Aircraft of VF 870 Squadron fitted with Sidewinder rockets prior to take off. DND photo.

4000th arrested landing on HMCS Bonaventure. DND photo.

Records suggest this Banshee did not in fact fly with VMJ-1 which served in Korea as painted, instead remaining in the US with training unit VMJ-2 and later two USN squadrons. After being retired in 1958 it was put on show as a children's plaything in a park at Vero Beach, FL, the cockpit being filled with concrete. From 1989 it underwent an extraordinary restoration at Pensacola for the NAM and is now presented with every instrument correctly in place

Actually F2H-4 BuNo 127663, Taken on Charge in 1953 and served at Key West (FAWTU), Cecil Field (VF-11), USS Coral Sea, Cherry Point (VMF-533), Jacksonville (VF-22) and Quonset Point (VFAW-4) before transfer to Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC) Jacksonville in 1962. Moved to museum in 1970 and painted as F2H-3 BuNo 126419 of VF-92

This is a confusing Banshee for two reasons. First, because the BuNo on the aircraft has been painted as '127639' although this in fact is 127693. Second, because it is marked as a 'F2H-3' while in fact this is a F2H-4.

On Board the HMCS Bonaventure, DND photo.

Aboard the HMCS Bonnacenture. DND photo.

F2H3 Banshee of VX10 aboard the HMCS Bonnaventure, DND photo.

DND photo.

Photo on board the Bonaventure. DND photo

Displayed in the colours of VMJ-1, MCAS Atsugi, Japan, which operated this aircraft between February and June 1958. After briefly being placed in storage after withdrawal at Litchfield Park, AZ in October 1958, it was placed on show at various locations, at some stage the aircraft's original photoreconnaissance nose being replaced with the gun-equipped nose of a standard Banshee fighter. In 2012 it was loaned to Pima by the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Preserved on board of USS Lexington is this rare F2H-2 Banshee, wiht wings in upright position.

'Naval review.' Data for bottom centre aircraft, a fighter-bomber F2H Banshee of Naval Air Reserve, NAS Norfolk. Right row from bottom: F9F Cougar; F3D Skynight 124624; S2F Tracker; and two AD Skyraiders. Second row: the F2H-2B; F9F Panther coded E-109 of NAR, NAS Minneapolis; F7U Cutlass I-003 of NAR, NAS Gross Ile; AF Guardian 130370 / R-189 of NAR, NAS New York(?); and AJ Savage. Third row: FH Phantom(?); AD; FJ-1 Fury K-104 of NAR, NAS Olathe; AD-2 122270; V-173 Flying Pancake; and FR Fireball. A3D Skywarrior tail on the right. Still more types on the far left and behind! NAS Norfolk's P5M Marlin ramp in the background. Photo by: Frank Scherschell / Life

Single-seat all-weather fighter version. Redesignated F-2D Oct 1962.

Single-seat all-weather fighter version. Redesignated F-2D Oct 1962. assigned to VMF(N)-533.

Seen at a Columbus, Ohio air show in May, 1955. Assigned to VF-82 "Ironmen". Re-designated F-2D Oct 1962.

Naval Aviation Museum aircraft. A total of 895 Banshees were built between 1947 and 1953. The F2H-2 was the most widely-used variant and saw service in the Korean War.