McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee

Click on thumbnails for large image

• The Banshee was a rugged and reliable, all-weather, fleet defence and ground attack fighter. During one annual exercise at Rivers, Manitoba, VF 870 Squadron, flying Banshee Aircraft, spent five weeks during which they: flew 506 sorties; expended 10,000 20mm shells; fired 1,092 three and five inch rockets; dropped 912x11.5 pound practice bombs; 30x500 pound bombs; and spotted for 450 rounds of 105 mm artillery fire. During this time, ground crews serviced 720 snags and maintained a 70.5% Aircraft servicability rate.

  CF Photo

• Banshee 105 belonged to VF-870 Squadron of the RCN and is shown here preparing to take off from HMCS Bonaventure "Club 22". This photo depicts one of the first Banshee launches during 870's carrier qualifications in September 1957. September also marked the first carrier landings of the Banshee on the Bonaventure and pilots praised the angled deck, the mirror landing system and also the Safe Flight Indicator recently installed on all squadron Aircraft.

  CF Photo

• A Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Banshee banks over Halifax harbour in Nova Scotia. Nicknamed the "Banjo," the McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee was a carrier based air defence fighter used by the RCN from 1955 to 1962. Until the CF-18, the Banshee was the only Canadian military Aircraft armed with sidewinder missiles.

  CF Photo

• Banshee 414 prepares for launch on the HMCS Bonaventure, the first Canadian Aircraft carrier equipped to take jet Aircraft. The Banshee was a versatile Aircraft, serving both as an all-weather interceptor, and a fighter-bomber. On one occassion involving an air firing exercise at Rivers, Manitoba and the recently acquired Sidewinder missile, a Banshee pilot was having problems with a "hung-up" rocket which hadn't fired. He was struggling with the thing on the way back from the range when it went off and, by sheerest coincidence, hit a barn with two horses in it, killing one outright. In settling the claim for damages by the farmer, the investigators questioned why both horses were being claimed when only one had been killed. It turned out that they were a team with one being blind, and that the sighted one had been killed. The claim was settled and, needless to say, shortly the Banshee involved appeared wearing two horses painted on the side of the Aircraft.

  CF Photo

• In Canadian Naval operational service all 39 Banshee Aircraft flew with VF870 and VF871 Squadrons, until the latter was amalgamated into the former in 1959. VX10 Experimental Squadron also flew the Banshee in order to do acceptance evaluations. The Banshee was well liked by pilots because of its good performance on the deck, as well as its all-weather capability, 800-mile tactical radius, and speed of Mach .8. Its versatile armament range included four 20mm cannons, two Sidewinders, 16 rockets, or six 500-pound bombs.

  On the deck of the Bonaventure below can be seen another Banshee with wings folded for storage below decks, and a Sikorsky S-51 helicopter used on plane guard duties.

  CF Photo

• The Banshee had a maximum speed of 580 mph at sea level, an initial climb rate of 6,000 feet per minute, and a normal range of 1,170 miles. The 39 in service with the RCN served from 26 November, 1955 to 12 September, 1962, and when shipborn, operated off of HMCS Bonaventure where this one is seen landing.

  CF Photo

• Four Banshees of VF-870 (distinguishable by the triangular tail markings) overfly the Aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure in formation. A significant Canadian design to the carrier was the fuel handling system. It was designed to handle both kerosene and high octane gasoline for both turbine and piston Aircraft in a safe, efficient manner. The design was a major break-through and featured purification equipment that filtered both moisture and other solid particle contaminants. The distribution of the fuel outlets was extensive, with a double nozzle filter system and fuel blending at fourteen locations around the deck.

  CF Photo