Monday, November 17, 2014

F-15B (TF-2) Bicentennial Photos

Scan0499_Fotor_FotorScan0500_Fotor This aircraft, USAF 71-0291, was the second two-seat F-15B (TF-15A) off the production line and was painted in one of the nicest schemes that a F-15 ever wore.  Aircraft "0291" had a long career, in the USA Bicentennial scheme at the 1976 Farnborough International Air Show and many other 1976 air shows.  As I have mentioned before, McAir tried to get the Air Force to use the F-15 as a Thunderbird in this paint scheme and those markings are here.

After that, 0291 became a test-bed aircraft for the Conformal Fuel Tank (CFT) Program, the LANTIRN (Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night) Pod, and was the prototype aircraft for the F-15E Strike Eagle Program.

Click here to view photos

at 11:35 AM

2 comments:

Unknown said...

The Bicentennial Eagle visited Australia in 1976 and as a junior engineering officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, I was tasked with looking after the ground crew and generally acting as the liaison officer between the RAAF and the F15 team. Names I recall from the time I was with the F15 were Lt Col Joe Higgs, Joe Dobronski, John Vaughn, Perry Hoffman, Tony Trice, Friend B Maloney, Bob Bay and many others.

At the end of the tour the team presented me with a large photograph of the Bicentennial Eagle flying over St Louis on July 4th 1976 with the St Louis Arch as a backdrop. I still have the framed photo, signed by the entire F15 team. It hangs proudly in my home in Canberra Australia.

March 23, 2016 at 4:10 PM
Anonymous said...

Carl Baker and Bob Ellis were the pilots that flew the eagle on this tour.

February 21, 2026 at 8:59 PM

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