Vought F7U Cutlass

Last updated
F7U Cutlass
F7U Cutlass.jpg
A US Navy F7U Cutlass circa 1955
Role Naval multirole fighter
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Chance Vought
First flight29 September 1948
IntroductionJuly 1951
Retired2 March 1959
Primary user United States Navy
Produced1948–1955
Number built320

The Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer Chance Vought. It was the first tailless production fighter in the United States as well as the Navy's first jet equipped with swept wings and the first to be designed with afterburners. [1]

Contents

The Cutlass was developed from the mid 1940s to early 1950s as Vought's entry in a United States Navy competition. Their design team, which was influenced by design information obtained from Nazi Germany, opted for a tailless configuration paired with low aspect ratio swept wings, which was regarded as a radical departure from traditional aircraft design for the era. Vought's submission was favoured by Navy officials and was declared the winner in 1946. On 29 September 1948, the prototype performed its maiden flight; all three prototypes would be lost during the flight test program. It was initially powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines which were relatively underpowered, contributing to its accident-prone nature; its unreliable hydraulic flight control system was also a source of difficulties.

The first production model of the Cutlass, F7U-1, entered service during July 1951. It was promptly followed by F7U-2 and F7U-3, improved models that were equipped with more powerful engines amongst other refinements. However, the Cutlass continued to suffer from frequent technical and handling problems throughout the aircraft's short service career. Accidents involving the type were responsible for the deaths of four test pilots and 21 other U.S. Navy pilots. [2] Over one quarter of all Cutlasses built were destroyed in accidents; this high rate of accidents led to the type being withdrawn during the late 1950s despite having been in service for less than ten years. [3]

Development

Background

The Cutlass was developed in response to a competition organised by the United States Navy for a new carrier-capable day fighter that was launched on 1 June 1945. [4] Specific requirements of the competition included that ability to fly at speeds of up to 600 miles per hour (970 km/h) and altitudes of up to 40,000 feet (12,000 m). [2] [1] Vought decided to respond with a relatively radical design for the era. [4]

Vought's design team opted for an unconventional tailless configuration; this decision was heavily influenced by aerodynamic data obtained for various wartime projects undertaken by the German Arado and Messerschmitt companies that had been obtained at the close of World War II through German scientists who worked on the projects, though Vought designers denied any link to the German research at the time. [2] Specifically, former Messerschmitt AG senior designer Woldemar Voigt, who supervised the development of numerous experimental jet fighters in Nazi Germany, contributed to its design with his experience in the development of the Messerschmitt P.1110 and P.1112 projects. [5] [6] 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.

Vought's design was given the company type number V-346 and later received the official designation of F7U when the aircraft was announced to be the winner of the competition. [2] Reviewing official found the design, despite its unconventional nature, to pose an acceptable level of risk, less so than some of the competing submissions. During June 1946, an initial order for three XF7U-1 prototypes, each powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines, was issued to the company. [4] Construction took place at Vought's plant in Stratford, Connecticut. [7]

Flight testing

On 29 September 1948, the first prototype performed its maiden flight from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, piloted by Vought's chief test pilot, J. Robert Baker. [8] [9] Several issues were encountered during this initial flight. Shortly thereafter, the Navy announced that the aircraft would be named Cutlass. [10] During subsequent flight testing, one of the prototypes attained a maximum speed of 625 mph (1,058 km/h). [11]

During September 1949, Vought received a contract to modify the design and to produce 88 F7U-2 Cutlasses for the Navy. [10] In May 1950, the Navy opted to halt F7U-1 production at 14 aircraft in favor of the updated model. [12] None of the 14 F7U-1s built between 1950 and 1952 were approved for use in squadron service. [3] On 7 July 1950, Vought test pilot Paul Thayer ejected from his burning prototype in front of an airshow crowd. [3] Around this time, Vought repeatedly noted its dissatisfaction with the Westinghouse J34 engine to the Navy, alleging that the powerplant was responsible for delivery delays and an inability to perform certain flight tests. [13]

Funding for the Cutlass was briefly cut before being reinstated during 1950. [14] The extent of the aircraft's development difficulties were such that, according to aviation author Tommy Thomason, there were serious considerations towards cancelling the Cutlass entirely during the latter half of 1951, however, severe difficulties with the Westinghouse J40 that powered many of its potential competing aircraft and thus the Navy had no solid alternative to readily take its place. [15] The introduction of more powerful steam catapults during 1952 also aided the programme considerably. [16]

On 20 December 1951, the improved F7U-3 took off for its maiden flight; this model was a reconfiguration of the aircraft towards a more general purpose fighter configuration. [16] Specific changes included the use of more powerful Westinghouse J46 engines, a stronger airframe that was enlarged by one-third, as well as better maintenance access via additional panels. [3] [17] Test pilot (and later, astronaut) Wally Schirra wrote in his autobiography that he considered the F7U-3 to be accident prone and a "widow maker". [1] Several positive observations were also recorded by test pilots, such as it being a stable weapons platform, relatively maneuverable, fun to fly, and fairly sturdy with the strengthened airframe. Furthermore, test pilots gave particular praise for its high roll rate of 570 degrees/s, which was three times faster than most production jets at the time. [3] Some pilots have suggested that inexperience with swept wing aircraft, as well as other innovative features of the aircraft, likely contributed to the poor accident record. [1]

Early on, it was discovered that the Cutlass would gyrate after experiencing a stall. During one test flight, Lt. Morrey Loso's Cutlass exhibited such behavior, tumbling towards the ground following a stall, upon letting go of the control stick to reach with both hands for the ejection handle, Loso's Cutlass promptly self-corrected. It was determined that normal recovery procedures did not apply to the Cutlass, a conclusion that was later confirmed via wind tunnel testing. [3]

Design

The first F7U-1 launching from the carrier Midway in 1951 F7U-1 CVB-41 launch2 1941.jpg
The first F7U-1 launching from the carrier Midway in 1951

The Vought F7U Cutlass was a carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber. It featured broad chord, low aspect ratio swept wings, with twin wing-mounted tail fins either side of a short fuselage. As there was no horizontal tail surfaces, there were no flaps. [4] The cockpit, which was pressurized, was situated well forward to provide good visibility for the pilot during aircraft carrier approaches. [1] The pilot was provisioned with an ejector seat. [4] Common nicknames for the F7U amongst naval aviators included the "Gutless Cutlass", the "Ensign Eliminator" and, in kinder moments, the "Praying Mantis". [18] [3]

Both pitch and roll control was provided by elevons, though Vought referred to these surfaces as "ailevators" at the time. Slats were fitted to the entire span of the leading edge. [4] The aircraft was provisioned with all-hydraulic flight controls; these provided artificial feedback so the pilot could feel aerodynamic forces acting on the aircraft. The hydraulic system operated at 3000 psi, twice that of other Navy aircraft; however, the system proved to be not ready for front-line service and experienced a high level of unreliability. [3] Allegedly, this was at least partially due to many components having been intended for lower pressure hydraulic systems, resulting in a high rate of failure and thus exacerbating overall unreliability. [1]

During flight testing, aviator John Glenn and various test pilots found the muzzle blast from the 20mm cannons caused the engines to flame out, however this was solved when the US Navy approached weapons expert George M. Chinn who designed a flame-out eliminator, [19] [20] a similar device to the Cutts compensator used on the Thompson submachine gun to divert the muzzle blast that solved the problem.

The very long nose landing gear strut required for high angle of attack takeoffs lifted the pilot 14 feet into the air and was fully steerable. [3] [21] The high position of the nose relative to the flight deck posed visibility difficulties for the pilot. [22] Furthermore, the high stresses of barrier engagements, and side-loads imposed during early deployment carrier landings caused failure of the retract cylinder's internal down-locks, causing nose gear failure and resultant spinal injuries to the pilot. [18] To help mitigate the loading forces exerted upon the nose landing gear actuator and mounting structure, Vought's design engineers added small turbines, powered by bleed air from the engines, to pre-spin on the nosegear tires to 90 mph prior to landing. [3] Furthermore, an automatic fuel transfer system maintained the aircraft's center of gravity. [4]

The initial models of the Cutlass were powered by a pair of Westinghouse J34 turbojet engines; these were widely considered to be underpowered and several pilots disparagingly claimed that they "put out less heat than Westinghouse's toasters." The J34 produced considerably less power than had been originally projected by Westinghouse, yet it was the only engine that could fit the airframe of the Cutlass without extensive reworking. [3] Later production aircraft were provisioned with the more powerful Westinghouse J46 engine. The F7U-3M model was the first aircraft in US Navy service to be capable of firing the AAM-N-2 Sparrow I air-to-air missile. [3] [23] While it had been intended to equip the Cutlass with radar, such apparatus would be excluded due to weight constraints. [24]

Operational history

Vought F7U-3 Cutlass Vought F7U-3 Cutlass during evaluation of carrier approach techniques by the NACA Ames Research Center, 22 June 1955 (A-20486).jpg
Vought F7U-3 Cutlass

Production orders were placed for the F7U-1 under a specification that remained relatively close to that of the prototypes, and further developed F7U-2 and F7U-3 versions with more powerful engines. Because of development problems with the powerplant, however, the F7U-2 would never be built, while the F7U-3 would incorporate many refinements that came out of flight tests of the -1. The first 16 F7U-3s were powered by non-afterburning Allison J35-A-29 engines. [13] The -3, with its Westinghouse J46-WE-8B turbojets, would eventually become the definitive production version, a total of 288 aircraft equipping 13 U.S. Navy squadrons. Further development of the type came to an end shortly after flight testing of the more capable Vought F8U Crusader commenced.[ citation needed ]

The F7U's performance suffered due to a lack of sufficient engine thrust; consequently, its carrier landing and take-off performance was notoriously poor. The J35 was known to flame out in rain, a very serious fault. The first fleet squadron to receive F7Us was Fighter Squadron 81 (VF-81) in April 1954. Few squadrons made deployments with the type, and most "beached" them ashore during part of the cruise owing to operating difficulties. Those units known to have taken the type to sea were:

During 1957, Chance Vought analyzed the accident record and found that, with 78 accidents and a quarter of the airframes lost while accumulating 55,000 flight hours, the Cutlass had the highest accident rate of all Navy swept-wing fighters. [3] Furthermore, according to Thomason, accidents involving the Cutlass were typically more severe than with other aircraft. [25] The aircraft's poor safety record caused Vice Admiral Harold M. "Beauty" Martin, air commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, to replace the Cutlass with the Grumman F9F-8 Cougars; the decision was somewhat abrupt, with new aircraft continuing to be delivered for a time after this. Nevertheless, the outstanding order for 250 Cutlass A2U-1, a ground-attack variant, was soon cancelled. [3] During the late 1950s, the Navy donated many of the now-surplus aircraft to various municipalities and schools to promote aviation. [1]

Blue Angels

The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, flew two F7U-1 Cutlasses (BuNos 124426 & 124427) as a side demonstration during their 1953 show season in an effort to promote the new aircraft, but did not use them as part of their regular formation demonstration. Both the pilots and ground crews found the aircraft generally unsatisfactory, and it was apparent that the type was still experiencing multiple teething troubles. [11] However, there were political pressures to adopt the Cutlass, both from several senior officers and from senators. [3] Among the failures were landing gear failures, hydraulic failures, engine fires while in the air and, on one occasion, a landing gear door fell on a spectator grandstand but, through sheer luck, did not injure anyone. [3] [26]

During the Blue Angels' first airshow appearance in 1953, pilot Lt Edward "Whitey" Feightner, the former program manager for the F7U, experienced a total loss of hydraulics on a full afterburner takeoff and steep climb. While trying to gain enough altitude for ejection he was able to stay with the aircraft until the backup system came on. He clipped trees on the end of the runway, causing the left engine to flame out. With hydraulic fluid streaming back in a bright flame, he made a hard turn and got the plane back on the runway, much to the excitement of the crowd. Later, while traveling to an airshow at Naval Air Station Glenview in Chicago, Illinois, another Blue Angel pilot, Lt Harding MacKnight, experienced an engine flameout in his Cutlass, forcing him to make an emergency landing at NAS Glenview. Traveling with him, Feightner was redirected to make his landing at Chicago's former Orchard Airpark, which had been expanded and renamed O'Hare Airport. The runway had just been completed and was covered with peach baskets to prevent aircraft from landing until it was opened. Feightner was told to ignore the baskets and land on the new runway. As a result, Feightner's F7U became the first aircraft to land on the new runway for Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Following these incidents, the two Cutlasses were deemed unsuitable for demonstration flying and were flown to Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee, where they were abandoned to become aircraft maintenance instructional airframes for the Naval Technical Training Center. [27] The Blue Angels would opt to use the Grumman F9F Panther in place of the Cutlass. [3]

Variants

XF7U-1
Three prototypes ordered on 25 June 1946 (BuNos 122472, 122473 & 122474). First flight, 29 September 1948; all three aircraft were destroyed in crashes. [28]
F7U-1
The initial production version, 14 built. Powered by two J34-WE-32 engines.
F7U-2
Proposed version, planned to be powered by two Westinghouse J34-WE-42 engines with afterburner, but the order for 88 aircraft was cancelled.
XF7U-3
Designation given to one aircraft built as the prototype for the F7U-3, BuNo 128451. First flight: 20 December 1951.
F7U-3
The definitive production version, 180 built. Powered by two Westinghouse J46-WE-8B turbojets. The first sixteen aircraft, including the prototype, were powered by interim J35-A-29 non-afterburning engines.
F7U-3P reconnaissance aircraft F7U-3P NAN11-54.jpg
F7U-3P reconnaissance aircraft
F7U-3P
Photo-reconnaissance version, 12 built. With a 25 in (64 cm) longer nose and equipped with photo flash cartridges, none of these aircraft saw operational service, being used only for research and evaluation purposes. [28]
F7U-3M
This missile capable version was armed with four AAM-N-2 Sparrow I air-to-air beam-riding missiles. 98 built of which 48 F7U-3 airframes under construction were upgraded to F7U-3M standard. An order for 202 additional aircraft was cancelled.
A2U-1
Designation given to a cancelled order of 250 aircraft to be used in the ground attack role.
V-389
Proposal for an improved performance attack aircraft based upon the A2U-1 Cutlass. The proposal featured a single Pratt and Whitney J57-P-4. [29]

Operators

A VF-83 F7U-3 launches from the USS Intrepid in 1954 undergoing catapult testing during which its afterburners set deck planking ablaze F7U-3M Cutlass Launches from Intrepid CV11 1954.jpg
A VF-83 F7U-3 launches from the USS Intrepid in 1954 undergoing catapult testing during which its afterburners set deck planking ablaze
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

Accidents and incidents

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg F-0837 Vought F7U Cutlass Carrier Crash on USS Hancock Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Vought F7U-3 Aircraft Carrier Crash Landings
Ramp strike of Vought F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129595, Modex 412, of VF-124 on the USS Hancock on 14 July 1955. LCDR Jay T. Alkire (XO of USN's VF-124 "Stingrays") was killed in the crash, and several deck crew were injured. F7U-3 CVA-19 ramp strike 1955.jpg
Ramp strike of Vought F7U-3 Cutlass BuNo 129595, Modex 412, of VF-124 on the USS Hancock on 14 July 1955. LCDR Jay T. Alkire (XO of USN's VF-124 "Stingrays") was killed in the crash, and several deck crew were injured.

Aircraft on display

F7U-3 BuNo 129655 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida Vought F7U-3M Cutlass, Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida.jpg
F7U-3 BuNo 129655 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida

Seven F7U-3 Cutlass aircraft are known to have survived:

Specifications (F7U-3M)

Chance Vought F7U-1 3-view drawing Vought F7U-1 Cutlass 3-view line drawing.svg
Chance Vought F7U-1 3-view drawing

Data fromNaval Fighters Number Six, [41] Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation [42]

General characteristics

Performance

93.2 kn (173 km/h) with approach power for landing
30,000 ft (9,144 m) in 10.2 minutes

Armament

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell FH Phantom</span> Early US twinjet fighter aircraft

The McDonnell FH Phantom is a twinjet, straight-wing, carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and first flown during late World War II for the United States Navy. As a first-generation jet fighter, the Phantom was the first purely jet-powered aircraft to land on an American aircraft carrier and the first jet deployed by the United States Marine Corps. Although only 62 FH-1s were built it helped prove the viability of carrier-based jet fighters. As McDonnell's first successful fighter, it led to the development of the follow-on F2H Banshee, which was one of the two most important naval jet fighters of the Korean War; combined, the two established McDonnell as an important supplier of navy aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo</span> Prototype fighter aircraft

The McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo was a long-range, twinjet fighter aircraft with swept wings designed for the United States Air Force. Although it never entered production, its design was adapted for the subsequent supersonic F-101 Voodoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell F2H Banshee</span> American carrier-based jet fighter

The McDonnell F2H Banshee is a single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft. It was an early jet fighter operated by United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as being the only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy. The aircraft's name is derived from the banshee of Irish mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell F3H Demon</span> US Navy fighter aircraft

The McDonnell F3H Demon is a subsonic swept-wing carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. It was the first swept wing jet fighter and the only single-engined carrier-based fighter the company produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vought F-8 Crusader</span> 1955 naval fighter aircraft by Vought

The Vought F-8 Crusader is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Vought. It was the last American fighter that had guns as the primary weapon, earning it the title "The Last of the Gunfighters".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LTV A-7 Corsair II</span> American attack aircraft family

The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F-11 Tiger</span> US Navy carrier-based fighter aircraft in service 1956–1969

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman. For a time, it held the world altitude record of 76,939 feet (23,451 m), as well as being the first supersonic fighter to be produced by Grumman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas F3D Skyknight</span> U.S. twinjet night fighter aircraft (1951–1970)

The Douglas F3D Skyknight is an American twin-engined, mid-wing jet fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas F4D Skyray</span> US carrier-based jet-powered interceptor

The Douglas F4D Skyray is an American carrier-based fighter/interceptor designed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was the last fighter produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company prior to its merger with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convair F2Y Sea Dart</span> Hydroski jet fighter, U.S. Navy, 1953

The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was an American seaplane fighter aircraft that rode on twin hydro-skis during takeoff and landing. It flew only as a prototype, and never entered mass production. It is the only seaplane to have exceeded the speed of sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan FR Fireball</span> American World War II-era jet and piston-engined fighter aircraft

The Ryan FR Fireball was an American mixed-power fighter aircraft designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the United States Navy during World War II. It was the Navy's first aircraft with a jet engine. Only 66 aircraft were built before Japan surrendered in August 1945. The FR-1 Fireball equipped a single squadron before the war's end, but did not see combat. The aircraft ultimately proved to lack the structural strength required for operations aboard aircraft carriers and was withdrawn in mid-1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vought F6U Pirate</span> 1946 carrier-based fighter aircraft by Vought

The Vought F6U Pirate was the Vought company's first jet fighter, designed for the United States Navy during the mid-1940s. Although pioneering the use of turbojet power as the first naval fighter with an afterburner and composite material construction, the aircraft proved to be underpowered and was judged unsuitable for combat. None were ever issued to operational squadrons and they were relegated to development, training, and test roles before they were withdrawn from service in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westinghouse J40</span>

The Westinghouse J40 was an early high-performance afterburning turbojet engine designed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division starting in 1946 to a US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) request. BuAer intended to use the design in several fighter aircraft and a bomber. However, while an early low-power design was successful, attempts to scale it up to its full design power failed, and the design was finally abandoned, deemed a "fiasco" and a "flop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westinghouse J34</span> Turbojet engine

The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 pounds of thrust, twice as much as the J30. Later models produced as much as 4,900 lb with the addition of an afterburner. It first flew in 1947. The J46 engine was developed as a larger, more powerful version of Westinghouse's J34 engine, about 50% larger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westinghouse J46</span> Turbojet aircraft engine family

The Westinghouse J46 is an afterburning turbojet engine developed by the Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division for the United States Navy in the 1950s. It was primarily employed in powering the Convair F2Y Sea Dart and Vought F7U Cutlass. The engine also powered the land speed-record car known as the Wingfoot Express, designed by Walt Arfons and Tom Green It was intended to power the F3D-3, an improved, swept-wing variant of the Douglas F3D Skyknight, although this airframe was never built.

The Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division (AGT) was established by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945 to continue the development and production of its turbo-jet gas turbine engines for aircraft propulsion under contract to the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. The AGT Division was headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, where it remained in operation until 1960 when Westinghouse decided to focus on industrial and electric utility gas turbines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward L. Feightner</span> United States Navy admiral

Rear Admiral Edward Lewis Feightner was a United States Navy officer who fought in a number of significant battles in the World War II Pacific Theater of Operations. During two combat tours, he shot down nine enemy aircraft to become a flying ace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VA-34 (1943–1969)</span> Military unit

VA-34, nicknamed the Blue Blasters, was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Fighter Squadron VF-20 on 15 October 1943, redesignated as VF-9A on 15 November 1946, as VF-91 on 12 August 1948, and as VF-34 on 15 February 1950. It was finally redesignated VA-34 on 1 July 1955. The squadron was disestablished on 1 June 1969. It was the second squadron to bear the VA-34 designation, the first one having been renamed VA-35 in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VA-12 (U.S. Navy)</span> Military unit

Attack Squadron TWELVE, also known as the "Flying Ubangis" or "Clinchers", was an attack squadron of the United States Navy active during the Cold War. From their home port at Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Florida, the squadron made more than thirty major overseas deployments aboard aircraft carriers, primarily flying A-4 Skyhawk and later the A-7E Corsair II, including two combat tours in the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Chamberlain Duncan</span> United States Navy officer

George Chamberlain Duncan was a highly decorated United States Navy officer, World War Two veteran and flying ace. Born in Tacoma, Washington, he was credited with destroying 13+1⁄2 enemy aircraft and was awarded the Navy Cross during World War II.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bernier, Robert (21 September 2022). "40 Years Building A Dream". Air and Space Quarterly.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Angelucci 1987, p. 447.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Agle, DC (August 2012). "In the early jet age, pilots had good reason to fear the F7U". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Thomason 2008, p. 105.
  5. ↑ LePage 2009, pp. 275–276.
  6. ↑ Schick and Meyer 1997, p. 167.
  7. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 107.
  8. ↑ Farrington, Robert M. (19 November 1948). "New fighter unveiled". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. p. 43.
  9. ↑ "Navy swisher". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (AP photo). 22 November 1948. p. 9.
  10. 1 2 Thomason 2008, p. 108.
  11. 1 2 Angelluci 1987, p. 448.
  12. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 111.
  13. 1 2 Thomason 2008, p. 94.
  14. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 115.
  15. ↑ Thomason 2008, pp. 94, 116.
  16. 1 2 Thomason 2008, p. 116.
  17. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 95.
  18. 1 2 O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads." United States Naval Institute Proceedings, July 1968.
  19. ↑ "Flame-out eliminator".
  20. ↑ "Blast-controlling means".
  21. ↑ Thomason 2008, pp. 105-106.
  22. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 113.
  23. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 119.
  24. ↑ Thomason 2008, pp. 116, 119.
  25. ↑ Thomason 2008, p. 123.
  26. ↑ Wilcox 2004, pp. 239-240.
  27. ↑ Powell 2008, p. 37.
  28. 1 2 Gunston 1981, p. 235.
  29. ↑ Vought Report 8846 NARA II
  30. ↑ "Moffett Man is Rescued". Palo Alto Daily Times. 30 May 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  31. ↑ Walton, Bill (July 14, 2018). "Ramp Strike: F7U Cutlass Crashes on the Deck of the Hancock". avgeekery.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  32. ↑ "F7U Cutlass/128451." Archived 2014-07-27 at the Wayback Machine USS Midway Museum. Retrieved: 16 January 2015.
  33. ↑ [https://www.midway.org/Archived+2014-07-27+at+the+Wayback+Machine USS Midway Museum. Retrieved: 29 October 2012.
  34. ↑ "F7U Cutlass Now Aboard USS Midway". 2 January 2023.
  35. ↑ "Rare airplane debuts on USS Midway!". 15 December 2022.
  36. ↑ "F7U Cutlass".
  37. ↑ "F7U Cutlass/129642." Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 16 January 2015.
  38. ↑ "F7U Cutlass/129655." National Naval Aviation Museum. Retrieved: 16 January 2015.
  39. ↑ "F7U Cutlass/129685" aerialvisuals.ca. Retrieved: 16 January 2015.
  40. ↑ Chance Vought F7U-3 Cutlass. Retrieved: 14 October 2022.
  41. ↑ Ginter 1982, [ page needed ].
  42. ↑ Taylor 1993, pp. 253–254.

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.