than 1,800 were built in Canada in six different variants.

The Canadair Sabre saw operational service both in Canada and with 12 squadrons at Royal Canadian Air Force stations in Europe as part of a large NATO commitment. The most spectacular paint scheme ever to grace the already graceful lines of the Sabre was the livery of the RCAF's precision aerobatic team, the Golden Hawks. The Golden Hawks were created in 1959 to honour the 50th anniversary of powered flight in Canada and the Vintage Wings of Canada Sabre will wear the same metallic gold paint scheme as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in 2009.