We just learned that Turkey Joe Turner headed west on June 10th 2015. An SSS member as well as an F-86 Pilots Association member, Joe was well known in both those communities. His Bio, is current, sans photo’s, with the SSS.
Turkey Joe briefly held the SSS “Stake Your Claim” title of Lowest type time for Hun CCT/RTU IP qualification = 51.2 hours, which bettered the original 206-hour claim of Ken McDaniel as awarded in Issue 19 of The Intake.The circumstances for Joe’s claim as published in Issue 20 of The Intake are quoted below.
“At Luke during summer and early fall of 1958, the 4510th CCTW was changing from the F-84F to the F-100 while finishing out three or four classes in the ‘Super Hog.’ According to my dog-eared Form 5, my first F-100F flight was on 09/08/58, first F-100C on 09/09/58 and I was appointed IP in the F-100F and C by SO A-482, per para 5, dated 10/24/58. On that date, I had 51.2 total hours in both aircraft. I am sure there were others at Luke that made IP with less time. Since we were all IPs in the 84F and the E/G-models before, we only had to get Hun experience. Check with Bob Fizer, as he and I were in the first group to upgrade.”
Alas, Turkey Joe’s claim was soon bettered by Jerry Fowler’s 24.15 hours as published in Issue 23 of The Intake. And that’s the way the Stake Your Claim Game is played…one-upsmanship. A good example of ongoing camaraderie among Super Sabre Society members!