F2H Banshee Photos #4

  Additional McAir photos of F2H Banshee aircraft. These are original photos with many not seen before as I got them out of a Flight Test dumpster in 1963!

Click here to view photos

Additional F2H photo posts here, here and here

How Low Can You Go! Update

Due to inaccurate info being spread about this original McAir photo being photo shopped, I have added this note to the post:
“That is not actually a shadow under the aircraft; but, a water filled shale pond, very common in that area.”
See revised post here

F-15 Eagle Chin Pod Update

Jack Abercrombie (Who later served as Chief Aerodynamicist for MDC) sent this note about the Chin Pod and it’s testing:

“The first flights of the modification on F-15B #2 took place in the last half of Nov 1983. One of these flights was likely the source of the Team Talk article. For a considerable time after that, Polysonic wind tunnel tests, flight simulations, and electronic control system modifications were made to resolve the deleterious effects of the pod on supersonic directional stability.  There was a very limited amount of supersonic flight testing during which the predicted effects on stability were experienced.Work on the pod program continued at a rather slow pace at least until early March 1985.  After that, it just seemed to fade away.”

MDC/Russian MA-31 Supersonic Target (Update)

 

Mark Nankivil sent along the following information on the Kh-31/MA-31 aerial target system:

“The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum has an MA-31 - one of
only two still in existence with the other at Pt. Mugu.  Here's a few
photos of ours and one that was on display at a Pt. Mugu open house plus
some other info and articles.”

Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view photos

Click here to download Boeing Symposium Report in PDF form

Click here to download Boeing target system report in PDF form

Click here to see earlier post

New Roles for the F-15 Eagle

A copy of the authorized August 1981 Air International  F-15 article reprint MDC gave out to employees. (See first and last page) It is an article by the great Roy Braybrook on F-15 history and new ways the F-15 was used at home and around the world. Much detail!

Click here to download article in PDF form

Helping Shape the History of Space Flight

An article on McDonnell Douglas Astronautics(MDA) Kennedy Space Center Division. From a 1996 issue of the MDC Team Talk.

(My last office was where the number 5 Mercury capsule is being assembled in the upper center photo! I matched overhead pipes and columns to find that it was in the old Bldg. 002 white room.)

Click here to view article

Early C-17 Loadmaster III Photos and Lithographs

A selection of early C-17 photos, info and litho’s.

Click here to view photos

MDC/Russian MA-31 Supersonic Target

                  Another little known project by McDonnell Douglas.

In 1995, the U.S. Navy awarded McDonnell Douglas Astronautics(MDA) a contract to convert a Russian X-31 missile for the Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST) program as a proof of concept.

In 1999, Boeing received a 18.8 million contract to convert 34 MA-31 target vehicles.

The first MDA article came from an MDC June 5, 1995 Team Talk paper and the second from a January 21,2000 BoeingNews paper. I have added some photos also.

Click here to view info

Click here to view articles

More information here

F-15 Eagle Chin Pod

Here is an undated article from an MDC “Team Talk” paper on F-15B (71-291) being used to evaluate a chin mounted pod for housing a TV telescope, Flir, or an APR-38 system. I can’t find any other info on this use. Anyone have anything?

F-16 Fighting Falcon Lithographs

A couple of original General Dynamic lithographs on the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Click here to view litho's

F4H-1 Early Three-View Drawing

An early three view drawing of the F4H-1Phantom II done by the great Björn Karlström, for the February 1962 edition of Model Airplane News. As the BuNo is not correct, I have included a photo of one of the F4H-1’s that were actually at the Naval Air Test Center (NATC).

Click here to view drawing and photo

McDonnell Airscoop–First Manned Gemini Flight

The April 1965 McDonnell Airscoop (Internal newspaper) announcing the first manned Gemini flight GT-3 with Gus Grissom and John Young.

Click here to download the article in PDF form

McDonnell F2H-2N Banshee Painting

A painting of the F2H-2N Banshee that I have long liked. Enjoy! Credit: Wallmonkeys.

Click here to view large size

F2H Banshee Three-View Drawings

Another misc. lot that I have. This time, 3-view drawings of the F2H Banshee. The above drawing is from Putnam's McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920, Vol II ; but, I could use help in crediting the rest of them! (Thanks, Mark Nankivil, for the above credit!)

Click here to view 3-views

F2H Banshee Miscellaneous Drawings

A few F2H Banshee illustrations that I had left over from other topics and it seemed like a good idea to just present them as a group! I can’t find where I got the first 19 illustrations to credit them. If anyones knows, please let me know at aviationarchives(at)gmail.com.

Click here to view drawings

NACA XF2H-1 Banshee Wind Tunnel Reports

A few National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) wind tunnel test results on the XF2H-1 Banshee models done at the Ames and Langley Aeronautical Laboratories. Credit: NASA

High Speed Stability and Control 0.17 scale model

Horizontal Tail and Wing mods of the 0.17 scale model

Free Spinning Tunnel Investigation of the 1/20 scale model

F2H-3 and -4 Banshee Flight Handbook

A copy of Navy Flight (Pilot’s) Manual #AN 01-245FBC-1, for the McDonnell F2H-3 and -4 aircraft, dated 1 May1955. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download the manual in PDF form

F2H-2 Banshee Standard Aircraft Characteristics

F2H-2 Banshee Standard Aircraft Characteristics (SAC) sheets. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.

Click here to view the SAC

F2H Banshee Photos #3

A few more F2H Banshee photos for your collections. Credit: From The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and various sources.

Click here to view photos

McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee Parts Diagrams–Part I

Pages from the Group Assembly Parts List (AN 01-245FBC-2 and –4) for the F2H-3 Banshee showing the parts breakdown (IPB) of the aircraft. Anyone have the rest of these documents?

Click here to download the assembly list in PDF form

F2H-3 & -4 Plan, Sheer & Cross Sections

A nice drawing of cross sections for the F2H-3 and –4 Banshee.

Click here to download drawing

F2H Banshee Photos #2

More F2H Banshee photos for your pleasure.

Credit: First 4 are from the R.A. Burgess Collection, remainder are from The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum and Aviation Archives.

Click here to view Banshee photos #2

Banshee photos #1 here

F2C Banshee Standard Aircraft Characteristics

F2C Banshee SAC sheets.

From Wikipedia: “The F2H-3 and F2H-4 were given the new designations F-2C and F-2D respectively under the 1962 unified designation system. The designations F-2A and F-2B presumably referred to the F2H-1 and F2H-2, but these variants had already been withdrawn from service. No Banshees ever flew under the new designations; the last ones in USNR service were placed in storage before the new designations went into effect.”

Click here to view F-2C Banshee SAC

F2H-3/4 Banshee Standard Aircraft Characteristics

F2H-3/4 Banshee SAC sheets.

Standard Aircraft Characteristics (SAC) started being used around 1948, and as the years passed, they became much more detailed. MIL-C-5011 A defines the parameters that all SAC’s must have:

(a) First page - Cover sheet which shall include a photograph, or perspective drawing of the aircraft model.
(b) Second page - A drawing showing a descriptive arrangement of the aircraft, and a drawing showing the tankage installations, armament installations, cargo space, or interior arrangements, as required by the procuring agency.
(c) Third page — mission, description, and principal characteristics of the aircraft.
(d) Fourth page - performance data for the aircraft in tabulated form and applicable notes.
(e) Fifth page - performance graphs.
(f) Sixth page - description of mission problems; also continuation of notes and diagrams.

Click here to view F2H-3/4 Banshee SAC

F2H-2/-3 Noise Control and Jet Wake Diagram

An interesting sound control diagram for the F2H-2 and –3 Banshees. Has exhaust temps. jet wake heat zones and proposed muffler drawings. From the MAC power plant group. Undated; but, has the XF-88 in it also. Credit: Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view diagram

XF2H-1 Aerodynamic Three View

A 3-view ,dimensions, aerodynamic coefficients, performance and weight data on the first three F2H’s.

Click here to view the drawing

F2H-2 & 2P Banshee Plan, Sheer & Cross Sections

Loft Sheet LS 15-2 containing the plan, shear and cross section cuts for the F2H-2/2P Banshee aircraft.

Click here to view Loft Sheet

F2H Banshee Article #2

An article written for the International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS),Vol 12 No3 1977, by Don Linn (With excellent graphics by Reggie Rodgers) on the F2H Banshee. Great markings and info! Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

McAir Phantom Flyer article #1 here

Click here to download the article in PDF form

F2H Drop and Load Tests

Rare photos of an the F2H drop test and load testing done on all new aircraft to see if they stand up to designed loads. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to view photos

F2H-1 Banshee Pilot’s Handbook

A copy of Navy Pilot’s Manual #AN 01-245FBA-1, for the McDonnell F2H-1 aircraft, dated 1 August 1951. Credit: The Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum

Click here to download manual in PDF form

Douglas DC-5–Part I

I found this photo and I don’t recall seeing it anywhere before. It is a Douglas DC-5 in Dutch KLM’s Dutch West Indies Division Markings. Registered as PJ-AIW “Wakago”. I have included other info on this aircraft also.

Click here to view photos and info

More info here and here