56-0451 at the Selfridge Air Museum painted as 59-0082 (see below letter). The real 59-0082 was a Kincheloe/Griffiss bird with the 49th FIS.  56-0451 used to be at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, but was moved to Selfridge.

560451 as 590082	560451	560451 Aug 2000	560451 Aug 2000

This was the first F-106 built and first flew for 20 minutes at Edwards AFB, CA on 26 December 1956 as a YF-106A. The "Buzz Number " FC-451 indicates the period of time when F-102B was the designation of the aircraft. "Buzz Numbers" of FC for the F-102 were changed to FE for the F-106 after manufacture of the third aircraft. In less than four years, 56-0451 was retired to Wright - Patterson AFB, Ohio. There it remained until being moved to Selfridge ANG Base on about the 7th of April, 1989. More photos of 56-0451 on display at WPAFB can be found on the WPAFB Display page below. A rich history of this and the first F-106s built can be found in Vol 13 of the Wings of Fame book, listed on the "BOOKS/CREDITS" page of this web site. Aircraft 56-0451 was repainted to 59-0082 for reasons unknown to me, as the real 59-0082 was an original tail number assigned the 438th FIS, Kincheloe AFB, MI until being transferred to the 49th FIS, Griffiss AFB, New York in 1968. ( I was at Kincheloe/Griffiss from 1960 to 1972 ). Aircraft 59-0082 was shot down as a QF-106 at Tyndall AFB, FL by an AIM-9M Missile on 15 May 1992, so it is unclear to me why 56-0451 was repainted as 59-0082.

Why the 082 Paint Job? by Doug Barbier, ex-MAGHA Board of Directors, ex-191st 'driver' F-4C/D, F-16A/ADF, 17 Nov 1999:
    I can clear up the ?? on why it's painted as 59-082.  The Air Force Museum did it!!  For many years it was on display in Dayton in it's original paint, but they wanted to show an operational aircraft, so they 'dummied it up' as a 49th bird. They finally received an actual operational bird (the one that landed itself while assigned to Malmstrom) so -451 became excess.  We'd been trying to get a six for eons up at Selfridge and were first on the list for it when it became available.   When we went down to pick it up to trailer it up to Selfridge, we found it still had the engine in it!! This caused no end of problems and delays, because AF wanted the engine back so they could use it in the drone program.  Soooo, we took a bunch of our old crew chiefs down there, pulled the motor out... and then took it apart to move it up north.  We haven't had the opportunity to repaint it yet - the EPA regs are murder.... but it's still hanging in there!  Note:  the Selfridge Air Museum is in the process of moving to new, larger quarters and the outdoor display area has been quadrupled! Doug