The prototype Crusader single-seat carrier-based fighter flew for the first time on 25 March 1955. The first production F-8A flew on 20 September of the same year and this version began reaching US Navy operational squadrons in March 1957. It was produced as a day fighter powered initially by a 7290kg Pratt & Whitney J57-P-12 turbojet and on later aircraft a 7370kg P-4A engine. A photo-reconnaissance version was also produced as the RF-8A.
Several other versions of the Crusader were produced. The F-8B had a J57-P-4A engine and improved radar; the F-8C a 7700kg J57-P-16 engine; the F-8D with limited all-weather capability and an 8190kg J57-P-20 engine; the F-8E with improved all-weather capability and an enlarged nose radome; the F-8E (FN) export version of the F-8E for the French Navy (provision for Matra R.530 missiles in addition to Sidewinders) with blown flaps; the RF-8G (modernised RF-8A with updated equipment); and the F-8H/J/K/L modernised versions of the F-8D/E/C/B respectively, with updated equipment and attack capability. The F-8H also served with the air force of the Philippines.
As a tincan swabie we were the forward controller during the 1958 Lebanon Crisis and enjoyed the F8U return trip bridge level fly bys with afterburners and vertical barrel rolls. Great aircraft and great pilots! Only entertainment we had for 32 days!
In Dec 61 an F8U-1P from Cecil enroute to Norfolk had a flame out and the pilot ejected with the craft pointed to sea. It relit and started to fly in circles coming closer to land. The decision was made to put it down and "they" launched two AD's to strafe it. No joy. Then two A4D's with the same result. By the time "they" got to their senses and launched two F8U-2's from VF-103 in Oceana the F8U-1P was closing on land and the two pilots Lcdr Simmons and Lcdr Rutherford "sandwiched" the 1P, One on top and one on the bottom and steered the 1-P out to sea again. They broke off and came back each firing a sidewinder and both found their mark. The 1-P was no longer a threat to the coastal towns. Other than a short blurb in a Norfolk paper there wasn't much said about this incident but I thought those pilates were great. VF-103 took a lot of ribbing because they were a "day" fighter squadron, but this threat was taken out at night.
On Jan.1960 I was involved in an accident on the runway at El-Toro at night. The result was a destroyed rear end of my a /c and the front of the other one. The two good parts were salvaged and a new a /c, the only one of its kind,was built. Anyone have any info on this?
I joined VMF251 at ElToro as a 6412 in 1959 and we TADed to Yuma and El Centro and on the Oriskany while in California. We then shipped out on the USNS Core with our planes to Japan. We landed at Yokohama and unloaded our planes and they flew them to Atsugi (East Camp)where we set up our operations. We then TADed to NAS Cubi Point, Subic Bay Philippines for about 5 months, Boy! was it hot down there. We then went to Ping Tung, Taiwan for operation Blue Star. We also had Carrier qualifications aboard the Ranger and The Midway and had ground operations on Okinawa at Naha. Carrier activities were very exciting and interesting to say the least. Then back to Atsugi, Japan till we rotated back to the good old USA. Lots of good times in Yamto, Japan and also in Olongapo, Philippines. Met and became friends with some really great guys in VMF 251 both enlistment people and Officers /Pilots. One that comes to mind was Capt. Leathers who was lost off the coast of Okinawa, also S /Sgt William Errear and Line Chief M.R. Williams. I still wonder sometimes what ever happened to guys like Stephen Kizima or Kenny Fortenberry, H.R. Victor. It is nice to correspond with William J. Cunningham,Dick Leitte, Ricky Palmersheim and Ward Miller. H.L. Henderson was my best man at my wedding after he and I were discharged in San Francisco and made a trip to his home in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a couple of years that I would not trade for anything as a life experience. CUSTOS CAELORUM VMF 251 Hope all of you "Hackers" out there are still Hacking it!
Does anyone remember in 1958 when VMF251 had just received their first F8s,,when a youg 2nd Lt. took off on his Fam 1 and was blasted out of the plane at about 20000 ft ( unintended ejection)...yep, that was me....and then,the rescue chopper also crashed in the Eliot National Forest and we came back to El Toro in a Highway troopers car !!!!!
Hello Mr. Black: My name is George Gewehr and I'm trying to find out some information about an incident I witnessed. In 1958 I was in MCRD San Diego going through boot camp. On a particular day, which I think was a Sunday, we were sitting on our buckets on our platoon street shining our boon docker boots. Overhead I heard an explosion, not loud but it got my attention, so I looked up. At that moment a pilot had ejected, and his chute was open. His airplane, an F-8 was turning slightly right pointed north and nose down. Two other F-8s were circling him as he drifted towards the south. The date of it I'm not sure of, but it was in 1958, later in the year around mid August or early September. Thanks for any information you might remember.
Aptly nicknamed 'the last of the gunfighters' (Re. as Silver below says, due to its sterling service in Vietnam). A true legend, forgotten and overshadowed by, the also excellent Phantom II.
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.
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.
Hello Mr. Black:
My name is George Gewehr and I'm trying to find out some information about an incident I witnessed. In 1958 I was in MCRD San Diego going through boot camp. On a particular day, which I think was a Sunday, we were sitting on our buckets on our platoon street shining our boon docker boots. Overhead I heard an explosion, not loud but it got my attention, so I looked up. At that moment a pilot had ejected, and his chute was open. His airplane, an F-8 was turning slightly right pointed north and nose down. Two other F-8s were circling him as he drifted towards the south. The date of it I'm not sure of, but it was in 1958, later in the year around mid August or early September. Thanks for any information you might remember.
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