• Korean War. VC-62 (front) and two VF-32 Corsairs Tail Code for Air Group Three was the letter "K". Photo date: 23 Dec. 1950. Contributed by - Ken Walling (www.vf32.info)
• A beautiful restoration of a old photo recon plane, with lots of great pictures and comments from former Navy crew members: RC45J Beechcraft

Note: G.E. Obrien and Tom McGuire, former VC-62 members, points out the depiction below does not show the F9F-6P. These are the planes the artist, Mads Bangsø, had enough information on to make good drawings. See "Guest Log" and below for additional comments. - webmaster

Above rendition courtesy of Mads Bangsø
www.aircraftprofiles.dk

F9F-6P Rendition provided by Marion Swinford. Courtesy of www.wings.de.ms

The F9F Cougar was built by Grumman Aircraft Company. Marion Swinford provides: "The best I can remember we had only 8P Cougars when I was with VFP-62. The 6Ps were used by two marine and two navy squadrons from 1954 -early 56. The photo on the web site had no refueling probe and looked shorter than the 8P"

VC-62 F2H-2P Photo Banchee from USS Wasp CV-18 (1954) provided by Marion Swinford.

• VC-62 F2H-2 -landing aboard USS Midway -External link to Adobe .pdf file.
• VFP-62 aboard with Panthers First Med Cruise USS Forrestal ; -External link to Adobe .pdf file.
• VFP-62 in Naval Aviation News History-External link to Adobe .pdf file.

• Great angle of a: F2H-2P-Courtesy Daryl Phillippi
• Forrestal or Saratoga carrier quals-Courtesy Dave Olson (Swede)
• F2H-2P Tip Tanks won't transfer, dumped-Courtesy Dave Olson (Swede)
• Tail hook hung up, F2H-2P flies into [crash barrier] net , starboard landing gear collapsed. Lt Duke or Lt Kramer were the pilots-Courtesy Dave Olson (Swede)
• F2H-2P on flight deck-Courtesy Dave Olson (Swede)
• VC-62 Det 31-54 USS Wasp CV-18- F2H-2P Mt. Fuji -Marion Swinford
• Marine F2H-2P Photo Banchee -Marion Swinford
• Above Marine F2H-2P Photo Banchee -Marion Swinford
• USS Coral Sea Det 31-56 F2H_2P Photo Banchee -Marion Swinford
• Dark version F2H-2P Photo Banchee -Marion Swinford

• F9F-8P on cat-Courtesy Dave Olson (Swede)
• FDR CVA 42 April 1958 F9F-8P ready to launch-Courtesy Larry Blumenthal www.usnavyphotos.com
• USS Saratoga Newsletter highlighting early VFP-62 Detatchment 43 Courtesy Marion Swinford
• VFP-62 F9F-8P over Malta -Courtesy Marion Swinford
• F8 Crusader, F9F-8P Photo Cougar, A4D Skyhawk, F3H Demon - Courtesy Marion Swinford
• VFP-62 F9F-8P 1958 -Courtesy Marion Swinford
• F9F-8P USS Saratoga landing-Courtesy Marion Swinford
• F9F-8P & AD6 formation -Courtesy Marion Swinford
• F9F-8P preparing to launch-1958 -courtesy Marion Swinford
• Marine F9F-6P -1958 -courtesy Marion Swinford
• VFP-62 F9F-8P NAS Jax 1957-Marion Swinford
• Jim Taylor comments that "The F9F-6P was powered by a J42 and the 8P was the J46, just an upgraded engine; it looked the same. (Marion Swinford disagrees and provides: "The J-42 was last used in the F9F 2 Panther. The J 48 was in both the F9F 6P and the F9F 8P. I just checked it out on the Pratt and Whitney site for both enines."). By 1956 all the squadron had was F2H-2P, F9F-8P, 2ea SNJ-5P and 2 TV-2s. We took 906/8/10 to sea on the Forrestal (Det 42-58). The OIC was LCDR Sam Murphy."
• Tom McGuire adds: "If memory serves me correctly, the F9F-6P's that we had were painted blue, there were probably no more than six or eight of them when I was there. The picture (above) looks ok except for the color. I don't remember any fueling probes either. We left on cruise to Far East on Bennington in Oct of 56 and returned in May of 57 and don't remember there being any -6s when we returned. One of my early jobs as an AMAN was to get to the flight line real early and service the emergency air bottles in every airplane. Had a tow tractor and a compressor that had to be hand cranked to start it. Seems like there were four bottles in the nose wheel well of the -8, probably a similar number in the -6 but only one or two in the Banshee. The Banshees never seemed to leak either, but the cougars and panthers sure did. We also stood post watches at night and carried 45's until one night one of our shipmates killed himself with the gun. No more 45's after that. Never was real sure what we were expected to shoot anyway.

• In 1957, before the F8U-1P became fleet operational I was part of the team at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland which conducted the Board of Inspection and Survey trials on the F8U-1P. It was this aircraft which was flown by Maj. John Glenn in "Project Bullet." Maj. Glenn was, at that time assigned at NATC as a test pilot.
  
  After that record setting flight was completed, the aircraft was returned to the test team to continue the BIS Trials. Here's a link to a site that will give you more information about the project: Project Bullet
  
  Some additional info about the BIS Trials of the F8U-1P. Prior to starting the tests the team flew down to Dallas and spent several days at the Chance Vought plant observing many of the manufacturing processes involved in building the Crusader and getting a briefing on the operation of the various aircraft systems.
  
  Webmaster's Note: The F8U-1P Maj. Glenn flew Project Bullet with was lost in an operational accident on 12/13/72 in the South China Sea, from VFP-63 Det. 34 on the USS Oriskany. LT. T. B. Scott was recovered.
  
  
• I was in Photographic Squadron Sixty-Two (VJ-62) which later became Heavy Photographic Squadron Sixty-Two (VAP-62) from May 1953 to September 1956. Our principal platforms at that time were the AJ-2P and the P4Y-1P. The squadron also had some SNB-2P, SNB-5P, and F7F aircraft while at NAS Sanford, Florida. Around mid 1955 the squadron moved to NAS Norfolk, Virginia.
  
  While at NATC (1956 - 1960) I also was assigned to the BIS Trials of the A3D-2P. A3D-2P, BUNO 142668 was used for that test project.
  
  Later, in the mid sixties, back at NAS Sanford, I was again involved with the successor to the A3D-2P... the RA5C.
  
  

• A rare VFP-62 photo of a Photo Crusader, Cougar, and Banshee in one photo - Courtesy Lonnie Simmons & Marion Swinford
• Hanger picture RF-8 and F9F-8P 910 was on the first det with the RF-8s on the Forrestal. Photo - Jim Taylor
• More information about the RF-8 Photo Crusader
• Circa 1961 VFP-62 was threatened by a hurricane. The attached photo is amazing. Many of the RF8's were packed into the hanger for protection. The hurricane bypassed Cecil Field. Photo - Vinnie Zabicki.
• More information about VFP-62
• A link to a website with pictures of VFP-62 crew and planes circa 1958 Dave Stokes Collection

Click to see Capt. Edwin Kiem's VFP-62 Scrapbook

Courtesy Jim Taylor

The text reads: For the first time a detatchment of photo F8U-1P Crusaders will board ship this summer. Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62) of Cecil Field Fla., under the command of Captain Edwin L. Kiem, will claim the honor.

VFP-62 also believes they have the only Ensign in the fleet who flys the photo Crusader. Ens. Julian Epstein came to the squadron from the 21 week Photo School course at Pensacola Fla., after being graduated from flight training in February 1957.

The "Eyes of the Fleet" aeronautical photo bugs have a new type of glamour in their photo reconnaissance job..the "hot" 1000-miles-per-hour Chance Vought F8U-1P Crusader.

Text under top photo: Captain Edwin L. Kiem, commanding officer of Light Photographic Squadron 62, congratulates Ens. Epstein on becoming a fellow member of the "1000 miles per hour" Club. To become elligible, one must fly the Crusader at 1000-miles-per-hour or better. Other members of the Club stand by, left to right: Lt. Richard Green, Lt. Don Howard, Ltjg Ted Mendenhall, Capt. Liem, Ens. Epstein, Lt. Ted Newark, Lt. Erklens.

Text under bottom photo: G.G. Fowler, plain captain, Ens. Epstein, and Robert A. Sullivan ADJ2 check the afterburner exhaust nozzle flaps in the tail section of the F8U-1P during pre-flight inspection of the aircraft. (circa Spring 1958)

Click here to Return To Home Page