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{{UK road routebox|
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
| road= A1260
{{infobox Aircraft
| length-mi= 3
|name= F2H Banshee
| direction= North-South
|image= Image:F2H2Banshee.jpg|thumb
| start= [[Hampton]]
|caption= A US Navy F2H-2 Banshee flying over [[Wonsan]], [[North Korea]], 1952
| destination= [[Peterborough]]
|type= [[Naval aviation|Carrier-based]] [[fighter aircraft]]
| end= [[Longthorpe]]
|national origin = [[United States]]
| completion-date= 1987
|manufacturer= [[McDonnell Aircraft]]
| junctions= {{ukroadsmall|15}<br />{{ukroadsmall|1139}}<br />{{ukroadsmall|605}}<br />{{ukroadsmall|1179}}<br />{{ukroadsmall|47}}
|first flight= [[11 January]] [[1947]]
|introduced= August 1948
|retired= 1959 USN, USMC <br/>[[12 September]] [[1962]] RCN <br/>1964 USNR
|status=
|primary user= [[United States Navy]]
|more users= [[United States Marine Corps]] <br/>[[Royal Canadian Navy]]
|produced=
|number built= 895
|unit cost=
|developed from = [[FH Phantom]]
|variants with their own articles=
}}


The A1260 is a major road that serves the city of Peterborough in Eastern England. The road is dual-carriageway from its southern terminus with the [[A15]] at Hampton to its northern terminus with the [[A47]] at [[Longthorpe]]. The road is also known as the “Nene Parkway” and serves as major route from getting from the southern end of Peterborough to the Northern end without having to travel into to the centre of the city via the [[A15]]. The road itself starts at [[Hampton]] at a small roundabout with the [[A15]] where after it goes past [[Serpentine Green]] at another roundabout before it very quickly heads to a major junction where its meets the [[A1139]]. After that junction the road takes on the form of a major dual-carriageway with its own grade separated junctions where it meets the [[A605]] on a restricted junction before passing over the River Nene before meeting the [[A1179]] on a another junction. After that junction the road quickly heads north before coming to a major junction with the [[A47]] where the road termites on a large roundabout with the A47 passing over on top.
The '''[[McDonnell Aircraft|McDonnell]] F2H Banshee''' was a military [[aircraft carrier|carrier-based]] [[jet engine|jet]] [[fighter aircraft]], used by the [[United States Navy]] from 1948 to 1959 and by the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] from 1955 until 1962. The Banshee had unswept wings, a single seat, and two engines. Together with the [[F9F Panther]], the Banshee was one of the USN's primary single-seat fighters during the [[Korean War]]. The plane was named for a female demon of Celtic myhthology. When the wail of the [[banshee]] was heard, it was a harbinger of death.

==Design and development==
The Banshee was a development of the [[FH Phantom]], although it was being planned before the Phantom went into production. The basic design was for an enlarged and more powerful Phantom, with a pair of [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] [[turbojet]]s raising power from 1,600 to 3,000 lbf (7 kN to 13 kN) each, an increased fuel load, a move away from the [[World War II]] standard 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns to 20 mm cannon, and additional capability to carry bombs, rockets or missiles as well.

A mock-up of the new fighter, designated '''XF2D-1''', was completed in April 1945. The project survived the end of the war, but development work was slowed and the first of three prototypes was not built until late 1946. The aircraft made its maiden flight on the [[11 January]] [[1947]] from [[Lambert Field]], [[St. Louis, Missouri]]; test pilot was Woodward Burke. The Navy redesignated the aircraft as the '''XF2H-1''' as the manufacturer's designator "D" was already assigned to the [[Douglas Aircraft Company]]. After some problems with the tailplane were resolved, an order for 56 craft was placed in May 1947.

The '''F2H-1''' was first delivered in August 1948 for service evaluation by Navy pilots. Relative to the XF2D-1, the fuselage was extended 14 in (0.36 m) forward of the wing to provide the capacity for an additional 351 US gallons (1,330 L) of fuel. The F2H-1 was retrofitted with 3,150 lbf (14 kN) thrust engines as they became available.

Despite the Navy's accepting the F2H-1, it was the more capable '''F2H-2''' that was most widely used; 306 of this type were built. With newer 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) thrust engines, it had improved performance. The wing was also modified to add provisions for weapons pylons and 200 US gallon (757 L) wingtip fuel tanks. Unlike the contemporary F9F Panther, the Banshee's wingtip tanks were detachable, although most historical photographs show the aircraft flying with the tanks in place.

The F2H-2 was the foundation for three minor variants of the Banshee. The '''F2H-2B''' had strengthened wings to allow it to carry a small [[nuclear weapon]], a mission it was thankfully never asked to carry out. A total of 35 were produced. The '''F2H-2N''' was a [[night fighter]] variant outfitted with a 2 ft, 10 in (0.86 m) longer nose to accommodate internal [[radar]] equipment; 14 were produced. The '''F2H-2P''' was a photo-[[reconnaissance]] version with six [[cameras]] housed in a 2 ft, 5 in (0.74 m) longer nose; it was the first jet-powered reconnaissance aircraft used by the USN. 81 were built.

The '''F2H-3''' was the last significant alteration. The fuselage was extended by 8 feet (2.4 m) to increase internal fuel load from 877 US gallons (3,320 L) to 1,102 US gallons (4,172 L), allowing the aircraft to complete many missions without the wing-tip tanks seen in most photographs of earlier variants. The horizontal stabilizer was moved from the vertical tail down to the fuselage and incorporated significant [[dihedral]]. The Banshee was also fitted with [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] radar equipment, enabling the fighter to be used for all-weather missions, and the cannons were moved downwards and rearwards away from the nose to accommodate the radar. These changes resulted in an airplane that looked significantly different from its predecessors. 250 F2H-3s were built.

The last variant was the '''F2H-4'''. It had a [[Hughes Electronics|Hughes]] radar in place of the earlier Westinghouse set, and also had slightly more powerful 3,600 lbf (16.0 kN) thrust engines. The F2H-4 was externally identical to the F2H-3. 150 were built.

A proposed '''F2H-3P''' photo-reconnaissance variant was canceled before reaching production. Unlike most other early jet fighters, no two-seat version was ever produced.

Production ended in September 1953 after a total of 895 aircraft were delivered. The F2H-3 and F2H-4 were given the new designations '''F-2C''' and '''F-2D''' respectively under the [[1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system|1962 unified designation system]]. The designations F-2A and F-2B presumably referred to the F2H-1 and F2H-2, but these variants had already been withdrawn from service. No Banshees ever flew under the new designations; the last ones in USNR service were placed in storage before the new designations went into effect.

==Operational history==
===United States Navy and Marine Corps===
The F2H-2 served during the [[Korean War]] with the U.S. Navy [[Task Force 77]] and the Marine Corps. Pilots spoke of F2H as the "banjo".<ref name="Proceedings">O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads". ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'', July 1968.</ref> Due to its good performance at high altitude, it initially proved its worth as an escort for long-range [[USAF]] [[bomber]] formations. As the war progressed, USN and USMC fighters were primarily assigned to ground attack missions, including [[close air support]] of ground troops and destruction of the [[North Korea]]n army's supply lines.<ref name="jackson"> Jackson, Robert. ''Air War Korea 1950-1953''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-85310-880-4.</ref> The North Korean air forces had been almost completely annihilated during the opening weeks of the war by the combined US and [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[Far East Air Force]] (FEAF), mostly due to the far superior training and [[World War II]] combat experience of the US and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] pilots. From that point onwards, the combined North Korean, Chinese, and [[Soviet]] forces were unable to open new airstrips near the combat zones in South Korea because of constant FEAF [[airstrike]]s, forcing them to operate out of air bases in [[China]]. The Banshee and other USN fighters had limited exposure to hostile enemy aircraft because they operated far out of the range of enemy fighters operating from China.<ref name="jackson"/> [[dogfight|Air-to-air combat]] missions, such as patrols in the [[Yalu River]] area, were primarily assigned to [[F-86 Sabre]]s.<ref name="jackson"/> Consequently, the Banshee would score no victories nor suffer any losses in air-to-air combat, although three F2H-2s were lost to [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] gunfire.

The F2H-2P also made a great contribution to the Korean War, particularly in USMC service. At the time of the war, accurate [[surface-to-air missile]]s had not yet been developed, the vast majority of enemy aircraft did not have onboard [[radar]], and the speed of newer jets was rapidly making [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AAA]] guns obsolete. Air defense tactics still largely depended on being able to see the enemy, and US commanders soon discovered that a lone high-flying F2H-2P was almost impossible for ground forces to spot, much less shoot down. The airplane was soon in very high demand for the invaluable battlefield photography it could provide. F2H-2Ps even received USAF fighter escorts when operating in areas frequented by enemy fighters. Despite being deployed constantly throughout the war, only two F2H-2Ps were lost to radar-directed AAA gunfire, with no air-to-air losses.

In the late 1940s, the USN had resisted the novel [[swept wing]] design concept, fearing that the tricky low-speed handling displayed by early swept wing airplanes would make it unsafe to operate them from aircraft carriers. Unfortunately, the USN failed to fully appreciate how much this would hamper the performance of its new jets. As a consequence of its unswept wings, the Banshee was almost 100 mph (161 km/h) slower than new [[Soviet]] jet fighters such as the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]], a serious handicap in air-to-air combat. As further testing proved that swept wing aircraft could be flown safely at low speeds, development of new swept wing USN fighters began. The USN deployed the new radar-equipped F2H-3 and F2H-4 for all-weather fleet defense after the conclusion of the Korean War, but only as a stopgap measure until the much faster [[F9F Cougar]], [[F3H Demon]], and [[F4D Skyray]] could be deployed in significant numbers. Later variants of the Banshee only served for a few years on the front lines and saw no action. Similarly, the F2H-2P was superseded by the F9F-8P (later RF-9J) variant of the F9F Cougar and the F8U-1P (later RF-8A) variant of the [[F-8 Crusader|F8U Crusader]] as these faster aircraft became available.

===Royal Canadian Navy===
In 1951, the [[RCN]] expressed interest in replacing their obsolescent [[Hawker Sea Fury|Hawker Sea Furies]] with Banshees, drafting a $40 million deal for 60 new aircraft. Unfortunately, due to fiscal wrangling in the [[Canadian Cabinet]], the purchase was not approved until after Banshee production had been shut down in 1953. The RCN was forced to acquire second-hand USN aircraft, 39 at a cost of $25 million. The aircraft were delivered from 1955 to 1958 and flew from {{HMCS|Bonaventure|CVL-22}} or as [[NORAD]] interceptors from shore bases.

In order to improve the Banshee's capabilities as a long-range interceptor, the RCN equipped the aircraft with the [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missile. The RCN conducted sea trials of the Sidewinder in November 1959, during which several remotely-piloted [[drone aircraft]] were shot down.<ref name="cook">{{cite web | title=McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee 126464| work=Canada Aviation Museum Aircraft | url=http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/pdf/McDonnell_F2H-3_Banshee_126464.PDF| accessdate=2006-09-08 | author=Cook, D. Glenn}}</ref> After the retirement of the F2H-3, the Canadian military would not deploy another aircraft armed with the Sidewinder missile until the introduction of the [[CF-18 Hornet]] in 1982.

The Banshee, although initially well-liked by its Canadian pilots for its flying qualities, began to suffer from problems in RCN service. A Banshee and its pilot were lost after an in-flight structural failure of the [[folding wing]] mechanism, and another Banshee suffered an apparent brake failure aboard ''Bonaventure'' and rolled off the carrier's deck, falling into the ocean and drowning its pilot.<ref name="snowie">{{cite book| last =Snowie | first=J. Allan | title=The Bonnie, HMCS BONAVENTURE | publisher=The Boston Mills Press | date=1987 | location = Erin, Ontario | id = ISBN 0-919783-40-6}}</ref> The RCN would eventually lose 12 of its original 39 Banshees to accidents, a loss rate of over 30%.<ref name="cook"/>

Utilization of the Banshees fell as the RCN shifted its primary focus to [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW). ''Bonaventure'' was too small to accommodate many Banshees while carrying a sufficient number of [[S-2 Tracker|CS2F Trackers]] to conduct around-the-clock ASW patrols, so the carrier frequently left port with no Banshees aboard.<ref name="snowie"/> Furthermore, the Canadian military was coming under increasing political pressure to cut its budget, and the increasingly obsolescent Banshees were becoming expensive to maintain as years of punishing carrier service and the harsh North [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] climate took their toll. The last RCN Banshees were retired without replacement in September 1962. They were the only jet-powered carrier-based fighters ever deployed by the RCN.

Banshees were the primary aircraft of the short-lived RCN [[Grey Ghosts]] aerobatic team. The team's name was a play on the Banshee name and the RCN color scheme. The RCN's Banshee fleet was too small to maintain a special contingent of aircraft for [[airshow]] service, so the team simply flew whichever active-duty Banshees were available at the time of each show.

Three of the former RCN Banshees survive today:
* 126464 at the [[Canada Aviation Museum]] in [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]]
* 126402 at the [[Shearwater Aviation Museum]] at [[CFB Shearwater]] in the [[Halifax Regional Municipality]], [[Nova Scotia]]
* 126334 at the [[Naval Museum of Alberta]] in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]]

The remaining RCN Banshees were cut up for scrap or destroyed as practice targets.<ref name="cook"/>

==Variants==
* '''XF2D-1'''
* '''XF2H-1'''
* '''F2H-1'''
* '''F2H-2'''
* '''F2H-2B'''
* '''F2H-2N'''
* '''F2H-2P'''
* '''F2H-3'''
* '''F2H-3P'''
* '''F2H-4'''

==Operators==
;{{CAN}}
* [[Royal Canadian Navy]]
** VF-870 (F2H-3)
** VF-871 (F2H-3)
** VX-10 (Test Squadron) (F2H-3)

;{{USA}}
* [[United States Navy]]
** VX-3 (Evaluation) (F2H-1)
** VF-171 (F2H-1, then F2H-2)
** VF-11 (F2H-2)
** VF-12 (F2H-2)
** VF-22 (F2H-2)
** VF-62 (F2H-2)
** VF-172 (F2H-2)
** VC-61 (F2H-2P)
** VC-62 (F2H-2P)
** VC-4 (F2H-3)

* [[United States Marine Corps]]<ref name="">{{cite web |title = McDONNELL F2H-2 "BANSHEE" |publisher = Flting Leatherneck Historical Foundation and Aviation Museum |url = http://www.flyingleathernecks.org/jets2.html#fantom |accessdate = 2007-12-16 }}</ref>
** [[VMF-114]]
** [[VMF-122]] (F2H-2)
** [[VMF-214]] (F2H-4)
** [[VMF(N)-533]] (F2H-A4)
** [[VMJ-1]] (F2H-2P)
** [[VMJ-2]] (F2H-2P)

==Specifications (F2H-3)==
{{aircraft specifications
<!-- if you do not understand how to use this template, please ask at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft]] -->

<!-- please answer the following questions -->
|plane or copter?=plane
|jet or prop?=jet

<!-- Now, fill out the specs. Please include units where appropriate (main comes first, alt in parentheses). If an item doesn't apply, like capacity, leave it blank. For additional lines, end your alt units with a right parenthesis ")" and start a new, fully-formatted line beginning with an asterisk "*" -->
|crew=1
|span main=41 ft 8.8 in
|span alt=12.72 m
|length main=48 ft 2 in
|length alt=14.68 m
|height main=13 ft 11 in
|height alt=4.24 m
|area main=294 ft²
|area alt=27.31 m²
|empty weight main=13,183 lb
|empty weight alt=5,980 kg
|loaded weight main=<!-- lb-->
|loaded weight alt=<!-- kg-->
|max takeoff weight main=28,500 lb
|max takeoff weight alt=12,930 kg
|engine (jet)= [[Westinghouse J34]]-WE-34
|type of jet= [[turbojet]]s
|number of jets=2
|thrust main=3,250 lbf
|thrust alt=14.5 kN
|max speed main=527 mph
|max speed alt=458 knots, 848 km/h
|max speed more=at 10,000 ft (3,100 m)
|ceiling main=46,500 ft
|ceiling alt=14,173 m
|range main=1,716 mi
|range alt=1,491 nm, 2,672 km
|climb rate main=5,900 ft/min
|climb rate alt=30 m/s
|climb rate more=from sea level
|loading main=<!-- lb/ft²-->
|loading alt=<!-- kg/m²-->
|thrust/weight=<!--a unitless ratio-->
|guns=4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 16 [[autocannon|cannon]], 150 rounds/gun
|rockets=<br/>
** 8× 60 lb High Explosive rockets ''or''
** 6× 500 lb bombs and 2× 60 lb H.E. rockets
|missiles=2× [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missiles (in RCN service)
}}

==Popular culture==
The aircraft played a central role in the 1953 [[James A. Michener]] novel ''[[The Bridges at Toko-Ri]]''. The subsequent 1955 movie of the same name used [[F9F Panther]]s in place of Banshees for all flight sequences, although parked Banshees are visible in the background of several scenes.

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[FH Phantom]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[F9F Panther]]
* [[FJ-1 Fury]]
* [[Hawker Sea Hawk]]
|lists=
* [[List of fighter aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States (naval)]]
|see also=

}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web|title=McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee|work=Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft|accessdate=2006-09-08 |url=http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f2_2.html}}
* {{cite web|title=McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee|work=Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft|accessdate=2006-09-08 |url=http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f2_3.html}}
* {{cite web|title=McDonnell Banshee |work=Shearwater Aviation Museum Aircraft History|accessdate=2006-09-08 |url=http://www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca/aircraft/banshee.htm}}
* Mills, Carl. ''Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy''. Willowdale, Ontario: Banshee Publication, 1991. ISBN 0-96952-000-X.
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* [http://www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca/exhibits/banshee.htm RCN Banshee 126402 at Shearwater Aviation Museum]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/09a.htm Photos of 1951 USS Essex crash]

{{McDD aircraft}}
{{USN fighters}}
{{US fighters}}
{{aviation lists}}

[[Category:Carrier-based aircraft]]
[[Category:Korean War aircraft]]
[[Category:United States fighter aircraft 1940-1949|FH2 Banshee]]
[[Category:McDonnell aircraft|FighterProduction2-F2H]]

[[cs:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[de:McDonnell F2H]]
[[fr:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[it:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[ja:F2H (航空機)]]
[[no:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[pl:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[ru:McDonnell F2H Banshee]]
[[vi:F2H Banshee]]

Revision as of 14:51, 10 October 2008

{{UK road routebox| | road= A1260 | length-mi= 3 | direction= North-South | start= Hampton | destination= Peterborough | end= Longthorpe | completion-date= 1987 | junctions= {{ukroadsmall|15}
A1139
A605
A1179
A47

The A1260 is a major road that serves the city of Peterborough in Eastern England. The road is dual-carriageway from its southern terminus with the A15 at Hampton to its northern terminus with the A47 at Longthorpe. The road is also known as the “Nene Parkway” and serves as major route from getting from the southern end of Peterborough to the Northern end without having to travel into to the centre of the city via the A15. The road itself starts at Hampton at a small roundabout with the A15 where after it goes past Serpentine Green at another roundabout before it very quickly heads to a major junction where its meets the A1139. After that junction the road takes on the form of a major dual-carriageway with its own grade separated junctions where it meets the A605 on a restricted junction before passing over the River Nene before meeting the A1179 on a another junction. After that junction the road quickly heads north before coming to a major junction with the A47 where the road termites on a large roundabout with the A47 passing over on top.

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