| Pete Simoneau, e-mail, 28.06.2022 22:17 Hey Jim,
I just saw your post today June 27, 2022. I am curious if you had any luck in your research. It is a very interesting story.
Thanks,
Pete Simoneau
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| Eric Krask, e-mail, 11.02.2018 02:00 You don't fly a FJ-3. You strap in and the wings grow out of your shoulders. It's all you and only you.
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| PAUL CHRISTIAN, e-mail, 20.09.2016 21:04 ON THE FJ-4B, THE CIRCLE LOWER LEFT OF AMMO DOOR LEFT SIDE.IT'S A RED CIRCLE WITH A WHITE STRIPE THROUGH IT. HAS SOME SORT OF PROBE STICKING OUT. CAN YOU HELP US FIGURE IT OUT. WE'RE RESTORING A FJ-4B TKS PAUL
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| Duane Van Valkenburg, e-mail, 08.05.2016 02:24 In late 1955 our squadron VF-21 got 17 new FJ-3. Myself & Harry Errington painted those planes with a 17' upside down check mark & all of the numbers. We took these planes & got on the USS Forrestal Jan. '56 I think we were the first Air Group on the Forrestal. We went to Cuba for training.
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| PAUL CHRISTIAN, e-mail, 08.12.2015 21:41 DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON JACKING POINTS UNDER WINGS ON FJ-4 MODEL. TKS
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| Clive Turner, e-mail, 26.06.2014 13:01 Hi Jim, I think the FJ-4 serial was: 139286-Nate Decker has a website on old US jets: Forgotten Jets. Hope this helps. Regards
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| Ralph K, e-mail, 24.02.2014 07:04 I am trying to find an old original VF-173 / VF-73 JESTERS, VF-21, and or
VF-143 King Pins patch. Also desperate for any {old} original USNR and or USMCR Fighter or Attack squadron patches.
If you have a patch, I would be happy to send you 'up front' a new book which chronicles the FJ-3 / FJ-3M or FJ-4 / FJ-4B. The book covers all of the pre-1970 USNR and USMCR units which flew the Cadillac.
If you have only one patch, I can reproduce the patch + send the book. An embroidery shop with a loom, can spin an EXACT reproduction of the patch - same size, design, and colors. Please kindly look at your leisure for an old patch. Thanks for your interest.
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| alain peulet, e-mail, 04.02.2014 20:48 I love this jet and other US naval fighters of this period , Cutlass etc... Unfortunately , no one in French museums . The only one in the sky is a Corsair F4U7 (french version). You in USA are lucky and keep many many wonderfull planes...
Many thanks !!! From France
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| alain peulet, e-mail, 04.02.2014 20:48 I love this jet and other US naval fighters of this period , Cutlass etc... Unfortunately , no one in French museums . The only one in the sky is a Corsair F4U7 (french version). You in USA are lucky and keep many many wonderfull planes...
Many thanks !!! From France
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| JIM NASH, e-mail, 06.12.2012 22:25 I AM RESEARCHING A FATAL CRASH OF AN FJ-4 FROM THE FACTORY AT COLUMBUS, OHIO. THE BIRD WENT DOWN JUST NORTH OF URBANA, OHIO ON OCTOBER 9, 1956. THE PILOT WAS A COMPANY TEST PILOT. THE PLANE OBVIOUSLY BROKE UP IN FLIGHT. THE TAIL WAS SEVERED CLEANLY AND (COINCIDENTLY ?) RIGHT WHERE THE TURBINE SECTION WOULD HAVE BEEN LOCATED. (TAIL WAS IN MY YARD)
I AM TRYNG TO FIND ANY OFFICIAL RECORD AS TO CAUSE AND NOT HAVING MUCH LUCK. (I'M NEW TO THIS) I AM SATISFYING A CURIOSITY I'VE HAD SINCE I WAS 6 YEARS OLD AND ALSO SHARING THIS WITH THE LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. I AM A PRIVATE PILOT AND HAVE BEEN SORT OF A "REVERSE ENGINEER" MOST OF MY LIFE. IF ANYBODY CAN HELP WITH THIS PLEASE E-MAIL ME.
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| Erik McMillan, e-mail, 26.08.2012 02:08 I flew the FJ-3D with Guided Missile Group-2 in '57-'59 and controlled the SSM-N-8 Regulus Missile which was launched from submarines, cruisers, and carriers. The tactical missile carried a 44 Kton warhead. As part of the Regulus Assault Mission we trained to attack targets in the USSR. It was demanding, but fun to control recoverable training versions of the missile. The FJ-3D helped to provided me the most exciting time of my life.
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| Chash, e-mail, 06.08.2012 22:32 I saw these at Kaneohe Bay TH in the mid 50's. I thought VMF 212 had the FJ 3's and VMA 232 replaced the AD's with F8u Crusaders.
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| RAYMOND WILLIAM WORDEN, e-mail, 05.02.2012 23:58 i am airplane spotter since i was nine years old i am seventy years old now 1/5/2012
airplanes is my hobby then and like it very much keep my eyes on them
all kinds thank you very much sincerely bill worden
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| TJ Meyer, e-mail, 06.12.2011 15:20 Hello I work for NASA at the Wallops Flight Facility, which is the former Chincoteague Naval Air Station/Naval Aviation Ordnance Testing Station. Im looking for anyone who served at Chinco; topics of interest are GMSRON-2, GMGRU-2, Regulus Missile, NAOTS, VU-2, VX-2, VAHM-13, Wallops Island Ranges and general life at Chinco.
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| Jeff Haven, e-mail, 04.09.2011 01:38 My Father, LTCDR Robert F Haven was one of the test pilots on the rocket assist FJ-4F at Pax River. He was with the A-3J project after that. I have many photos from this period. He was later head of military sales in Europe. He died in a FJ-4, Sept. 1962, and is buried in Arlington NC. Anyone know of him?
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| bill query, e-mail, 06.08.2011 18:18 I ended up with a little over 1,000 hours in the FJ-3m. Flew it in VF-173, VF-62 and VU-10. It was my favorite plane of the 26 I have flown. I made 2 water landings and am still here to tell about it----tough airplane!!
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| Bob White, e-mail, 07.07.2011 01:24 Was flight deck troubleshooter with VA144 during westpac cruise in 1960 aboard the Oriskany. Our guys flew the FJ4B
and as I remember they were good old kites.
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| BOB GIUSTI, e-mail, 28.05.2011 03:15 WORKED ON FJ3M'S IN VMF235 57-59 6442. WORKED WITH PEDRO FRESNO, MENTIONED IN THE LEAD ITEM. IS THERE A WAY TO CONTACT HIM. LOVED THE PLANE, IT WAS A BULL STRONG AND EASY TO WORK ON.
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| ron lewis, e-mail, 19.05.2011 12:14 To CHARLES DAVENPORT: The red circle you asked about appears to be a red warning/caution decal or stencil over the inspection hatch for the "Alernate Flight Control System Refill Indicator (Accumulator Gage Rod)," per the manual for the FJ-2. I've seen several photos that have such a stencil but the distance from the camera and the resolution makes it impossible to read the text. However, other stencils similar to it on the FJ-2 cite specific pressures for fuel, so the lettering probably states what pressures or levels the hydraulics are supposed to read. I would guess that it was seen on Navy planes and not Marine aircraft because the manual states that the alternate hydraulic flight control system will not transfer from the primary to secondary if pressure in the alternate is low. Usually, when one service goes out of its way to mark something that other users did not, it means that they had an accident, or a series of them. Any ex-FJ-3 drivers know anything further on that? Hope that helps.
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| RON LEWIS, e-mail, 19.05.2011 11:19 TO MIKE McGOVERN: Mike, if you care to share any info on the rocket-boosted FJ-4F, I am all ears.
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| RON LEWIS, e-mail, 19.05.2011 11:16 To Charles Davenport: I checked detailed photos that I have of a USMC FJ-3, starboard side, upper right field of the star-and-bar insignia, and the only thing I could find was one of the engine cooling air scoops in that position. is it possible that you saw photos of an earlier/later model of the Fury?
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| Bob Mierau, e-mail, 14.05.2011 20:49 Flew the FJ-4B that Rich Sugden owns off CVA-19. Last cruise for the Fury. Great Airplane.
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| ART EDWARDS, e-mail, 06.05.2011 10:50 I FLEW THE FJ-4 WITH VMF-451 AND FJ-4B WITH VMA- 223 IN 1957 THRU 1960 AT EL TORO. I KNEW JIM KIZER BECAUSE WE FLEW TOGETHER. WHAT A SWEET BIRD THE FJ WAS. THE PERFECT OFFICE FOR A FIGHTER PILOT.
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| Charles Davenport, e-mail, 26.04.2011 10:30 I have a question. I have seen pictures in flight of the FJ-3 with a rather small red circle in the upper right star field on the starboard side of the aircraft in Navy paint scheme. Does anyone know what it is?
I flew the aircraft, but can't remember such a marking.
Chuck
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| Charles Davenport, e-mail, 26.04.2011 10:30 I have a question. I have seen pictures in flight of the FJ-3 with a rather small red circle in the upper right star field on the starboard side of the aircraft in Navy paint scheme. Does anyone know what it is?
I flew the aircraft, but can't remember such a marking.
Chuck
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| Mike McGovern, e-mail, 18.04.2011 04:02 Anyone with info on FJ-4F; it had a liquid rocket engine that allowed it to increase ceiling to over 60,00 ft. and Mach 1.22. Two units made and were in Pax River area in 1957-1958. Worked on the development of this AR-1 engine at Rocketdyne. Anyone interested?
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| Norman Padgett, e-mail, 04.04.2011 20:53 In 1956 while assigned to VMF 323, I participated FIP program for the FJ4 at Pax River. It was truly a 'rocking chair' with super performance vs. anything in the Corps at that time. When 323 deployed to the east, I went as an exchange pilot to an airforce squadron and flew the F86D (F86Dog)which was a tremendous let down from the FJ4.
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| Dean Woolery, e-mail, 14.03.2011 20:50 One further comment: I later became a Curtiss-Wright rep for the J-65 at Alameda, where I cadged a flight in the -4B as a reserve pilot. It was a fine machine also.
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| Ddean Woolery, e-mail, 14.03.2011 20:47 VMF-323 at El Toro received FJ-4 A/C in the summer of 1957. I think we were the first Marine squadron to receive them. I was the squadron LSO, so I had the early opportunity to make arrested landings in Morest Gear at El Toro. Jerry Overmeyer was the other station LSO, but not a member of -323. The two of us had previously qualified the three F9-5 squadrons at El Toro. The FJ-4 and -4B, were wonderful aircraft and exciting to fly at that time. I found the carrier approach to be very stable and smooth.
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| Uncle-mac, e-mail, 10.03.2011 20:03 Forgot, Qualled aboard the Hancock in July of 60 in the FJ-3D2. No boat for the T-28 or the F-9.
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| uncle-mac, e-mail, 10.03.2011 19:58 What happened to class 7-57? Flew the fj-3D2 and 4 at GMGRU-1 out of Barbers Pt.We controled the Regulus-1 for whatever mission they needed. Sub launched and Aircraft controled, most of the time. Sub could also do the mission. Went down in the Barberro, last of the reg subs! No thanks! POlaris put us out of business. Thense to Pt Mugu and the Reg-II Mach 2++
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| Bill Allen, e-mail, 26.02.2011 19:18 Flew the FJ-4B in VA-192 from 1957 to 1959 at Moffett Field and on the USS Bonhomme Richard, CVA-31 during WESTPAC deployment. Intestingly, the photo at the top of this page is of number 208 of our VA-192 aircraft. My a/c was 207. As a LT I was flight line officer working for the squadron maintenance officer, LCDR Wesley MacDonald who eventually became a four star Admiral. Our squadron CO made Rear Admiral. The CVA-31 CO was David McCampbell, Navy's top ace of WWII.
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| Zeke, e-mail, 15.01.2011 10:30 Flew 2's and 4's with 451. Read Dusty's comment. We also had a Sandy Beach. Bull Clason, Trigger Long, Newp, Grundoon, Peter Francis, Al Ribbeck, and a really great Marine to buy it way too early--Sam Kenny.
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| John Bell, e-mail, 13.01.2011 14:11 I am writing an alternative history TL, could anyone provide some information on the maintenance requirements of this a/c? I am curious about whether a 3rd world country could have used this a/c in the 1960's.
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| Perry Kopf, e-mail, 21.12.2010 00:06 Anybody from FJ-2 days remember getting a "Mach Buster"
pin for that vertical dive at full power over the Japanese
countryside in '54 ?
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| Jim Kizer, e-mail, 16.11.2010 21:51 I flew the FJ-4 in VMF-451 in '57&'58 and then the Baker model in MARS-37 later, all at MCAS El Toro. Great airplane and very honest.
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| Ed Fleming, e-mail, 07.11.2010 19:35 Was in VMA 212 Mag 13, in 1957 we were flying AD 5's and traded them in for FJ 4B's. Pilots were thrilled with increased speed.
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| Sid Graham, e-mail, 28.10.2010 04:00 I flew the Fury 4 from July 1957 until August 1858 while in VA-214 at Moffett Field. The Squadron made a WestPac deployment aobut the USS Hornet (CV-12). The Fury 4 was a great aircraft to fly. We did a lot of Over-the-shoulder and medium angle Lob/Loft Bombing and High angle Dive Bombing. Also Gunnery. The Fury 4 handled like a Cadillac Car. A Very straight forwad with few surprises. Far superior to the F9F-8 Cougar which the squadron had prior to the Fury 4.
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| Jon, e-mail, 26.10.2010 22:41 My wife's second husband ( deceased ) flew the FJ2/3 with
VMF-235 we have a few photos. His name was Peter Fresno,
he was a naturalised cubano the son of one of Batista's
colonels.
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| Ed Johnson, e-mail, 25.09.2010 23:28 One other comment, the FJ in the picture just before the specifications is not an FJ-4, It is an FJ-3m and was one of the FURIES I flew.
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| Ed Johnson, e-mail, 25.09.2010 23:25 I served with VF-73 from july,1956 until it was decommisioned in April, 1958. During that time we flew FJ3m aircraft and spent the last 9 months of our existence on the USS RANDOLPH CVA-15 in the mediteranean. I personnaly made 132 traps on the Randolph and the squadron had no major accidents while on the Randolph. I flew 15 different aircraft while in the Navy, most of them while in VRF-31 and I still consider the FURY to be the best of the best.
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| Joe Storey, e-mail, 11.08.2010 06:42 In 1958 and 1959 flew FJ-4's with VA-56 and VA-126 at Naval Air Station,Miramar. Loved it!
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| Leo (Buddy) Lemoine, e-mail, 23.12.2009 22:51 Dec 23, 2009
Attached to GMGRU-1 Feb 57 to Sep 57 at NAS Barbers Pt then transferred to Detachment at ALF Bonham on Kauai.
Was detachment Yeoman till transfer in May 59. Skipper
was LCDR George W. Absher at that time. Witnessed may
launches and recoveries of the Regulus. Retired in Jun 79 as YNC. Was assigned with detachment was changed to GMU 90
under command of SUBPAC.
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| Dusty Rhodes, e-mail, 09.05.2009 13:02 In 1956 I was a 1stLt flying FJ-2s with VMF-451 at NAS Atsugi, Japan. We got brand new FJ-4s that were brought aboard a light carrier across the Pacific and offloaded at a field on the Eastern side of Tokyo Bay. Great increase in performance over the FJ-2 and no need to carry drop tanks.
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| Bill Query, e-mail, 28.07.2008 20:22 I flew the FJ-3M with VF-173 and VF-62. Made the 1959 Med. cruise with VF-62 on the CVA-9. On that cruise I had the misfortune to ditch astern of the boat when the engine failed while in the groove at appox.200Ft. Later went into the drink again when the number 2 wire broke and I went off the angle deck. Still, this was my most favorite plane of the 26 I have flown (including the F-8).
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| Rich Sugden, e-mail, 22.07.2008 04:22 Own and fly the last one left flying ... take a look at www.migfuryfighters.com
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| Marv Garrison, e-mail, 20.06.2008 05:55 This was my first swept wing ride and I loved it. It was a agreat improvement over the Panther and Banshee and light-years over the F-80/T33 and T1A, The FJ-4 was the best non afterburning aircraft I ever flew. We had to get into the F4D and F8U yo best the FJ's performance.Same number of take-offs and landings.
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| Jim Bo, e-mail, 08.06.2008 04:41 Was station in GITMO Cuba,Watched them bring in the Regulus we had to clear the area during practice.There were some hairy moments,but it gave us somthing to do,we had no liberty.
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| Jerry Avallone, e-mail, 01.06.2008 02:52 Served in GMGRU-1 at NAS Barbers Point,HI from 1956-1958.
The squadron had FJ3D Furies. Our squadron delivered the Regulus missile after it was lauched from a submarine via radio controls. Training for the pilots was conducted with RED Regulus missile equipped with tricycle landing gear so they could be reused after launch and landed at NAAS Barking Sands on Kauai,HI. Those practice landing (crashes) were spectacular when the landing wasn't perfect.
The narrow spacing of the main gear on the missile made it critical to have the wings level or it was bye bye baby.
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| John Powers, e-mail, 22.05.2008 14:46 I flew the FJ3 and FJ4B in the reserves out of Floyd Bennett across from Idylwild (aka JFK). This by itself made for exciting flying. It was an incredible delight to fly except when things went wrong which happened too often. One of the most memorable was my introduction to PIO (aka the JC maneuver).
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| Ken Langford, e-mail, 15.05.2008 03:26 I flew the FJ-4 and 4B's and they were great air to air and air to ground machines. The ergonomics of the cockpit layout left a lot to be desired and you had to be alert to the ultra clean wing in the landing pattern. Four 20 MM cannons in the nose virtually under the cockpit were great. Turn capability extraordinary.
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| Ken Langford, e-mail, 15.05.2008 03:25 I flew the FJ-4 and 4B's and they were great air to air and air to ground machines. The ergonomics of the cockpit layout left a lot to be desired and you had to be alert to the ultra clean wing in the landing pattern. Four 20 MM cannons in the nose virtually under the cockpit were great. Turn capability extraordinary.
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| Jack Sullivan, e-mail, 16.04.2008 19:10 Best swept wing the Navy had at the time. It outptreformed the F98 and was fun to fly but all our engines were weak at the time. GE and the rest of the engin manufacturers had a lot to learn in these years
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| Norman L. Padgett, e-mail, 31.03.2008 17:12 I flew the FJ-4 in the fleet introductory progaram at Pax River. It was a 'rocking chair' with virtually no surprises. While it didn't have an afterburner, it was supersonic in a slight dive I believe there were only 150 produced and only the Marines had active squadrons of them.
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| Jim Bo, 02.10.2007 02:47 Great airplane,Was in squadron VF 84 aboard the USS Forrestal during the fifties.We had FJ3m"s. Not complicated easy to work on.
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| AL, e-mail, 10.03.2007 23:43 WT AND MEASUREMENTS, HOW HARD TO GET?
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| BREEN, e-mail, 19.02.2007 06:07 UNDER POWERED LIKE MANY OF THE JETS OF THAT DAY...THE AIR FORCE HAD THE F-100 WITH A BURNER... MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE...IT HAD A FLYING TAIL AND WAS A RUGGED BIRD.
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| larry, e-mail, 06.02.2007 13:22 Its a very neat aircraft, possibly one of the best carrier aircraft after world war 2
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