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McDonnell F3H-2N
(F-3B) Demon

Notes by Ron Miller
Ken,
Have a look at the Demon.  Did you remember that I have the second (by 30 hours) highest flight time in those birds, and that I flew the last one to Litchfield Park in '63.
Did you remember that we lost three pilots and 11 Demons while I was  in my first squadron? 

Each area of the bird brings back memories of mechanical problems, and what we did to fix them.  For example, the nose tire would flatten against the centerline lights, and break out a piece of the rim, so we got a tougher tire with higher pressure.

Then the nose fork would bend a bit on each landing until finally it interfered with the tire.  So, we got a stronger fork.  Then the trunion mounts for the entire gear began to crack. 

Luckily, the F4 appeared. 

I was involved with getting this bird painted, and into the museum.
The head guy at the Museum was my boss in BuPers, and later was the detailer who wrote my orders to Sand Point. 

Good stuff!   Ron

From the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida - on loan to USS Intrepid in New York Harbor.

Click image above for history
The F3H-2N Demon was designed and built by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (later McDonnell Douglas and now Boeing) of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded by pilot and engineer James Smith McDonnell after World War II (1939–45), the company produced the successful straight-winged Banshee jet fighter for the U.S. Navy during the Korean War (1950–53). The firm designed the Demon to be one of the next generation of Navy swept-wing fighters to counter Russian MiG-15s and 17s. The Demon, in turn, also acted as a major design link to McDonnell’s phenomenal F-4 Phantom of the 1960s.
The single-seat Demon made its first flight on August 7, 1951. The aircraft’s large wings, with power-operated slats that aided in providing lift at low speed, gave it smooth handling at high altitudes as well as good response during carrier landings. Designed as a cannon and missile-carrying fighter, the Demon could fly 647 mph (1041 kph) up to heights of 42,650 feet (12,999 m).
Length: 58 ft 11 in (17.9 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 4 in (10.7 m)
Height: 14 ft 7 in (4.4 m)
 Max Weight: 33,900 lbs (15,374 kg)
Top Speed: 647 mph (1,041 kph)
Ceiling: 42,650 ft (112,999 m)
Armament: 4x 20 mm Colt Mk 12 cannons, 6,000 lb of bombs,
4x AIM-7 Sparrow (F-3H-2M) or 2x AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

AJ-2 refueling F3H 1958.jpg




A McDonnell F3H-2 Demon (BuNo. 146722) of fighter squadron VF-114 Executioners
 launching from the aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CVA-19) during a deployment to the Western Pacific in 1960.
 VF-114 was assigned to Carrier Air Group Eleven (CVG-11).
Note the Allison J71-A-2E turbojet on afterburner during the launch

See Retirement photo at:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-3B_VF-161_CVW-16_retirement_NAN1-65.jpg

Photos taken at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, 11/10/09