<p>c/n 202-135
Allocated US military serial 53-1206
Delivered to Norway in 1958 and flew as ‘31206’
Preserved in genuine 331squadron markings and on display in the Military Aircraft Hall of the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum (Norwegian Aviation Museum).
Bodø, Northern Norway
25th May 2019
</p><p>The following information is from the Museum website:-
</p><p>“The fighter bomber F-86F came to Norway as the replacement for the F-84 Thunderjet. The first 30 F-86Fs arrived in 1957, and in the period up to 1961 a total of 116 aircraft of this type were delivered. The last F-86Fs were scrapped in 1967 and cut up or sent back to the USA. A few were set aside for museum purposes.
</p>
The Royal Norwegian Air Force Museum’s F-86F has USAF serial number 53-1206. It came to Norway in 1958 as part of NATO’s Military Assistance Program and the aircraft had an accumulated flying time of 824 hours when it was transferred to 336 Squadron at Rygge. A short time afterwards the aircraft went on to 331 Squadron at Bodø and had the letter code FN-D painted on. In 1961 FN-D had a mid-air collision with another plane during air combat training, but fortunately the damage was slight. The following year the aircraft was transferred to 338 Squadron at Ørlandet. That was its home until it was taken out of operational service in 1966 and put into storage. By then the aircraft had accumulated 2,774 hours of flying time. In 1978 it was transferred to the Norwegian Defence Museum. It was then restored and was given the paint scheme and markings it had had in 331 Squadron.”
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/65001151@N03">Alan Wilson</a> from Peterborough, Cambs, UK
CC BY-SA 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/49260868318/">North American F-86F Sabre ‘31206 / FN-D’</a>