they were flying off the uss hancock cva 19 in 1960 when i was stationed aboard her--they looked pretty unstable in the groove. would like to see more pictures of them. 04/14/2001 @ 22:42 [ref: 2077]
Frank C. Bonansinga Indio Hills, CA
I flew this early F3H-2N buno 133586 for the first time,14 April 1956 at Hanscom Fld Bedfor MA. It was bailed to Raytheon for the Sparrow III AMCS RDT&E with the Hughes APG51G radar.
It was heavy,underpowered in my estimation but easy to fly. Unfortunately, it's Allison engine didn't like moisture and I had a flame out flying near clouds out coming in from Cape ANN.
Fortunately, it's ram air turbine hydraulic generator (RAT)extended and worked,so all ended well. It touched down at over 220 knots and stopped with no damage, just a fire in the engine on Boston Logan's 22R.
A drag chute would have been nice, but it didn't come with one like it's replacement,the Phantom F4H. I also got to fly
it at Raytheon. fcb 12 Feb 2001 02/14/2001 @ 22:14 [ref: 1616]