‘Delta Dagger’ and ‘Delta Dart’ are the names of the F-102 and F-106. They were made by Convair.
Which, I should point out, had nothing to do with the Corvair. That was a Chevy.
Sorry, I’ll go away now.
Ace In The Hole (1951) is on TV now. No airplanes in it, but it takes place in the desert and has that whole ‘1950s desert vibe’ going on that I was feeling when I first posted. I can imagine flying a polished Cessna 140 around there.
Yeah, I knew that after I made the model! 
I’m from Plattsburgh, NY so my hometown favorite is the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Amazing plane - their development began in 1946, their first flight was in 1952, and they’re still in service in 2011. And the Air Force is currently planning on keeping some in service through 2045.
Since we’re on the subject (or something…:p) I checked out Sacramento’s Aerospace Museum of California last week. Not a bad little museum…they had some nicely restored aircraft including a Warthog that survived a SAM encounter. One of the docents got a kick out of telling people that that they got the cockpit canopy to restore their F-86 on eBay. Here are some pics.
This reminds me of when I went to Johnson Space Center. They have a Saturn V laid out on its side and that’s huge. But they also have a full-sized Mercury capsule and it’s astonishingly small - it’s smaller than a compact car. And people were going into space in these.
As a former aerial photographer, my ride of choice was the F-15. Big and roomy in the backseat (B and D models), wide canopy with great visibility, and two engines. The F-16 was ok, but less space for movement, a sidestick controller, and only a single engine. The F-4 was…challenging. Cramped and awkward in the backseat, odd sitting position, no forward visibility, tiny canopy, and you had to align the GPS/run the radar which could be a pain in the ass. I rode in a few F-4Ds that were older than I am.
Also rode in the T-38. This was the first “fighter” (actually a trainer, with no weapons capability) I qualified to work in. Very simple airplane, decent room in the back, decent visibility–but limited flight time and not capable of in flight refueling.
I photographed all of the above airplanes, plus the F-111, B-52, B1B, C-130, F-117, F-105 (target drone), A-10, F-18, F-14, German Tornado, various helicopters, and likely a few others I’ve forgotten.
Those (and F-5s) show up for sale from time to time. Too bad a never have two megabucks lying handy when they do.
Somewhere around here I have a titanium nozzle from a T-38 engine. I’ve thought I might sell it to a Trekkie, since that’s what they used for Neelix’s kitchen burner on Star Trek: Voyager.
I’ve been reading your comments and looking through your links for the better part of the last hour. I learned a lot. Some of those planes are just terrific. I want to tell you all something. My boy who turned 15 years old in May has been fascinated by WWII History and flight from the time he was just a toddler. He was born in Fort Walton Beach, FL where Eglin Airforce Base is. We used to sit under the SR-71 Blackbird when he was 3 yrs old and have lunch. There is one at the Air Force Armament Museum in FWB. His interest began the very first time that he became aware of the jets flying by. He has read countless of books about the very same planes you all commented on above . If he was a Doper, he would have joined you, I’m sure. This Summer he saved up all of his money from his first job given to him by a pilot friend of mine. He will be paying for his own flying lessons starting this month. I’m a single parent and do not have the extra cash to pitch in. He is determined to make this happen. He has already flown a few times with my friend, but never landed one yet. That will come with his lessons. He wants to be a business pilot. Not a career that pays a lot of money at first - you have to love to fly and once you are a seasoned pilot you may make more $. At his dad’s house his room is filled with model airplanes from different eras, but mostly WWII. I miss seeing them hanging from his ceiling. It was really neat watching his progression as he got better and better at building them. If all goes well with his lessons, he may be doing his first solo flight by the time he is 16. We’ll see…wish him luck. 
To me the most amazing thing is not just that the model is still in service after 60 years, but that the last B-52 to be built rolled off the assembly line in October 1962, meaning that each individual plane is at least 49 years old.
I filmed a test mission with a B-52 during Desert Storm. One of the most awesome…and horrifying…things I’ve ever seen. When those bay doors open, it just rains bombs. Gonna be a really bad day for whatever is on the ground below…
Yeah, the old joke was that B-52’s were being flown by pilots that were younger than their plane. Now they’re being flown by pilots whose parents are younger than their plane. And as I posted, some of those planes are scheduled to remain in service for at least another thirty years - they’re going to be flying eighty-five year old planes.
I graduated from USAF pilot training in 1982. Several pilots from my class were assigned B-52s.
In once case the guy’s father *and *grandfather had both flown B-52s. His Dad was then a senior SAC leader. His granddad had been part of the original USAF test & acceptance team when the first B-52s were tested & delivered.
I don’t know if my classmate ever had kids, but if he had, that child would now be in his/her mid-late 20s. It’s *possible *he/she is flying B-52s his/her great-grandfather had flown.
And given USAF’s plans to keep them around for another 30+ years from now, it just *might *be possible for my classmate’s grandchild to fly the damn things.
5 generations of BUFF drivers. That’s just wrong.
Another USAF vet happened to send me this today: bobshermanspage.com.
Lots of pictures & not much commentary. But a nice compilation nonetheless.
There’s a T-38 being used as a park display in upstate NY. I have some pictures if you want them.
Thanks, but I’ll pass. Somewhere around here, I should still have a picture of the T-38 with my name on the backseat. Also have a few other pictures I took, and even some video…if the tapes are still playable after all these years.