McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee

Period: Postwar (1945-1959)
Uses: Fighter
First Flight: August 1948 (F2H-1)
Display Status: On the Museum Floor

The Banshee entered US Navy service in 1948 as their second carrier jet fighter. They served with distinction with the USN in Korea. The Banshee replaced the Royal Canadian Navy’s Hawker Sea Fury as the RCN’s first and only jet fighter. The RCN acquired 39 Banshees from 1955 to 1958. Banshees operated from shore bases and from the aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure after 1957. The Banshee was the RCN’s last fighter and was not replaced when retired in 1962. A total of 805 were made.

RCN pilots deserve credit for being able to operate the Banshee successfully from the carrier HMCS Bonaventure. Its small size made jet-fighter operation difficult.

Museum Example

Registration #: 126464 (RCN)
Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, United States
Manufacture Date: 1953
Construction #: 174
Acquisition Date: 1965
Provenance: Donation from RCN

The Museum example served with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1957 to 1962 and was transferred to Canadian War Museum in derelict condition in 1965. It was restored for the Canada Aviation Museum by 400 Air Reserve Squadron from 1975 to 1986.

Specifications

Wing Span:

12.7 m (41 ft 9 in)

Length:

14.7 m (48 ft 2 in)

Height:

4.4 m (14 ft 6 in)

Weight, Empty:

5,980 kg (13,183 lb)

Weight, Gross:

9,531 kg (21,013 lb)

Cruising Speed:

742 km/h (461 mph)

Max Speed:

933 km/h (580 mph)

Rate of Climb:

1,829 m (6,000 ft) /min

Service Ceiling:

14,200 m (46,600 ft)

Range:

1,883 km (1,170 mi)

Power Plant:

two Westinghouse J34-WE-34 axial flow engines, 1,450 kg (3,200 lb) static thrust

Additional Photographs

The Canada Aviation Museum’s Image Bank contains additional photographs of this aircraft. Images are provided for non-commercial study or research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published without the prior consent of the Canada Aviation Museum.

Find out more about our Image bank here.