On November 27th, 1957, four USAF pilots of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing successfully completed Operation Sun Run by establishing three new transcontinental speed records in a McDonnell RF-101C aircraft. The record-breaking mission showcased the speed and range of the RF-101C, an improved version of the first supersonic photo reconnaissance aircraft, the RF-101A.
Operation Sun Run called for six RF-101C aircraft — two to fly round-trip from Los Angeles to New York and back again, two for the one-way flight from Los Angeles to New York, and two for backups if problems arose with the four primary aircraft. The undertaking required massive coordination of aircraft crews and radar and weather stations from coast to coast.
Six pilots of the 17th and 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing were chosen for Operation Sun Run. Each prepared for the round-trip flight, since they would not know which flight they were assigned until a few days before the operation. All six pilots had extensive experience in photo reconnaissance aircraft, although the RF-101 was relatively new to Tactical Air Command.
The success of Operation Sun Run also depended on the performance of the newly available KC-135 Stratotanker, the USAF’s first jet tanker. The KC-135’s speed allowed the RF-101s to refuel at an altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of Mach 0.8. Crews from Strategic Air Command and Air Force Research and Development Command prepared for the 26 re-fuelings the Operation Sun Run RF-101Cs would require.
The so-called “Sun Run” RF-101C Voodoo reconnaissance aircraft is now in stock and ready for immediate shipment.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(76)W Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – Sgt. Daniel “Buttons” Cardell, “Julia”, 761st Tank Battalion “Black Panthers”, Task Force Rhine, Germany, 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Waking up every day in the wee hours of the morning becomes a tad disheartening when we go through our emails to determine if our Forces of Valor shipment has, well, shipped. We placed an order with them over two weeks ago and have been sitting on our hands ever since, waiting patiently for a response that never seems to come. Today, we received a short message from Waltersons indicating that our restock order was going out either today, Thursday, or Friday, and that its tracking information would be passed along to us just as soon as the shipment was processed and sent on its way. Frankly, we’ve heard all this before and still no explanation has been provided as to why our shipment has been in hibernation for so long other than to say its sitting at a public warehouse. The manufacturer also went on to say that they are moving their product to a different public warehouse that has promised it can handle their shipments in a more expeditious manner. Bear in mind that the last shipment we received from them was way back in October and it was completely screwed up, with no explanation as to why it was sent out in such a sloppy manner. I’ve gone on record to say that in my 45 years of doing business after graduating college, and wearing multiple hats in the business world from salesman to store manager, buyer to merchandise manager, I have never seen a situation as poorly handled as this, with no communication from the owner as to why we have been placed in this unenviable position for such a long period of time.
As I’ve previously indicated, we will wait and see what this shipment looks like before placing an order with them for all the new merchandise they claim to have ready for dispatch. Paying thousands of dollars up front for an order only to have to chase it down for weeks on end isn’t my idea of ushering in the New Year. I know its not what a lot of you want to hear but we have to protect our investments — even with our suppliers — and be assured that what we order is what we will get despite what the manufacturer says in their communiques. If what they say is true, we should have this shipment by the tail end of January and, at that time, will place an order for their newest merchandise that is supposedly in stock. If they can address that to our satisfaction, then the new merchandise will likely arrive in early February.
Not much has been announced by the manufacturer as to what we can expect for the balance of the year. They’ve made previous product announcements over the years that simply haven’t come true, so having our hopes dashed time and time again isn’t new to us even when we pray things will change. In the seven or so years we’ve been doing business with them, lots of products have been hinted at that never came to fruition, shunted to the back burner for all sorts of reasons. Its become a tedious affair listening to pie-in-the-sky optimism with little to show for it. One the plus side, I’m over my sciatica. Yay! Happy new year!
Update: On Friday, our order has reportedly shipped and tracking information confirms that it is on the road. The delivery date is currently scheduled for Thursday the 25th. Once we inspect the shipment and note any errors we will then submit our order for their new merchandise. Again, we have no way of knowing if the new merchandise will be processed and shipped out on time but we will create a separate blog post to track its progress.
