From 1951 until 1973, Dover AFB had the additional mission of hosting fighters from the Air Defense Command's 98th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS). The squadron flew F-101s from 1959 until 1963 when they moved to New York. The mission of the 98th was to defend Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York against enemy bomber attacks.
The museum's F-101, painted in the colors of the 98th FIS, is one of the 480 B-models produced. First flown in 1954, the career of the F-101 is surprisingly long.
The last F-101s were retired from active service in 1987. McDonnell's Voodoo was one of the largest and most complex fighters ever built in America and could rapidly intercept enemy aircraft thousands of miles at sea.
Hangar 1301, now the Air Mobility Command Museum, was once home to the 98th FIS aircraft.
Specifications
Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Type: Tactical fighter-bomber
Powerplant Two 14,850-lb-thrust Pratt & Whitney J57-P-13 turbojet engines at maximum afterburner
Maximum Sped: Mach 1.9/1,229 mph
Range: 1,885 mi.
Service Ceiling: 51,988 ft
Max Takeoff Weight: 45,665
Crew: Pilot and radar observer
Weapons: Four 20-mm cannons, 6,710
lb of bombs, including tactical nuclear weapons
Dimensions:
Wing Span: 39 ft 8 in
Length: 67 ft 5 in
Height: 18 ft 0 in
[Captions:]
Above: A mechanic towing his toolbox bicycles past a 98th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Voodoo on the Dover AFB flight line.
The Voodoo housed most of its fuel internally in nine tanks running along the spine of the aircraft from behind the cockpit to the fin. Total fuel capacity was 2,000 gallons.
Due to the swept wing and high T-tail design, the Voodoo had the tendency to pitch up before stalling if critical angle of attack was exceeded. The tailplane or horizontal stabilizer was an all-moving unit with a VHF antenna on top of the fin.
F-101Bs could carry the Genie nuclear air-to-air missile.
The J57 engine was powerful for its day, rated at 14,850 lb of thrust with maximum afterburner, reaching Mach 1.9.
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