Sabre 5 c/n 1111 is owned by Tom Heldt and is now being restored in Neuhardenberg, Germany (for history of the aircraft, scroll down the page). One of only six former Luftwaffe Sabre 5s to survive, c/n 1111 has been rescued from an uncertain fate by Tom Heldt and is now being restored in the former East Germany.

September 2010 Update

Now that Tom's Sabre is mobile, he's able to get the aircraft out of its hardened shelter on special occasions. With no natural light (i.e. windows) in the shelter it's great to see the aircraft out in the open once in a while too! Over to Tom again:

"The project still goes on and the main restoration was finished last year. Now only minor work needs to be done, and a project like this is never really done. One weekend this July we managed the following:
- Inflate the tires and grease the bearings after the long hard winter in preparation for the ROLLOUT(!)
- Apply the patch of the WasLw 10 on the fin
- Not only install the red and green positionlights, but also make them light up again!
- Start applying all the stencils on the airframe with maintenance instructions etc – a project which will take a long time
- And, we finally were able to get the Sabre out of its hangar for a photo session – ROLLOUT!!!

It was not so easy to move the Sabre in and out of the hangar, since the MiG shelters are fairly narrow and only leave about 40cm on each side from wingtip to the shelter wall – not much space to maneuver. Then, these Shelters have rails for the shelter doors which stick up about 5cm from the ground which you have to overcome. There are metal ramps to ease this, but it still is a challenge for an aircraft which had to be put together again and is not so stable as an operational aircraft. There is a lot of moving and shaking going on when you pull/push the Sabre over these rails, and boy does she move when she rolls over these things! But, the result was in my mind phenomenal, it looks great.

Of course she will never pass the close-up inspection of an aircraft restoration team, but this was never the aim. We put her back together to make her look as much as possible as when she was operational, including the cockpit. After all, we only used the normal tools you have on average in your garage and aluminum sheets and rivets from the local hardware store.

We have visitors who come to look at the MiG-21 across from my shelter and who come visit my Sabre every time we open the doors, even though we are far from anywhere out there – people still come out there. What surprises me the most, many people ask us if we will fly the Sabre that particular day, many think it is in flying condition! Amazing."

Hear hear! I did have a rather irate email some time ago from a reader who thought I should put a warning on this web page to let people know that Tom's Sabre is not being restored to fly. As Tom says above, the aim (and I should point out that most of this work has been done alone and in less-than-ideal conditions by Tom) was to get the aircraft back in one piece. My opinion is that not only has Tom done a great job of that, but he's also saved this machine from the scrapman and put it back into a state where people can enjoy it. My hat's off to him for that.

(above) - Well it sure looks like a Sabre! Great to see it in the sun too.

(above) - Wingtip light fitted - and functional.

 

January 2010 Update

Tom Heldt's Sabre 5 continues to be restored to its former glory, though work has to take a back seat to Tom's other priorities. With work inside the shelter being at best uncomfortable during the winter months, Tom has put '111 into hibernation until the warmer weather arrives:

"I went to the Sabre to prepare it for the winter. I completely cleaned the aircraft and then applied a layer of WD-40 oil to the whole aircraft to prevent corrosion. This took two days, but it had a nice effect on the overall appearance of the Sabre. Then I completely wrapped the aircraft, basically like it is done for long-term storage after a thin layer of oil is applied."

A further update will follow as and when. Until then, enjoy these recent shots:

 

April 2009 Update

Progress on '111 continues - presently concentrated on the cockpit area, which had previously been gutted. Tom is making great progress here and slowly the 'office' is coming together:

"Over the winter, I have found and purchased the following parts: B6 G-meter, standby compass, clock, ARN6 loop antenna and the ARN6 radio compass control panel. The Main Instrument Panel is now complete. In addition, I have restored the nearly completely-destroyed bent left-hand panel and scratch-built the instrument panel for it, which I then installed on it. This left-hand panel includes the trim controls and air conditioning/pressurization. I also scratch-built the IFF Panel, the panel to check the Gunsight and others. The cockpit is now almost complete, I only need the gunsight itself now. I do have to figure out how to install the heavy ARN6 Loop Antenna, I do have the support bracket for it."

In March Tom went out to the aircraft and installed all the instruments and panels. I hope to bring you more photos of the completed cockpit soon. For now enjoy these shots:

Above left - Tom's scratch-built IFF panel. Above right - the ARN-6 radio-compass control panel. Below is a cockpit location shot, showing where they fit (left) and on the right, as now installed in the aircraft.

Above left - Tom's restored panel for mounting the instruments and switches on the port-side console. Fitted in this shot is the panel that mounts pressurization, heating and trim switches. Above right - the panel installed in c/n 1111.

 

 

Above - Two shots of the main instrument panel in c/n 1111. Tom has achieved impressive results.

 

June 2008 Update

"Now, with the warmer weather I have gone to work ont he Sabre again and this is wat I have done to it: I did repaint the complete front section of the aircraft and applied the Registration also now on the left side of the aircraft. In addition, I finally managed to get the until now still from underneath the fuselage and between the wings located huge sheet metal piece. As you can see on the pics, it is now finally secured, sanded down and primed. Then we totally sanded down the bottom of the wings and the blue paint from its heydays came to light, I have not decided if I will leave it blue or paint it grey."

 

 

Above - c/n 1111 is now well on the road to recovery with drop tanks fitted and the paint scheme coming to completion.

"Then, I installed the engine starter and exterior lighting panel which is located on the right hand side console in the cockpit. I build this panel from scratch over the winter month. In addition, I also build from scratch the sub weapons panel which is located below the main instrument panel. It was totally destroyed and ripped out of the attachments from the unit which also houses now again the two selectors for the weapons."

 

Above: Attention has now turned to the interior and the laborious job of fitting new panels has begun.

Above - Another essential piece restored - the prominent stencil block below the side windshield.

"Since it was my birthday in April, my wife had the white lettering made which is located below the cockpit windows and explains that the aircraft is equipped with a seat and canopy ejector. I applied the one on the right side and it looks fantastic. To top it off, my wife baked a special birthday cake which had my Sabre made out of frosting."

Above - Tom's birthday cake - nice one!

 

November 2007 Update

"We finally received the wingtips back from complete restoration which included taking all the huge dents out and making them look like new again. They were installed again and painted red. The pitot tube was also installed in the right wingtip."

 

 

Above - A view of the right wing showing the red-painted wingtip newly-installed on Tom's Sabre.

"I finally found the time to change the nosewheel rim. The rim which was on my Sabre was a late model rim which was used mainly on Sabre 6. I bought the Sabre 5 wheel on eBay and restored it. After restoration I took the new tube and tire and installed them on the rim. Now, my Sabre has the original Sabre 5 nosewheel on it."

 

Above: The newly-fitted 120-gal 'quick-release' drop tanks finally in place.

"Another huge step was the installation of the two 455 litre (120 gallon) drop tanks. Though all the attachments and fittings are missing, we managed to build/weld a rail-type attachment which connects to the wing and provides perfect fittings for the ball-shaped attachments of the tank itself. Now, we are able to slide the tanks on and off from the back of the aircraft if necessary. It is an easy two man lift. This was very important to me in case the aircraft has to be moved to another location someday."

 

Above - As noted above, c/n 1111 now sports the early 'spoked' nosewheel which characterised the Sabre 5.

"The latest work on the Sabre included applying the original Luftwaffe- Registration "BB-237" to the right side of the aircraft."

Above - c/n 1111 looking almost complete and a far cry from the wreck that Tom first bought.

As mentioned in a previous update, Tom is still missing a few instruments. Can you help? (B6 Accelerometer, Artificial Horizon and Engine Oil Temperature Indicator ). Please contact Tom if you can at SabreBB237@aol.com .

June 2007 Update

"With the warm weather we are having, I have been going more often to the Sabre now and here is the April update for you including pictures."

"I finally managed to restore the landing gear including painting it, with the exception of the small left-hand door which is located on the landing gear itself. I also completely sanded down, primed and painted all the wheel wells after removing the left-hand, totally destroyed main landing gear door which covers the wheel well."

 

 

Above - The main landing gear looking almost complete: a far cry from the pictures from earlier in the restoration.

Above - The main gear bays primed and ready for painting.

"The missing "fence- extending leading edge" on the right hand wing was built from scratch and mounted. Also, the two small leading edge pieces which attach to the front wing root were finally installed making the wing look more complete. "

Above - at left, the missing wing fence now back in place and at right, the wing root fairings also fitted. The latter were a feature of the '6-3'-winged Sabres, and covered a small portion of the ammunition door/step, where the extended leading edge covered it at the root. .

"Another main step was the installation of the main instrument panel, most of its instruments , the installation of the control stick and the throttle into the cockpit. "

Above: The instrument panel in place on c/n 1111. With the external transformation almost complete, Tom is now looking to restore the cockpit area.
"The wing edges are currently at a local metal shop for restoration and hopefully they return soon for installation and completing the wings. Also, the early model nosewheel is currently undergoing restoration."

"As you can see on the pictures, the Sabre is making good progress I think."

As mentioned in a previous update, Tom is still missing a few instruments. Can you help? (B6 Accelerometer, Artificial Horizon and Engine Oil Temperature Indicator ). Please contact Tom if you can (email at bottom of the page).

April 2007 Update

"After one of the main struts sank in, we had to focus the work again on the landing gear. I found someone who [could] build brackets which I could install around the extended struts."

"I had to jack out the left strut after it sank in by using a car floor jack. After that, I installed the brackets on both main landing gear struts. Then, to even out the extreme uneven height to the nosewheel, I also installed a bracket around the strut of the nosewheel which resulted in lifting the nose by 5cm. This made a huge difference and the aircraft now sits secured on its enforced struts."

"Also, I had special bearings made in order to fit the main wheels correct and straight on the main landing gear. I also purchased new brake flanges and installed them, too. Now, the main wheel is straight and secured on the axle."

 

Above - The main landing gear's crooked stance being corrected and the nose gear extension also now correct.

"Even though it was cold like a freezer in the shelter in February and working a whole day on the floor under the aircraft to fix the landing gear almost froze me up completely, I did not stop there. The next day, I managed to install the right windscreen which I had specially made. "

Above: The right windscreen panel in place on c/n 1111. The external transformation is almost complete.

As well as the exterior work on the aircraft, Tom is now also looking to complete the interior restoration:

"I found the original Instrument Panel and it arrived yesterday [30 March 2007]. On the second pic you can see all the intruments I already have for the main panel. Now, I am looking for all the instruments from the left and right consoles in the cockpit. I do have the throttle lever and a replica of the control stick."

Yet again, Tom's single-handed dedication to restoring this aircraft is an inspiration. More updates to come as Tom progresses. Hopefully warmer weather will give him better working conditions.

Above - The new instrument panel for c/n 1111 as it arrived (left) and with Tom's instruments installed (right). Can you provide the missing instruments? (B6 Accelerometer, Artificial Horizon and Engine Oil Temperature Indicator ). Please contact Tom if you can (email at bottom of the page).

September 2006 Update

"My father picked up the Upper Access Door in Bremen in order to have it on the aircraft for this years airshow at Neuhardenberg airport. I was able to attach the Upper Access Door onto the fuselage without bigger problems. The latches were greased up a bit and then they worked perfectly, bringing the completion of the outer part of the Sabre a very significant step ahead."

"I was also able to tackle the biggest problem with success, the totally corroded mainwheels. After trying all kinds of methods to get the "nut-wheel retaining", securing the mainwheel, off the axles using methods like normal tools, heating the nut up or spraying it with rust-remover, the only thing left to do was to cut the nut off. I had asked many restoration experts but this was the only and last solution. I cut them off and during the process they got red hot and after cutting one small piece off it they cracked open a bit. With the use off a screwdriver and a hammer I was able to get the nut off the axle, finally."

"The wheels still did not move since the brakes were set and it was not possible to loosen the brakes. Pulling the whole wheel assembly off the axle was also not as easy as one might think. After hitting the rim with a small sledgehammer from the outside towards the inside, a big loud crack could be heard and the wheels finally started to move off the axle. A few more hits with the hammer and then I was able to pull the very heavy mainwheels off the axle! What a success!"

"For now, I put two new mainwheels on the axles so that the aircraft does not sit without wheels and so I am able to move it. The wheels are the same size, though they are from a T-33 and the bearings are different and do not fit correctly onto the axle. I will have to restore the old wheels and then put them back on the aircraft. I did the same with the nosewheel after purchasing a new tire and a new inner tube for it. It now looks almost like new."

I hope to bring further updates to Tom's project soon (and hopefully I'll be able to post them quicker too!). For now, here are some photos to illustrate the current status:

Above - The upper access door finally in place and painted - another big step in the restoration.

Above: 1111 in its shelter showing further work done by Tom. Note the drop tanks ready for installation and slightly skewed mainwheels - due to a bearing mismatch of the T-33 wheels.

One more part of the jigsaw - the correct mainwheels, awaiting restoration.

 

May 2006 Update

No-one can accuse Tom of hanging around, at least as far as his Sabre is concerned.

At the beginning of April, Tom returned to Germany from a 6-month work assignment overseas, and in the intervening period managed to secure the two major missing parts for the Sabre - a canopy and an Upper Compartment Access door. The canopy was originally fitted to another ex-Luftwaffe Sabre, Mk. 6 c/n 1675, which ended its days in the USA with Flight Systems as N80FS (this aircraft is now in private ownership in the States, and now fitted with an airworthy canopy - the item which Tom has was presumably replaced for a better item). It is thus fitting that this 'German' canopy has returned home to help out one of its brothers. Tom found the canopy through an ad he posted on an aircraft parts page on the internet. He also managed to get a great deal on a tire for the nosewheel and also the right windscreen. His wife managed the payment and the shipping of the parts since Tom was abroad at this time. What would we do without our spouses? All parts were picked up by one of Tom's brothers-in-law, who runs a self-employed trucking business in El Paso, Texas. He picked the parts up in Orinda, California and delivered them to El Paso, Texas. During the Christmas 2005 holidays, Tom's wife visited her family there and, together with her youngest sister, delivered the parts with her pick-up truck and her fiances trailer to a shipping company well known to them. They then crated the parts for overseas shipment and the crate was shipped via Houston, Texas to Bremen in Germany. On March 1st, 2006, Tom's father drove from Berlin to Bremen and picked up the crate with a rented van and delivered it to the shelter in Neuhardenberg. In Neuhardenberg, local staff from the airport there helped Tom's father to offload the crate. What a family effort!

Tom was offered the Upper Compartment Access Door through an email from a person that read all about my project on THIS website!!! It came from Rick Clemens' Sabre 5, c/n 1090, ex-RCAF 23300 - another aircraft with Flight Systems links, but this time as one of the Sabre 5s converted by the company to drone use for the US Army. Other parts recently restored for installation on the Sabre are an ejection seat from Sabre 6 c/n 1731 (ex-Luftwaffe) and the rudder mentioned above, believed to be from F-86F s/n 52-4371. Gun blast panels were new old stock and had never been installed on a Sabre before.

At the end of April, Tom went to work on the Sabre again and managed the following:

"First, we had to replace the rear bulkhead and the sheet metal on which the rear canopy rails were attached. Both parts were completely removed from the aircraft and left a huge hole in the back of the cockpit. Part of the rear canopy rails were however still present, the front rails are complete and in good condition. We inspected the canopy and found that almost all the attachments/rollers that fit into the rails are still present on the canopy. This made the installation of the canopy fairly easy after fixing the rear part of the cockpit."

Above - Views of the canopy being loaded in the USA (top left), painted and installed on 1111 (top right), and a close-up of the restored rails (bottom).

"I already had restored the ejection seat which I bought on ebay and we were able to put it into the Sabre and securing it on the new rear bulkhead which we built."

'Before', 'after' and 'installed' shots of the ejection seat.

"After that, the canopy was cleaned and painted from inside and outside. All the checklists inside the canopy frame are also still present. We then fitted the canopy to the rails and are even able to slide the canopy aft for about a foot. It cannot be opened further since the rear rails are only about a third of the length they used to be. The canopy handles on the left and right side of the canopy frame are in good working condition and can be used to slide the canopy."

The Upper Compartment Access Door should arrive in Germany in mid-June, and can then be installed, therefore completing the exterior of the Sabre. We hope to bring you photos of the completed aircraft as soon as it all comes together.

The final part of the external jigsaw - the Upper Compartment Access Door.

January 2006 Update

Mini update - Tom has now located a cockpit canopy, thus moving the project significantly closer to completion. It was located in California at a very competitive price, and Tom has also purchased the right windscreen panel and a nosewheel tyre from the same seller. Since one of Tom's brother-in-laws is operating a freight business, he was nice enough to pick up the parts while he was in the area and the parts were shipped via El Paso, Texas at the beginning of January.

The main parts that Tom needs to complete this aircraft are the Upper Compartment Access Door (nose area, forward of windscreen) and the left windscreen panel.

October 2005 Update

"The Sabre was shown to the public for the first time in over 20 years on an airshow at this airfield which was held on 13. and 14. August 2005 and people were very interested in this project. We had lots of picutres of the restoration project for the visitors to see."

Tom Heldt's father (right) talks to visitors during the Neuhardenberg airshow, 13-14 August 2005.

Views of the left and right wing restoration work.

"I went to the Sabre last week again, [and] this time, work concentrated on the wings, as these were still in not good shape. We managed to install the cut off piece from the left wing, the leading edge along with about a foot of wing was cut right from the wing root, I guess to access the bolts for taking the wing off. Then we covered some holes on the left and right wing, managed to fix the left guidance fence and then sanded both wings down completely and covered them with primer. next we painted both wings and applied the German Cross on both wings. Both wingtips are not yet restored and have been removed from the wings for restoration. The flaps and ailerons were fixed, but will need some more attention."

The Sabre now looking more and more like she did in her heyday.

"After intensive work and letting the paint dry for around 24hrs, we covered the plane competely to protect it from dust and humidity. There will not be any work done on the plane until March next year since I am deploying to Afghanistan."

August 2005 Update

"We finally managed to install the rudder! Although all the fittings are missing we found a way to install it after one whole day of trying. Now the complete tailplane is back together and I painted the German Flag and the Lettering which you can find below the German flag on all German military aircraft consisting of the word of service(Luftwaffe, Marine or Heer) the aircraft flies for, in this case the LUFTWAFFE, the aircraft type and the serial. In this case" LUFTWAFFE CAN F86 54-1111", meaning Luftwaffe Canadair F86 54-1111. My wife has a good friend which ownes a offset Printshop and she had them make this lettering for my aircraft. How nice is that of her?!?!?!"

The rudder is finally installed! (before left, after at right) Note the original markings on the rudder - from 36th FBW, Korea; Tom bought the rudder from a dealer in Arizona.

"After that I started to cut aluminum sheet metal so they could be riveted over the huge wholes which were present on the forward fuselage. Since many of the "ribs" of the forward fuselage were severely damaged I had no choice but to place large pieces of aluminum over the complete areas and rivet them on after I was able to secure the "broken bones". There was simply no other way for me to do this since I am not a sheet metal expert. I got advice from such an expert and he basically said there is not much else you can do in this case other than replacing the complete skin of the forward fuselage. He, my father and myself for that, were very surprised of who much of a difference the sheet metal makes ones it was in place and how well this "Aircraft Battle Damage Repair" -method looks. Just one big whole is now left below the left gun blast panel because of the lack of sheet metal I had available, though this will be fixed next time. The aluminum and the rivets I purchased through eBay. In addition, I just purchased two used complete mainwheels for the Sabre."

The rudder from the left side; note the lettering, "LUFTWAFFE CAN F86 54-1111" beneath the fin flash.

July 2005 Update

Click here to return to the website devoted to the former Duncan's Sabre Website