Interesting story of an F8 pilot who got in a hurry and didn't complete his checklist before takeoff:
F8 Wings Folded
On January 22, 1968, I was a young LTJG at Miramar, attached to Navy Fighter Squadron VF-53 preparing for a deployment to Vietnam aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard. As a final part of the pre-deployment regimen, all pilots were briefed to fly [ FMLP ] Field Mirror Landing Practice about 2100 that night.
This was our last chance to practice before flying our planes to NAS North Island so that the planes could be lifted aboard the carrier. We were required