THE BANSHEE 1950s F2H BANSHEE U.S. NAVY FIGHTER JET PROMO MCDONNELL ST. LOUIS PLANT XD87845z

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Dating to the late 1940s/early 1950s, "The Banshee" is a promo film for the twin jet, carrier based McDonnell F2H Banshee also known as the Model 24. Built by McDonnell in St. Louis, the Banshee was a jet fighter operated by United States Navy and United States Marine Corps starting in 1948. The Banshee was also the only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy. The aircraft's name is derived from the banshee of Irish mythology.

The film begins with images of the Banshee on the tarmac at St. Louis next to an FH Phantom (1:13). A tour of the aircraft follows along with a comparison to the predecessor airplane. At (1:30) including a look at the engine scoops, tail (1:46), thin wings (1:50), speed brakes (2:00), cannon (2:15), fuel tanks (2:26). At (2:50) a McDonnell test pilot boards the plane and starts the engine and begins taxiing (3:45). At (4:00) the plane takes off and climbs while the landing gear retracts. At (4:16) the aircraft is shown in flight at cruising speeds and then performing maneuvers including a fast roll (4:50). At (5:10) the McDonnell plant at St. Louis is shown. At (5:45) teams of engineers are shown at drafting tables. At (5:56) metal stamping and casting is shown, as well as shaping machinery. At (6:20) paint is applied to bare metal. At (6:28), jigs are used to build an airframe. At (7:00) the Westinghouse J-34 engine is shown being installed at the plant. At (7:15) the Westinghouse plant in South Philadelphia is shown, where the J-34 engine is built. At (7:40) an assembly line for turbine blades on the compressor. At (8:10) a balance test for the compressor spindle is performed. At (9:00) a fuel manifold unit is shown being tested at Westinghouse. At (9:45) the combustion liner is shown being assembled. At (10:40) a completed J-34 leaves the factory. At (11:00) more footage of the Banshee in action, coming in on a fast approach "wave off" towards a simulated carrier deck at St. Louis. At (11:40) the plane does a fly-by. At (12:20) an engine is cut and the plane remains in stable flight. At (13:00) the aircraft comes in for a landing on the runway at St. Louis. At (13:37) the plane "kneels" so that, on a carrier, another plane could be put underneath to save deck space.

More on this: As the film indicates, the Banshee was a derivative of the earlier FH Phantom, but with more powerful engines in the form of J34 turbojets. The Banshee also boasted a pressurized cockpit, "kneeling" nose landing gear and an ejection seat. On 11 January 1947, the first prototype performed its maiden flight. During August 1948, the first F2H-1, the initial production model, was completed. The F2H-2 was the basis for three sub-variants; the nuclear-armed F2H-2B, the F2H-2N night fighter, and the F2H-2P photo reconnaissance aircraft.

Banshee was not a world beater. Instead, it proved to be almost 100 mph (160 km/h) slower than the latest land-based fighters, mainly due to its design having straight wings rather than a swept wing configuration. Nevertheless, the Banshee, or "Banjo" as many pilots referred to it, was one of the primary American fighters used during the Korean War. During that conflict, it flew primarily as an escort fighter, reconnaissance aircraft and for all-weather fleet defense. During the 1955 Taiwan Straight Crisis, 27 overflights were conducted by USMC Banshees in response to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

During the mid 1950s, the U.S. military began retiring Banshees in favor of newer and more capable jet aircraft, such as the swept wing Grumman F-9 Cougar and McDonnell F3H Demon, and the delta wing Douglas F4D Skyray. Several of these aircraft would be acquired by Canada for the Royal Canadian Navy as production of the Banshee was terminated in 1953. Banshees operated at sea from HMCS Bonaventure or from shore bases as NORAD interceptor aircraft. Canada retired its last Banshees in September 1962.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com