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Did I see F-8s in "The Final Countdown"?

O

OBIO

Retired SOH Admin
Just watched The Final Countdown on Netflix. You know, the movie about the 80s era aircraft carrier that goes back in time to December 6, 1941. Horrible movie, bad acting...but a great film to watch for those who love US Naval aircraft. It was nice seeing A-7s, F-14s, A-6s, E-1, E-2s...and unless I was mistaken, a couple of F-8s. Could anyone confirm that there were a few F-8 shots in the film. In one scene, what looked like an F-8 came in for a landing. And in the scene where the strike force was being launched, there was one shot that looked like an F-8 being launched....a great nose on view....the intake was not the rounded opening of the A-7, but more squared off...not a total boxy shape but not the smooth round intake of the Crusader II.

Check out this YouTube video...It's the launch sequence from the movie. At the 1:43 mark, that is a Crusader being launched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AhMyr1ge3Y

OBIO
 
Yep, that's a RF-8 alright.

The fuselage below the cockpit is 'squared-off' for the camera ports.

The RF-8 was in service quite a bit longer than the F-8.
 
Ahhh, Martin Caidin.
Some great books, some horrible movies/TV shows.
Been a great while since I watched the Final Countdown, assuming someone added Top Gun Music to the clip if from the movie.
Either way, definitely an F-8 of some flavor.

An author worth looking up.
Thunderbolt!, Saga of Iron Annie for starters. And The Ragged, Rugged Warriors for what the early part of the Pacific War looked like to the Allied pilots. Samurai with Sakai, Flying Forts, many more.
 
Those RF-8's aboard Nimitz were from Detachment 5 of Light Photo Squadron 63 (VFP-63), my old squadron. When the RA-5C Vigilantes were retired from the fleet in the mid-70's VFP-63 once again deployed 3-plane detachments aboard the big-deck carriers. The squadron was de-activated in 1982 but reserve squadrons VFP-206 and 306 flew RF-8's until 1987.
 
OBIO said:
Just watched The Final Countdown on Netflix. You know, the movie about the 80s era aircraft carrier that goes back in time to December 6, 1941. Horrible movie, bad acting...but a great film to watch for those who love US Naval aircraft. It was nice seeing A-7s, F-14s, A-6s, E-1, E-2s...and unless I was mistaken, a couple of F-8s. Could anyone confirm that there were a few F-8 shots in the film. In one scene, what looked like an F-8 came in for a landing. And in the scene where the strike force was being launched, there was one shot that looked like an F-8 being launched....a great nose on view....the intake was not the rounded opening of the A-7, but more squared off...not a total boxy shape but not the smooth round intake of the Crusader II.

Check out this YouTube video...It's the launch sequence from the movie. At the 1:43 mark, that is a Crusader being launched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AhMyr1ge3Y

OBIO
Click to expand...

I wanted them to take out the zeros before they went back into their own time, I think
they Copped out in the interest of good relations with the Japanese.
 
Reply...

Obio,

Oh come on, you gotta love the "Splash the Zeros" (I mean Texans) sequence.

<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px;">I also love that you know they mean business when the sweep the wings back...


<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gChU-mGeBaM?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="390" width="640"></object>
 
I put the "Final Countdown" in my shopping cart at Amazon a while back. Think I'll order it today. Loved the movie when it came out. The flight scenes never fail to impress.

Seems like it was out in 1982 or 83 if my memory serves me. Those CV decks were sure interesting back then with all the various types of fighter, attack, electronic and anti-sub planes on the deck.
 
The best part of that movie was the look on the face of the captured Japanese pilot when the CAG starts rattling off the names of the IJN carriers preparing for the Pearl Harbor attack !

It was like he was thinking "oh. . . holy s**t" !

:running:
 
Jagdflieger said:
Those CV decks were sure interesting back then with all the various types of fighter, attack, electronic and anti-sub planes on the deck.
Click to expand...
Yes indeed, you could still see a lot of "vintage" aircraft still serving. Our RF-8's were already 20+ years old and were dinosaurs compared to the F-14's. The Essex class CVA's and CVS's were making their final cruises and along with them the last S-2's, E-1B's and F-8 gunfighters. Here's a pic that's a good example of what you might see, TF-9J Cougars aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67).

View attachment 46551
 
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