Excerpt from the plaque:
North American (Canadair) F-86 Sabre MK 6 – Development of the F-86 Sabre began in 1945 by North American Aviation, incorporating swept wing technology captured from the Germans during the Second World War. The XP-86 first flew in October 1947 and exceeded the speed of sound (Mach 1) while doing a dive in April 1948. Later that same year, an early production F-86 broke the world speed record (671 m.p.h.). By the spring of 1951, a total of nine RCAF squadrons were serving in Canada and Europe. The RAF ordered 370 Sabres from Canadair in 1951 and as the RCAF required additional fighters, an improved version (MK 4) was put into production.
All Sabres built between 1953 and 1958 (MK 5 & 6) were powered by Avro Orenda 10 or 14 engines. A total of 8861 F-86 Sabres were built between 1947 and 1958. The Canadian public best remembers them as the aircraft of the RCAF Golden Hawks aerobatic team of the 1960’s. The RCAF retired the F-86 Sabre from fighter operations in 1963, but it continued on in other roles until 1968.
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