Editing McDonnell FH Phantom (section)

==Operational history==
[[File:FH-1s NAN11-49.jpg|thumb|right|Three FH-1 Phantoms of VMF-122 in 1949]]
[[File:Minneapolis Navy Reserve FH F4U SNJ NAN10-51.jpg|thumb|right|Three aircraft of the Minneapolis U.S. Naval Air Reserve (front to back): an FH-1 Phantom, an F4U-1 Corsair, and an SNJ Texan in 1951.]]

The first Phantoms were delivered to USN fighter squadron [[VF-171|VF-17A]] (later redesignated VF-171) in August 1947;<ref name="AI Nov 87 p259">''Air International'' November 1987, p. 259.</ref> the squadron received a full complement of 24 aircraft on 29 May 1948.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Holding the line : the naval air campaign in Korea|last=Cleaver, Thomas McKelvey|isbn=978-1-4728-3172-9|location=Oxford|oclc=1084309969|date = 2019-03-05}}</ref> Beginning in November 1947, Phantoms were delivered to [[United States Marine Corps]] squadron [[VMFA-122|VMF-122]], making it the first USMC combat squadron to deploy jets.<ref name="AI Nov 87 p259"/> VF-17A became the USN's first fully operational jet carrier squadron when it deployed aboard {{USS|Saipan|CVL-48|6}} on 5 May 1948.<ref name="Grossnick p171">Grossnick 1997, p. 171.</ref>{{#tag:ref|Squadron [[VF-51|VF-5A]], flying the [[North American FJ-1 Fury]], had conducted the navy's first all-jet aircraft carrier operations at sea on 10 March 1948 aboard {{USS|Boxer|CV-21|2}}, but the entire squadron was not considered operational at the time.|group=N}}

The Phantom was one of the first jets used by the U.S. military for exhibition flying. Three Phantoms used by the [[Naval Air Test Center]] were used by a unique demonstration team called the [[Gray Angels]], whose members consisted entirely of naval aviators holding the rank of [[rear admiral]] ([[Daniel V. Gallery]], [[Apollo Soucek]] and [[Edgar A. Cruise]].)<ref name="AI Nov 87 p259"/><ref name="goebel">Goebel, Greg. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110514001132/http://www.vectorsite.net/avbansh.html#m1 "The FH-1 Phantom."]}} ''The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom & F2H Banshee'', 1 November 2010. Retrieved: 10 May 2011.</ref> The team's name was an obvious play on the name of the recently formed U.S. Navy [[Blue Angels]], who were still flying propeller-powered [[Grumman F8F Bearcat]]s at the time. The "Grays" flew in various [[air show]]s during the summer of 1947, but the team was abruptly disbanded after their poorly timed arrival at a September air show in [[Cleveland, Ohio]], nearly caused a head-on low-altitude collision with a large formation of other aircraft; their Phantoms were turned over to test squadron [[VX-3 (US Navy squadron)|VX-3]].<ref name="Mills"/> The VMF-122 Phantoms were later used for air show demonstrations until they were taken out of service in 1949, with the team being known alternately as the [[Marine Phantoms]] or the [[Flying Leathernecks (aerobatic team)|Flying Leathernecks]].<ref name="Mills"/><ref name="AI Nov 87 p259"/>

The Phantom's service as a frontline fighter would be short-lived. Its limited range and light armament&nbsp;– notably, its inability to carry [[bomb]]s&nbsp;– made it best suited for duty as a [[point-defence]] [[interceptor aircraft]]. However, its speed and rate of climb were only slightly better than existing propeller-powered fighters and fell short of other contemporary jets, such as the [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star]], prompting concerns that the Phantom would be outmatched by future enemy jets it might soon face. Moreover, recent experience in World War II had demonstrated the value of naval fighters that could double as [[Ground attack aircraft|fighter-bomber]]s, a capability the Phantom lacked. Finally, the aircraft exhibited some design deficiencies&nbsp;– its navigational [[avionics]] were poor, it could not accommodate newly developed [[ejection seat]]s,<ref name="Mills"/> and the location of the machine guns in the upper nose caused pilots to be dazzled by [[muzzle flash]].<ref name="Mesko10"/>

The F2H Banshee and [[Grumman F9F Panther]], both of which began flight tests around the time of the Phantom's entry into service, better satisfied the navy's desire for a versatile, long-range, high-performance jet. Consequently, the FH-1 saw little weapons training, and was primarily used for carrier qualifications to transition pilots from propeller-powered fighters to jets in preparation for flying the Panther or Banshee. In June 1949, VF-171 (VF-17A) re-equipped with the Banshee, and their Phantoms were turned over to [[VF-172]]; this squadron, along with the NATC, VX-3, and VMF-122, turned over their Phantoms to the [[United States Naval Reserve]] by late 1949 after receiving F2H-1 Banshees. The FH-1 would see training duty with the USNR until being replaced by the F9F Panther in July 1954; none ever saw combat,<ref name="Mills"/> having been retired from frontline service prior to the outbreak of the [[Korean War]].

===Civilian use===
In 1964, [[Progressive Aero, Incorporated]] of [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida]] purchased three surplus Phantoms, intending to use them to teach civilians how to fly jets. A pair were stripped of military equipment and restored to flying condition, but the venture was unsuccessful, and the aircraft were soon retired once again.<ref name="Mesko8">Mesko, 2002 p. 8.</ref>