McDonnell F2H Banshee

what is it?

The McDonnell F2H Banshee (company designation McDonnell Model 24) is a single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft. It was an early jet fighter operated by United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as being the only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy. The aircraft's name is derived from the banshee of Irish mythology.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 12.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 933 km/htop speed
• size 11.4 tmax take-off weight
• built 895made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 79 years ago, in 1947.
• 🏎️Top speed is 7.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.7 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.6× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1947-01-11

introduced

1948

retired

1959

status

retired

number built

895

role

carrier-based fighter aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation

engines

2× Westinghouse J34-WE-34

crew

1

length

14.7 m

wingspan

12.7 m

height

4.4 m

max take-off weight

11.4 t

top speed

933 km/h

cruise speed

742 km/h

range

—

ceiling

14,326 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.