Oh How They Flew Part 1 of 2 498th FIS Geiger Tigers

This is part 1 of 2 the story of Lt. Col Garth "Gabby" Reynolds, Capt. Bud Sherman, and my father, Tom Dozier, and "The Geiger Tigers".
This video is another in my line of exclusive videos.


Gabby was promoted to Lt Col that spring, and he began building the squadron into tigers. The men needed more than just a motto. Gabby wanted his squadron, to be recognized wherever they went. He authorized a flamboyant paint job for the airplanes. The squadron color was Medium Blue; and Gabby, Tom Dozier (GE Tech Rep), and Bud Sherman designed a paint scheme. The tail, canopy rail, wingtips, and scallops on the drop tanks would be blue with white stars. The star pattern on the tall was 9 stars shaped like an 'N', which stood for 9th Air Division. This was repeated on the canopy rail. On the nose was a fierce looking tiger mouth, a natural for the F-86D. Now the squadron aircraft looked like tigers - GEIGER TIGERS!
COL 'Gabby' gave the squadron an attitude of cocky professionalism - very cocky! When the Tigers deployed to Yuma for their first rocketry training in 1955, they did it in style. Taxiing in, the pilots opened the canopies and donned black 'derby hats' and blue scarves. Attached to the wingtips of each airplane was a plywood cutout of a Geiger Tiger, complete with black derby and blue scarf blowing in the breeze. It was quite an entrance. And one not appreciated by the other squadrons deployed to Yuma.
The other squadrons, not too impressed with the 'entrance', promptly made it known that the Tigers better be able to back up the show. The Tigers wore their derbys wherever they went, even the NCOs. When the NCO Club manager asked them to remove their derbys, the Tigers calmly replied - "The Geiger Tigers don't take their hats off to anyone!" That promptly got the entire squadron banned from the club. SGT Flynn rapidly organized a venture across the border for booze, returning with literally gallons of rum. The Tigers set up their own 'club' in one of the squadron tents, which was soon out-selling the bar at the club they were banned from! Most of the segments are shot at Vincent AFB, Yuma, AZ. But the 'lost pilot' segments showing him stopping to look at highway signs and flying under highway bridges, were shot in Tom Dozier's car with a cameraman shooting over the windshield. 'Inflight' close-ups, including the eager beaver pilot in his coonskin cap, were all filmed on the Yuma ramp. All actual flying was done by Bud Sherman and Gabby. The gaudy Geiger Tiger paint job was further accentuated by the addition of personal markings. The aircraft were all named - "TIGER DEE", "TEXAS
TERROR", "THE BIG WHEEL". My personal favorite was "BIG VIV", with a 4 foot tall brunette in a red bathing suit painted on the nose. North American printed and re-printed the film, Everyone in the Air Force seemed to want a copy. And the Geiger Tigers were famous. Oh yes, even with all the movie nonsense going on, the squadron still won their competition. (Above story excerpted from an article by Larry Davis as told by my father to him)
www.sabre-pilots.org/classics/v52geiger.htm

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• f-86
• sabre
• dog
• air
• force
• geiger
• tigers
• aviation
• flying
• awesome
• extreme
• rare
• video
• parody
• funny

[grittenhouse1]

This film was a Big surprise to me! I remember seeing it when I was only 7 or 8 yrs old. Bud Sherman was my mothers brother. The family is pretty much all gone except for Buds brother Dale and Buds boys and girl in Utah. I think they still live there. I still live in Michigan. Is there any way to get a copy of this film in DVD ? I'm willing to pay for it. Thanks for putting it on U Tube !! Jerry Rittenhouse (grittenhouse0209@charter.net)

[TJDOZIER1]

@grittenhouse1

He put me in his aircraft cockpit when I was only 16 months old.

My father was there the day Captain Bud Sherman was lost.

My mother remembers the base duty call for his family.

I will contact you on email.

[lqiyun7]

LOL. how did the planes fly backwards?.........

[TJDOZIER1]

They just ran the film backward!

[Quadrant14]

Gems , thanks a lot for these :-} wet my pants

[lqiyun7]

OH! LOL!.. Silly me, haha :)

[SolarPL]

Great ;)

[25foxbat1]

funny !!! and creative too . . . !! thanks for posting ..

[icrashgood]

I was there and am in the movie. I am one of the guys coming out of the Motel which is really the Yuma Territorial Prison.

It was a lot of fun being in it and more fun to see it now. Would love to have it on a DVD or even VHS.

[formydog1234]

Thanks so much for posting these two videos. I've been looking for these for years. I used to sponsor a film show at the 90th TFS in the 76-79 timeframe and 'Geiger Tigers' was in the USAF film library along with P-47 Thunderbolt.

Thanks Again.

Jiffy Jeff