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

[N22252]

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

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?

My cousins and I used to vacation with our grandparents near Lake Michigan. There was a park on a beach that had a slide of about 50 feet long built into the side of a sandy hill. It was inclined at an angle that would put a 5-year-old well into the trans-sonic region. At the bottom was a nice soft landing pad full of sand (and about 7 million of those alluminum pull-tab things that used to come out of beer cans before they figgered out how to make 'em bend into the can instead)

Of course, you always want to go faster, so the custom was to peel open one of those waxed paper bags that potato chips or cereal would come in back then and sit on the waxed paper as a drag reduction program.

For the next generation, the slide and most of the fun playground stuff was gone and replaced with a big fort-looking-thing that had no sharp edges. It did include a slide, but it was about 8 feet long and made of plastic with a speed bump in the middle to keep the speeds down.

After my grandmother passed away, we were cleaning out her house and found a stash of old waxed paper bags that had been cut open and saved neatly for a future trip to the park... N.O.S speed parts, but the race course is long gone.

[AirDOGGe]

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

I searched through over a decade's worth of Google Earth historic aerial photos and located just one from 2007 that shows the Los Gatos T-33 near Vasona Lake. In the photos from all the other years it was obscured by trees and shadows.

This shot from high up will help people find it if they want to visit the park to see the aircraft. it is located right next to a parking lot in Oak Meadow Park on the south-western end of Vasona Park:





In this closer shot you can see the plane and it's proximity to the parking lot:




And finally this close-up allows one to identify features. The tail section is still hidden by foliage.

The city built metal steps and a platform next to the cockpit and over the left wing to make access easier. We all know how hard it is to get kids to climb things...

[LD1]

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

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.

My dad's best friend flew ADs in Korea, and the F-8 in VMF-321 out of Andrews AFB in the 60s. I've always loved the look of the F-8.

[LD1]

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

When I was a kid in Fairfax, VA during the early 70s there was a T-33 at Van Dyke park. I googled it recently, and of course it's long gone, I have no idea when it was removed. But I still have great memories of it, the highlight of the park for this kid.

[Kevin L]

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

In the early 70's there was an F-86 at Burns Park, in N. Little Rock,AR. You could climb all over it. Sometimes the canopy would be forced open and you could sit in it. I liked to crawl from intake to exhaust. It was located next to the big rocket slide that would burn your legs on a hot day. Had lots of fun there. There was an army tank there also. Both long gone now. Think they were moved to Camp Robinson.

[mayday51]

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

..........found a stash of old waxed paper bags that had been cut open and saved neatly for a future trip to the park... N.O.S speed parts, but the race course is long gone.

N.O.S. speed parts......I just about hurt myself reading that !
....Thanks for the memories/insight/humor !