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"The Spirit of Enka" a Cold War Era 1953 Republic-Fairchild RF-84F Thunderflash aircraft in Candler, North Carolina. Photo by author after restoration in summer/fall 2018
Did you know that there is a Cold War era Reconnaissance Fighter Jet in Candler, North Carolina? It was brought to Enka High School (now Enka Middle School) in 1972 for use by their Airforce ROTC program. Read on to learn about the history of this incredible local icon its journey to the Enka/Candler Community.
"The Spirit of Enka" after transfer to French fighting group. First known RF-84F to be painted in the camouflage paint scheme, rather than polished aluminum finish.
The Spirit of Enka History: Part 1
The year was 1953…
General Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated President of the United States on January 20th. Joseph Stalin, Supreme Ruler of the Soviet Union, died on March 5th, replaced by Georgi Malenkov. The long dark days of the Korean War are winding down, with the armistice signed on July 27th. The Cold War is just beginning to heat up.
Republic Aviation Corporation manufactures an RF-84F Photo Reconnaissance Jet fighter plane, Serial Number 53-7570, under contract with the United States Air Force in Farmingdale, New York that would later come to be known as “The Spirit of Enka.”
The RF-84F is just one of the family of F-84s manufactured during this time; the original straight wing F-84 Thunderjet, the swept wing F-84 Thunderstreak, the RF-84 Thunderflash, There were a total of 715 of the RF-84F made, to fulfill the duty of a supersonic surveillance jet, that could also double as a fighter Jet if necessary. It houses four wing-root mounted .50 Caliber machine guns, 4 nose mounted cameras for taking surveillance photographs and an in flight audio recording system for the pilot to make surveillance notes.
Transfer to French Air Reconnaissance Squadron
In 1957 our Jet was transferred to Armée de l'Air, The French Air Force. Of the only 715 RF-84Fs manufactured by Republic Fairchild, most were loaned to our NATO allies; France, Belgium, Germany, and Greece. Model 46RE arrived in squadrons from July 1957 to ERT (Escadron de Reconnaissance Tactique). Enka’s jet, tail number 53-7570 was the first RF84F to change color in the summer of 1960, from all aluminum to camouflage, which was green and blue in a matte finish. This required 247 hours of paint work.
Of the RF-84Fs sent overseas, 88 RF-84F were delivered to the French Air Force.
Key Facts:
-Beginning of use: 1955
-First Air Base in France: COGNAC to replace the F84G Thunderjet.
-15 RF84F were used during the Suez Crisis in November 1956: “Musketeer” or “Mousquetaire” operation in the French Escadron de Reconnaissance Tactique ERT4/33 Squadron, based in CHYPRE AB.
- From 1957: The squadron moved from COGNAC to LAHR-HUGSWEIR in RFA for ERT 1/33, 2/33 and 3/33
- End of September 1959 :
o ERT 3/33 and 2/33 squadrons moved to the French Air Base BA124 in STRASBOURG-ENTZHEIM,
o ERT 1/33 stayed in LAHR till june 1961 and moved to French AB Luxeuil till January 1967.
End of use : 1966/67 (RF84F returned to USAF but also sent to Denmark, Turkey and Norway)
RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES
Upon the Jet’s deactivation by the French Air Force, as they upgraded their fleet to the at-the-time modern Mirage III, our Jet made its way back to the States, and was assigned to the 184th TRS of the Arkansas Air National Guard. During its time with the Arkansas Air National Guard (1966-1970), ARANG used these planes in pilot and ground crew training and missions.
During this time, the Jet was deactivated from active USAF service, and the tail number was changed from 53-7570 (37570 in France) to indicate deactivation, 0-37570. This number has been retained to this date.
The "Spirit of Enka" being transported by Skycrane Helicopter, photo courtesy of Enka High School yearbook, 1972
History of the “Spirit of Enka”
Part II – 1970-2014
Around the beginning of 1970, Colonel John Pennstrom and Sergeant Clarence Clark, instructors with the Air Force ROTC chapter located at Enka High School (now Enka Middle), began a letter-writing campaign to the USAF in search of a suitable mascot for the school. Pennstrom and Clark believed the jet would not only serve as a great mascot, but as an educational tool and point of pride for their Junior Air Force ROTC program. They had faced rejection previously as airplanes and other military equipment as static displays are typically only reserved for municipal buildings or VFW halls. They had written the Air Force early in 1968, but were rejected on their first try because of this reason.
During their second letter writing campaign, their letters came to the attention of Major General Roger K. Rhodarmer, 9th Air Force Commander at Shaw Air Force Base, outside of Columbia, SC. A native of Canton, North Carolina and a graduate of Canton High School, General Rhodarmer would take a particular interest in these letters being written by Pennstrom and Clark. The General was a distinguished reconnaissance pilot during WWII and directed USAF Photo Reconnaissance programs his entire post-WWII career.
The school would need to prepare for the arrival of the jet and construct a display area for it. The Enka High bricklaying class of 1972 was tasked with an important project: create a 30-foot cement pad ringed with brick to accommodate the jet. Students in this class used this as a project to learn drafting to design the pad and learned how to create a scale drawing with dimensions from the actual jet.
Approvals are finally obtained from the United States Department of Defense with orders being given to the Alabama Air National Guard transport. Enka’s Republic RF-84F Thunderflash (minus its engine) would be suspended under an Alabama Air National Guard Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter for delivery and flown from Shaw Airforce base to Candler, North Carolina, with a support crew in another Huey helicopter.
The delivery day finally arrived on April 18, 1972. The exact date the jet would be delivered was not known by Enka staff, as it was dependent on weather conditions and availability for the crew from Shaw Air Force Base. When the final orders were given to deliver the jet, the school only had a few hours’ notice before the arrival of the RF-84F. The crew of the Skycrane was accompanied in the mission by another helicopter containing a ground crew, which had anticipated fuel consumption for the mission that included an eleven minute window for lowering and delivering the plane. The mission was not without peril though, as the Skycrane helicopter had to carefully thread high voltage power lines running above the display pad, which extended the delivery window. This caused the Skycrane to barely have enough fuel to make it home back to Shaw AFB, when the delivery stretched to over twenty minutes. Later, a tow truck would be brought in to reposition the jet, due to the rushed delivery.
"The Spirit of Enka" after being delivered, cables still attached
Two days after the Jet’s arrival at its new home, there was a Dedication at the school for the new arrival. The main speaker at this dedication was none other than Major General Roger Rhodarmer himself. The pledge of allegiance was led, the Enka High band played several pieces and other dedications were made. In addition to Maj. General Rhodarmer, other speakers included Colonel Pennstrom and Enka High Principal W.E. McElrath.
On that sunny afternoon, guest speakers lift their lofty words and step down from the temporary stage while the proud and amazed crowd views the reflections of the Jet in wonder. As the sun sets, everyone drifts home and the RF-84F “Spirit of Enka” begins its last chapter in a long and distinguished military career. Enka High, “Home of the Jets” finally has an actual Jet as its mascot, the only school in the country to make this claim. Since that wonderful day, the “Spirit of Enka” has been a very real presence in the Enka Community and a major source of pride to the school.
History of the “Spirit of Enka”
Part III – 2014 and Beyond
Twenty five years after the installation of our Jet to its honored place at the front of Enka High School (Enka Middle School as of 1984), local weather had taken its toll on the exposed aircraft. Corrosion had created several small holes in the fuselage, while a broken turtle deck window from a student leaning on the aircraft had allowed water and small animals to invade the cockpit and fuselage. The jet had faced adversity and former repainting as before, when it was vandalized by Erwin High School as a homecoming prank in 1986. By 1997, the jet had become a shadow of its former glory with peeling paint and faded insignia. “The Spirit of Enka” needed help. The school Air Force ROTC got in contact with the USAF for help.
Help arrived, in May 1997, in the form of a crew from Shaw AFB. Members of the crew were: T Sgt Small, SRA Simmons, AIC Pelcheck and AIC Bulla. They inspected and repaired the jet, applied new paint, a protective clear coat, new lettering , and gave everything a good cleaning. This was the first formal restoration of the “Spirit of Enka” since it was delivered in 1972.
The Spirit of Enka’s Latest Restoration: Community Effort
Seventeen years later, the jet was in need of a restoration from the ravages of time and the elements. Enka’s principal, Leland Blankenship, reached out to Shaw Air Force base again for assistance in restoring our jet, but sadly the Air Force budget for restoration and maintenance of static display aircraft had been cut, with no assistance being offered. Disappointed but not discouraged, Blankenship would find the answer to his restoration dilemma through several committed members of the community.
In the Autumn of 2014, a local resident, Carl Raphael, began driving his daughter Holly to her new school, Enka Middle School, as she was just entering sixth grade. Sitting in the drive through line, the jet would catch his eye time and again, wondering what could become of it. After many mornings of imagining this machine soaring over Hominy Valley and one very fitful night of sleep, Raphael approached his co-worker and fellow wrench, Heath Towson to see if he might be interested in helping to restore the aircraft. Towson was all ears and together, the two of them decided to approach Principal Blankenship to see if they could help bring the jet back to her former glory.
After an initial meeting that included Blankenship, Raphael and Towson, they decided to form a formal committee that would meet semi-regularly. The original committee included Blankenship, Raphael, Towson, employees of Thermo Fisher Scientific, as well as a representative of the Flight Deck Veterans Group. Raphael was appointed the leader of the committee and set about assigning roles and working on a strategy with Blankenship to restore the jet. Heath put together a web page, (www.savethejet.com) which contained history, a photo gallery, donation information, and other documents about the Jet. Carl and Heath put together an informational multimedia presentation, with its first presentation being at the Enka Library in front of the Friends of the Enka Library. That evening, it attracted the attention of Buncombe County Commissioner Joe Belcher, who happened to be in attendance and would go on to be a champion of the fundraising efforts.
Work on the jet and replacing the canopy
While researching the Jet, Heath came across the F-84 Pilots’ Association. Through this contact, a gentleman by the name of Mark Pharo of Birmingham, Alabama was given to the Committee. Mark, an expert, specializing in restoration and repair of F-84s was able to provide guidance, knowledge on restoring the aircraft to USAF specifications.
The Thermo Fisher employees were specialists in metal fabrication and did much in the beginning to create aluminum plates to replace panels that had corroded. They also fabricated panels that fit over the broken window behind the canopy. The canopy of the Jet, made with two layers of Plexiglass, had become damaged during previous repair efforts. The outer layer was shattered in a myriad of pieces. This was a disappointing setback to the project, requiring creative thinking of how to fix the canopy in a proper way.
At this point of the restoration, Mark Pharo came through, in a big way. Through his good friend in France, Franck Severine, Mark was able to locate an original replacement canopy. This canopy was nailed up to someone’s wall in the Netherlands, being used as a greenhouse. Franck bought it, shipped it to France, then built a special crate for shipment to Asheville. Several weeks later, the canopy arrived intact and was taken to Enka to be united with our jet. Mark Pharo, Raphael, Blankenship and Towson spent one long, hot day in June 2018 from 8am until 8pm replacing the canopy. Removing the canopy with ordinary tools was out of the question due to rust and corrosion on the mechanism due to various moisture leaks. With a steady hand, Pharo cut through the old canopy and liberally oiled the mechanism to get it back into working condition again. With the replacement canopy sourced and this part of the plane functioning again, the jet committee was edging closer to completion.
Carl Raphael with the newly arrived canopy for "The Spirit of Enka"
Through the capable assistance of Dana Jones, paint rep of Sherwin-Williams, as well as Henry Holcombe, local commercial painting contractor, and Dean Jones of Sign One, who created all of the graphics, the Jet was sandblasted, primed, painted, and new decals applied, to complete the look of the Jet as you see it today.
Dean Jones completes the installation of the graphics on the Jet.
This iconic airplane has become such an important part of the Enka/Candler community. We hope it will continue to be appreciated for the next 50 years in our community!
During 1971-72, the Jet was finally deactivated for good, after serving nearly twenty years in distinguished service. One can only guess how many important photos were taken by the high-speed spy cameras mounted in the nose of this airplane during its long career in the Air Forces of two nations and one US State. After the final deactivation by the AR Air National Guard, the Jet made its last flight to Shaw Air Force Base near Columbia, South Carolina where most of its proprietary military equipment and Wright-Sapphire jet engine would be removed.
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