McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

McDonnell · United States · first flew 1954 · fighter

A large twin-engine American supersonic fighter built first as a long-range escort and later as a two-seat all-weather interceptor.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Long fuselage with two turbojets buried side by side
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Long fuselage with two turbojets buried side by side
Sharply swept wings set partway back on the body
High T-tail riding atop a tall swept fin

Identify it by the long twin-jet fuselage, mid-set sharply swept wings, and the prominent T-tail perched high on the fin.

Specifications

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo has a length of 20.5 m (67 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.1 m (40 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1825 km/h (1134 mph).
Typical crew: 1-2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1954, the Voodoo grew out of an escort-fighter requirement before finding its main career as an interceptor and as a fast tactical reconnaissance platform. Its high T-tail gave it a tendency to pitch up at high angles of attack that demanded careful handling.

Variants

Key versions included the single-seat F-101A and C fighter-bombers, the RF-101 reconnaissance aircraft, and the two-seat F-101B interceptor; Canada operated the CF-101 in the NORAD air-defence role.

Where you'll see it

A USAF and Canadian interceptor and recce type, not a Royal Air Force aircraft, so it was not flown from UK bases in numbers; British spotters would only have caught visiting examples, and it is long retired today.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.