I believe it was late February or early March 1953 that we, the 36th FBS, phased out our F-80Cs and received new F-86Fs. Some of us were standing on the ramp watching the Sabres land when one aircraft touched down. He couldn’t stop because (we found out later) a main fuel booster pump wire broke loose and shorted out on a brake line. It burned a hole in one of the hydraulic lines causing a complete brake failure. We watched it go off the end of the runway and into the rice paddies. The pilot wasn’t hurt, but the engine sucked in "all that good stuff." My flight chief turned to me and said, "Hey Spruit, go get your airplane." So I spent the next couple of weeks putting a brand new engine in the hole and fixing the brake system. After that, the airplane was one of our most reliable "birds" and flew many combat missions.

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