The significance of Dosé's and Miller's flight was that it was not a "Project" anything.  That was the beauty of it.  It was a last-minute event set up by the U.S. Navy to portray the advances in the capabilities of new naval aircraft.  They knew that President Eisenhower would be on the USS Saratoga to observe naval exercises off the coast of Jacksonville, and that it would be a good time to do something special.

    John Glenn's "Project Bullet" six weeks later was a very official record run that had been set up well ahead of time to be a "big thing".  Remember Dosé and Miller only had about a week to get this organized.  These type of flights will probably nver happen again due to the restrictions in supersonic flight over the U.S.

The following is extracted from Bill Northrup's narrative of the event.

     Toward the end of May 1957 Capt Dosé, CO of VX-3, based at NAS Atlantic City NJ, received a call from a friend at DCNO AIR Operations asking him if he could set up and make a historic carrier-to-carrier west to east flight in about a week, specifically, on the anniversary of D-Day, 6 June. President Eisenhower and top government officials and Navy Admirals and lots of press were to be on the east coast carrier, the USS Saratoga. Bob said "Sure, they will make it happen." 

     They were to pick up a new Crusader for Paul Miller at the factory at Dallas equipped with the new inflight refueling modification. They went to Dallas, and Bob's F8, an older one, had to be modified with the new refueling probe, etc, which was done in short order.

The F8 Crusader was a helluva machine. The previous year CDR Duke Windsor had set a speed record of 1015.429 mph. Not only that, he was ordered to "Hold it to just over 1000 mph" by the brass. The F8 had a very long cruise range also compared to other fighters of that time.

     The flight was planned to be two legs with inflight refueling over Dallas. It being only six miles off the great circle route, San Diego-Jacksonville. It was calculated that they would go into afterburner and go supersonic at a specific time on each leg with a safe margin of fuel remaining to, on the first leg, refuel airbourne, and the second to make a "Mach Descent" to a carrier landing aboard Saratoga. The first leg was to be thirteen minutes supersonic and seventeen on the last.  Longer on the last because they would be starting from 25,000 feet after refueling and not ground level. They figured to go to 43,000 feet and fast cruise to the point where afterburners were lit and acceleration to Mach 1.7. This was the maximum speed allowed for the early Crusaders due to directional instability above that Mach.  Later F8s had ventral fins which allowed Mach numbers above 1.9.

A practice flight was made from Dallas. Bob and Paul went west to the point where they were to go into A/B for the thirteen minutes of the last of the first leg east bound. They turned, went into burner, accelerated to 1.7 Mach headed for Dallas and the awaiting AJ Savage tanker plane. During the descent to the tanker they gave Dallas a "really good" sonic boom! Not intentionally , of course (?) Later that evening the Chance Vought test pilot, John Conrad, came to the BOQ where Bob and Paul were staying and told them "You guys almost knocked me out of my bathtub".

They had taken on enough fuel on that practice flight so they were sure the new inflight refueling system worked properly then landed at NAS Dallas. The next day they flew to NAS Alameda and the F8s were loaded aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard. The carrier then headed to the San Diego area.

     June 6 1957. Capt Dosé and Lcdr Miller catapulted off the Bon Homme Richard,, joined up, and headed east on the first leg of their flight. They climbed in A/B to 43,000feet (that took only about 4.5 minutes). Came out of A/B and continued the flight plan. This plan was all set except for one place.  The White Sands Nuclear testing area. The USAF had not previously cleared them through that air space.  Capt Dosé contacted the Air Controllers seven minutes out warning them they were coming.  They received clearance 35 seconds prior to crossing into that air space!  Capt Dosé said, "It wouldn't have made any difference, because we were coming through regardless".

     Thirteen minutes prior to the descent point to the tankers awaiting near Dallas they went into burner and accelerated to 1.7 Mach and held this Mach to the descent point to the tankers.  Out of A/B.  Descend.  Pick up the tankers.  Plugged in and took on a full load of fuel and went into A/B and again climbed to 43,000 feet for the last leg.

     Bob said "It was one of those rare days. A beautiful clear dark blue sky all across the southern states".  They didn't get any help from the jet stream winds that day.  It was absent.  Practically no help there at all.  For the last leg's seventeen minutes of supersonic flight they went into A/B. This was near the middle of Alabama.  As they proceeded the Crusaders wanted to go faster, so to keep the Mach from exceeding 1.7 they started a slow climb.  Over eastern Alabama, while Capt Dosé gave the FAA controller his report, the controller exclaimed "What the hell are you guys flying?"  That gave Bob and Paul a grin.  They were really haullin' buggy!

     During the slow climb on their way toward Jacksonville the Crusaders had attained an altitude of 47,500 feet arriving at the descent point. Over Jacksonville Bob said "There was the biggest, tallest thunderstorm I ever saw. It must have topped out about 60,000 feet. I decided to go around the north side of it".  (This is the scene chosen for the painting). About 50 miles east of Jacksonville cruised the carrier group with many ships including three carriers.  Bob and Paul were breaking Mach 1 in their descent and were heading for the Saratoga where President Eisenhower and staff -etc were waiting.  They came by the ship just above deck level about 100 feet out doing 650 knots. That got everyone's attention! Three hours twenty eight minutes!  An unofficial record never broken.

Now Capt Dosé realized they had to do something to kill off all that excess speed if they were to be in good shape to get aboard on the first pass.  They were really honkin'! Every Navy pilot knows you have to look good around the boat.  So Bob decided to go a little farther upwind before breaking for the turn downwind and pulling a lot of Gs to help kill off all that excess speed. The Crusader was reluctant to slow up and Bob arrived on final approach at last with 220 knots, slow enough to raise the wing and drop the gear. He said "I had about 142 knots very close in and added a lot of power (for the first time since descent!)"  Made a big correction near the ramp and caught the #3 wire. Paul Miller got aboard OK also.  He had a little more time to get slowed up for his landing.  Later, the LSO, Lt Sharp, remarked to his CO, Capt Dosé, "Skipper, that was a dilly!!"

     After climbing down from their cockpits they were surrounded by the press before being greeted by President Eisenhower.  Bob remembered 'Ike' as being "A very impressive gentleman who was very interested in all the details of our flight".

     After the festivities Capt Dosé and Lcdr Miller launched and headed home to Atlantic City.  Their Crusaders had performed flawlessly.  Their 'record' stands.

Capt Bob Dosé went on to be the skipper of the USS Hancock, CVA 19, in 1960, while I was aboard in VAH-4, Det Charlie.

In addition, his son, Curt Dosé, was credited with downing a MIG-21 while flying an F4 later on.

Nick Nickerson