McDonnell FH-1 Phantom: First Carrier-Based Jet

The McDonnell FH-1 Phantom was the first jet aircraft developed for and operated from a U.S. aircraft carrier. Built by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, it represented a major milestone in the transition of naval aviation from propeller-driven planes to jet propulsion in the years immediately following the Second World War.

In a landmark demonstration in 1946, an FH-1 Phantom made the first takeoff and landing by an American pure-jet aircraft from a carrier, operating from the deck of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. The trials proved that jets could be flown safely from carriers, opening the way for a new generation of high-performance naval aircraft.

Though produced in modest numbers and soon overtaken by faster designs, the FH-1 paved the way for McDonnell's later and far more famous Phantom fighters. Its successful carrier qualification was a key step in establishing the jet as the standard for U.S. naval aviation.