Eight years ago “the somewhat dilapidated state” of ex-SA Air Force (SAAF) Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk 6 (361) at the Air Force Museum headquarters outside Pretoria saw an enthusiastic group of newcomers to the Friends of the SAAF Museum (FSAAFM) decide to make the jet fighter a properly presentable static exhibit.
Montagu Thorne and Matthew Olivier were two of the newcomers who took on Sabre 361 and they report, now the project is done and dusted, they were “relatively green” when it came to working on static – “or any” – aircraft.
“It was,” the pair wrote “an idea born out of our passionate enthusiasm for aviation and this piece of heritage”.
“We thought – naively – that it would be a relatively straightforward cosmetic restoration being a predominantly bare metal aircraft with relatively minimal markings left on the airframe. A proposal was drafted and after getting approval for commencement of the project we set about completing the first task on the list – polishing the oxidised exterior of the aircraft.
“It became evident that we required a far larger work force than initially estimated, so we gradually recruited interested members of the FSAAFM and acquired more appropriate equipment to complete this first task. After starting polishing, we started to remove and replace visibly rusty panel screws from the exterior of the aircraft.
“Why replace the screws? What’s the use of putting all the effort of polishing all the aluminium for it to be marred by rusty screws? This was the second shock particularly because 361 had spent a reasonable portion of its time at the SAAF Museum as an outside display, leaving plenty of time for exposed steel fasteners to rust solid. As time went on we became well-practiced in rusty screw removal which gave us the confidence to start removing fairings and panels that needed more focused care than just polishing.
“At this point we reached out for assistance to those who had far more knowledge in terms of practical aircraft restoration than we had at the time and after meeting with and discussing our restoration plans with some SAAF Museum technical staff, we were delighted by how willing they were to help us in our mission and pass their valuable skills onto us and other members involved.
“It cannot be stressed enough how valuable these SAAF Museum personnel were during the practical restoration process, pointing us in the right direction in terms of correct techniques used in basic sheet metal work, panel-beating, corrosion treatment and final repainting of restored parts. In summary, the tasks completed on the project included polishing, panel beating, priming, painting, restoration and replacement of corroded fasteners, stencilling and replacement of the old, sunbaked canopy with a newer one kept in storage.
“Naturally, the project had numerous challenges. Base lockdowns imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, project members immigrating, retirement of some SAAF Museum technical staff and politics within the project all delayed progress, but did give us opportunity to further finetune our process and plan out the next set of restoration project tasks along the way and in what order to complete them.
“Post 2020 we decided to focus our recruitment drive on junior aviation and military enthusiasts, a demographic which was under-represented in many restoration projects at the time. As a result, we met numerous individuals whose contributions were crucial and formed life-long friendships in the process.”
The final conclusion, according to Thorne and Olivier, was a February 2025 function at the SAAF Museum to thank all involved in the restoration of Sabre 361 during “the six odd years of its duration”. The function also honoured a pair or former 1 Squadron Sabre pilots – ‘Billy Boys’ John Boardman and Toby Adelaar.
“They gladly shared a few favourite anecdotes about their times in service in Sabre cockpits, including the new static display-worthy 361, 70 years ago.” The Billy Boys was a nickname adopted by 1 Squadron personnel during World War II with sister fighter squadron – 2 Squadron – earning the Flying Cheetahs label. This later proved particularly apt for the squadron, based at what was Air Force Base (AFB) Louis Trichardt, now AFB Makhado, flying French-built Mirages until October 1990 when the first South African Cheetahs arrived. In 1993 the unit became the sole front line combat jet squadron in the SAAF.
On behalf of the entire FSAAFM team which took on the Sabre 361 project, Thorne and Olivier thanked SAAF Museum personnel, represented by Major Kedi Moagi, “without whom completing the project would not have been possible”.
“This restoration project is dedicated to those who served our country in both 1 and 2 Squadrons, past and present and we hope restoration of this aircraft for public display at the SAAF Museum serves as a token of our continued appreciation,” they said.
