101 Republic F-84F <i>Thunderstreak</i> fighters of the federalized U.S. Air National Guard and a single Douglas C-124 <i>Globemaster II</i> at Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, Newfoundland (Canada), in November 1961, prior to flying the Atlantic to Europe in response to the Berlin Crisis. Because of the long over-water distance to the next airfield in the Azores, the planes were towed to the end of the runway prior to takeoff to conserve fuel. During this Operation Stair Step deployment of more than 200 fighter aircraft (the largest overseas movement of a fighter force since World War II), not a single plane was lost.
USAF
1961-11
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/photos/index.asp">National Museum of the U.S. Air Force</a> photo <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/050420-F-1234P-002.jpg">050420-F-1234P-002</a>