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I’m sure that most readers will be familiar with the name William Tell. Many will automatically associate it with the legendary 14th Century Swiss marksman. In that era, the crossbow was the weapon of choice, but several hundred years later, the name William Tell became synonymous with excellence in air defence, being adopted for the fighter weapons meet that involved use of cannon and missile armament in competition. Lindsay Peacock delves into the archive for GAM.

In fact, this event began at Yuma, Arizona in 1954 and was originally concerned only with air-to-air rocketry. Subsequently, in 1958, it moved to Tyndall, Florida and expanded in scope to embrace other forms of missile armament as well as air-to-air gunnery. Traditionally an Air Defense Command event for much of its life, it continued to form part of thethe Tactical Air Command calendar for some considerable time, although I believe it has now lapsed, not having been staged since 2004. Some 30 years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend two such meets – in 1980 and 1982 – at a time when classic fighters like the F-106 Delta Dart were still to be seen and when colour schemes were so much moremore vivid than those of the modern era. Having raided the archive, I present just a small selection of the images I took during those two visits to Tyndall.

A clear link between the modern day Fighter Weapons Meet and the legendary marksman of the 14th Century is provided by this piece of artwork which adorned the nose wheel doors of all five Michigan ANG F-4C Phantoms in 1980. Almost inevitably, it also incorporates the celebrated Spook of Phantom phame…

Below - Heading back to the flight line at the 1980 meet, this North Dakota ANG F-4D from the “Happy Hooligans” at Fargo tows its colourful braking chute past F-106 Delta Darts and F-101 Voodoos from Guard units in Massachusetts and New York.

In addition to hosting the weapons meet, Tyndall was also home to the Air Defense Weapons Center (ADWC), which operated a mixed fleet of aircraft in 1980, including examples of the F-101, F-106 and T-33. This is one of the dwindling number of Voodoos that remained on strength in 1980.

Above - Raring to go… Pilot and Weapon System Officer of a Michigan Phantom wait clearance to taxi. An air combat manoeuvring instrumentation pod is visible on the inboard pylon, while in the background F-101s and F-106s from other participants stand idle waiting their turn to see some action.

Right - Pretty tails all in a row – a sequential run of F-106As from the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. In times past, the fin badge would have been that of Air Defense Command, but by 1980, this organisation was history, with former assets now assigned to Tactical Air Command, whose badge is carried on the tail.

Left - For 1980, Canada sent along a composite team with CF-101B Voodoos. The team consisted of the usual five aircraft – consisting of four primary machines and a spare – which included 101030 shown here moving clear of the runway at the end of a competition profile.

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Caught on the transient line in 1980, the imposing bulk of the Voodoo is captured in this view of a visiting F-101F from the Texas ANG’s 147th Fighter Interceptor Group at Ellington. The Voodoo was still a fairly common sight in 1980, but within two years, the only operational Voodoos were those that continued in service with Canada.

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Normally resident at Langley AFB, Virginia – coincidentally the headquarters of Tactical Air Command – it’s hardly surprising that the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron made the proud boast of being “Defenders of TAC”. Displaying typical colourful unit markings, a brace of F-15As get airborne in fine style at the start of another William Tell mission.

Still with us today, albeit in much reduced numbers, the F-15 Eagle was a newcomer to William Tell competition in 1982, with examples provided by three major Air Force commands. Displaying the badges of all three assigned squadrons (12th, 44th and 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron), this particular aircraft hails from the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kadena, Okinawa.

Left - Range instrumentation pods are just visible beneath the wings of this pair of 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron F-4Es running in over Tyndall for the break at the end of another demanding mission.

BottomBottom left - Each of the five F-4Cs from the Michigan Air National Guard that took part in the 1982 competition featured different nose art. This is F-4C 63-7460 “Puff the Magic Dragon”.

BelowBelow - William Tell wasn’t just about the participants, for the base at Tyndall also welcomed a considerable number of visiting aircraft during the duration of the meet. Some were from units engaged in the competition, exemplified here by this handsome Lockheed T-33A (58-613) from Langley’s 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

Above - Having previously taken part during the F-102 Delta Dagger era, the 57th FIS returned in 1982, by which time the Keflavik-based unit had transitioned to the mighty F-4E Phantom. Seen from the imposing vantage point of the control tower, two of their aircraft take flight.

Right - Displaying additional fuselage markings that may indicate assignment to the squadron commander, F-106A 90082 is from the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Griffiss AFB, New York. Typical of those units that operated the ‘six’, the exterior finish was nothing less than immaculate, despite the aircraft being more than 20 years old.

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Elegance personified… Without doubt the most handsome of all the celebrated “Century Series”, the F-106A Delta Dart just looked so right, especially when viewed from an elevated position. Tyndall’s control tower was about as elevated as you could get without actually flying and the clean lines of a 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron ‘Six’ are displayed to advantage in this study of one returning to the flight line on completion of a William Tell sortie.

Left - By no means as immaculate as those of the USAF, this Canadian CT-133 Silver Star was arguably one of the most colourful examples of the breed and was one of a number of Canadian Tee-birds that visited Tyndall during the course of the 1982 competition. Lacking any kind of distinguishing unit insignia, it is seen here shortly before heading back to the mother country.country.

Health and safety legislation would probably outlaw it today, but the hangar ladder offered an excellent vantage point and proved popular with photographers. I certainly expended a lot of energy clambering up and down it, but it was well worth the effort. Here, a Michigan ANG F-4C taxis past a rather more familiar aircraft to European eyes in the shape of a Bitburg-based F-15 Eagle. Units tasked with the air defence mission generally were much more colourful than their tactical counterparts and this pristine Phantom is no exception.

The next generation full-scale aerial target had still to become operational in 1982, but several QF-100 Super Sabres were in evidence. Most of these machines would eventually end their days in a watery resting place in the adjacent Gulf of Mexico.

By 1982, the F-101 had disappeared from the ADWC flight line, but the F-106 was still very much in evidence. Since it was primarily concerned with training, it’s hardly surprising that most of the assigned aircraft were two-seat F-106Bs, but some single-seat F-106As were also on strength and one of these is seen here shortly before departure.

The 49th TFW at Holloman AFB, New Mexico was another outfit that took Eagles to the 1982 meet. Here, two of their F-15As get yet another mission under way.

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American claims that William Tell was an international meet were justified by the regular participation of Canada. In 1982, 425 Squadron represented the northern neighbour and one of their F-101Bs is seen here. Although not quite such a lofty viewpoint as the control tower, a conveniently positioned ladder on the side of a hangar offered a somewhat precarious perch forfor photographers seeking a rather different perspective.

The ADWC was also the last stronghold for another long-serving type. I refer to the Lockheed T-33A which was used as a target for interception exercises amongst other duties. Most were finished in what might best be described as “ADC gray”, but this example (58-612) was unusual in being largely natural metal. Coincidentally, it rolled off the assembly line immediatelyimmediately before the other USAF T-33A that appears in this feature.

The previous generation of aerial targets was provided by the F-102 Delta Dagger, the rather more portly predecessor to the Delta Dart. This QF-102A was one of the dwindling number of survivors that still lingered at Tyndall in 1982. By the time of the next William Tell competition in 1984, all had gone.

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