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The F-8 Crusader is leaving the fleet after a career that spans nearly a quarter of a century. On 30 June, VFP-63, the fleet light photographic reconnaissance squadron, will be disestablished, and the Crusader (a.k.a. the ’Gator) will have reached a significant milestone in its colorful career.
The aircraft, however, will not leave the naval service entirely. Fortunately, Crusaders will fly for the two Naval Air Reserve squadrons, VFP-206 and VFP-306, based at NAF Washington, D.C., which is at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. (The French Aeronavale and the Philippine Air Force will also continue to operate Fighter 8 for some time as well.)
Produced by Chance Vought, the F-8 was the first production aircraft capable of exceeding 1,000 m.p.h. It was also one of the longest-serving tactical jet aircraft in the U. S. inventory; fast, maneuverable, reliable, powerful, and beautiful, it looked like the thoroughbred fighter it was.
Resulting from a 1952 Bureau of Aeronautics design requirement, the XF8U-I prototype first flew on 25 March 1955, establishing several performance records in succession. The F-8U was introduced into the fleet by VF-32 in 1957, while VMF (AW)-I22 was the first Marine Corps squadron to operate the aircraft.
As with any new aircraft, especially one which represented such a quantum leap in performance, there were problems, especially in the carrier landing sequence. The approach to the ship in an F-8 was not for the ham-fisted or lackadaisical. It took constant attention to airspeed and a delicate hand, particularly close to the ship. Ramp strikes and resulting damage were a problem until measures were taken to relieve the pilot of some of the mechanical responsibilities in flying the airplane down the pipe.
Once the F-8’s eccentricities were realized and negotiated, almost every pilot discovered what a great mount it was, reveling in the sheer joy of highspeed flight and maneuvering in tactical aerobatics. Squadron after squadron reequipped with the new type, exchanging their Banshees, Cougars, and Demons for Crusaders. Fortunately for the fleet, de
velopment did not stop with the fighter. Early °n- it was recognized that the Crusader would make3 fine high-speed tactical reconnaissance platform- ™ forward fuselage was modified, and four camera sta tions were installed in place of the internal fix® cannon armament associated with the fighter. T*1 extra fuselage area also allowed for additional fu®' thereby increasing range. The F8U-1P. or RF' ^ in post-1962 designation, joined the ranks in 1957 an soon afterwards set a coast-to-coast speed recor with Marine Major John H. Glenn at the control
Many future senior naval officers cut their te
eth
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on the F-8, maturing into the cadre of skilled, d® icated personnel this country would need in the and beyond. During the October 1962 Cuban M>sSl Crisis, the RF-8As of the Navy’s VFP-62 and rine Corps' VMCJ-2, along with Air Force rec® naissance aircraft, continuously flew over the co munist island, maintaining a steady flow of time'- important intelligence photography. n
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964 beg3
what was to become the F-8’s finest hour. On sta‘‘
tio"
from the very beginning to the very end, in a con
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in which the villains and obstacles were not al"3-
only in the jungles and swamps of Vietnam-
th«
members of the F-8 fighter squadrons and pfi°r,
detachments carried the war to the enemy fron?,can«
riers off the coast and from land bases like Da Nc* :
,rtn
in Marine Corps colors. F-8s claimed 18
Vietnamese MiGs—19 if an “unofficial” 1972 ki
• on1
allowed. This "unofficial" kill occurred on 22 AP 1972 when Lieutenant Commander Frank Bacha1^ and Lieutenant Jerry Tucker of VF-211 encounter a MiG-17 while on target combat air patrol '
CAP), providing escort protection for a bomber stn. Vectored to the last known position of a repor MiG, the two F-8Js sighted the North Vietnam®^ fighter flying above the trees far below them- Lieutenant Tucker began to line up his quarry- . MiG pilot suddenly ejected from his aircraft—stL ing a kill from the Crusader pilots.
In all, 1.261 F-8s were built; they served * more than 40 fleet and reserve squadrons. The
56
Proceedings
tor was an early participant in the “weekend warrior” program, providing valuable up-to-date training to both the Navy’s and Marine Corps' reserve organizations until 1970. As a result of a massive reorganization of the reserve program, individual wings were established which were exactly like their fleet counterparts, with two fighter squadrons each. VF-201 and VF-202 were attached to CVWR-20, the Atlantic wing, while VF-301 and VF-302 served with CVWR-30, the Pacific wing. The Hotels and then the Julietts equipped the fighter squadrons, while RF-8Gs were assigned to the light photographic units, VFP-206 and VFP-306. There was a time before the fighter squadrons transitioned to the F-4 that the Reserve wings were composed, except for two support squadrons (VAQ and VAW), entirely
of Vought products: two fighter squadrons, one photo unit, and three attack squadrons, flying the A-7.
Those days are gone; only the VFPs offer the chance to fly or be associated with the F-8. One experienced attack pilot, upon reporting to VFP-306 as a TAR, enthusiastically said, “I don’t care where or how far they send me, as long as I can fly this airplane.”
Lieutenant Commander Mersky was commissioned through Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1968. He is employed as an artist for the government in the Washington area. He is cur- | rently the Air Intelligence Officer for VFP-306 and has been associated with the Crusader aircraft for ten years. He is the coauthor of the The Naval Air War in Vietnam. His tribute to RA-5C Vigilante. "Vigilante Fadeout." was published in the June 1980 Proceedings.
58
Thirteen versions of the F-8—including the XF8U-1 prototype pictured on page 57—were built. The seven basic versions are featured here. Opposite page, main gear strut of an F8U-1 (F-8A) catches fire during a landing; an F8U-2NE (F-8E) is catapulted from the Bon Homme Richard (CVA-3I); and an F8U-2N (F-8D) carrying four Sidewinders makes a landing approach. On this page, a Navy/Marine Reserve F8U-1E (F-8B), top, taxis for takeoff; F8U-2s (F-8Cs), left, operate from the Independence (CVA-62) in 1959; and the F8U-1P (RF-8A), above, and the Naval Reserve RF-8Gs with two aircraft from VFP-63, below, represent the beginning and the end of the photo reconnaissance versions.
From the beginning of the Vietnam War, the Crusader saw action as a day i allweather fighter, an attack aircraft, and as a photo-reconnaissance bird. TheF-8’s four 20-mm. cannons and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles gave the aircraft the punch to rack up the best kill ratio of any U. S. aircraft over Vietnam and earn it the title of ‘ ‘MiG Master.'' A Delta off the Midway (CVA-41), top, seems to spit a Zuni rocket at a Vietcong position; an RF-8G is launched by the Bon Homme Richard’s catapult for a mission over Vietnam; and a Marine Echo, based at Danang, drops its ordnance in January 1966.