1/Lt. William Starr flying an USAF F-100D Super Sabre (SN
56-3150) over the Pacific Ocean, during Operation Mobile
Zebra, November-December 1957, with the 386th Fighter Bomber Squadron
(later re-designated 522nd Tactical Fighter Squadron).
Operation Mobile Zebra was the first transoceanic deployment
of F-100's using in-flight refueling. I believe multiple US squadrons
were simultaneously involved. I have little information about
Operation Mobile Zebra, other than what is surmised from my father's
plaque received for his participation in this operation (below)
which reveals:
Mobile Zebra, 12 November to 6 December 1957. Sixteen F-100D's
from the 386th Fighter Bomber Squadron. Route: Clovis AFB (later
renamed Cannon AFB), George AFB, Honolulu, Guam, Philippines,
Formosa, Okinawa, Korea, Japan, Honolulu, George AFB, Clovis AFB.
Dad's middle initial is botched. It should read "J"
not "C". It is signed by 312th fighter bomber wing commander
Col Blood.
Caption: "Me (Lt. William Starr) taking off on Mobile Zebra,
November 1957 (Cannon AFB)"
USAF F-100 number 56-3150. Departure from Cannon Air Force
Base would have been the start of the operation for this squadron.
It's likely that a squadron photographer took photos of this and
each jet as they took off - js
Caption: "Take-off from George, Mobile Zebra, Nov 1957"
(USAF F-100, likely from 386th FBS, taking off from George
Air Force Base, November 1957. This would be the second base in
the sequence-- they'd be crossing the Pacific after this take-off.)
Photo likely by Lt. William J. Starr, USAF.
USAF F-100D from the 386 Fighter Bomber Squadron approaching
Mt. Fuji, Japan during Operation
Mobile Zebra, Nov-Dec 1957.
Above: Two F-100s of the 386th fighter bomber squadron (Cannon
AFB) approach landfall in Hawaii during Operation Mobile Zebra,
November-December 1957. Photo by Lt. William J. Starr.
Caption reads: "150 at Guam sans tanks. Mobile Zebra Nov
1957" (F-100 number 56-3150 was my father's assigned jet.
Guam would have been the next leg after Hawaii, except for the
return trip in which California would follow the Hawaii stop)
BELOW: photos of the squadron landing/landed at Hickam Air Force
Base, Hawaii.
Caption: "Major Obensharn (sp?) between George (Air Force
base, California) and Hickam (Air Force base, Hawaii)" This
would have been on the out-bound leg of Mobile Zebra, just starting
out on the mission. (F-100 a/c ID 56-3155)
Caption on back of above photo reads "Jimmy King and Col.
Blood parking at Hickam. Mobile Zebra Nov 1957". Colonel
A. J. Blood in F-100 56-3151. Nose stripes on the F-100 usually
indicate wing commander's a/c.
Caption: "Colonel Blood arrived at Hickam. Mobile Zebra,
November 1957". (Col. Arlie. J. Blood, 386th FBS, USAF.
F-100 a/c ID 56-3151.
Colonel Arlie Blood (wearing parachute), 386th FBS, Hickam
AFB, Hawaii, after landing this leg of Mobile Zebra, Nov-Dec 1957.
No caption written on this photo. Looks like somebody taking a
celebratory swig after a long flight and 24 hours before another.
An F-100 pilot seated in the cockpit of 56-3142 (ID'd for me
by a former squadron crewman), likely shortly after landing at
Hickam, AFB, Hawaii during operaton Mobile Zebra, 1957. 386th
FBS based at Cannon AFB, New Mexico.
Captoin reads: "The 386th parked at Hickam. Mobile Zebra,
November 1957". (the only F-100 a/c ID I can make out is
56-3142)
A pilot walks on the tarmac near F-100s parked, likely Hickam
AFB, Hawaii. 1957, during Operation Mobile Zebra. (this squadron
pictured here is not the 386th)
Caption: "Jessop Black" RF-101's, Hickam, Mobile Zebra,
November 1957". (RF-101 a/c ID 41512. I don't know what
it meant by "Jessop Black", but suspect it might be
the flight code name for these birds. - webmaster)
Caption: "Capt. Smith briefing at Hickam (air force base)
for leg to Guam. Hales, McCarter, Hildreth, Myhoum. Mobile Zebra,
November 1957"
High-resolution scan of some of the names on the blackboard at
the Hickham Air Force base briefing room pictured above. Some
a/c and pilot pairings are readable: Col. Blood in bird 151; Starr,
150; Obeshain 155; Siran 147; Glasscock 152.
Lt. William J. Starr returning from operation Mobile Zebra. Dad's
notes on back of photo read "Return from Mobile Zebra, Cannon
(Air Force Base) Dec (19)57" The "scarf"
around his neck is not a Hawaiin lei, but the remains of the conical
refueling drogue. See below caption. (During re-fueling, these
early drougues could sometimes ensare on the F-100's fuel probe)
He wrote these notes on a second copy of the above photo:
The caption transcribed (to aid web searches):
"Lt. William J. Starr, immediately after landing at Cannon
Air Force Base, New Mexico in December 1957 after participating
in "Mobile Zebra". The aloha shirt is one of those bought
by all Mobile Zebra pilots in the 386th Tactical Fighter Squadron
in Hawaii during the trip, which was the first test of a tactical
trans-pacific fighter plane deployment.
The ragged scarf is the remains of a refueling "drogue"
which I accidentally ripped-off of the aerial tanker during the
flight from Hawaii to California (and carried the rest of the
way home on my aircraft). The "Hesperia Inn Drink Flag"
is a memento of the party thrown by North American Aviation Company,
in Apple Valley, California on our successful completion of the
New Mexico - California - Hawaii - Guam - Philippines - Okinawa
- Korea - Japan - Hawaii - California - New Mexico flight."
I suspect it was dad's experiences with operation Mobile Zebra
that inspired him to write the song "In Flight Refueling"
which was recorded by Oscar Brand in the late 1950s. (click
here to read about those albums). Below is that song dad wrote.
In Flight Refueling, By 1/LT William J. Starr, USAF
Chorus:
Oh, that in flight refueling,
Don't leave much time for fooling,
The bastard won't fly when the tanks they run dry,
You depend on that in flight refueling
I took off from George (AFB), it was early one morn,
And the weatherman said 't would be balmy and warm.
Well, I wish he flew with me to see how it feels,
I passed o'er the coast with a storm at my heels.
I flew on for hours, it seemed like much more
I sat at the stick till my buttocks were sore;
Finally got to that point far from land
Where there were supposed to be tankers at hand.
(chrous)
You probably guessed it, no tanker was there,
Nothin' in sight but the ocean and air,
The guage stood at zero, my courage did too,
Then one lousy tanker flew into my view.
"What ho" called the scanner, "it's under your
wing,
"And if you don't hook up now, you're likely to ding."
The funnel it hit me*, one hell of a blow,
I looked with alarm at the water below.
(chrous)
The engineer called, "Sir, you're takin' on fuel!"
Well, the bastard was lying, a dirty old fool.
I called to the scanner, "The valves are still shut,
"Turn 'em on fast, or I'll kick in your butt!"
"I can't get 'em open, sir," he said with a grin.
Why, you know, there are days when you just cannot win.
That's the end of my story, I'm sorry to say.
And my old F-100 lies out in the bay.
*Dad said that if you missed the hook-up and slipped your jet
past the funnel, it would gyrate in the slipstream along the fuselage
and sometimes ding the aircraft. In one embarrassing incident,
my father was flying an F-100F two seat model demonstrating in
flight refueling to a VIP in the back seat. Dad missed the hook
up and let the funnel slip behind him, it began gyrating and he
heard a loud impact, followed by an intercom transmission from
the VIP in the back seat saying "We've lost the canopy."
The funnel had smashed the cockpit canopy open. They landed without
incident.
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