The Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a highly unusual, semi-tailless design, allegedly based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of World War II, though Vought designers denied any link to the German research at the time. The F7U was the last aircraft designed by Rex Beisel, who was responsible for the first fighter ever designed specifically for the U.S. Navy, the Curtiss TS-1 of 1922.
Regarded as a radical departure from traditional aircraft design, the Cutlass suffered from numerous technical and handling problems throughout its short service career. The type was responsible for the deaths of four test pilots and 21 other U.S. Navy pilots. Over one quarter of all Cutlasses built were destroyed in accidents. The poor safety record was largely the result of the advanced design built to apply new aerodynamic theories, insufficient thrust and unreliable engines.
Aviators called it the "Gutless".
ReplyDeleteWe lost Dick Bong at the end of WWII trying to enter the jet fighter age along with not a few others. The sky was still the limit then. We didn't know what we couldn't do.
ReplyDeleteDick Bong forgot to turn on the fuel boost pumps prior to takeoff. Unlike piston engines, the early jets required high pressure fuel to operate at full thrust. Another difference between props and jets was the spool up time for the jet before it produced thrust. Pilots would add power in the final turn based on their piston engine experience which was too late for the jets. The result was they would land, hard, short of the runway.
ReplyDeleteDave