@ Colorado Springs, CO
December 2013
The Peterson AFB Museum has a nice outdoor display of aircraft, including this Cold War era F-89 Scorpion straight-winged all-weather interceptor. The thin wing dictated tall, thin, high-pressure (200 psi) main wheel tires, while the low height of the fuselage required the use of dual wheels for the nose gear. This is the J-model of the F-89, the last version to see service and the first combat aircraft armed with air-to-air nuclear weapons (the AIR-2 Genie air-to-air missile) and to actually fire a live one during Operation Plumbbob (1957). With over 1,000 produced, the Scorpion entered service in 1950 and were retired by 1969. Nikon D300 w/18-200mm.
