Viewing page 1 of 1
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
WITHHOLDING TAX Page 8 MCDONNELL Airscoop "FUN FAIR" Page 3 VOLUME XX-NO.6 MCDONNELL AIRCRAFT CORPORATION, LAMBERT FIELD, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI June. 1961 Phantom Acclaimed By Navy For Transcontinental Record Adm. Brandley Calls F4H "Finest Fighter" "The Phantom II is the finest fighter in the world today." Rear Admiral Frank A. Brandley spoke with conviction and for all the world to hear. And he had some highly newsworthy facts to document his claim. The setting was Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. The time: shortly after noon, May 24. The news: for the first time in history, an aircraft had flown across the United States in less than three hours. The aircraft: the Navy's Phantom II designed and built by McDonnell Aircraft. The story that led to Adm. Brandley's accolade was a long and dramatic one. It was the story of creative engineers, and gifted craftsmen, of skilled pilots. It was a story of hard work and problems and successes. But it was a story that was well summed up in the achievements of the day. Three Phantoms Break Old Record Competing against a record of three hours, seven minutes, and 43 seconds set by Air Force Lt. Gustav Klatt in a McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo on November 27, 1957, these Navy pilots and radar intercept offers established these marks from Los Angeles to New York: 3 hours, 5 minutes, and 7 seconds by Commander Julian S. Lake, pilot, and Lt. (j.g.) Elwood A. Cowart, radar intercept offer. [[image]] FOUR PHANTOMS FLY IN FORMATION as they make a low-level pass over Oceans after VF-103, Detachment A, arrived from Miramar with the first F4Hs in the Atlantic Fleet. Atlantic And Pacific Fleets Receive F4Hs As FIRM Program Is Completed The McDonnell Phantom II is in the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. Two crack Navy squadrons—VF-121 from the Pacific Fleet and VF-101, Detachment A, from the Atlantic Fleet—have completed the Fleet Introduction of Replacement Models (FIRM) program for the McDonnell F4H Phantom II at Naval Air Station Miramar, California. This marks a major milestone in the process of actual delivery of the aircraft to the Navy for fleet squadron use. In commending all participants in the program, Vice Admiral R. B. Pirie, Chief of Naval Operations, stated: "THe completion of the F4H FIRM ... signifies the availability to the fleet of a new and extremely versatile supersonic weapons capability. The vision, dedication and hard work of all concerned with the F4H weapons systems project is inspiring and makes all of us proud to be part of the Navy team. It is especially gratifying in this year of the 50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation. This is an outstanding example of leadership, teamwork and devocations to duty. Well done." The FIRM program conducted a Naval Air Station, Miramar, California, included 81 grueling hours in the air, 58 hours of lectures, and a number of formal ground training courses, all designed to acquaint pilots and radar operators as thoroughly as possible with the formidable flying and fighting capacities of the new weapons system. An additional objective was to detect and correct any possible deficiencies in the course itself. It now becomes their assignment to impart the knowledge and experience gained to other pilots in the fleet. The McDonnell Phantom II ranks high with both squadrons. Cdr. Ralph Hands, commanding officer of VF-121 since succeeded by Cdr. Mike Casey, says he was particularly pleased and impressed by the aircraft's flight availability during the program. Cdr. Gerald G. O'Rourke commanding officer of VF-101, calls it a "forgiving" airplane: "You can make a mistake and it doesn't bite you. It's a very honest airplane." Lieutenants J. V. Lock- (Continued on Page 2) [[image]] CONGRATULATIONS. Secretary of the Navy John R. Connelly congratulates Bendix Trophy Race winners Lt. Richard F. Gordon and Lt. (j.g.) R. R. Young. 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 19 seconds by Lt. Cmdr. L. Scott Lamoreaux, pilot, and Lt. Thomas J. Johnson, radar intercept officer. 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 44 seconds by Lt. Richard F. Gordon, pilot and Lt. (j.g.) Bobbie R. Young, radar intercept officer. Compared to the average speed of 781.74 miles per hour for the 2445.9 mile course set in 1957, the Phantom's top mark was a remarkable 869.73 miles per hour despite the necessity for three refuelings at subsonic speeds and at altitudes some 15,000 feet lower than the normal flight patterns. 5 Teams Participated The event, for which the winners were awarded the famed Bendix trophy, started with the take-off of Cmdr. (Continued on Page 8) [[insert]] Adm. Pirie Says: "McDonnell Can Take Pride in F4H" The people of McDonnell can take great pride in an accomplishment of signal merit for the design and production of the Phantom II, Vice-Admiral R. B. Pirie, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, AIr, told a Navy League meeting at Washington, D. C. on May 26. The occasion was the awarding of the Bendix Trophy to the Navy for breaking the transcontinental speed records two days prior. "THe F4H is a highly effective, very reliable, extremely useful part of the defense of our country. And it is all of those things because of the genius, the dedication and the hard work of the people at McDonnell Aircraft," Admiral Pirie said. "Someone has called it the best all-weather interceptor and best military aircraft in the world today. I heartily concur in both accolades." Adm. Pirie pointed out that the Phantoms competing in the transcontinental race were combat figured aircraft, unmodified for the event. He said the aircraft were combat armed for the flight, and were flown under change conditions which were far from ideal. The flight, he said, was a demonstration of the real capability of the Phantoms which are being introduced into the fleet this year. (Continued on Page 8) [[image]] Vice Adm. R. B. Pirie
