F-86F Moving to Ramstein

Airmen with the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany, have begun a restoration project to bring an F-86F fighter aircraft from Sembach Annex, Germany, to Ramstein for static display. “The 86th AW has a proud heritage, and the F-86 was a part of that,” said Lt. Col. Richard Gibbs, 86th Maintenance Group deputy commander. The F-86F has been mounted on a concrete base at Sembach since 1973. The move entails removing the aircraft from the base using a crane; disassembling the aircraft and transferring it to Ramstein on two 40-foot-long flatbed truck trailers; and then reassembling and refurbishing it for display at Ramstein. “We plan to paint it the same color scheme you would have seen had you been here on the flight line in 1952,” said Gibbs. It will be representative of an F-86F from the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing. (Ramstein report by SrA. Scott Saldukas)