McDonnell F2H Banshee (1947-1953): The U.S. Navy’s F2H Banshee was first ordered on March 1945, shortly after the first flight of the FH-1 Phantom. Although it bore a clear resemblance to the Phantom, the two engines of the F2H delivered twice the thrust of the FH-1. After a first flight on January 11, 1947, the Banshee was ordered into production in day-fighter, night-fighter and photo reconnaissance versions. The F2H could climb at a rate of 9,000 feet per minute, nearly twice that of other aircraft of the day. In 1949 the Banshee became the first jet aircraft to set a 52,000 foot altitude record. The Banshee performed a major role in the Korean War as a fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, a part dramatized by author James Michener in his novel The Bridges at Toko-Ri. The McDonnell plant in St. Louis delivered the last of 895 Banshees in 1953.