Only a few high-performance fighters have enjoyed simultaneously important combat careers, the secondary role usually being in an area for which they were never intended. High speed usually suggests the tactical-reconnaissance arena.
On July 16, 1957, Marine Major John Glenn, later a U.S. senator, became a national hero after setting a new transcontinental air speed record.
In the postwar years, reconnaissance fighters included the Royal Air Force’s Meteor family, especially the FR 9, along with the U.S. Navy’s Grumman F9F Panther and McDonnell F2H Banshee, plus the U.S. Air Force’s Republic RF-84 Thunderflash and Lockheed RF-80.
As Peter Mersky recounts in RF-8 Crusader Units over Cuba and Vietnam, Vought’s formidable F8U Crusader, which had nearly single-handedly revived the fortunes of the struggling pioneer company, appeared to be a natural choice for a major redesign into a fast tactical-reconnaissance aircraft to effectively take the place of the Panther and Banshee. It drew widespread attention in July 1957 when John H. Glenn flew from California to New York in three hours and twenty-three minutes, averaging 725.55 miles per hour, or Mach 1.1.
On July 16, 1957, Marine Major John Glenn, later a U.S. senator, became a national hero when he set a new transcontinental air speed record, even though three in-flight refuelings caused his speed to dip below 300 mph. Glenn’s onboard reconnaissance camera captured the first continuous transcontinental panoramic photograph of the United States. His flying partner, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Charles Demmler, had to abandon the speed run after his own F8U-1 Crusader was damaged during refueling in flight.
According to the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum, “On that day, Major Glenn flew an F8U-1P Crusader (BuNo 144608) from NAS Los Alamitos, California, nonstop to NAS Floyd Bennett Field, New York, at a record speed of 725.55 mph. The flight lasted just three hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds, which beat the previous record holder (an F-100F Super Sabre) by 15 minutes. In total, four pilots would break the transcontinental air speed record in 1957.”
“John Glenn’s Project Bullet flight was aimed at proving that the Pratt & Whitney J-57 engine could tolerate an extended period at combat power—full afterburner—without damage. After the flight, Pratt & Whitney engineers disassembled the J-57 and, based on their examination, determined that the engine could perform in extended combat situations. Accordingly, all power limitations on J-57s were lifted from that day forward.”
“On July 16, 1957, Major Glenn secured his place in aviation history and became an inspiration to thousands of young people in the United States. Project Bullet secured his reputation as one of the country’s top test pilots. He was awarded his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross and, shortly thereafter, was named to NASA’s first astronaut class.”
John Glenn’s Project Bullet RF-8A—originally designated F8U-1P, the unarmed photographic reconnaissance version of the F8U-1 fighter, and redesignated RF-8A in 1962—was later upgraded to RF-8G standards during the Vietnam War, assigned to VFP-63, and operated from USS Oriskany (CVA-34).
BuNo 144608 was ultimately lost in December 1973 after striking Oriskany’s rounddown during an approach. Lt. Thomas B. Scott, the pilot, was rescued, but Glenn’s record-setting aircraft now rests on the floor of the South China Sea.
The video below tells the story of John Glenn’s transcontinental record.
Photo by U.S. Navy
