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Constantine, Francis Mark (Flight Lieutenant)

Missing xx 1967-July-27

Birth Date: 1937-June-27 (age 30)

Born: Salisbury, New Brunswick

Arthur B. & Helen T. Constantine.

Elizabeth M. Constantine

Home: Salisbury, New Brunswick

Enlistment: St. John, New Brunswick

Enlistment Date: 1957-03-03

Service
RCAF
Unit
ANS- Air Navigation School
Base
Sabre Transition Unit
Rank
Flight Lieutenant
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
138489

F/Lt Constantine ejected over water but they were unable to recover his body.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

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Sabre 23304

North American Sabre F-86 CAC FJ-2 FJ-3 CA-27 CL-13

Source: Harold A Skaarup Web Page (RCAF Photo)
Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. 5 (Serial No. 23066), Golden Hawks

The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Soviet MiG-15 in high-speed dogfights in the skies of the Korean War (1950"“1953), fighting some of the earliest jet-to-jet battles in history. Considered one of the best and most important fighter aircraft in that war, the F-86 is also rated highly in comparison with fighters of other eras. Although it was developed in the late 1940s and was outdated by the end of the 1950s, the Sabre proved versatile and adaptable and continued as a front-line fighter in numerous air forces.

Its success led to an extended production run of more than 7,800 aircraft between 1949 and 1956, in the United States, Japan, and Italy. In addition, 738 carrier-modified versions were purchased by the US Navy as FJ-2s and -3s. Variants were built in Canada and Australia. The Canadair Sabre added another 1,815 aircraft and the significantly redesigned CAC Sabre (sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CAC CA-27), had a production run of 112. The Sabre is by far the most-produced Western jet fighter, with a total production of all variants at 9,860 units.

The fighter-bomber version (F-86H) could carry up to 2,000 lb (907 kg) of bombs, including an external fuel-type tank that could carry napalm. Unguided 2.75-inch (70-millimeter) rockets were used on some fighters on training missions, but 5-inch (127 mm) rockets were later carried on combat operations. The F-86 could also be fitted with a pair of external jettisonable jet fuel tanks (four on the F-86F beginning in 1953) that extended the range of the aircraft. Both the interceptor and fighter-bomber versions carried six 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns with electrically-boosted feed in the nose (later versions of the F-86H carried four 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon instead of machine guns). Firing at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, the 0.50-inch guns were harmonized to converge at 1,000 ft (300 m) in front of the aircraft, using armor-piercing (AP) and armor-piercing incendiary (API) rounds, with one armor-piercing incendiary tracer (APIT) for every five AP or API rounds. The API rounds used during the Korean War contained magnesium, which were designed to ignite upon impact, but burned poorly above 35,000 ft (11,000 m) as oxygen levels were insufficient to sustain combustion at that height. Initial planes were fitted with the Mark 18 manual-ranging computing gun sight. The last 24 F-86A-5-Nas and F-86Es were equipped with the A-1CM gunsight-AN/APG-30 radar, which used radar to automatically compute a target's range, which later proved to be advantageous against MiG opponents over Korea. Wikipedia

Wkikpedia Wikipedia North American F-86 Sabre

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

YouTube YouTube F-86 Sabre Aerobatics - No Music! - Airshow London 2018

RCAF Roundel F-86 (Canadair Sabre) Part Manual Volume I

RCAF Roundel F-86 (Canadair Sabre) Part Manual Volume II

RCAF Roundel F-86 (Canadair Sabre) Maintenance and Diagrams (Partial Document)

last update: 2023-09-02 14:46:28

Sabre 5 23304

First flight 16 July 1954. To No. 1 Air Division. With 430 (F) Squadron RCAF Station Grostenquin. To 438 (F) Squadron (Auxiliary) RCAF Station St Hubert, natural metal finish, coded "BQ*304". To No. 1 (F) OTU RCAF Station Chatham 30 Sept 1958. With Sabre Transition Unit RCAF Station Chatham 15 Apr 1964. Cat B crash 27 July 1967. Strike off. 1 fatal. Flight Lieutenant F.M. Constantine ejected over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, near the village of Neguac NB. Body and aircraft never recovered.

1954-08-23 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
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