The Crusader is often called the “Last of the Gunfighters” since it was the last Navy fighter to rely on guns for its primary armament. Design work began in 1953 and the first of the prototype aircraft flew in March 1955. The most notable feature of the aircraft’s design is the ability to raise the wing’s leading edge in flight. This changes the angle at which the wing cuts the air and allows the aircraft to fly slow enough to land on a carrier while keeping the nose down and improving the pilot’s forward view. The Crusader first went to sea on the USS Forrestal in 1957. In the early 1960s, a dozen F-8As were converted to DF-8F drone controllers for use on the Navy’s various target ranges. The last of the Crusaders left navy service in 1987.
Wingspan
35 ft 8 in.
Length
54 ft 3 in.
Height
5 ft 9 in.
Weight
34,100 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed
1,133 mph
Service Ceiling
52,350 ft
Range
1,425 miles
Engines
One Pratt & Whitney J57-P-11 turbojet with 18,900 pounds of thrust
Crew
1
Manufacturer VOUGHT
Markings Utility Squadron 8 (VU-8), Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station, Puerto Rico, 1964
Serial Number 144427
Designation DF-8F
Pima Air & Space Museum
Creating unlimited horizons in aerospace education through the preservation and presentation of the history of flight.