#Afterburner II

[devileaterjaek]

[techturd]

Going to try and start posting these more regularly - I call them "Pinball Pairings" — like a fine wine paired with a chef-prepared meal, an Arcade title you know and love with its thematic counterpart. The first entry in the Pinball Pairings series:

Afterburner II - Sega / 1987

+

F-14 Tomcat - Williams / 1987

The movie Top Gun was released in theaters in 1986. Coincidence? A little bit of trivia - the first game where "Come here!!" - the famous Mortal Kombat / Scorpion quote can be heard is actually the F-14 Tomcat pinball table - also created by the one and only Steve Ritchie!

Love to hear any feedback / comments / requests. Hope you like my MAME cab + Virtual Pin setup

[bangjiazheng]

Mega Drive Longplay [135] Afterburner II (US)

[pitagain]

#365DaysOfVGM Day 116:

After Burner (After Burner; “After Burner II” AFTER BURNER [with MELODY] version, including the FM Towns version, the PC Engine version, and the “Bayonetta” After Burner [∞/Infinity Climax Mix] version [1987/1989/1990/2009])

Rushed description, but I don’t know how to go over each version of a track this long and well-made without having played the game myself! So I’ll just give up and say this one’s cool the whole way through, alright?

You got 4 different kinds of cool to choose from here, from the original, to the Electric Guitars and Horns of the FM Towns version, to the chiptune-feel of PC Engine’s, to a rather popular version made for Bayonetta which no doubt brought a resurgence of attention to the original as well!

For extra context I suppose, After Burner II was released just a year after OutRun, another Sega arcade game with famous music back then, although it seems this one wasn’t considered as genre-defining as OutRun’s ended up being, but that’s no reason to keep it overlooked.

And lastly, might as well add this since it’s SUPER recent, but the hard workers at Sega of America unionizing is a cool thing that I never expected to happen, I hope for the best in their goals and values!

(Length before loop [All]: 5+ minutes)

[nocternalrandomness]

F-35 Demo practice at Davis-Monthan AFB

[jjwphotography1990]

The F-35 tactical pitch! The maneuver provides a great angle for awesome burner shots!

.

The 2023 Orlando Air Show

Orlando, Florida

.

#burner #afterburner #f35 #f35lightning #f35lightningii #jet #fighterjet #aviationphotography #airforce #airshow #airshowphotography #aviation #aviationgeek #airplane #military #shotoncanon #canon #canoneosr #eosr #canonphotography #photography #aviationphoto #pictureoftheday #planespotting #sigma #sigmalens #sigma60600mmsports #mylensrental #orlandoairshow #airdotshow

[ghostwarriorrrr]

F-15E STRİKE EAGLE

[nelc]

Overcast, hazy, humid, stormy, and cloudy skies at an Airshow?

Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I would always recommend it!

[dholloway81]

First batch of pictures from 2 visits to raf Lakenheath

[groundrunner100]

Transformers Television Shows Ranked

(Top show being the best, bottom being worst)

Transformers: Animated

Generation 1, but in a more unique setting, in a good way. Great character designs, interesting backstories, & with great voice acting to boot, the show is lightning in a bottle. Animated Blackarachnia is highlight of the show PERIOD

•Favorite episodes: Total Meltdown, Nanosec, Along Came A Spider, Nature Calls, Black Friday, A Bridge Too Close Parts I & II, TransWarped Parts I, II, & III, Predacons Rising, Endgame Part II.

Best character designs: Blackarachnia, Warpath, Oil Slick, Blackout, Omega Supreme, & Lugnut.

Final Rating: A+.

Transformers: Prime

A BIG, promising show that was unfortunately smoke & mirrors. Having this show connected to the War For Cybertron video games was the biggest mistake Hasbro could make. The connectivity is ridiculously cookie-cutter, & the “stakes” in the show are one-sided. The death of Cliffjumper was nothing but a shocking one-off.

Regardless of this show’s empty promises, there’s plenty to like in this sucker: the character designs, the voice acting, the soundtrack, & you have a show that gives Beast Wars a run for its money.

•Favorite episodes: Masters & Students, Predatory, Sick Mind, Rock Bottom, Partners, T.M.I., Stronger/Faster, Crossfire, Out of The Past, New Recruit, Inside Job, Patch, Regeneration, Rebellion, Thirst, Evolution, & Deadlock.

Best character designs: Arcee, Knouk Out, Smokescreen 2.0, & Optimus Prime 2.0.

Final Rating: A-.

Transformers: Armada

The show that made me a Transformers fan, but dear lord, the conflict of interest behind-the-scenes (animation):

Looking back, I failed to realize just how different Transformers was back then compared to today. The show was unique, & that uniqueness carried through the rest of the Unicron Trilogy, regardless of quality. Suffice to say, I grew up in the right time. Also, the Decepticons had the best drip.

•Favorite Episodes: Past, Past II, Sacrifice, Regeneration, Mars, Crack, Crisis, Miracle, Cramp, & Mortal Combat.

Best character design: Tidal Wave, Starscream, Demolisher, & Megatron.

Final Rating: B+.

Transformers: Generation 1

The show that started it all. I was first introduced to G1 in 2004 at the age of 9 via toys, & was dumbfounded about it. I didn’t start watching the show until the 2010’s rolled around. I watched all 4 seasons of the show, & here’s my thoughts on it:

•Season 1: plenty of fun moments weighed down by rough animation. Favorite episode: Fire In The Sky.

•Season 2: BEST of the show, with new characters, & nice rotation of characters, old & new, to boot. Better animation than 1st season. Favorite episodes: The Autobot Run, Sea Change, The Girl Who Loved Powerglide, Cosmic Rust, & Starscream’s Brigade.

•Season 3: A baffling drop in quality in more ways than 1. Animation errors out the wazoo, an unappealing sound filter for Transformer voices, the Autobots being reduced to 5-6 characters, Galvatron being a batshit lunatic, & you have a recipe for a checked out audience. Favorite episodes (miraculously): Carnage In C-Minor, Webworld, The Ultimate Weapon, Grimlock’s New Brain, & Call of The Primitives.

•Season 4: For those complaining Hollywood has become lazy with TV production, & has reduced viewership to only a handful of episodes per season, BREAKING NEWS: Hasbro did it WAY before anybody else. For just 3 episodes, this should’ve just been part of the 3rd season. My biggest complaint is the coloring, it was just off. It’s like they put in a cool filter for the animation. Didn’t care for these final 3 episodes.

Overall, I don’t hate this show, it’s just there, y’know?

Best character designs: Astrotrain, Afterburner, Brawl, Warpath, Omega Supreme, Powerglide, & Chromedome.

Final Rating: B.

Beast Wars: Transformers

Round 2 of the Generation 1 continuity, & 1 that I enjoy at times, but overall don’t care for, mainly because I don’t care for beast modes:

•Season 1: Rough animation, but a good start to a show. My biggest gripe with the show is that there should have been more characters. Favorite episodes: Chain of Command, Power Surge, Gorilla Warfare, Dark Voyage, The Low Road.

•Season 2: An improvement in animation, but overall a forgettable season. Favorite episodes: Code of Hero, Transmutate.

•Season 3: Mildly the same as season 2, the major highlight being Blackarachnia. I don’t care for Megatron’s dragon form. His season 2 character design was perfect. Favorite episodes: Optimal Situation, Changing of The Guard, Feral Scream Parts 1 & 2, Crossing The Rubicon, & Other Victories.

Best character designs: Transmetal Megatron, Blackarachnia & Rattrap, Optimal Optimus Primal

Final Rating: B-.

Transformers: Cybertron

The final hoorah for the Unicron Trilogy, & what better way to do it than with the BEST intro that Transformers can ask for? Overall, in terms of animation, this show is just noise, but when you pay attention, it has its moments in terms of story, mainly Lori being a spectrum of emotions.

•Favorite Episode: Race.

Best character designs: Ransack, Thunderblast, Vector Prime, & Crumplezone.

Final Rating: C+

Transformers: Prime Wars

Upon retrospect, this show, which was touted as “Game of Thrones of Transformers”, was a prelude of how THAT show would end up. If you do your research, you’ll understand this show was flung in with the IDW Comics’ 1st Transformers line. You have to fucking do HOMEWORK to get the background of this show. But if you have an open mind, the show is something you’ll want to come back to for the memories. Good character designs, great voice acting, & engaging soundtrack. It’s BETTER than Transformers: The Last Knight. Also, DashieXP as Menasor? Mind Nuked. 🤯

•Favorite episodes: The Fall, The Duel, Homecoming, The Fight Begins, Volcanicus, & Saga’s End.

Best character designs: Computron, Volcanicus, Solus Prime, & Grimlock.

Final Rating: C.

Beast Machines: Transformers

Before Transformers: Robots In Disguise 2015, there was this shit stain. The 3rd, & final round of the Generation 1 continuity.

Awful character designs (Maximals only), horrendously one-sided conflict, & a rinse and repeat of “gO gReEn!” messaging bullshit. Cybertron is a planet made of METAL, not dirt! The only good things about this show are Megatron & the Vehicons, MAYBE even the soundtrack if you go through it the finest toothed comb imaginable. How anybody considers this show their favorite Transformers media is beyond me.

Also, those who said that the Bayformers designs are ugly have crap taste in design.

•Favorite episodes (surprisingly): Master of The House, End of The Line, Spark of Darkness, Endgame Parts I, II, & III.

Best character designs: Thrust, Tankor, & Obsidian.

Final Rating: C-.

Transformers: Cyberverse

The SpongeBob of Transformers, & NO, that’s not good in the slightest. I kept & open mind with the show, but as the 1st season went by, I slowly realized that this show just wasn’t for me, & season 2, which begins with a time skip from the season 1 finale, all but killed the show for me. Combine the ridiculously loose story connectivity with the questionable plot choices (Slipstream & the Seekers being killed off), and the batshit unrecognizable voice cast, & it’ll leave you scratching your head if this is a different show, cosplaying as Transformers. This show tries to be like Transformers: Animated, but it fails MISERABLY. The only thing this show’s got going for it is the character designs. Also, you don’t EVER hire a person from fucking TikTok to voice Optimus Prime.

To be fair, though, it was satisfying to see Megatron kill off Starscream without saying a word to him. That is the Transformers equivalent of “Once in a Blue Moon”.

Favorite episodes (miraculously): Shadowstriker, Bad Moon Rising, Trials, & The Other One.

Best character designs: Astrotrain, Trypticon, Grimlock, & Megatron X.

Final Rating: D+

Transformers: War For Cybertron (Netflix)

This show is brand recognition PERIOD

The plot, the tone, the action sequences, & worst of all, the voice acting. These are the reasons why this show is forgettable. But, by the powers that be, it’s strangely rewatchable in some areas, mainly the 2nd half of Siege. But ultimately, this is just Dollar Tree Generation 1, with Beast Wars & Aligned continuity story elements tacked on, & from a lack of story explanation, it doesn’t work. It’s just a poorly executed highlight reel of the Transformers franchise, & that’s it.

If there’s 1 thing, & I mean ONE thing about this show that’s good, it’s the soundtrack. “Ascension” is Steve Jablonsky levels of emotional Transformers music, but that’s the only nice thing I’m going to give it.

The moment that had me fuming was the deaths of Chromia, Red Alert, Jetfire, Scrapface, & the friendly Decepticons. THEY COULD’VE FUCKING TRANSFORMED TO ESCAPE THAT BLAST, & THEY’RE CHOOSING TO FUCKING RUN.

Lastly, was Netflix too fucking cheap to hire normal voice actors?

•Favorite episodes (Somehow): Siege: Episodes 5 & 6, Earthrise: Episodes 3-4, Kingdom: Episodes 4 & 6.

Best character designs: Ultra Magnus, Jetfire, Elita-1, Ironhide, & Starscream.

Final Rating: D.

Transformers: Energon

The redheaded stepchild of the Unicron Trilogy, if not the Transformers franchise. Easily forgettable, but the only thing going for it is the character designs.

•Favorite episode: Farewell Inferno.

Best character designs: Jetfire, Scorponok, Cyclonus, & Optimus Prime.

Final rating: D-.

Transformers: EarthSpark

I REFUSE to watch this show.

Hasbro & Paramount have decided to go balls to the wall with the political messaging in this show. Case & point: Non-Binary characters, I do not fucking accept that camel shit.

Best character designs: Swindle, Megatron, & Wheeljack.

Rating: F.

Transformers: Robots In Disguise (2015)

What happened to Hasbro behind-the-scenes? How did we go from Prime to THIS? This show is the final nail in the coffin for the Aligned Continuity, & there’s no excuse for this drop in quality. Yet, by some act of god, there are diamonds in the rough, mainly Thunderhoof, the Stunticons, Windblade & Optimus Prime’s character designs, but that’s all there is.

•Favorite episodes: Ghosts And Impostors, Cover Me, Portals, & Enemy of My Enemy.

Best character designs: Thunderhoof, Motormaster, Starscream, Saberhorn, Windblade, Shadow Raker, Fracture, & Optimus Prime 4.0

Final rating: F-.

I.👏 HAVE.👏 SPOKEN.👏

[devileaterjaek]

[yokaijuyusha]

Nimbumon Level- Baby I     Type- Slime

A small digimon formed from weather data. It appears most commonly high in the sky, condensing from stray data and floating on the breeze until they digivolve.

Breeze Blower- a soft gust that serves as more of an escape mechanism than an attack

Turbimon Level- Baby II     Type- Slime

A mechanised baby Digimon whose turbines grant it exceptional speed. However, it lacks control and often crashes into other Digimon ('𝘡𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘒𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮').

Zoom Kaboom- Flies straight towards the enemy and rams them hard with its helmet

JetHawkmon  Level- Child     Type- Chick

A small bird-type Digimon whose wings are not developed enough to fly. Instead, it uses the jetpack on its back to shoot across the sky at high speeds (𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘦𝘤𝘬).

Sonic Peck- Spins while flying at high speeds to generate a ‘drill’ of air pressureTomoHawk- Shoots rings of wind from the engines of its jetpack

Peregrimon  Level- Adult     Type- Bird

It soars through the skies at almost 600mph, groups attacking any Digimon who enter their territory with military formations.

Its main attack is 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦, a high-speed ram that pierces the enemy's armour.

Velocitackle- Flies at high enough speeds to pierce stone with its beakWarhawk- Flaps its wings to shoot blades of wind that slice through foes

HiPeregrimon  Level- Perfect     Type- Machine Bird

A Peregrimon species that has upgraded using data from military specs. It now reaches speeds of 1500mph. Its 𝘔𝘢𝘤𝘩 10 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘯 attack pierces the enemy with a hypersonic blitz while firing its tornado guns.

Typhoon- Fires its ‘Tornado’ shoulder-mounted machineguns while spinning with over 50 gs worth of pressureEagliser- Uses the spinning speed of its Tornado guns to create whirlwinds that slice foes with blades of air

BomberPeregrimon  Level- Ultimate     Type- Machine Bird

A Griffon-like Digimon that is the pinnacle of aerial technology. It now reaches speeds nearing Mach 10, and the 𝘎𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳 claws on its wings rend through all in its path.

Gigant Piercer- Rips through enemy digimon with the claws on its wings

Speed Blitz- Increases speeds to Mach 10 and bombards the opponent with claws, guns and afterburner jetsPeregrine Falchion- Spins every part of its body to generate a storm of wind blades that shred through anything in their path

[littlezarp]

Recommendations

Call of duty, MW2

@gh0st5bby4life fics are *chef's kiss*

Jitters : 141 x OC (Jitters is a PMC brought onto the support 141 operations, much to the distaste of the 141 group of PMC's)

@halcyone-of-the-sea's every work

Ghost :

Can't trust me ?

@uselsshuman 's Masterlist

he tells me to shut up, i got this

The choices we make

Angsty shit with Simon

The truth is out

Living with ghosts

Sugar Daddy

@nsharks 's one shots + Bleeding blue series

I'm with you

Keep you close

Butterfly effects

Wolf and the lamb - (Lion and the Lamb prequel)

One night stand leads to pregnancy

@charnelhouse's Ghost Masterlist

He knows

Mistaken friendship

No more

Protector

Mausoleum

All Alone

The things I never said

Dad!Simon by @lundenloves

Paperwork

Between dreams and sugar

Alpha!Ghost x reader

Protected

The witch and witch hunter

Mary on a cross

Werewolf!Simon x reader

I can't marry you

Menage

Sassy series

Situationship with firefighter!ghost

The little things

The roommate series

Cowards always run

Open his eyes

Accidentally hurting you

Others

One, two, three - Ghost x reader x soap

It's time to have fun - Ghost x reader x soap

Don't touch my boys - Ghost x reader x soap

Afterburn - 141 x F!reader

That sex pollen fic - everyone x reader

Dead Disco - Ghost x Soap x F!reader

COD monster men

The Pack

Poly relationship with Simon and Johnny

Safeword with the cod boys

Knights in shining tactical gear - Ghost x reader x soap

John Price :

All I need

Deep Breaths

Four

Lion and the Lamb

Viper and the Lamb

Argument and makeup

The Killing Moon

Professor Price

Rest

Bad dreams

Trust me

Apollo, do you copy

Imagine

What's so great about war ?

Songs that sound like sea foam - Fisherman!John Price x Mermaid!reader

Not in your life

Guilt

Bloodstained honesty

John Price x F!OC Tank

Salt and pepper

The Last of Us

@guess-my-next-obsession's Joel Masterlist

@charnelhouse's Joel Masterlist

Confused Warmth

You came back for me

Reject me, I get it

Who are you if not alone

Cold as ice (part 2 : Cold as ice II)

Savior complex

Too late

Summer Lovin

Say it with your hands

Hot single dilfs in your area want to chat!

You're losing me

Chasing

The Hayloft

Still here

The whole @pedgeitopascals Joel Miller masterlist

Call my name

Love in the middle of a firefight

Lucky for me, I run on spite and sweet revenge

Once again in your arms

Angst with Joel Miller

Narcos

Boss - Javier Pena x DEA!OC

The Rookie

The dangers of misunderstanding

To sell your love for peace

Just dumb enough to try

@absurdthirst's Javier Pena Masterlist

Are you staying ?

Just Friends

The last goodbye

Love me not

Haikyuu

All I wanna do is save you - Dilf!Matsukawa x College F!Reader

[usafphantom2]

10 things that sucked about the F-8 Crusader

Hush KitMay 9, 2012

July 12, 2024

Fast and agile, with a decent range, the Crusader carrier fighter enjoys a positive reputation as ‘The Last Gunfighter’. It has been described as.“..by far one of the greatest fighters of its era”; we even rated it the second-best fighter of 1969. This sleek Cold War aircraft even boasts the best kill-to-loss ratio of any US fighter aircraft in Vietnam. But, as we shall see, a great deal was wrong with the F-8. And there wasn’t a long wait to find this out, the first production F8U-1 was also the first to be lost, killing pilot Harry Brackett; a truly shocking number of incidents, many fatal, would follow. By the time the Crusader retired, there had been call to use the ejection seat over 500 times, the first in 1956 (a year before the type entered service) and the last in 1997 (in French service). Here are 10 things that sucked about the F-8 Crusader.

10. Missiles

The F-8 could carry a maximum of four air-to-air missiles, half that of the F-4 Phantom II. Even carrying four AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, proved draggy and made it harder for the Crusader to reach minimum landing weight if the weapons were not used. Because of this, the F-8 most often went to war with only two missiles. This lack of missile persistence was a big deal, as the gun installation was terrible and the probability of kill of 1960s missiles was terrible.

Another reason for an often smaller weapon load was a shortage of AIM-9s, particularly in 1966 (and of AIM-9Ds in 1968). Each variant of the Sidewinder used by the Crusader in Vietnam had its own limitations: the B was relatively slow, bad at turning with a small warhead; the radar-guided C was withdrawn before being used combat due to maintenance problems; and the generally superior D had less reliable fuzing than the B.

9. Bang bang bad

Though famed as the ‘Last Gunfighter’, all but one of the F-8’s kills were with missiles. This was because of the many problems with the F-8’s gun installation. A major issue was the Colt Mk 12 cannon hated being fired above a rather conservative 3.5G (the M61 Vulcan use by other US fighters was rated up to 7.33G).

The guns’ rate of fire was unpredictable, sometimes even zero, and they suffered from pneumatic charging issues and ‘barrel whip’, which caused inaccurate fire. Up to 1966, the guns jammed in three out of eight engagements.

8. Engine

There are plenty of reasons you want a quick-responding engine in a carrier aircraft, as a delay can cost you your life. The two-second afterburner delay in early versions caused a lot of heartbreak; when pilot Tom Irwin tried to land his F-8C in 1965 it caught the fourth wire, but his arrestor hook point sheared from the shank, causing his aircraft to keep rolling rather than stopping on the deck. His only chance was to take off again, but his burner was too slow in response to get him to a safe minimum speed of 80 knots. Too slow to even eject, he flew into the sea, whereupon his afterburner ignited, causing the engine to explode. Miraculously he escaped his aircraft, manually, in record time and survived. In similar circumstances, four out of five pilots were killed.

7. Rockets

Early Crusaders carried internal rocket packs, that were opened before firing. To minimise frontal cross-section the magazines of sixteen rockets were mounted one behind the other. If one rocket failed to leave the launcher, it could be hit by a round from behind with potentially catastrophic consequences. If a round failed to clear the launcher it could mean the launcher could not retract, the extended launcher blocked the nose gear door making it impossible to extend the nose gear. If when the rockets did fire, they were comically inaccurate, “One study indicated that 128 rockets, four Crusaders’ worth, would have to be expended on one bomber for a 97% probability that it would be hit at least once.1”.

5. Inferiority to the F-4

In the first training dogfight sortie, an F-8 pilot would employ the type’s superior instantaneous turning performance to better the F-4, but a mere five engagements later, the F-4 pilots would learn how to use their superior power to better the F-8; a well-trained F-4 pilot could best the F-8. This is extremely significant as one of the few trump cards the F-8 has against the F-4 is its superior agility. The F-4 enjoys two to four times the missile load, over twice the bombload, superior situational awareness, superior radar, climb rate and critically, was far safer to operate from a carrier.

(Those accusing this of being an apples-to-oranges comparison should look at the role and real-world taskings, not the weight class).

4. Bad situational awareness

Pilot George Wright noted in his description of a one-way mission in the Crusader, “The F-8’s cockpit visibility wasn’t the greatest, so you always raised your seat as much as you could. But you didn’t want it so high that you would have trouble grabbing the two yellow-and-black-striped handles above your helmet, the handles that fired your ejection seat.” He also singled out the absence of a HUD in the F-8H as a dangerous omission that contributed to his failure to pull out soon enough from a strafing run. So the view out was poor, there was no HUD, and as the type had been created as day-only fighter, its radar was barely useful. The first radar was little more than a gun ranger, but even improved later radars were poor, the AN/APQ-83 was better but one of the first cadre of Top Gun Instructors Jim Alderink considered this ‘a piece of garbage’. The F-8 relied on guidance from an air and ground controller; the radar’s detection range for the MiG-17 was dangerously small. Conceived as a day-only fighter…

Credit US Navy via https://www.cybermodeler.com/

3. Juliet blues, the F-8J

The initial J variant attempted to solve many of the shortcomings of the Crusader but in doing so added 2,000Ibs of weight and a 1,000Ib of power lost to boundary layer control. There were also wing cracks and a lack of spares. The result was a dangerously underpowered machine with inferior manoeuvrability and greater maintenance requirements, requiring expensive remedies – and happening in a major war just when fighters were most needed.

2. Out-turned by the MiG-17

As it could with every other US fighter, the veteran MiG-17 could outturn the Crusader at 300-350 Knots Indicated Airspeed (KIAS). It was superior training and missiles that enabled the Crusader to better the MiG-17. In fighting the MiG-21 in Vietnam, the Crusader did not have a distinct performance advantage. The MiG-21 had superior acceleration above Mach 1.1, and superior instantaneous G below 400 KIAS

Vietnam

That it took part in the horror of the Vietnam War itself sucks. But we shall not dwell on the many horrors inflicted by air power in the war, but instead, look at the Crusader’s survivability. A total of 118 total were lost, 57 in combat.

(*some sources put this as 170 in total)

1. Dangerous as hell!

The primary requirement of an aircraft is to keep the crew safe, and on this most important quality, the Crusader cannot be judged in a rosy light. This was perhaps not surprising as was just one in a line of ‘hot’ aircraft created by Vought. Their best, the famous Corsair of World War II, had nastier handling than the Hellcat, and the jet-powered Cutlass was a disaster. The Crusader’s safety record, even for the notoriously dangerous class of late 1950s carrier aircraft was abysmal. Professor Michael Weaver notes, “In 1966.. F-8s suffered an accident rate of 3.26 per 10,000 flying hours. Only the A-4E Skyhawk approached that rate, and the rate for the F-4 was only 2.72.”

The Crusader was a handful, and this was painfully apparent when it came to landing, a terrible quality in a carrier aircraft. There is an entire page devoted to Crusader crashes here.

“By the time the Crusader retired, pilots had made 493 ejections from all models of the F-8. Overall, 517 of the 1261 Crusaders had been built had been lost, a loss rate of 41 per cent” Peter Mersky notes. Considering the number of aircraft built, 737 entries in the Aviation Safety Network database is clearly atrocious.

According to Peter E. Davies, “Four carrier-bourne evaluation cruises showed that Crusader was hard to keep on “speed’ for carrier landings. Without the angled deck and mirror landing and mirrored landing system added to World War II-vintage SCB-27C Essex- and Midway-class carriers, the aircraft might never have reached the required safety standards.”

The high approach speed of 147 knots was a big issue on smaller carriers such as the Essex-class. Consistent speed was also important. To help, an autothrottle (Approach Power Compensator) was added in 1964, but even this caused problems as over-reliance on the APC was equally dangerous. Another peculiarity of the F-8 was its odd relationship between nose attitude and sink rate caused by its oddest design feature, on landing the wing stayed at the same angle of attack as the fuselage tilted (the wing was mounted on mechanism). Things were particularly counter-intuitive for the pilot in the final approach stages, which again required attention.

The Crusader, fine in many ways, sucked unforgivably badly in some of the most significant categories.

Sources

This site takes a lot of time and effort, if you think I deserve something back for this work then please hit the buttons on this page. Every donation is gratefully received.

F-8 Crusader, Vietnam 1963-1973, Peter E Davies

An Examination of the F-8 Crusader through Archival Sources – Professor Michael Weaver

USN F-8 training manual

https://thanlont.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-brief-history-of-f8u-crusader-armament.html

1 https://thanlont.blogspot.com/2008/12/missed-it-by-that-much-ii.html

Vought F-8 Crusader Peter Mersky

[nocternalrandomness]

Turning Toward Florida

[jjwphotography1990]

The F-35 kicking on the afterburner! The massive F135 engine looks incredible during sunset demos!

.

The 2023 Sun 'n Fun Air Show

Lakeland, Florida