One of the best flying examples of an F-86 Sabre is for sale by its Canadian owner for the seemingly bargain price of $795,000 USD. Vintage Wings of Canada is selling its Canadair MK-V Sabre, named Hawk One, which has been used as an air demonstration aircraft since 2009. The airplane was flown on behalf of the Ottawa-based private collection by astronaut Chris Hadfield and other pilots and was flown regularly until 2015. The nonprofit foundation that ran Vintage Wings’ flight ops has been restructured and it would appear the notoriously thirsty Sabre is a casualty of that. The aircraft is being sold by Courtesy Aircraft Sales in Rockford, Illinois.
The Sabre in question was built in Canada and has the more powerful Orenda 14 engine that is favored by fans of the airplane. It served in the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1968. It’s painted in the gold and red livery of the RCAF Golden Hawks, the air demonstration team that came before the Snowbirds. The airplane was owned by EAA in the 1990s and flown in U.S. Air Force colors. The aircraft has had a lot of work, including a rebuilt engine, modern avionics, updated ejection seat and dozens of other items far exceeding the asking price. It has 3,506 hours TT and 363 hours since its restoration.
