Thought the stall speed was a little too hight on this bird.I have about 1000 houres in this bird. She was a little tricky at night with a stiff cross wind and once I hade to push the stick full forward to stop from stalling.

I was a mechanic on the F-8, from the F8-B to the F8-E and also the RF-8 (VFP 63). This was the most beautiful bird in the air, I got sick when our squardon (VF-33) tramsfered to the F4 Phatmons

The max range on a fighter was somewhat less than the photo bird and I've been across the States from NKX to JAX several times with the photo Crusader with a little tail wind without refueling. Comfort level get close with the fighter went you're coming down at idle from 40,000 feets with nozzles closed a hundred miles out looking at 1200 pounds in a fighter like the F8J. Flew almost all models of this beautiful plane and enjoyed most. A black night on the Hanna in the Gulf got interesting at times. Should remind everyone that this was the leading "MIG Killer" in Vietnam and it took some of our F8 jocks to pass on some of the lessons learned to both the Air Force there and our F4 buddies in NKX. All of this was incorporated in the Top Gun school against the Bolted Up Slats of the A4. Spent a lot of time there against many types flying in the 70's. Had over 500 traps in this bird with over 125 at night. Pilots above have spoke well of this plane and with the right man behind the stick, the foes had their hands full. Earlier films of our last combat hops against the F4's were shown often at Happy Hour. Our new guys learned to love this bird as well. Clean this plane was a dream to fly. Loved the many trips to Oklahoma and Dallas picking up frozen meat in the empty ammo holes. Use two planes once and brought the whole steer back. Thanks for the help Boomer. Miss both the Crusader and fine pilots I flew with. As for the Hancock cruises, that's something else. Stop by San Diego and see the Crusader on the port cat with it's sister, the A7 on the starboard.

By far my favorite aircraft. After 1000 plus hours in the F8 I transitioned to the F4J and felt as though I gone from a sports car to a truck. Coming aboard ship required some skill as the F8 was very clean, (not much drag), and speed control could be a problem, but at least by the time I flew them in the early to late 1960s the F8 performed admirably as a carrier based aircraft. In Vietnam we flew F8Es, mostly in an air to ground role. It wasn't the mission we wanted but the aircraft was a very good rocket firing platform, great at straffing, and not bad as a bomber once one had some practice. I was sorry to see the F8 go. The lucky French Navy hung on to theirs until December of 1999.

From a maintainer's viewpoint the F-8 was a challenge, but an enjoyable one for many of us. It was easily the prettiest bird on anybody's deck and we got to rub shoulders with arguably the best pilots America ever produced; we also got to watch hot-rod performances in the air. The joke of those days was that the Russians had developed a missile designed exclusively to shoot down Vought aircraft: the HOHV, which stood for "Home On Hydraulic Fluid".

I am eternally grateful to have flown this exceptional aircraft in the primary air defense of our much maligned Carribean bastion with a great squadron. It was delightful to hear the recorded surprised remarks of F4 crews when they realized they had a "Sader" on their "six," and when the Cuban Migs would turn away when confronted by a single Sader.

Flew the bird from '57 till'72 and acquired a tad over 2900 hrs.in all versions except the "J" model. VF-91, VF-174,
VU-10, VC-4, VF-24, VF-124, and VF-201. Kept getting orders
to everything from A-6s to the Double-breasted Shit-can but always managed to snivel my way back into an F8 cockpit,even
taking non career-enhancing jobs to stay in a single-seater.

The comment submission dates are incorrect.

In '57-'59, while assigned to VF-154 at Moffet, we deployed with our F-8s on the old wooden deck USS Hancock (CVA-19). (The 1st PACFLT Crusader squadron to do so.) Upon joining the squadron in Sept '56 there were 13 nuggets (1st tour aviators) flying the FJ-3 Fury,2 of which were still flying off the "boat" when we returned from our first F-8 deployment two years later. We never qualified for carrier night ops during this time. (It was hard enough getting aboard during the day.) I was the first "fleet" F-8 pilot to instruct FRPs (Fleet Replacement Pilots) in VF-124. A year later I left the Navy to became Hank Lankford's ass't. at Vought. After it become LTV I returned to active duty and instructed in the F-11 in Beeville. To my regret I never flew the Crusader again. In May '08 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our 1st deployment.

I was at El Toro, early 1958--VMF 451 as a 6511 and was shipped out to Atsugi before I really had a chance to learn much about the Crusader--but it was quite an experiance. The F-4D Skyray we had in Formosa is "another story".
Cpl. McMahon USMC/1651628

Only had twelve hundred hours in the this great aircraft, one flight deck level ejection, one dead stick into Dover AFB from overhead Pax River, and one night landing with locked brakes and a gear fire that lit up Cecil. Was a wonder to fly, and the E though a little heavy was my favorite.

Have 500 hours in the "F8H" in the reserves. (VC-13 Nas New Orleans, La.) Hassled against F8Ks, Js, F-100s, F-104s, F4s, F-106s, etc. A wonderful machine that had to be flown correctly to win. The "H" was the best F8 with the P-420 engine. In the specs above, don't believe range is 2423 NM. If you got a thousand NM, IFR reserve, no wind, you were good. As a former USAF pilot, the F8 with the same engine as it's AF counterparts performed twice as well. A FUN airplane, but only the very best could fly it well.

My unit had six "saders" and five pilots, how much fun was that?

Pat

Over 1,000 hours with 150 combat missions. Great airplane and will always be my favorite; however, she required your full attention. Tended to be a hydraulic nightmare for the maintainers. Hard burner light got you moving quickly. On test flights have seen 1.92 mach. s/f beaver

I flew the "gator" from the F-8U 1, to the K and 2NE and everyone of them was a wonderful air to air top notch machine. Ramp to tail clearance left something to be desired.

This ole bird provided me with a couple of hundred combat missions in 1966-1967 with squadrons 312, 235. and 232. Same number of take-off and landings.