The North American RA-5C Vigilante preserves a time when Sanford’s patriotism and community with Naval Aviation reflected a strong national heritage, honoring the citizens of Sanford and the men and women of the U.S. Navy and their families. The Vigilante was an extraordinarily advanced carrier aircraft, first developed and deployed in 1961 as a nuclear attack bomber and introduced in 1964 as a highly effective multi-sensor tactical reconnaissance system for American forces. Its technological firsts included the first supersonic high and low altitude carrier aircraft, the first production fly-by-wire flight control system, the first deflector and spoiler flight controls without ailerons, the first variable geometry horizontal ramp engine inlets, the first subsonic and supersonic escape and ejection system, the first digital navigational and bombing computer, the first production heads-up cockpit display system, the first integrated inertial bombing and navigation system, the first integrated terrain avoidance system, and the first integrated electronic warfare system. Its legacy included advanced technology and design for later aircraft, a lasting benchmark for multi-sensor tactical reconnaissance, and exceptional government-industry teamwork and management. In operations, it carried out highly effective tactical reconnaissance missions by making high-speed passes at high or low altitude and using varied sensors to gather continuous full-spectrum electronic, infrared, side-locking radar, and serial frame or panoramic camera data across the tactical area. It served worldwide, saw extensive combat in Vietnam, and remained operational through 1978.