TOP GUNS

Four Crusader pilots have logged more than 3,000 flight hours in F-8 aircraft. CDR Richard A. "Pete" Peters, former C.O. of VF-191, was the first Top Gun. He reached the milestone in November 1971. CDR David R. Morris, former C.O. of VF-24, arrived there next, in July 1972 and his X.O., and successor, CDR John B. Nicholas, III, topped the 3,000 hour mark in August 1973. LCDR Jerry Unruh, now assigned to VF-211 at NAS Miramar, joined the select fraternity in September 1974. At the next plateau are 49 F-8 pilots who have logged more than 2,000 flight hours in the Crusader.

FLIGHT TO ATSUGI

Typical of the many deployments of F-8 units from the United States to far-flung areas of the world was the rotation of U.S. Marine Corps VMF 451 in January 1962 from El Toro MCAS, Calif., to Atsugi, Japan, a distance of 7,078 miles. This was the first flight for a Marine Corps fighter squadron from the West Coast of the U.S. to the Far East.

All information on this page is from special F-8 CRUSADER FIGHTER REPORT compiled by the Public Relations Department of LTV Aerospace Corporation in 1974.