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- A blast from the past:
- This is a photo of a VF-101 F4H-1F, BUNO 148261 being refuelled by an A3D-2 142650 of
VAH-9 during a practice in-flight refueling run for the
- LANA flight with A3D-2P 144838 looking things over.
- 144838 would become VAQ-34's ERA-3B GD 213.
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- McDonnell Douglas photo via Mark Nankivil
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- About LANA:
"To cap off the Phantom's successful speed and altitude efforts, the US Navy ran
Project LANA, a transcontinental speed dash by five F4H-1Fs.
The roman L signifying 50, LANA stood for "50th Anniversary of Naval Aviation"
and was to demonstrate the Phantom's speed and reach.
- Pilots included key figures in the Phantom development story.
- Project LANA refueling problems handed the Bendix Trophy Race contest (24 May 1961) to
VF-121's LANA 3 (BuNo 148270), which flew from Ontario California, to Floyd Bennett Field,
New York, at an average of 869.73 mph (1399.66km/h)."
"LANA 3, flown by [Lieutenant Commander Dick] Gordon and [B.R.] Young, was
resplendent in red trim.
- VF-121 'Pacemakers' succeeded in having their squadron designation painted in larger
letters that the other squadron which provided aircraft for LANA,
- VF-101 'Grim Reapers'. Crews came from several squadrons."
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- "During LANA, the tankers were too high (at 35,000 feet) and too early, and their
pipes partly froze.
- Only LANA 3, Dick Gordon's Phantom, was able to feed from a fresh, untroubled
A3D-2."
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