Little known / experimental aircraft

[Griz882]

Had the opportunity to talk to a retired O-6 at base ops at NAS Dallas in the late '80's while waiting for a flight to 'Hook, who had flown the Cutlass. He had a lot of fascinating and unbelievable stories about it. Challenging, terrifying, interesting, unique, were just some of the adjectives I remember him using.

Funny! The picture I posted was taken over NAS Dallas.

 

[zipmartin]

Funny! The picture I posted was taken over NAS Dallas.

Yep, I recognize the base on Mountain Creek Lake in the pic. There are stories of an F-8 that may still be on the bottom of that lake.

 

[Griz882]

Yep, I recognize the base on Mountain Creek Lake in the pic. There are stories of an F-8 that may still be on the bottom of that lake.

Do you remember the older F-8 and A-4 squadrons there? My father served in VF-701 and later commanded VF-703 back in the old days. I think his time in ‘701 was in the FJ Fury but his command was all F-8.

 

[nittany03]

Air & Space had a good writeup on the Gutless Cutlass about 10 years or so ago that went into the shenanigans that ensued trying to make it a Blues jet, along with all the other ridiculous craziness it caused.

“The Cutlass could be made into a pretty good flying machine with a few modifications,” wrote F7U-3 pilot John Moore in The Wrong Stuff, about his Navy flying days. “Like adding a conventional tail, tripling the thrust, cutting the nosewheel strut in half, completely redoing the flight control system, and getting someone else to fly it.”

When the left engine on Lieutenant Commander Paul Harwell’s Cutlass caught fire moments after takeoff on May 30, 1955, Harwell ejected and never set foot in the F7U again—giving him more time in a Cutlass parachute than in the actual aircraft. An electrical failure forced Tom Quillin to abort a training mission and declare an emergency. Quillin returned to base only to learn he was number three in the emergency landing pattern, behind two of the three other Cutlasses he took off with.

 

[zipmartin]

Do you remember the older F-8 and A-4 squadrons there? My father served in VF-701 and later commanded VF-703 back in the old days. I think his time in ‘701 was in the FJ Fury but his command was all F-8.

I flew the adversary A-4's there in '86-'89 and again in '92-'94 when I retired. The A-4's then weren't actually a squadron, but were station aircraft, flown by TAR's, whose sole mission was to provide adversary support for the Navy and Marine reserve fighter squadrons. VF-201 and VF-202 were the Navy squadrons, initially flying F-4's and later transitioning to F-14's. VMFA-112 was the Marine outfit flying F-4's then transitioning to F-18's.

 

[Griz882]

I flew the adversary A-4's there in '86-'89 and again in '92-'94 when I retired. The A-4's then weren't actually a squadron, but were station aircraft, flown by TAR's, whose sole mission was to provide adversary support for the Navy and Marine reserve fighter squadrons. VF-201 and VF-202 were the Navy squadrons, initially flying F-4's and later transitioning to F-14's. VMFA-112 was the Marine outfit flying F-4's then transitioning to F-18's.

Nice. In my case, that would have been long after my father’s time.

 

[Llarry]

I found this picture of a very rare bird…the Cutlass in Blue’s garb. Apparently they used the Cutlass for only one season…CORRECTION…I think they just tested them and went a different route.

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F7U-1 Cutlasses, which were never in squadron service.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Stumbled across this beauty! The H-2 Tomahawk based on the UH-2 Seasprite…

The UH-2A interim attack helicopter, which the Army designated H-2 "Tomahawk", differed from the standard Navy Seasprite in several ways. The most obvious difference was in armament, for the Tomahawk was fitted with two chin-mounted turrets, each housing two 7.62mm machine guns. The turrets could be operated independently of one another, or could be 'slaved' together to engage the same target. The aircraft also carried a single door-mounted M-60 machine gun, and was fitted with short stub wings upon which could be carried up to four 7-round pods of 2.75 inch unguided rockets. Other modifications made to the H-2 included the addition of armor plating around the cockpit, engine, transmission, and fuel tanks, and the installation of Army-standard navigation and communications equipment. The Aviation Test Board ultimately judged the Tomahawk to be an extremely capable machine, and in early November 1963 the Army sought and received Congressional authorization to purchase 220 aircraft. However, five days after the 22 November assassination of John Kennedy and the subsequent assumption of the Presidency by Texan Lyndon Johnson the acquisition of the Connecticut-built H-2 was ordered abandoned in favor of further purchases of the Texas-built UH-1’s.

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I vaguely remember hearing about a proposed H-2 gunship but didn't realize it got as far along as it did. Interesting.

Might have been a neat alternate-universe ride for the Seawolves.

 

[Austin-Powers]

I found this picture of a very rare bird…the Cutlass in Blue’s garb. Apparently they used the Cutlass for only one season…CORRECTION…I think they just tested them and went a different route.

View attachment 37791

I always thought the Cutlass was the most unique in the US Navy's arsenal, it looks so futuristic but it was during the early stages of modern Naval Aviation. If I recall in Dan Pedersen's "TOPGUN" novel, the Cutlass was notorious for being difficult to fly and bring on the deck.

 

[Llarry]

Curtiss CW-76 of WW2. Made of wood to conserve precious metals (e.g, aluminum) and R-1830 radial-powered. Very heavy and very unsuccessful. Ugly surely didn't help the cause, either.-76 of WW2. Made of wood to conserve precious metals (e.g. aluminum) and R-1830 radial-powered. Very heavy and unsuccessful. Also ugly.

 

[wink]

In the background, the light colored aircraft, appear to be tailwheel designs while the aircraft in foreground has a nose wheel. While they look similarly ugly, the tails also look different. What are the planes in the background?

 

[Griz882]

In the background, the light colored aircraft, appear to be tailwheel designs while the aircraft in foreground has a nose wheel. While they look similarly ugly, the tails also look different. What are the planes in the background?

That is the Curtis Wright AT-9 “Jeep.” She is an ugly bird. She was hard to fly but served as the entry trainer for P-38 and B-26 high performance aircraft.

 

[Griz882]

Since we are on “unattractive” twins…here is the Grumman F5F Skyrocket.



It was in direct competition with the Wildcat, Corsair, Spitfire, Hurricane, Aerobonita (navy version of Aircobra), and Buffalo. She beat them all but the navy was concerned it would be too hard to maintain parts. Here is a test pilot report from the era…

“I remember testing the XF5F against the XF4U on climb to the 10,000 foot level. I pulled away from the Corsair so fast I thought he was having engine trouble. The F5F was a carrier pilot's dream, as opposite rotating propellers eliminated all torque and you had no large engine up front to look around to see the LSO (landing signal officer) ... The analysis of all the data definitely favored the F5F, and the Spitfire came in a distant second. ... ADM Towers told me that securing spare parts ... and other particulars which compounded the difficulty of building the twin-engine fighter, had ruled out the Skyrocket and that the Bureau had settled on the Wildcat for mass production."

 

[Griz882]

For the edification of the crew…the Bell Aerobonita! A naval version of the Aircobra.

 

[wink]

Thanks for the fun education on those three. Hard to beleive the F5F performed like that. Never knew the Aircobra was considered by the Navy. Doesn't look like it has the cannon in the nose, but maybe that was just for testing. Also went tailwheel over the nose wheel of the Aircobra.