NAS Miramar in the 70s
Vought F-8 Crusaders
This gallery features our selected digitised colour slides of Miramar Vought F-8 Crusaders, just because it’s one of our favorites.
Peter Jongbloed (today retired KLM B-747 captain) and I (Miel Ribbe) visited NAS Miramar in 1974 and 1978. During work trips to the US – Peter flying, I attending medical congresses – we combined our work trips with visits to many airbases.
At this NAS Miramar visit, the Press Officer welcomed us at the gate, showed us around, and – almost unthinkable today – gave minimal restrictions. We were free to walk the ramp with just two warnings: “Guys, watch the jet blasts and don’t cross in front of taxiing aircraft”.
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We were so excited that in the beginning we had problems keeping our cameras steady. We spend the whole day photographing on the ramp and at the runway.
In this gallery you will also find interesting stories about F-8 mishaps (ref. vfp62.com). When the F-8 entered US Navy service in 1957, it was ahead of its time (see photo 4).
More Top Gun photos will be presented in future galleries.
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