Great looking boat, Gary - can't wait - and I can think of about a dozen members by name that are dying for a 60s era 27C boat.
Yes, the F-8 is a bit of a "D-Type Jaguar" to learn to fly well, but rewarding once the fuel state, AoA, and throttle settings are mastered. Alternatives - whether directly from that boat, or similar to the period include the FSX Virtavia F4D Skyray, Alphasim's ported A-3 Skywarrior, Razbam's T-2, the Virtavia A-4 Skyhawk, the Razbam A-7A/B/E , the S-2 and T-28 that have already been mentioned - though if ease of landing is the objective, the T-28 and S-2 are the best from the list. Finally, Piglet's awesome A-1 Skyraider rounds out the "realistic" choices. If you have the Razbam F2H Banshee or the Vertigo Studios F9F Panther, then you could add an early jet to the list, though I highly doubt they flew operationally off any angled deck boats - most squadrons were converting off the type before the O got her new deck.
Cross-deck alternatives (separate from the ones that have been mentioned) could be Rob Richardson's Gannet family, and his and/or Alphasim's Sea Venoms, though I doubt those types ever cross-decked. You mentioned the Phantom - so far as I know, neither USN nor FAA Phantoms ever operated off the O, though I welcome being corrected by a more knowledgeable member on that.
Anyway - great progress shots - can't wait to give the Crusader a new home!
Regards,
DL