American Pickers- hangar finds

[scooter]

(Based on an unpublished 801TTS: Airbats/Dale Brown fanfiction idea)


In late May of 20xx, elements of the High Technology and Weapons Center (HAWC) based at Groom Lake AFB deployed to Iruma AB to show off the resurrected F-15F Cheetah, flown by lead test pilot MAJ C. Marx (callsign Scooter(cue up shameless self-promotion)) with WSO CPT B. Cobb (callsign Doc), to the brass during the annual JASDF anniversary airshow held there.  On 1 June, 20xx, elements of the Korean People's Army staged from secret tunnels under the 38th Parallel, as lead elements of the KPAF, including the 45th Special Air Squadron struck at ROKAF and USAF flightlines across the Korean Peninsula.  Cheetah, armed with AMRAAMs, Sidewinders, and F-15 fuel tanks from JASDF stocks, launched, escorting the HAWC VIPs out of Japanese airspace.  As the Far East Air Force stood back up, airbases on the other side of the International Date Line began launching initial elements to support the FEAF and combat operations over Korea.  Among the first elements to deploy were the 335th Fighter Squadron, 4FW, from Seymour Johnson, with orders to stage at Misawa AB.  As a fighter without a unit, Cheetah initially remained at Iruma.  However, in concurrence with 4FW's wing commander, HAWC attached the prototype F-15F to the 335th for the duration of the war.
As the 2d Korean Conflict progressed, attrition amongst the various fighter squadrons eventually resulted in MAJ Marx being breveted to full colonel and command of the Chiefs, after the successful defense of the Japanese home islands after an attempted nuclear attack by the KPAF on the Japanese home islands.  And as the squadron was living in a tent city on the golf course, Col. Marx directed that the squadron adopt the Army heritage uniform with FEAF and Hap Arnold patches on the sleeves and AF rank and accoutrements as the non-working Uniform of the Day, as well as repaint their aircraft in accordance with US Army Air Forces technical guidelines, with Cheetah being the first to be repainted and dubbed "Mitaka's Wrath".  As Col. Marx was retro-ing his unit, down in Iruma AB, Technical Sergeant Takuya Isurugi, maintenance chief of the now 801st Tactical Fighter Squadron (formerly Tactical Training Squadron), was supervising the opening of a sealed and long abandoned hangar on the base, to expand maintenance facilities for the 801st.  Inside the hangar, covered in dust and with flat and dry-rotted tires, a VB-25J Mitchell and C-47.  TSGT Isurugi, in a pique of aviation fanboy, right then and there decided to get the aircraft operational and present them to the 335th as squadron hacks.

Both of my entries will be profile work

[kerick]

I'm looking forward to the profiles and the stories. 

[scooter]

Took some time, but first up:


Hi rez here

335th Fighter Squadron hack Clay Pigeon (II)

First of TSGT Isurugi's find, and the more airworthy of the two, the Clay Pigeon (II) spent more time bouncing between Misawa and Iruma AB with occasional diversions from Iruma to Okinawa, than it did sitting on the tarmac at Misawa AB.  After hearing that LTC Marx was repainting the squadron's Strike Eagles (and lone F-15F Cheetah) in historical-style markings, TSGT Isurugi had the Clay Pigeon (II) painted in low-viz markings and gunship gray, primarily to avoid it from being intercepted and shot down by trigger happy or nervous JASDF and FEAF combat air patrols.

[zenrat]

 

[NARSES2]

Yup 

[TheChronicOne]

I can definitely grok this!