Warbird Series: Voodoo, The F-101 Story

Flight Journal, Aug 2005 by Farmer, Jim

Warbird Series: Voodoo, The F-IOl Story Historic Aviation; (800) 225-5575; historicaviation.com; $29.95.

First, what a truly massive and beautiful machine this '50s-era Century Series fighter was! In this video, it is the featured subject in all its various renditions during four, rare, color USAF shorts that total 60 minutes.

The opening part, "F-IOl Voodoo Strategic Fighter," recounts the F-101A's evolution from the earlier McDonnell XF-88A penetration fighter that was in competition with Lockheed's XF-90 to escort our long-range strategic bombers to target. Both fighters had to be massive to hold the requisite 2,000-gallons plus of fuel required for the long-legged missions that could also include the delivery of "special stores" (nuclear weapons). This segment includes informative views of the St. Louis plant, wind-tunnel testing, stress tests and the F-IOlA production line. Unfortunately, the images in this first film are rather soft and have too much contrast.

Part two is perhaps the most interesting, especially when compared with the pioneering technology of the Me 262 just a decade earlier. The viewer is taken through a rather thorough pilot's checkout in the RF-IOlC recce-version (specifically the 56-0207) that was to prove so important to later operations in Vietnam. Happily, from the preflight walk around to a gorgeous series of aerial sequences, the footage is sharp and true to color.

Part three, "Operations Sun-Run and Firewall," records two speed runs made by USAF RF-IOlCs in late 1957. The first operation features a midair-refueled speed dash from Ontario, California, to New York and back that averaged a recordsetting 721mph. There's also a flat-out speed dash (the second operation) through a 10-mile course over Edwards AFB at a record-setting l,207mph!

The fourth and final part of this most gratifying video features an Air Defense Command film on the outstanding two-seat F-IOlB interceptor. That's the same fighter as I grew up watching fly out of the San Francisco Bay Area's beautiful Hamilton AFB.

This video brought back a lot of fond memories, and I highly recommended it!

-Jim Farmer