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The original XF8U-1 Crusader Prototype. When the Museum got it it still had balsa wood filler on the wings from the test program. I was speaking to to a Navy Vet one day and he asked me if it was really the Prototype, I said yes. He said when it went on display at the Smithsonian he was one of a few Navy guys asked to go over and get it ready, He got in it and realized the ejection seat was still armed and hot. They had to get an ejection seat team over to remove the seat and disarm it.

Bill, thanks for the info, and thanks for the great story on the ejection seat, Holy Cow! LOL! I could see someone somewhere eventually pressing that button and getting the ride of their life, or the end of their life, wow!

Note the the variable-incidence wing which pivoted by 7° out of the fuselage on takeoff and landing and is shown deployed in the photo. This allowed a greater angle of attack, increasing lift without compromising forward visibility.

Thank you for sharing some great photos of history

Great Crusader pic John.........

What a story from Bill Bailey......glad you got to see the Boeing Field Museum of Flight.

An F8 Crusader crashed into a parking lot next to where I was working in San Diego in May 1985. Engine caught fire after takeoff from Miramar NAS and the pilot was trying to ditch in the ocean but came up short and pointed it to the parking lot before bailing out. Destroyed 18 cars but miraculously only 2 people injured and no fatalities. I was no more than 200 ft away. What an experience!

Colin - A wing will always fly at the same angle of attack, given gross weight, airspeed, stores carried, etc. are the same. The purpose of the 7 degree 'downward tilt' was to put the fuselage (and the pilot!) more 'level' when coming aboard the carrier - thus significantly improving his forward vision. Nice idea; copied by no one that I'm aware of!

Well-- almost.

The most innovative aspect of the design was the variable-incidence wing which pivoted by 7° out of the fuselage on takeoff and landing (not to be confused with variable-sweep wing). This allowed a greater angle of attack, increasing lift without compromising forward visibility.[3][4] This innovation helped the F-8's development team win the Collier Trophy in 1956.[6] Simultaneously, the lift was augmented by leading-edge flaps drooping by 25° and inboard flaps extending to 30°.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F-8_Crusader

Just further clarification - as the Wiki article makes clear, the variable incidence wing allowed the aircraft to fly with the fuselage oriented 7 degrees 'lower/closer' to being level for any given wing angle of attack, The leading and trailing edge devices generated more lift than the 'clean' wing at any given AOA, further allowing the wing to support the fuselage at a more level deck attitude. All very clever.

adelma, your comments are correct and a mentors quote from the once again and often wrong wiki. are not. won't be settled here about "The last of the gunfighters".