F-15A No. 71-0283 Chase Plane

F-4’s were not the only aircraft used for chase planes at the St. Louis MDC plant. One aircraft I saw frequently was F-15A-4-MC-71-0283. This fourth F-15A first flew on 13 January 1973 and was used as a structural test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base. It was the first aircraft to have the “raked” wing tips to eliminate a severe buffet problem found on earlier aircraft; but retained the short speed brake. After its use at EAFB, it returned to St. Louis for chase plane use in a red and white scheme. Notice that it kept it’s flight test boom during it’s chase days. The photos that I took show typical MDC ramp operations. Also, I have included some great photos from Peter Mancus showing 0283 while at EAFB.

Click here to view these photos