F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Story.

[SkyvanDelta]

Interesting story in todays sfgate.com about an F8 Crusader that was moved from Larsen Park in San Francisco (20 years, 1973-1993) to the Pacific Coast Air Museum’s in Sonoma in 1993.

Here's the story, 2 parts, with pictures and comments. The story is like the appetizer and the comments are like the main meal.
Part 1. http://blog.sfgate.com/thebigevent/2...th-ave/#4813-2

Part 2: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...DD5A1OAEAP.DTL

here's the plane restored at the Pacific Coast Air Museum’s in Sonoma:

http://pacificcoastairmuseum.org/aircraft/F8UCrusader.asp

and Pacific Coast Air Museum’s in Sonoma, CA website:

http://pacificcoastairmuseum.org/

[Bob]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

And slowly SF is becoming military free!

[LD1]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

The best comment of all:

These were the salad days. Can you imagine a kid allowed to climb all over something like this today, let alone inside? Today a fat kid would get stuck inside and the combined rescue and ensuing lawsuit would cost millions. There used to be an old steam engine in Washington Park in Alameda. It was the highlight of the park. Minimal rails on that old steampunk jungle gym. Lots of areas to get stuck and a potential drop of over 20 feet to the ground if you weren't sure-footed and kept your wits about you. And we'd sometimes jump to the ground from the top of it to the tanbark. ("Dear Lord, SPLINTERS!!!") Darwin accompanied every kid through every step and taught her/him valuale lessons about "Pay attention to what you are doing." Sadly, this kind of thing is now extinct. Parks no longer have playgrounds. They have lawyerlands.

[rampking]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

The best comment of all:

These were the salad days. Can you imagine a kid allowed to climb all over something like this today, let alone inside? Today a fat kid would get stuck inside and the combined rescue and ensuing lawsuit would cost millions. There used to be an old steam engine in Washington Park in Alameda. It was the highlight of the park. Minimal rails on that old steampunk jungle gym. Lots of areas to get stuck and a potential drop of over 20 feet to the ground if you weren't sure-footed and kept your wits about you. And we'd sometimes jump to the ground from the top of it to the tanbark. ("Dear Lord, SPLINTERS!!!") Darwin accompanied every kid through every step and taught her/him valuale lessons about "Pay attention to what you are doing." Sadly, this kind of thing is now extinct. Parks no longer have playgrounds. They have lawyerlands.

Nice comment and on point,
Btw....Whatever happened to the F-86 that was at Vasona Park in Los Gatos?

[rahill]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Nice comment and on point,
Btw....Whatever happened to the F-86 that was at Vasona Park in Los Gatos?

There's a T-33 in Vasona - been there for ages. It's got some sort of weird non-slip paint surface on it now, but at least it's still available for kids to climb on. Don't remember an F-86 though.

[John H]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Great memories , drive by the f8 as a kid and also went to the park in Alameda, because my grandparents lived there . Any idea where the locomotive went to .??

[rampking]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

There's a T-33 in Vasona - been there for ages. It's got some sort of weird non-slip paint surface on it now, but at least it's still available for kids to climb on. Don't remember an F-86 though.

I'm dating myself, I'm talking about back in the late 1960's.
I recall climbing into the inside of the aircraft thru the front intake, which rules out a T-33.
Plus the T-33 was placed in the 1970's
45 years ago so my recollection is a little fuzzy.

Here is a link with a partial photo of the F-86 along with the T-33 you mentioned. No info on the F-86 though.

http://vandergreg.blogspot.com/2012/04/airplane-in-los-gatos-park-climbing-toy.html

[John H]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Found it! I tried to get info on this a few months ago and got nowhere. http://www.steamlocomotive.info/shownotes.cfm?Loco=63

[Mystical Power]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Found it! I tried to get info on this a few months ago and got nowhere. http://www.steamlocomotive.info/shownotes.cfm?Loco=63

I worked on them in Viet - Nam in the 60's The best quote was that if you are out of F-8's you were out of fighters.

[AERRACE]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Over the years that F8 became affectionately known to my family as "that poor old Crusader". I was saddened the first time I drove by Lassen Park and it was gone, but not surprised. Being a popular play structure is after all not a use her air frame been designed for. Great to see that she didn't go to that great smelter in the sky. I can remember that back in 57 or 58 a navy blue F9F, Panther or Cougar my mind is a bit fuzzy on that detail, was part of the Christmas parade though downtown Sunnyvale. The jet was reportedly to be destined for one of the cities parks, but over the years I have never been able find any evidence that that ever happened.

Frank

[Leo]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

Years ago (mid 60's) there was a T-33 where we stayed a couple summers, near Big Bear. It had no canopy and an open access hatch where the engine used to be. We use to climb on it, in it, through it for hours. Lots of exposed edges, loose wires and cables, etc. I still have a few scars from it. Never thought of it as dangerous, we loved it.
Nowadays it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Hell, someone would sue just because it was there and POSSIBLY dangerous!
Sad what we have become sometimes.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

I'm dating myself, I'm talking about back in the late 1960's.
I recall climbing into the inside of the aircraft thru the front intake, which rules out a T-33.
Plus the T-33 was placed in the 1970's
45 years ago so my recollection is a little fuzzy.

Here is a link with a partial photo of the F-86 along with the T-33 you mentioned. No info on the F-86 though.

http://vandergreg.blogspot.com/2012/04/airplane-in-los-gatos-park-climbing-toy.html

It looks fairly tall in that photo, so they probably yanked it for kid's safety purposes. They filled the cockpit of the T-33 with concrete and molded it roughly into the shape of a seat for similar reasons.

[W J Pearce]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

I wonder if the latest generation of "new parents" sit and ponder with infinite wonderment at how their parents and grandparents and great grandparent manged to survive with all of the dangers that existed back in the day. No seatbelts, no warnings about containing peanuts, no rounded edges, no stranger-danger, no "do not use hair dryer while taking a shower" labels, and no regulators to keep you safe. Wow, how did they survive.

Imagine all the poor children needlessly impaled with scissors before some wise sage said "Don't run with scissors." Now, we have learned the even walking with scissors can be dangerous. In fact, using scissors correctly can result in injuries if one is not paying attention. So rather than learn to pay attention, maybe we should make scissors out of foam. If they can't cut paper than they can't cut the kid right?

I would loved to have a jet in my playground when I was a kid. My kids will probably say that they would have loved to have monkey bars at there playground (Were removed, too dangerous. In fact, the slide was just taken out because it was too fast. Nothing says "fun" like a slide the doesn't). I guess my grandchildren will say that the would have loved to have a playground rather than a large, open, padded area.

Progress?

[Plane Nuts]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

We had 2 parks with jets in the 50's, 60's- Airport Park, next to Hayward Airport, renamed Kennedy Park, as were many things. It had a F9F which I explored every square inch. Ah, those were the days, crawling through the intakes, exhaust. It had plenty of wiring, tubing, fittings, etc, and the cockpit was fairly intact to fantisize in. I found a link to a pic.

http://castrovalley.patch.com/articles/the-jet-at-airport-park#photo-2426087

We also had Thrasher Park in San Leandro which had a jet, might been an F8, not sure as I only went there once or twice. Couldn't find anything online.

[Bob]

Re: F8 Crusader moved from San Francisco Larsen Park to Pacific Coast Air Museum Stor

I wonder if the latest generation of "new parents" sit and ponder with infinite wonderment at how their parents and grandparents and great grandparent manged to survive with all of the dangers that existed back in the day. No seatbelts, no warnings about containing peanuts, no rounded edges, no stranger-danger, no "do not use hair dryer while taking a shower" labels, and no regulators to keep you safe. Wow, how did they survive.

Imagine all the poor children needlessly impaled with scissors before some wise sage said "Don't run with scissors." Now, we have learned the even walking with scissors can be dangerous. In fact, using scissors correctly can result in injuries if one is not paying attention. So rather than learn to pay attention, maybe we should make scissors out of foam. If they can't cut paper than they can't cut the kid right?

I would loved to have a jet in my playground when I was a kid. My kids will probably say that they would have loved to have monkey bars at there playground (Were removed, too dangerous. In fact, the slide was just taken out because it was too fast. Nothing says "fun" like a slide the doesn't). I guess my grandchildren will say that the would have loved to have a playground rather than a large, open, padded area.

Progress?