This aircraft was originally written off 22 January 1959.

Photographer: Nelson Hare.

Ex BuAer 141353

Ex BuAer 145385

This aircraft was used in the F-8 flight test program. It was later converted to the F-8C (F8U-2) prototype and delivered to the US Navy. Now preserved at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Concord, New Hampshire. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

This F-8 was TOC in June 1958 and spent much of its early service career at Naval Air Station (NAS) Cecil Field, Florida, assigned to VF-174 training replacement pilots. In November 1960 it joined VF-11 "Red Rippers", its first and only front line fighter squadron and was deployed aboard the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), although much of this time shore based at the U.S. naval base at Rota, Spain practicing gunnery and dogfighting. In April 1962 it was transferred back to VF-174 until being SOC in 1971 and ferried to the museum that same year for preservation.

This F-8A was assigned to the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU) at NAS Dallas, Texas. As it was also used by the Marine Air Reserve Training Unit there it wears both NAVY and MARINE markings. This F-8A was retired on 22 March 1970.

Was modified at Johnsville with drone equipment and designated as QF-8A on 31 October 63. The drone equipment was removed at NWC China Lake in August 1964, and the aircraft was redesignated as F-8A on 20 September 64. It remained as such until 1969 when NARF Norfolk modified it as a drone controller with redesignation as DF-8F on 3 June 1969. (Info per BuAer aircraft history cards.)

NARTU

Built as a F8U-1 and then re-designated as a F-8A in 1962. At the time, this F-8A was recently restored to static display and had been recently painted to represent VMF-251 "Thunderbolts"

Used by NASA for pilot competency, this Crusader was put into storage in 1970 and used for parts.

Preserved wearing the '7K' code marks of NAS Olathe, Kansas.