‘A second or two later there is a big, wonderful thump and pull as I catch a wire. I’m the… Read More
‘I came up on the radio and said, "Talk to me. I'm scared." Nothing. Not a syllable,’ Larry Durbin, US… Read More
With only 300 pounds remaining one of the F-8s hooked up with the second KA-3 even as it was taking… Read More
‘This would be only the fellow’s third actual landing in an airliner. He’d had one good one and one not… Read More
Lt Jerry Tucker kill was disallowed on the grounds that it had been achieved without the use of any weapons,… Read More
The story of a confused dogfight during the Vietnam War. After having shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 on May… Read More
“Because of approach speed and scan, you had to work your ass off. But I liked the F-8 because it… Read More
Many of the Phantom’s early cruises were as paired squadrons with F-8 units, which were regarded as “day fighter” (or… Read More
On Jun. 2, 1958, one of the greatest "What If" Airplanes in Naval Aviation history first took wing. The XF8U-3… Read More
The photo-Crusader, unlike other dedicated reconnaissance aircraft (with the possible exception of the RA-5C Vigilante), created a need and product,… Read More
‘I deployed my hose, and the F-8s came in one at a time and took on fuel from me while… Read More
Suddenly, the MiG's canopy flew off, followed by the pilot. F-8 pilot Lt. Jerry Tucker watched incredulously as his 'kill'… Read More
The XF8U-3 Crusader III was the wave of the future. Except that it wasn’t. Developed by Chance Vought as a… Read More
The Navy pilots destroyed their USAF brethren, to the obvious delight of the F-8 'drivers' and the continued frustration of… Read More
We spoke with CAPT Bill “Striker” Switzer, a former Navy fighter pilot who has carrier landings in three legendary fighters… Read More
Fortunately, the program was dropped before it got to the stage of actually configuring one of NASA's F-8s with an… Read More
At some point the Crusader was considered as replacement for Blue Angels Grumman F11 Tigers. One of the most capable… Read More
