Convair F-102A Delta Dagger

F-102A being loaded for transport from Florida.

F-102A being unloaded following transport from Florida.

Aircraft Background:
Formerly assigned to the Florida Military Aviation Museum at Clearwater-St. Petersburg Airport, when the museum closed the aircraft were removed from the facility and placed in outside storage.  Officially a part of the U.S. Air Force Museum, Wright Patterson AFB collection, the F-102A has just been placed on indefinite loan to MAPS Air Museum for restoration purposes.

  USAF Service Record for F-102A Delta Dagger S/N 56-986
4 Feb 1957 Accepted into USAF inventory after manufacture and testing at the CONVAIR plant in San Diego, CA
Feb 1957    Assigned to 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, Air Defense Command (ADC), McChord AFB, WA
May 1958   Assigned to 325th Fighter Group (ADC), McChord AFB, WA (with a deployment to Tyndall AFB, FL)
Mar 1960   Assigned to San Antonio Air Material Area, Kelly AFB, TX.
Jun 1960    Assigned to Mobile Air Materiel Area, Brookley AFB, AL.
Nov 1960   Assigned to 32nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, US Air Forces Europe (USAFE), Camp New Amsterdam, Netherlands
                (deployments to Wheelus AB, Libya; Ramstein AB, Germany; Erding AB, Germany; and Torrejon AB, Spain)
Jul 1969     Assigned to 101st Fighter Group, Maine Air National Guard (ANG), Dow AFB, ME
Nov 1969   Assigned to 125th Fighter Group, Florida Air National Guard (ANG), NAS Jacksonville, FL.
May 1971   Dropped from the USAF inventory and transferred to museum status

Aircraft's History:Designed as an all-weather interceptor, the Convair F-102's purpose was to patrol, intercept, and if need be, shoot down incoming enemy bomber aircraft such as the Soviet Tu-52 Bear.  Operating from bases in the continental U.S., Greenland, Europe and Alaska, the Delta Dagger would use her speed and missile weapons to prevent enemy bombers from reaching the shores of North America.  Notable firsts for the aircraft include being the world's first supersonic all-weather interceptor, and the USAF's first operational delta wing aircraft.  Designed during the US military's "missiles only" period, the Delta Dagger featured no gun armament at all, the thinking at the time being that with recent advances in missile technology, aircraft would never get close enough to use guns in a "dogfight."  

F-102 Delta Dagger landing following training sortie.

Specifications:
Span: 38 ft. 1 in.
Length: 68 ft. 4 in.
Height: 21 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 31,559 lbs. max.
Armament: 24 unguided 2.75" rockets and 6 guided missiles
Engine: Pratt & Whitney J57 with 16,000 lbs thrust in afterburner mode

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 810 mph.
Cruising speed: 600 mph.
Range: 1,000 miles
Service Ceiling: 55, 55,000 ft.

Crew Chief: Frank Daloisio

Crew Chief's Update (Restoration Progress):