Flew the F11 Tiger at Beeville, TX--my last A/C flown in training. Formation, Air to Air gunnery and Air to Air combat tactics. What a beauty to fly, especially right after the TF 9 Cougar. I do understand why the Blue's flew it for so long as it was a great little sport's car. Short legs as fuel was in Donut cells surrounding the engine. I remember 60, maybe 70 gallons being in the vertical stabilizer. That was used up during taxi and the start of take off roll. One of the first--maybe the first--A/C designed using Area Rule.

I don't believe the shells 'tumbled'. IIRC the shells were fired at an upward angle and the plane then dived. The falling shells then hit the plane which had 'taken a shortcut'.

I was lucky enough to fly the F-11 as a flight student just as it was leaving the training command in early '65. Apart from the F-8, this was the dream machine of us aspiring fighter jocks at that time.

As a kid, I loved Naval aviation as my pop served aboard cv32, having the F-9. Eventually the F-11 appeared and that became my favorite as we watched the Blues perform at NAS Willow Grove frequently. In those days it was nice to hear them occasionally break the sound barrier. What a beautiful aircraft, and what a thrill that was!

Great rudder a/c , clean , short legs , to bad they couldn't
get their hands on enough J-79 to out fit the fleet

The Yanks Air Museum in Chino, CA is currently restoring our F-11F Bu No 141735. It was with VF-21 NAS Oceana. Enjoyed reading all your comments very much.

I was an AD2 with VA-156 the first outfit that received the Tiger. We were at Moffit Field. First few aircraft were the short nose style but were fased out rather quickley. Took her on the Hancock for Quals. and then did a cruise to the Pacific in 1958.
I can never find anything about VA-156, but it was a good groupe. Fast bird but engine changes were a bear.

When I came to VT-26 in Beeville in 1965 we had the
F-11's. A real neat plane. Did have some corrosion problems in the wing area. One lost it's wing and pilot punched out and was Ok. Think it was LT Hogan. All were grounded for inspection and the Blues came in and had theirs checked too. They took several of our planes.

I had the good fortune to fly the F11F in the last stages of Advanced Flight School in Kingsville, TX in mid-1959. Was a thrill to fly an after-burner aircraft, and to practice air-to-air gunnery---just like shooting squirrels in the top of Hickory Nut trees back in North Carolina.

I was employed at Grumman from May 1949 to June !970 and worked as a Avionics teck in Plants 4 and 7. This was the production flight test deptments. I worked on just about all of the F11Fs that was produced and was working the day that Test Pilot Tom Attridge shot himself down. There was many demostration flights of the F11F by Ralph Donnel for foreign countries Air Forces and any one who witnessed one of his flights could never forget them, he did the most amazing things with the F11F

Pete's not quite right on the duration of the F11F with the Blue Angels. It was actually a long time, and the major way Tigers are remembered. At the time of its retirement from the Blues, it was the longest-running Blues airplane. I'm pretty sure that in the years since, only the F/A-18 has exceeded it in service length with the Blues. Here's a summary of all Grumman types the Blues used:

http://www.grummanpark.org/blueangels.htm

After a Med cruse in F7U-3s, I was assigned to VF-21 and sent to the Fleet Introduction Program (FIP)for the F11F at Patauxant River. We flew the short nose version and later when we organized the squadron, got the long nose on which we painted a beautiful set of sharks teeth. I loved that airplane and even though it needed more power than the J-65, it had fun performance and was very comfortable to strap on. I would put the Tiger at the top of my all time favorite airplanes.

An exceptionally clean design with attractive lines, many painted in colorful markings = the hasegawa 1/72 scale kit makes a very good model,

Our training squadron had this aircraft for a short time. Fantastic fast plane but the wings experienced some corrosion and parts were had to get.The Blue Angels also used this plane for a short period of time.

I have a picture that was given to Commander "Fritz" Luebke USN, CAG 201. Best wishes to him from his friends at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation. December "54"
Just wondering if anyone knows who this is.

I read that this was the only aircraft to ever shoot itself down with its own guns. I guess it happened during a high speed gun test. The shells were faulty and the tumbled in flight where they were ingested into the engine.

I was an Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd class (AT2) and went to Grumman's Avionics class on the F11F when VF-33 transitioned from FJ-3M Furies at Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA.